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(By Gerry Wang)


AFC WEST

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1.) Seattle Seahawks - The Seahawks have traditionally been whipping boys for the Broncos. This year, that'll change as Mike Holmgren brings his coaching wisdom to a team loaded w/ talent. The Seahawks will have the most dominant defense in the league. They have Michael Sinclair, Sam Adams, Cortez Kennedy, Chad Brown, Darrin Smith as the d-line and linebackers. All these guys are Pro-Bowlers. Plus Shawn Springs is ready to emerge as an upper tier CB. The question mark for the Seahawks is the QB. Holmgren knows how to groom young quarterbacks. Can he make Jon Kitna a star? W/ such a talented receiving corps, Kitna will have plenty of weapons. Sean Dawkins, Michael Jackson, Derrick Mayes, and Joey Galloway lining up in a 4-receiver formation will give opponents headaches.

Player to watch:
-> Joey Galloway - He's the fastest, most explosive WR in the league. Now all the Seahawks need to do is sign him and get him on the field.
-> Ricky Watters - He can run and catch. I always thought he'd be the 2nd one since Roger Craig to get a 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. But it's always his brash, cocky attitude that makes him fail. Hopefully he'll thrive in this new system.

Significant offseason pickups:
-> Glenn Foley - A decent young backup for Jon Kitna, should he tank.
-> Sean Dawkins & Derrick Mayes - These two are rising stars. How in the world did Holmgren manage to nab these two talented pass catchers?

Predicted record: 12-4
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2.) Denver Broncos - There's no chance in hell they'll three-peat w/ Brian Griese as their starting QB. I think Mike Shanahan is playing mind games w/ Bubby Brister. Then again, Bubby Brister ain't gonna lead the Broncos to a three-peat either. Time to rebuild. Hey, they still have Terrell Davis though. He's the best RB since Barry Sanders. He's a workhorse. But w/o a decent passing game, more defenses will key on Davis. Expect his numbers to dip a little, especially his TDs.

Players to watch:
-> Shannon Sharpe - This loudmouth brotha is huge. He towers over whomever guards him, and he and John Elway were always a formidable connection. Look for Sharpe to carry more of the receiving load.
-> Rod Smith & Ed McCaffrey - It's up to these guys to catch the bad throws that will inevitably come their way. Unfortunately, I don't think these guys can hack it.

Significant offseason pickups:
-> Dale Carter - Used to be the best coverman in football, but this preseason hasn't lived up to his hype. But come game time, I think he'll return to his old Pro Bowl self.

Predicted record: 10-6
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3.) Oakland Raiders - I've never forgiven Al Davis for moving the Raiders from LA back to Oakland, so I always secretly put a hex on the Raiders before the season starts. And the hex usually has fantastic results. But I think this year the hex will be partially lifted. They don't have Donald Hollas (of all people) as the starter anymore, and they have much needed depth in the backfield, w/ the additions of Zack Crockett and Rashaan Salaam, another Heisman Trophy winner. But the real strength of the Raiders is their defense. Their secondary should be one of the tops in the league, w/ Eric Allen, Charles Woodson (another Heisman winner), Eric Turner and Darrien Gordon.

Players to watch:
-> Tim Brown - Still one of my favorite players, because he's so damn reliable and loyal. Just get him the ball, and watch him do his magic. Even in rain or snow, Brown is good for a huge play.
-> Rich Gannon - It's up to Gannon to get the ball to his speedy receivers. He ain't better than Jeff George, but he's not as fragile.

Significant offseason pickups:
-> Darrien Gordon - He returns kicks too!

Predicted record: 8-8
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4.) San Diego Chargers - I think it was a blessing in disguise when Ryan Leaf went down. Because now he can calm down and study under two accomplished veteran QBs in Jim Harbaugh and Erik Kramer. The receiving corps is easy to overlook, but Bryan Still, Freddie Jones, and Jeff Graham are able pass catchers. But still, they need that one potential gamebreaker. The running game is pretty decent, w/ Natrone Means and Terrell Fletcher platooning. Both oughta get around 800 yards.

Players to watch:
-> Junior Seau - He's gonna play some TE this year, and has already made big plays during the offseason. I hope he doesn't forget he's primarily a defensive nosetackle, and a pretty damn good one too.

Significant offseason pickups:
-> Jim Harbaugh & Erik Kramer - I think there are some teams who'd kill to have a 1-2 combination like this at QB.

Predicted record: 7-9
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5.) Kansas City Chiefs - Oh boy, I take a perverse joy in seeing the crumbling of this once proud franchise. You see, in Madden NFL 99, the only team I couldn't beat was the Chiefs. They found a way to light me up using players like Kimble Anders and Donnell Bennett. It drove me crazy. But now, the Chiefs are in the gutter. And I like it. Elvis Grbac is not starting QB material, and his backup, Warren Moon, is not that many years younger than my parents. Plus the running game is absolutely horrendous. Heh heh heh.

Players to watch:
-> Derrick Alexander - He's a solid WR who improves every year. Plus he lit me up too. =)
-> Tony Gonzalez - Oh man, he totally rocked me in Madden. I think he'll also rock in real life. He's got good hands, but needs to use them better. Had a bad case of the drops last year.
-> James Hasty & Reggie Tongue - Now that Dale Carter is gone, these two must step out of their former teammate's shadow and lead the Chiefs defense, which still has Derrick Thomas, who's in a slump.

Significant offseason pickups:
-> Cris Dishman - In his younger days, he was one of the league's premiere cover guys, while he was on the Oilers. Can he still play like he was 10 years younger?

Predicted record: 5-11
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AFC WEST RECAP
Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
Denver Broncos (10-6)
Oakland Raiders (8-8)
San Diego Chargers (7-9)
Kansas City Chiefs (5-11)

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