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Wednesday, August 24, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
AFC West is limping along
The Associated Press
Once the NFL's most powerful division with three playoff teams in 1983 and 1984, the AFC West has gone through several changes since then.
The two-time division champion Denver Broncos, who have gone on to claim two straight American Conference titles, appear to retain a slight edge over their four-peat season against the Broncos, but even the Broncos are not immune to the malady.
A pair of Super Bowl blowouts have the Broncos reeling.
Elway, entering his nFL season, has emerged as a never-say die leader who hopes to become only the second quarterback (after Miami's Bob Greene) to lead his team to three straight Super Bow appearances. The receiver, Player, Elway threw for 348 yards and 19 touchdown last season and was the team's second-leading rusher.
If the Broncos are in fact a one-man team — as some critics charged last season — the one man is a winner.
Pro Bowl linebacker Karl Mecklenburg — "as important to our defense as John Elway is to our offense," according to coach Dane Reeves — is a stallwart, and safeties Mike Harden and Dennis Smith are solid, if they can stay injury-free. Cornersack Mark Haynes looks capable of duplicating his standout seasons in New York.
Only Denver, with the incomparable John Elway, is unaffected.
Just about every team in the division seems to have developed a glaring weakness. For Denver, Seattle and Kansas City, it is defense. For the Los Angeles Raiders and San Diego, it is offense.
If the Broncos are to improve on their 10-4-1 record last season, Reeves believes his defense must lower its per-rush yield of 4.4 yards — only Seattle was worse in the AFC—and the offense must become more varied and less reliant on the quarterback factor of how the Broncs will respond psychologically to the disappointment of a second straight Super Bowl loss.
Denver's supporting cast is inconsistent. Elway has a running corpse of Vince Johnson, Mark Jackson, Ricky Todd and Daniel Pace, running game remains suspect,虽 ex-Dallas running back Tony Dorsett can recapture his dazzling form at age 34.
Seattle appeared primed for a Super Bowl appearance in 1987 but once again proved a mystery. The Seahawks were 9-6 and, with the injured Curt Warner on the sidelines, bowed to Houston in the wild-card game.
Seattle Seahawks
Was Brian Boworth's presence disruptive? The under-appreciated Kregt too inconsistent to lead Seattle in the playoffs. But it was by the loss of safety Kenny Easley, who retired with a kidney ailment, and the bitter holdout of Pro Bowl Warren Johnson.
Krieg was the AFC's third-rated last season, throwing for 23 touchdowns. But, unlike Elway, Krieg has tended not to rise to the occasion when the Seahawks needed him.
Steve Largent, the NFL's all-time leading receiver with 72 receptions, enters his 13th season needing 106 yards. He'll need at least 58 receptions.
Coach Chuck Knox said his defense "must improve against the run and produce a better pass rush." Seattle's defense has declined statistically since 1984, and last year he scored twice against the run and in 20th in-ward per-carry yield (4.7).
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The good news in San Diego is the Chargers had an 87 record a year ago – their best season performance since 2015. The team has won its last 6 games.
Denver Broncos
Coach Al Saunders' No. 1 priority is a replacement for six time Pro Bowel quarterback Dan Fouts, who retired. "You don't replace Dan Fouts, you follow him," Saunders said.
San Diego Chargers
Mark Malone, the much-maligned former Steelers quarterback, was acquired as a likely successor to Fouls, but free agent Rabe Laufenberg, who has been cut seven times, appeared to have the edge entering the season.
The Chargers have accomplished a remarkable turnaround in the past few seasons. Once all offense and no defense, the offense was ranked a meager 21st last year and defense improved to 13th and led the AFC with 44 sacks.
Linebacker Billy Ray Smith was the kingpin of that defense, leading the team with five interceptions and three forced fumbles. Free safety Vencie Glenn showed a knack for making the big play.
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The Los Angeles Raiders have the league's youngest head coach, 36-year old former Denver offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who has brought some of the Broncos' motion-oriented offense with him.
The Raiders were 5-10 last year, their worst mark since 1962, and they were 2-10 over the last 12 weeks.
Since last season, the Raiders have made a number of acquisitions, including wide receiver Gwale Gault and offensive tackle Jim Lachie. They drew from Dame's roster, including former Brown and Brown still haven't done anything about the quarterback situation. Beauleurien, who has never taken a snap in a regular-season game, will be the openinggame
Kansas City's Frank Gansz, admitting some mistakes in a 4-11 season and first five start as head coach, has hired the defense coordinator and head coach Sefik and Rod Rust. The Chiefs also traded away three players from the team, a quarterback Todd Blackledge, guard Brad Buddese and
San Diego had the most lopsided offense in the NFL last season, gaining 71.5 percent of its yardage via the pass. The running attack — worst in the AFC — gained fewer yards than the Los Angeles Rams' Charles White alone (1,374).
So the Raiders will continue to rely on their ground game, led by Marcus Allen and, once baseball seasons ends, Bo Jackson. Los Angeles led all teams with 4.6 vards per carry last season.
The Chiefs dropped from eighth in total defense in the NFL in 1986 to 2th last year, and Gansz hopes end Neil Smith, the team's first-round draft choice, will be the answer to a persistent shortcoming, the lack of a pass
The Raiders' defense finished second overall in the AFC but the linebackers coach is aging and the secondary is not performing well.
Despite three defensive players in the Pro Bowl - Bill Maas, Derron Cherry, Albert Lewis - the Chiefs gave up an AFC-high 388 points and had a league-low 11 interceptions.
Kansas City Chiets
The Chiefs were a much more effective offensive team with Bill Kenney at quarterback instead of Blackledge, but Kenney is being challenged for the startup job by Defberg, who has started for three other NPL teams.
Los Angeles Raiders
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