ESPN AFC West Blog

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson


Eli Manning may have his Super Bowl ring but Sunday more proof was presented that the San Diego Chargers got the better of the 2004 draft-day trade with the Giants.

Philip Rivers is simply a better player than Manning.

You want evidence?

How about Rivers’ brilliant 80-yard drive in the final moments to lead San Diego over the Giants on Sunday?

Rivers capped the drive with a touchdown toss to receiver Vincent Jackson in the final seconds. It was the first time Rivers and Manning played against each other since the trade that sent Manning to New York and Rivers to San Diego. The Chargers also got draft picks that turned into linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding in the deal.

Merriman continued his resurgence with two more sacks. He has four sacks in the past two games after being shutout in the first six games.

Rivers was the star of this game. He completed 24 of 36 passes (several balls were dropped) for 209. Rivers was brilliant when he had to.

Not only did San Diego’s comeback help validate the trade, but it kept it in the playoff hunt. The Chargers are 5-3 after three straight wins. If Denver loses to visiting Pittsburgh on Monday night, the Chargers will trail Denver by just one game.

If San Diego ends up in the playoffs, Sunday’s last-minute drive engineered by Rivers, will be remembered as a crucial moment of the season.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Random notes from the Chiefs’ 24-21 loss in Jacksonville:

The Chiefs have to be thrilled with the debut of receiver Chris Chambers. Chambers had three catches for 70 yards from quarterback Matt Cassel. Two of the catches, including a 54-yarder, came for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Chambers was claimed off waivers Tuesday, one day after he was cut by San Diego. The Chiefs have been looking for the right mix at receiver all season. Chambers may be the answer. Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers are two pretty good starting receivers.

Second-year safety DaJuan Morgan started his first NFL game. He has six tackles and a fumble recovery. Morgan could continue to get extensive playing time with Jarrad Page out for the season.

Guard Mike Goff had a streak of 113 straight starts snapped because of injury.

No. 3 overall pick Tyson Jackson continued to play well. He had seven tackles.

Chiefs running backs Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith combined for 53 yards on 10 carries during Larry Johnson’s one-game suspension.

Receiver Lance Long, promoted from the practice squad two weeks ago, had eight catches for 74 yards. He looks like he could be a decent contributor.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

The Kansas City Chiefs finally showed some life.

Yes, it was in a defeat, but it really doesn’t matter. At 1-7, the Chiefs’ 2009 season is over. It’s all about showing signs for the future; yes, even with a half of the season remaining.

Sunday, even more so than its win at Washington three weeks ago, Kansas City played its best football of the season. It came in the fourth quarter.

After playing listless on offense for the first three quarters, Kansas City exploded for 15 points in the fourth quarter. The comeback fell short, but new coach Todd Haley has to bottle his team’s fourth-quarter play.

Perhaps the key is for Haley to just let quarterback Matt Cassel air it out. The Chiefs came back in the fourth quarter on the strength of Cassel’s arm. He found new receiver Chris Chambers for two touchdowns in the quarter.

Dwayne Bowe and Chambers are a nice receiving pair. Cassel needs to throw to them as much a possible down the stretch.

In the end, it was just another loss for Kansas City, but the team has to feel encouraged by the heartbeat it showed in the final 15 minutes of the game.

Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski preview the Steelers-Broncos Monday night showdown.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen Sunday reported that the NFL will require Oakland coach Tom Cable to undergo an evaluation by a doctor and psychologist as part of its investigation into allegations of assault made by Oakland defensive assistant Randy Hanson.

Also, Mortensen reported Kansas City running back Larry Johnson may be leaning toward not fighting the team if it decides to deactivate him or pursue other discipline after his one-game suspension ends Monday.

The future of Johnson, who is 75 yards away from becoming Kansas City’s all-time leading rusher, in Kansas City could depend on how young running backs Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith perform Sunday at Jacksonville.

New Kansas City receiver Chris Chambers is active and will play some today. Chambers was claimed Tuesday after he was cut by San Diego.

Here are today's inactives from around the league.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Kansas City activated running back Kolby Smith off the physically unable to perform list as expected. Smith should get some action Sunday against Jacksonville as he backs up Jamaal Charles. Charles is starting due to a one-game suspension being served by Larry Johnson.

Should Charles and/or Smith play well against Jacksonville, Johnson’s role with the team could lessen.

To make room for Smith, Kansas City waived veteran receiver Bobby Engram. Engram was signed in the offseason to be a veteran leader, but he had little impact. Engram, 36, played in five games and had just five catches this season.

