Stick a fork in the Denver Broncos

Got a fork? Stick it in the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos are as good as dead after Sunday’s 32-3 loss to the AFC West-leading San Diego Chargers.

Denver started 6-0; the Tennessee Titans began 0-6. But don’t be surprised if the Broncos (6-4) and Titans (3-6) end the season with near identical records.

As for the Chargers, they are on a typical late-season run that has seen them post a 41-5 record down the stretch since 2004.

With the Chargers on a five-game winning streak and Denver on a four-game losing skid, the AFC West is as good as over even though the Chargers only lead by one game.

Consider some recent Charger facts:

Their defense allowed more than 27 points per game the first five games; it has allowed fewer than 14 ppg in the past five.
QB Philip Rivers was sacked an average of three times per game the first five games but just once a game in the last five.
The Chargers averaged one sack per outing through five games, but four per game in the past five contests (thanks greatly to a revived Shawne Merriman and consistent Shaun Phillips.)

And then there’s a Denver team that outscored its first six opponents in the second half 76-10.

In the past four games, the Broncos have been outscored in the second half 77-17.

For all intents and purposes, say goodbye to the Broncos for 2009.

Denver Broncos got the best of Cutler-Orton trade

Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler straight-up would have been a good trade for the Denver Broncos.

Just look at what Cutler – the biggest pouter in the NFL – has “accomplished” this season.

He threw five interceptions in the Chicago Bears’10-6 loss at the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, tying for the most by a Bears QB since Zeke Bratkowski threw seven in a 42-7 loss to the Baltimore Colts on Oct. 2, 1960.

This comes on top of Cutler’s four interceptions in a season-opening loss at the Green Bay Packers.

Orton? All he has done is lead the Broncos to a surprising first-place standing in the AFC West at 6-2. He doesn’t necessarily win games for you; but he throws very few interceptions and keeps you from losing.

This being said, one must consider what else came along in the Bears-Broncos trade back in April.

The Broncos also received first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 for trading Cutler, along with a third-round pick in 2009. In return, the Bears received a fifth-round pick in 2009 that Denver had already acquired from the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver Keary Colbert.

Cutler and the Bears already are virtually out of playoff contention at 4-5.

Orton? He needs to lead the Broncos to a win Sunday at the Washington Redskins, or the Broncos will have lost three straight and be in danger of falling into a first-place tie in the AFC West with the San Diego Chargers (if the Chargers beat the Philadelphia Eagles.)

Speaking of QBs, Philip Rivers of the Chargers is far more effective than Cutler or Orton. He rarely loses games for you as Cutler often does and he’s much more capable of leading a winning drive than Orton.

All of which could still make the Chargers the best team in the AFC West.

Prediction:
Chargers 24, Eagles 23

Denver Broncos: 1977 all over again?

Remember Red Miller, the Orange Crush and the Pony Express cheerleaders?

Looks like the current Denver Broncos may turn out to be the latest version of those 1977 Broncos.

In 1977, the Broncos won their first six games under new coach Red Miller. This year’s Broncos are 6-0 under new coach Josh McDaniels.

The 1977 Broncos featured an "Orange Crush" defense. The current Broncos feature a defense that has allowed just 10 points total in the second half of their first six games.

Back in 1977, the Broncos had an attractive cheerleader group called the "Pony Express." Equally as attractive, they are now the Bronco Cheerleaders.

When the Broncos won Monday night at San Diego, 34-23, it brought back another memory of 1977.

That year, the Broncos were 4-0 when they traveled to Oakland and defeated the Raiders, 30-7. At that time, Oakland had been dominating the AFC West.

The Chargers had also been dominant in the AFC West for several years until this year’s edition of the Broncos came along.

Kyle Orton, of all people, may be the modern-day Craig Morton of the Broncos. And the list goes on.

(For those who have forgotten, Denver’s back-up QB in 1977 was Craig Penrose out of San Diego State. He played for the Aztec more than 30 years ago; back when they were annual winners instead of perennial losers.)

