No respect for the AFC west

He may not have wanted to step on the coverage that Disco_Stu gave to the story in his article under Fanshots in the right panel.

But you are right. The Broncos, Chiefs, and Raiders all look to improve this year.

SD may drop a bit in talent, but they are already above the rest of the divsion. Denver’s improvement won’t be huge, but it should be steady for a few years. oak and KC look to make good improvements, but start far behind. KC’s changes looked well reasoned, and they can improve a lot if they can just get a QB. oak made some splashy acqusitions, but they are gambling on labor unrest in the NFL to lead to 2010 without a cap and a do over for teams that exceeded the limit.

The thing that was most troubling about his commentary was his off-handed remark about Cutler:

“Just whom exactly do you count on in Denver? The courageously diabetic quarterback?”

Everyone says that his diabetes will not be an issue. So why does Peter King make an issue out of it? Why people hate on Cutler is BEYOND me. The dude just completed his first complete season as starter, played very well and has nothing but upside.

Also, as for his ranking of us at 23, I confess he may be right about the “could win 10 or 6 games” comment. I think that’s a safe and very conservative projection at this point. Yes, as Broncos fans, we tend to see the glass as half-full. However, a 10 win season means we are tracking as a franchise and should be able to field a Super Bowl caliber team in ‘09/’10. As for winning just 6 games, I’d hate to see that, but that would be that are defense continues its malaise and our offense loses some key players (Cutler, BMarsh, Travis Henry). In a perfect world everyone plays well and we win 11-12 games. I don’t see that happening, but sure hope it does!

And yes, the teams he projects ahead of us (Buff/Jets/Clev) will make him look foolish next year.

Thanks for sharing!

I make sure to report on things that haven’t been shown on ths site…it’s proper that way and there is no one upset by me stealing their scoop.

I like being an underdog actually. When no one expects anything, there is no pressure. (Ex: The Browns of last year)

The Denver Broncos Period…..not only does Jay not get the respect he deserves but Pat Bowlen and Shanahan dont get any what so ever…...........

Peter King has been irrelevant for years now, and nobody should listen to him (unless they like King fantasize about Brett Favre’s naked body before they fall a sleep at night). I serriously cannot name another sports writer who in spite of knowing so very little is read by so very many.

King REALLY loves Wes Welker, who I consider to be a good, but very overrated player. He and Len Pasquarelli both mentioned Lil Wes as a possible All Pro (with Pasquarelli naming him an All Pro last season.) It escapes them both that this is a slot receiver who averages a mere 10 yards per catch.

Also, watch for Peter King’s list of the top 500 players in the NFL. It will be absurd like it was last season. He’s nowhere near qualified to evaluate such things. Also, if you like the English language, note Peter’s recurring “feature” called Factoid of the Week That May Only Interest Me. A factoid is a piece of information which is believed to be a fact, but is not actually a fact. The word is often misunderstood (by people like Peter) to mean “an interesting little fact.” I sent him an email, clearing up his confusion, but he chooses ignorance still. Must be nice, if you can get paid for it.

1. I don’t have a problem with King putting Denver at 23 and in the “Could Be 10-6 or 6-10.” Denver has a lot to prove (and I think they prove it!)

2. The “Who do you trust?” part was weak, especially in bringing up Cutler’s diabetes. How weak was it? Consider these points:

a) King later has doubts that the raiders secondary can stop big plays by Rivers and Culter. So, he apparently think’s Cutler is a threat.

b) Diabetes can be controlled. It should be treated as a non-factor, even if Jay struggles in a game.

c) Based on Football Outsiders DVOA and DPAR (looking at how valuable a player is per play, and how many extra points that player is worth), Jay Cutler was the 10th best QB in 2007. In his 2nd year in the league, 1st full year starting…and losing 35 lbs with Type I Diabetes kicking in. Yep…he’s a potential bust…

3) Looking at King’s preview, you would think all Denver did was pick up K2, and he’s supposed to solve all Denver’s defensive problems. So I guess Boss, DRob, Carlton Powell, and some saftey depth (along with more experience for Thomas, Crowder, Moss, and Doom, plus a healthy Ekuban) mean nothing. Should we let them know they’re all chop liver?

The Patriots’ response to almost getting Brady killed in the Super Bowl - basically, doing nothing on the offensive line in free-agency or the draft - tells me Dante Scarnecchia, New England’s offensive line guru since the Hannah years, will figure out a way to seal the cracks.

Huh? This makes no sense. It’s like you’re starting with the answer and building backwards to the reason why it’s the answer. Follow me here. IT IS KNOWN that New England shall forever be the best team in the NFL. IT IS FURTHER KNOWN that Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli are the two smartest men on the planet. IT IS FURTHER KNOWN that no attention was paid to the offensive line in free agency and the draft. THEREFORE, IT MUST FOLLOW that Dante Scarnecchia will fix the recently exposed offensive line and win the Nobel Peace Prize for outstanding offensive line coaching. Believe me when I say that this is not what Stephen Covey meant when he told self-improvement seekers to Begin With the End in Mind.

I like the first part of King’s paragraph better.

Some might read into New England’s draft approach as arrogant. Quarterback in the third round, dealing another third-round pick for a 2009 second-rounder, no offensive linemen.

Yes, I absolutely do. I read into everything New England does as being arrogant, and I was thrilled to see them get their arrogant behinds kicked by a motivated underdog team. Their arrogance will kill them once again, and there will again be no Patriots championship.

And by the way, when did Bill Williamson become a football expert? See here

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3380011