• Ty Law may play Monday against Pittsburgh, 48 hours after signing with Denver.
• Denver defensive lineman Ryan McBean was ruled out of the Pittsburgh game with a knee injury. LeKevin Smith will start in his place.
• Oakland had a visit with defensive lineman William Joseph on Friday. Joseph has bounced on and off the Raiders’ roster this year.

	Getty Images
	Josh McDaniels and Mike Tomlin, two of the youngest head coaches in the league, face off on Monday night in Denver.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

When Josh McDaniels and Mike Tomlin face each other Monday night for the first time as head coaches, the football world will watch two of the game’s brightest young coaches at work.

Observers will also see two men who took strikingly similar paths.

McDaniels and Tomlin are bright, engaging men who worked their way up from being small-school athletes to Super Bowl-winning, coveted assistant coaches. Both took over for Super Bowl-winning legends in cities steeped in football tradition.

“These are two similar guys,” said retired safety John Lynch, who played under both McDaniels and Tomlin during his career. “Both Mike and Josh are highly intelligent, strong-minded football men. They really are similar.”

As we prepare for a pivotal AFC matchup in Denver, let’s look at the career paths taken by these 30-somethings who look as if they will be roaming the sidelines for a long time:

Age

McDaniels: 33 (33 when hired).

Tomlin: 37 (34 when hired).

The playing field

McDaniels: The son of a legendary high school coach in Canton, Ohio. He went to John Carroll, where he was a receiver.

Tomlin: Grew up in Newport News, Va. Tomlin was a standout receiver/tight end at William & Mary.

Reputation

McDaniels: A great quarterback coach who uses an energetic, friendly personality. But he’s not afraid to hurt feelings for the greater good of the team, and can be stern when needed. He’s a detail-oriented coach who has a firm grasp of the X's and O’s part of the game.

Tomlin: A high-energy, never-say-die defensive-minded coach whose brain is like a sponge. He craves football knowledge. He is not afraid to challenge stars to be better.

The other side of the ball

Last week, I spoke with Gary Horton of Scouts Inc., who said he was impressed by McDaniels’ ability as a defensive coach. McDaniels has a strong knowledge of defenses, Horton said, enabling him to prepare his offensive players for what to expect. McDaniels has experience coaching on defense and Tomlin has some history coaching on offense.

McDaniels: He was a defensive assistant in New England for 2002-03. He worked with the defensive backs in 2003.

Tomlin: In 1995, he was the receivers coach at VMI and in 1997, he coached the receivers at Arkansas State.

Highlights as an assistant

McDaniels: He was with the Patriots during all three of their Super Bowl-winning seasons. He was the offensive coordinator when the team went 16-0 in the regular season and set an NFL record for scoring.

Tomlin: Tomlin was Tampa Bay’s defensive backs coach when it won the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. In 2006, he turned around Minnesota’s defense in his one season as a coordinator.

Highlights as a head coach

McDaniels: The Broncos won their first six games this season despite being expected to be a bottom-feeder in McDaniels’ first season. Denver is 6-1 and McDaniels is a favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award.

Tomlin: Taking over for Bill Cowher, Tomlin cemented his own name in Pittsburgh’s history by winning the Super Bowl last year in just his second season as a head coach.


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Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

I am headed to Denver for Monday night’s game against Pittsburgh.

Coming off a 23-point loss at Baltimore, the 6-1 Broncos will need to show they can bounce back. This will be a very intriguing game in which Denver will have to play very well in to win.

Sunday, I will have coverage from the Chargers’ trip to the New York Giants in which Philip Rivers will face Eli Manning for the first time (the two were the centerpieces of a 2004 draft-day trade) and the Chiefs’ game at Jacksonville.

The Chiefs are playing without running back Larry Johnson, who is serving a one-game suspension by the team after he made gay slurs. The Raiders are on a bye.

Please check back Sunday for pre, in and post-game coverage.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

To make room for 35-year-old cornerback Ty Law, Denver jettisoned 24-year-old cornerback Jack Williams. Williams played in all seven games this season. He was splitting time as the nickel cornerback with rookie Alphonso Smith. Williams was a fourth-round pick in 2008.

Law

The move reunites Law with new Denver coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels worked with the defensive backs early in his tenure in New England and he worked closely with Law.

Denver is very happy with starting cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman. But the nickelbacks have struggled some. So, Law was brought in to help in nickel and dime packages.

Still, the release of Williams is somewhat risky. The team only has four cornerbacks and three are over 30. If Denver suffers an injury at the position, it could regret releasing Williams, who likely will garner interest on the waiver wire Monday.

There’s no doubt Law is a better player than Williams right now and this move shows that McDaniels is serious about fixing problems. Denver’s pass defense had one bad game, last week at Baltimore, and McDaniels made a move.