The Broncos did go 12-2 in 1977 and made it all the way to the Super Bowl for the first time under a new head coach. Is history repeating in 2009?

Chargers should prevail again in AFC West

Here we go again.

It looks like the Denver Broncos might challenge the San Diego Chargers for the AFC West title again ... but it isn’t going to happen.

Just like last year; when the Broncos lost three straight and the Chargers won four in a row at the end; Denver is going to fade.

Believe it or not, the Chargers have an easier road by playing a "first place" schedule than Denver does by playing a "second place" schedule.

The teams have 14 games in common. The two exceptions are that the Chargers play Miami and Tennessee, both division champs last year but winless this season. In turn, Denver gets to play Indianapolis (3-0) and New England (2-1).

The Chargers are going to get better when LaDainian Tomlinson returns. They are the worst running team in the NFL now, yet LT will make them much better after he comes back likely for the Denver game at home on Monday night, Oct. 19.

So much for those who thought the team could get along without him.

With LT on the sidelines, the team’s best "rusher" might be Philip Rivers. The slow QB is the only Charger to score a rushing touchdown the past two weeks.

With LT eventually on the way back ... and Denver having a tougher schedule ... the Chargers should prevail again in the AFC West.

Chargers have easiest path to playoffs

The San Diego Chargers certainly have the path of least resistance to the NFL playoffs.

Who wouldn’t want to be in a division with the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders (none ranked higher than 25th of 32 teams in ESPN’s preseason poll?)

The Chargers can definitely afford another 1-3 start because a 7-9 record could win this AFC West division.

But there’s no reason to start so slowly.

Tonight’s season opener at Oakland is a virtual gimmie; La Dainian Tomlinson eats these guys alive in the Black Hole.

Then there are home games vs. the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins; neither of which looked real strong on opening weekend.

Week 4 is at the Pittsburgh Steelers, before a bye week.

The Chargers should be at least 2-2 at their bye; most likely 3-1. But again, no matter what the record early on, making the playoffs should be a breeze. (After all, five games against the AFC West from Oct. 19-Nov. 29 should put distance between the Chargers and the rest of the division.)

The big question marks with this team are pass defense, offensive line, and running back depth considering Tomlinson’s health the past two years.

But all things considered, with six games against the Weak Weak AFC West, the Chargers should finish 10-6 or better this season.

It would be enough to earn at least one home game in the playoffs, and then we go from there.

The ride should be smooth; until January. Then, the real season begins.

Prediction:
Chargers 27, Raiders 7

Patriots over Eagles in Super Bowl?

Tom Brady is back. That means so are the New England Patriots.

Michael Vick is back. The Philadelphia Eagles should go to the Super Bowl; but that doesn’t mean because of him.

As the NFL season kicks off, the pick from this corner is for the Patriots to defeat the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

Sure, there are other contenders.

The San Diego Chargers are in such a weak division that they should cakewalk to the playoffs. (ESPN predicts any of 24 teams could win the AFC West if they were included with Denver, Kansas City and Oakland.)

You can never discount the Pittsburgh Steelers. After all, they are the defending champs.

In the NFC, Drew Brees could surprise and lead the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl. (Don’t expect as much from Brett Favre in Minnesota; if the Vikings go all the way, it might be despite him.)

Of course, there are always surprises. So let’s get to our 2009 predictions:

AFC West:
San Diego, Kansas City, Denver, Oakland.

AFC East:
New England, Miami, New York Jets, Buffalo.

AFC North:
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Cleveland.

AFC South:
Houston, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville.

NFC West:
Arizona, Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis.

NFC East:
Philadelphia, New York Giants, Dallas, Washington.

NFC North:
Green Bay, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit.

NFC South:
New Orleans, Carolina, Atlanta, Tampa Bay.

