AFC West Will Be An Interesting Division This Season

The 2011 NFL Regular Season is right around the corner. With just about almost every big named free agent signed, it's time to look at each division and see what teams will be vying for the division crown. In this piece i'll discuss why the AFC West is a division you should look at as the Chargers,Chiefs,Broncos and Raiders will be teams to watch out for. I will state the cases why each team could win the division.


San Diego Chargers - They have a top 10 QB in constant 4,000 yard passer Phillip Rivers. They have 6'5 WR Vincent Jackson back and to play a full season. They also re-signed 6'5 WR Malcon Floyd. Rivers is equipped with two very tall WR's which could post match up problems with opposing corner backs. He also has arguably the best tight end in the game in Antonio Gates. Also, the run game should be a solid force to with one year veteran Ryan Matthews being the #1 back now that Darren Sproles has bolted for New Orleans. If the defense replicates last years defense as being the #1 defense in football, they could make a serious case to be a top three team in the AFC and challenge for a Super Bowl berth. 


Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs won the AFC West last year in shocking fashion, surprising a lot of people. They have a solid QB in Matt Cassell, a top five RB in Jamaal Charlers and a under rated solid WR in Dwayne Bowe. They've added veteran WR Steve Breaston through free agency , defensive tackle Kelly Gregg from Baltimore and full back Le'Ron McClain from Baltimore. They've had a solid under the radar off season. I don't see why they can't possibly repeat as AFC West champs if the team plays at the same level as last year and shock the nation again. They had the 14th overall defense last season but with the addition of Gregg on the defensive line should be a big help and with Eric Berry having his first full season under his belt, the defense should be even better then 14th this year. If they can put it all together like last year, they should once again be a force in the AFC West.


Denver Broncos - They have a QB controversy with veteran Kyle Orton the projected starter but the fans want one year veteran Tim Tebow, who you never know could become the next Michael Vick as he can pass and run the ball. The WR's are solid with Brandon Lloyd,Eddie Royal and Demaryious Thomas. The run game should be solid with Knowshon Moreno and LenDale White. I really can't see the offense being much of a problem but it's the defense you have to pay attention to as they had the 31st rush defense and 25th pass defense, both together gave them the worst overall defense last season. They didn't make no big changes to the defense except for adding line backer Von Miller out of Texas A&M with the #2 overall pick in the 2011 draft. With Denver's offensive options, i can see them putting up points but the defense has to be better after how bad they were last year.


Oakland Raiders - They had the 11th overall defense last year but they lost their star corner back in Nnamdi Asomugha when he went to Philadelphia this off season. Their rush defense was 25th even with the pass defense being second. Now with Asomugha out of Oakland, expect the defense to get a lot worse after not picking up no one of significance this off season. The offense is a mess as well with no consistent guy but Jason Campbell looks to be their man. The running game was second with Darren McFadden being a beast and even when he was injured for parts of the season, backup Michael Bush carried the load and did as well as McFadden. If the run game has the same success, they will be a strong force and be able to disrupt even the best rush defenses. They got a nice young WR core with Darius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy, and Jacoby Ford. They finished the 2010 season with an 8-8 record but they swept their other AFC West rivals. 6-0 in the division but only 2-8 outside of their division. They are always a good upset specialist but don't fall in love with them because they are a inconsistent football team but could surprise and make a case for a AFC West title if they can beat teams outside of their division. 

Rockies Trade Ace Ubaldo Jimenez To The Cleveland Indians

In what became the biggest trade at the trading deadline, the Colorado Rockies traded their ace pitcher 27 year old Ubaldo Jimenez to the Cleveland Indians for four prospects, two being highly ranked pitching prospects. The Rockies fell out of contention after a hot start to the season. The Indians, who i don't think were given a chance to be a playoff team this year started the season off hot and have maintained pace in the AL Central although they are two games out of first place behind the Detroit Tigers currently. They have surprised many people with there great play through the first four months of the season. Now that they are out of first place, which they were in for a majority of the first three and a half months of the season, they needed a front line starter to solidify their rotation. Now they got one in Ubaldo Jimenez. They did give up a hefty package of prospects to obtain Jimenez, including pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. In the deal, Colorado also got back pitcher Joe Gardner and utility man Matt McBride. White was rated the 47th best prospect entering 2011 according to Baseball America and Pomeranz the 61st best prospect. McBride was having a solid season at AA Akron batting .297 with 14 HRs , 53 RBIs and a .359 OBP , .535 SLUG equating into a .894 OPS, which got him a promotion to AAA Columbus where he has started off very slow in 12 games so far. Gardner isn't having such a good season so far in AA Akron where he is sporting a 7-8 record and a 4.99 ERA. He has 60 strikeouts and 47 walks in 97.1 innings. He also has a 1.59 WHIP which is not good at all. The Indians made this deal so they have Jimenez for two more years after this year and so they can have a legit ace to help them get to the playoffs and win the AL Central division. A 1-2 punch of Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson isn't bad for a young upstart team chasing a playoff spot. Many people say why would the Rockies trade Jimenez who is still under control through next year with a $5.75 million club option for 2013 and $8 million club option for 2014. Well Jimenez had a Cy Young caliber 2010 season going 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA striking out 214 batters to go along with a 1.15 WHIP. He finished third in Cy Young voting. This season he is 6-9 with 4.46 ERA with 118 K's in 123 innings and a 1.37 WHIP. He has lost 3 MPH off his fastball and he has been more wild. There are concerns there is something wrong with his arm but nothing has come up this season. People think he was just a one year wonder and is falling apart at a young age and don't know how a 27 year old pitcher can lose 3 MPH off his fastball. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was smart to pull the trigger on the deal with the Indians as he gets back four prospects and two big ones that can replenish there system and be future top of the rotation starters for them. Alex White and Drew Pomeranz project to be top of the rotation starters and possible sure fire #1's. Pomeranz has shown to be a strikeout machine in the minors posting 11.1 K's per 9 innings in high A ball and 10.9 K's in AA ball. Alex White is a ground ball pitcher with an alright K's rate. For the Rockies to get these two pitching prospects means a lot because now they get rid of possible damaged goods in Ubaldo Jimenez and get two top flight prospects back and two other solid minor pieces for the future. With Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez anchoring the offense in the major league level and no big named pitchers on the Rockies staff, they will have two possible future aces join the staff in 2012 along with injured Jorge De La Rosa. Barring any injuries, both White and Pomeranz should be at the major league level together by opening day 2013. White is already up in the majors and Pomeranz recently was promoted to AA. Gardner is projected to possibly be a solid bullpen guy come in the future and by the way McBride is hitting in the minors, he could maybe make a splash in the majors not too long from now. The Indians simply made this deal to show the fans they are committed to winning this year and in the coming years. It's a risky move by Cleveland to trade for a guy who has lost 3 mph off his fastball and give up four prospects with two being top 75 pitching prospects. It's a solid trade by Colorado as they get really solid pieces for the future for a guy who may be breaking down at a young age. If everything pans out well for the Rockies, they will have made a great trade when they look back on this in a few years. Great trade for Colorado it looks to me and we will have to wait and see how Ubaldo adjusts to a new league,division and batters to see if Cleveland also made a good deal. It's a deal both teams, to me, had to make.