That’s admirable. McDaniels is clearly comfortable with Law and he felt Williams wasn’t getting the job done. It’s another reminder that McDaniels has a short leash with players from the Mike Shanahan era. He’s going to try to win on his terms.

So far, it’s worked so it's difficult to criticize. But there’s a risk factor here.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

We’re starting a new video series. This week, we’re trying a video mailbag.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Denver defensive lineman Ryan McBean may not play Monday night against Pittsburgh with a knee injury. LeKevin Smith is set to start in his place.

In Kansas City, safety Jon McGraw is doubtful to play Sunday at Jacksonville with a thigh injury and guard Mike Goff is questionable with a shoulder injury.

Kansas City coach Todd Haley explains a sign that has made headlines this week.

San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman sits down for an interesting interview with the San Diego Union Tribune.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Nick Hardwick will not play Sunday at the New York Giants, after all.

The San Diego Chargers have declared the standout center out for Sunday’s game. There was some thought that Hardwick could play for the first time since Week 1 when he practiced some with the first team offense this week. He started practicing lightly last week.

Yet, Hardwick didn’t practice Friday. He could have a chance to play Nov. 15 at home against Philadelphia. Hardwick had ankle surgery after being hurt in the season opener at Oakland.

Meanwhile, starting inside linebacker Kevin Burnett is questionable to play Sunday with ankle injury that kept him out of the past two games. He didn’t practice Friday. His backup, Tim Dobbins, is doubtful with a knee injury he suffered last week.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 9.

	Kyle Terada/US Presswire
	Philip Rivers goes head to head with Eli Manning on Sunday.

Rivers-Manning I: When does a San Diego crowd treat an opposing quarterback worse than a New York crowd would? When he spurns them. There is little chance Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers will be booed Sunday like Giants quarterback Eli Manning was booed when he played in San Diego in 2005. Rivers will likely just get the usual treatment an opposing star gets from Giants fans. New York doesn’t hold anything against Rivers. It was Manning’s reluctance to play in San Diego that spurred the draft-day trade in 2004 that sent Manning to New York and Rivers to San Diego. Manning was the No. 1 overall pick and Rivers was the No.4 pick. Manning has been a public enemy in San Diego since, while Rivers has grown into the face of the franchise. This will be the first time in the NFL these two players started against each other.

Run Jamaal, run: The Chiefs are just looking for a reason to lessen Larry Johnson’s load. Jamaal Charles could be the reason. Charles will likely get several carries Sunday in Jacksonville while Johnson sits out during a one-game team suspension. Charles played well in the Chiefs’ last game, Oct. 25 against San Diego. The second-year player is a speedster who is intriguing. With Johnson’s situation tenuous, Charles could increase his work load the rest of the season with a good performance Sunday.

Can Chargers benefit from the curse of Antonio Pierce? Ever since Pierce blasted the Raiders, the Giants have been awful. Call it the Curse of Pierce. The Chargers are hoping it lasts another week. The Giants have lost three straight games, twice by more than 20 points, since beating Oakland 44-7. After that game, Pierce said playing the Raiders was like playing a “scrimmage,” and he was amazed by how listless Oakland’s players were. The words offended several Oakland players and the Giants haven’t won since.

Tough test for Denver tackle: Denver right tackle Tyler Polumbus will make his first start Monday night against Pittsburgh. His first challenge: LaMarr Woodley, who had 11.5 sacks last season. Polumbus probably also will see some of reigning NFL defensive player of the year James Harrison. Good luck, kid. Polumbus got a taste of life in the NFL last week when he subbed for the injured Ryan Harris. Polumbus had to deal with Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs, and did decently. Polumbus could be in the lineup for three weeks.

Tough stretch for San Diego begins: The Chargers got back on the winning track with wins over lackluster Kansas City and Oakland teams to improve to 4-3. Now, life gets a little tougher as the Chargers start a stretch in which they play at New York, host Philadelphia and then at Denver. If the Chargers are going to get back in the AFC West race (Denver leads San Diego by two games), they will have to play well during this stretch.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Josh McDaniels has often said he has modeled his head-coaching career from the New England Patriots way.

Friday, he gave another example of how he lives life the Patriot Way.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting veteran cornerback Ty Law will sign a contract with the Denver Broncos. Law was with McDaniels in New England. McDaniels coached the defensive backs, and Law, in his early years in New England.

New England coach Bill Belichick always loved bring in veteran players and McDaniels is gearing up for the second half of the season by bringing in the savvy Law.

It remains to be seen how much Law can help. He hasn’t played all season and he is 35. But Law always takes good care of himself and he could help down the stretch.

Expect Law to play in nickel-and-dime defensive packages. With Law, Denver has an awesome leadership in the secondary to go along with cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Brian Dawkins.