AFC Wildcards:
Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

NFC Wildcards:
New York Giants and Minnesota.

AFC Championship:
New England over San Diego.

NFC Championship:
Philadelphia over New Orleans.

Super Bowl:
New England over Philadelphia.

Chargers' Norv Turner: AFC West coaching genius

Norv Turner has taken more than his share of abuse as (allegedly) a poor head football coach.

But when you look around, Turner is by far the best coach in the AFC West.

That has nothing to do with the fact that he’s won three playoff games in two years with the San Diego Chargers … or that he has by far the division’s best talent with the Chargers.

Just take a look at the other head coaches and you’ll understand why Turner stands out:

Tom Cable of the Oakland Raiders sucker punched an assistant coach early in training camp.

Todd Haley of the Kansas City Chiefs fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey in the exhibition season (now Haley is the coordinator.)

Josh McDaniels of the Denver Broncos has lost star QB Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall … not to mention the attention of the rest of his team.

Yes; compared to those guys, Norv Turner looks like a genius!

Chargers' LT should rest the rest of exhibition season

Don’t expect to see LaDainian Tomlinson play again in the preseason for the San Diego Chargers.

Ostensibly, he won’t play Saturday at Atlanta because the game is on artificial turf.

Then comes the final preseason game Sept. 4 at home vs. San Francisco … a good time to rest virtually all regulars.

From what little we’ve seen of Tomlinson this summer, he does not appear to be benefiting from exhibition games.

He’s barely averaging two yards a carry and has found holes hard to come by.

Yet this is what’s to be expected from a veteran playing in the preseason for the first time in four years.

The Chargers are fortunate QB Philip Rivers didn’t get hurt when he was sacked four times in the first quarter last weekend by the Arizona Cardinals.

San Diego is a team that only needs to stay healthy to cakewalk through the otherwise horrible AFC West division in 2009.

And remember: The Chargers open their season Sept. 14 at the Oakland Raiders.

LT always has a great game in Oakland. Don’t expect anything less in 2009; as long as he stays healthy through the exhibition season.

Chargers are obviously disappointed

There are two ways to look at the Chargers’ recently completed season.

Either:
A: They made an extraordinary run to make the playoffs and won a postseason game for the second straight year

Or:
B. They had a disappointing 9-9 season and fell far short of their ultimate goal of reaching the Super Bowl.

Obviously, the answer is “B.”

Did you see where the Chargers have fired two secondary coaches, their tight ends coach and offensive line coach?

Those firings usually only happen when a team underachieves (or a head coach goes 14-2 but can’t get along with the general manager.)

Already, the Chargers are admitting their performances left much to be desired against the pass, in their blocking and in the tight ends’ play.

These changes may only be the beginning of many at Chargers Park.

After all, a .500 record won’t make the playoffs forever as Denver, Oakland and Kansas City continue to rebuild in the AFC West.

Life more than fair to Chargers?

We all know that life isn’t fair sometimes.

For the Chargers, that’s a good thing.

If they still somehow manage to make the playoffs by finishing with an 8-8 record, it won’t be fair to many teams.

After all, teams such as Indianapolis, Baltimore, Miami, New England and the New York Jets will each finish with a better record than the Chargers.

But some of them will be on the outside looking in – whether the Chargers make the playoffs or sit home in January.

And as local TV personality Michael Turko says: “That ain’t right.”

It may not have been right when Denver beat the Chargers on a bogus call by referee Ed Hochuli in Week 2, but now the playoff picture is more than fair to the Chargers.

If the Chargers don’t win this week at Tampa Bay, forget about it. The Denver Broncos are in and the Chargers are out from the AFC West.

Yet should the Chargers someone win Sunday at Tampa Bay and Denver loses at home to Buffalo, the AFC West all comes down to Denver at San Diego on Dec. 28.

Don’t count on it!

Prediction:
Tampa Bay 17, Chargers 13

Chargers trying to prolong the obvious

The Chargers have not lost a December game since 2005.

