I hate to admit it, but I am gratified to see the strong drafts the Chiefs and Raiders had. While I feel we had the better draft, I think the other two did a more than admirable job of reloading for the upcoming season. I say this because I have gotten tired of the MSM clamoring that San Diego will win the division by default because we have such a weak division.

Our division has not had two teams with double-digit wins since the 2005 season, and one of those teams didn't even make the post-season. For the last half-decade, the AFC West teams have been afterthoughts, with the exception of the Bolts, and they have been known as choke artists.I long for a return to the days when the AFC West was the NFL's strongest division. 

Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Raiders lose, and I love watching the Riverettes fall on their faces every post season, crying like little babies even more. But it means so much more to beat those teams when they play at elite levels. Also, we haven't had a representative from our division in the Super Bowl since the '02-'03 Raiders, and lets face it, that was an embarrassment of epic proportions.

A decade of divisional irrelevance is more than enough. Bring on the Dolts, Chumps, and *gasp* even the Faiders.

I see all of the AFC West's teams showing marked improvement with the exception of the Chargers. Of all teams in our division, they are the only ones I hope to see implode... if only because Phillip Rivers is such an arrogant ass.

In my mind, based on offseason moves and the development time for rookies (Tebow et al), here are my (very premature) predictions for the final standings, barring significant injuries.

San Diego 10-6. Offseason personnel losses and the decline of Shawn Merriman prove difficult to overcome.

Denver 10-6. Getting close, not quite there yet. Give Tebow another year.

Kansas City 9-7. Cassel settles in in year two, and defensive additions provide major upgrade.

Oakland 8-8. Getting rid of Russel immediately provides two extra wins, and offseason additions provide more improvement.

Bring on the season! Go Broncos! Comment away MHR, lets hear what you think.