The Kansas City Chiefs have not been defeated at home since 1997 to a team they lost to in their first meeting of a particular season.

So, something has to give Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

How about the Chiefs … barely?

If the Chargers lose, the Denver Broncos will be celebrating an AFC West championship before playing the Carolina Panthers later that afternoon.

Don’t count on it.

The Chiefs (2-11) are a great reminder of the Ryan Leaf-led Chargers who went 1-15 in 2000.

They seemingly always play just well enough to lose; coming close but not closing out the deal.

Kansas City has 19 rookies on its roster, which makes it a team of the future. And don’t be surprised if the Chiefs surpass the Chargers by 2010 … as long as Norv Turner is still coaching in San Diego.

Expect the Chargers to stay alive this week by winning and later having the Broncos lose. But don’t hold your breath the next week when the Chargers are at Tampa Bay and Denver is at home against Buffalo.

The champagne should be flowing in Denver in about a week.

Prediction:
Chargers 24, Chiefs 22

Chargers may be bad; instead of unlucky

It’s easy to say the Chargers suffered from bad luck with All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman injured for the season.

But there’s another way to look at it: The Chargers have also been very lucky in some regards.

Take the Denver Broncos. They are down to their No. 6 running back due to injuries … yet they are still beating out the Chargers in the AFC West.

Tatum Bell, the current running back, was selling cell phones for a living last month.

And how about a couple of the opponents this season?

Carolina played their Chargers when its start receiver Steve Smith was suspended; yet the Panthers still won.

Kansas City faced the Chargers the first time around with standout running back Larry Johnson on suspension; yet came within a fumbled snap on an extra point of winning.

There’s no doubt the Chargers are worse off without Merriman, but how would they be faring without their top five running backs … a la the Broncos?

Without a doubt, they would be doing a lot worse than the Broncos … who are making the playoffs; not excuses.

Norv Turner: Downfall of the Chargers?

Let’s compare the head coaching careers of Marty Schottenheimer and Norv Turner.

The rap on Schottenheimer was that he could turn around a terrible team and win in the regular season, but never in the playoffs.

In contrast, Turner just flat-out has a history of not making the playoffs as a head coach (he’s only done it twice in 10 years.)

Two seasons very well justify the feelings about each coach, when you consider 2004 vs. 2008.

In 2004, Schottenheimer was coaching what was believed to be the least talented team in the NFL with the Chargers. (It was so bad that first-round draft pick Eli Manning refused to play for San Diego.)

So what happened?

The Chargers went 12-4, were the surprise team of the NFL and lost in the first round of the playoffs when Nate Kaeding couldn’t make a 40-yard field goal.

(Just what you would expect from Schottenheimer, who was 200-126 in the regular season and 5-13 in the playoffs.)

Fast forward to 2008:

The Chargers have what many consider the best talent in the NFL.

So what has Turner done for them lately? How about leading them to a 4-6 record and the distinction as the most disappointing team in the NFL thus far?

The Chargers got rid of Schottenheimer for not winning in the playoffs, only to hire someone who rarely makes the playoffs. What a shame it would be if this Turner-led team didn’t even make the postseason coming from a crummy AFC West division.

You want a head coach who at least make the playoffs, or one who makes the GM happy by being his buddy?

Unfortunately, you’re stuck with the latter.

Weekend predictions:
Indianapolis Colts 26, Chargers 24
UNLV 27, San Diego State 17

There's no defense for the Chargers

Boy, was that “new look” Chargers’ defense impressive (tongue in cheek!)

Was it me, or did the “new” San Diego defense under Ron Rivera look the same as the old under Ted Cottrell?

Still no pressure on the quarterback. Still no turnovers in 13 quarters; and one in the past four games.

And still no stopping of another team’s final drive when the game was on the line.

With a 20-19 luck-out over Kansas City, the Chargers posed more questions than they answered.

What if the Chiefs hadn’t muffed a snap on an extra point? What if Kansas City had a decent play planned on a potential game-winning, 2-point conversion?

The Chargers would be looking at a 3-6 record, which still wouldn’t eliminate them from competition in the worst division ever in the NFL.

Under Rivera, it was the same-old, same-old for the Chargers defense.

The only players with above-average games defensively were Jamal Williams and Quentin Jammer.

Otherwise, this team was lucky KC played with a third-string quarterback, third-string running back and four defensive players who weren’t even on the team a week ago (and thus missed being included on the roster printed at mid-week.)

If the Chargers keep this up, they may not even post the 7-9 record it will take to win the woeful AFC West this season.

Chargers could win AFC West with losing record

So you still think the Chargers won’t win the AFC West?

Did you see the Denver Broncos lose to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday?

At this point, the Broncos might not be able to beat the San Ysidro High junior varsity.

Denver is toast, but so are the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. So that leaves the Chargers to win the AFC West; probably even if they finish with a losing record at 7-9.

Sure, Denver leads the division at 4-4. (The Broncos will likely be 4-5 with a loss Thursday at Cleveland.) Then, if the Chargers win as expected Sunday at home vs. Kansas City, they’ll be tied for the division lead at 4-5.

How do you say “pathetic?”

At the midway point of the 2008 season, the numbers prove that the Chargers are indeed in the worst division in football.

Here’s a look at each division’s overall record in games outside its respective division:

NFC East 18-5
NFC South 16-7
AFC East 14-8
AFC South 12-8
AFC North 6-10
NFC North 7-13
NFC West 6-16
AFC West 5-17

Any question now as to whether the Chargers will win the worst division in football?

Chargers: Looking a lot like 2005?

All of a sudden, this season is starting to look like 2005 all over again for the Chargers.

Back then, the Chargers were also a heavy favorite to win the AFC West.

Back then, they also started the season 0-2 before rallying to be 4-4 after eight games (which would be their record with a win Sunday vs. New Orleans in London.)

Back then, the Chargers had to play five games in the Eastern Time zone. (This year, it’s four on East Coast time and one in London.)

Yes, there are many similarities.

The 2005 Chargers did rally to win five straight at one point; extending their record to 8-4.

But they lost three of their final four to finish 9-7, the exception being at win at Indianapolis to snap the Colts’13-0 record.

So what’s the difference this year?

The Denver Broncos.

In 2005, the Broncos finished 13-3 and made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game before losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

The Broncos are 4-3 this season and will be lucky to finish .500.

So despite all the similarities in the Chargers to 2005, the biggest difference in the AFC West is the weakness of the Broncos.

And that may be enough for an average Chargers team to make the playoffs this season with an 8-8 or 9-7 record.

Who is the worst football team in San Diego?

Who is the most disappointing football team in San Diego?

Is it:

The Chargers, who may not even make the playoffs?

San Diego State, which may not win another game?

You can make a case for both.

The Chargers were supposed to be good enough to win the Super Bowl. At 3-4, they would be out of the race already in some divisions … luckily; they’re in the worst NFL division in the AFC West.

The Aztecs were at least supposed to be competitive this year. After a 70-7 loss at New Mexico last week, one must wonder if they have given up on the season … and will suffer the first 10-loss season in school history.

How bad is it?

People are now starting to write letters to the editor again, questioning if Norv Turner is back to his historic losing ways as a head coach.

Yet there’s so little interest in SDSU football that there’s not even a firechucklong.com Web site to be found.

Both teams are beyond disappointing at this point. There will be great interest (or lack of) to see which team can snap out of the doldrums.

The line isn't good on the Chargers

Some of us still remember that old high school cheer, “Hold that line.”

In a nutshell, that’s exactly what’s wrong with the Chargers.

The reason they lost to Carolina, 26-24, on opening day Sunday was simple: The Panthers beat up the Chargers on both the offensive and defensive lines.

The Panthers averaged 4.9 yards per rush against a weakened Chargers defense, even without the benefit of a breakaway run to inflate the statistics.

And when the Chargers had the ball, they certainly weren’t as effective up front without injured center Nick Hardwick and tackle Marcus McNeill.

Also, we discovered that people who don’t play in the exhibition season because of nagging injuries aren’t going to be effective from the start.

How else do you explain Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman only being in on two tackles apiece?

And even Antonio Gates, despite his late 24-yard touchdown reception, looked rusty as he still recovers from last season’s toe injury.

The Chargers need to make a quick recovery when they go to Denver this week, otherwise they will find themselves 0-2 in what is supposed to be a Super Bowl season.

The redeeming factor?

The AFC West is so weak that the Chargers could likely win it by going 8-8 or 9-7.

Will Chargers start the season at least 5-0?

Josh Lewin, the outstanding play-by-play announcer for the Chargers on radio station Rock 105.3 KIOZ-FM, made an interesting observation about the AFC West.

“It’s like Gladys Knight & the Pips,” he said last weekend. “The Chargers are Gladys Knight, and everyone else is the Pips.”

Right on.

It would be shocking if any of the Pips among the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs or Oakland Raiders overtake the Chargers this season in the AFC West.

Perhaps the bigger question is whether the Chargers can begin their season with a 5-0 record … at the very least.

They’re already a 10-point favorite at home for the Sept. 7 season opener at home against Carolina, which will be without leading (and suspended) receiver Steve Smith.

Then comes a Sept. 14 contest at Denver, where the Chargers haven’t had much success over the years but did win 41-3 last season. It won’t hurt that Broncos’ leading receiver Brandon Marshall is suspended for that game.

Week 3 is a Monday Night home game Sept. 22 vs. the New York Jets and some new quarterback named Brett Favre (gee, I think ESPN has ignored him lately!)

The next two weeks feature games at Oakland (Sept. 28) and Miami (Oct. 5).

So far, it appears to be a very soft schedule.

Then comes a Week 6 match up at home on Sunday Night, Oct. 12, vs. the mighty New England Patriots.

The Chargers will be looking to avenge (a) a 2006 playoff loss, (b) a 2007 regular season loss, (c) a 2007-08 postseason loss, or (d) all three losses to the Patriots.

That may be the most important hump of all to get over.

Draft makes the Chargers what they are

If you’re wondering why the Chargers have become the dominant team in the AFC West, opposing coaches will tell you it’s at least in part because of the NFL draft.

Here’s what each had to say to espn.com:

“You look how they drafted,” Kansas City coach Herman Edwards said. “They built their team through the draft. They are very talented.”

Denver’s Mike Shanahan: “San Diego, player per player, is probably as good as anybody in the National Football League and is probably one of the top-five teams. Personnel-wise, I would say they're right at the top, No. 1. That's saying a lot.”

Oakland’s Lane Kiffin: “It's no secret that San Diego is the team to catch.”
The Chargers have built themselves through the draft with such selections as:

2004: Philip Rivers (quarterback), Igor Olshansky (defensive end), Nate Kaeding (place-kicker), Nick Hardwick (center) and Shaun Phillips (linebacker).

2005: Linebacker Shawne Merriman, defensive lineman Luis Castillo, receiver Vincent Jackson and return man Darren Sproles.

2006: The Chargers' first two picks were cornerback Antonio Cromartie and left tackle Marcus McNeill.

2007: Receiver Buster Davis and safety Eric Weddle led the pack.

The Chargers now have holes to fill at running back (without Michael Turner), offensive line (without Shane Olivea), secondary (without Drayton Florence) and defensive line (with Jamal Williams and his knees aging.)

But with only five picks in this weekend’s draft, each one will have to be a premium in order to make the team better in 2008.

Projected First Round Pick: Offensive Tackle Gosder Cherilus, Boston College