ESPN AFC West Blog

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

DENVER -- Here are five keys to Monday night’s game for Denver (6-1) against visiting Pittsburgh (5-2):

Start fast: If Denver has had a problem this season, it is starting slowly. It has had to rely on great second-half play. The second-half luck ran out in Baltimore last week, but the Broncos need to take pressure off of themselves and jump out to a lead. It will be interesting to see how this team would react to not have to scramble back into games. Plus, there’s bound to be a lot of Pittsburgh fans at the game (the streets of Denver were teeming with folks in Steelers’ gear Sunday), so the Broncos need to take the Steelers fans out of the game early. In the 2005 AFC Championship Game, the Steelers took early control of the game and their fans took over the stadium in a 34-17 Pittsburgh win. Denver can’t allow that to happen again.

Control the no-huddle offense: There has been talk that the Steelers will try to use more no -huddle to keep the Broncos off balance. The Ravens had great success using the no-huddle last week. Denver has responded well to everything thrown at them this season, so if the Steelers come with the no-huddle, the Broncos have to be ready.

Take advantage of the Steelers' injury issues on defense: The Steelers may be without three key defensive starters because of health issues. Defensive end Travis Kirschke, inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons and safety Ryan Clark are all unlikely to play. The Broncos have to take advantage and get their offensive going against the limping Steelers. This is a great opportunity for the Broncos.

Run the ball: The Broncos have to keep Pittsburgh’s defense honest by running the ball. Correll Buckhalter and rookie Knowshon Moreno have made a good tandem for most of the season. But the pair struggled at Baltimore. These two have to establish the run to create an offensive rhythm. That will allow Denver quarterback Kyle Orton to play his game and be more effective than he was against the Ravens.

Tighten the special-teams coverage unit: Denver allowed a punt return for a touchdown against San Diego and a kick return for a score last week against Baltimore. It can’t surrender a special-teams touchdown for the third straight game. This game probably will be closely contested. Denver can’t give an excellent team such as Pittsburgh a freebie as it did the past two games.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

Random notes from the Chargers’ 21-20 win at the New York Giants:

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson continued to struggle. He had just 22 yards on 12 carries. He is not making much of an impact. He has just 289 yards this season.

The Giants were very cautious with returner Darren Sproles as they kicked away from him. Sproles made his presence felt with a big catch on the game-winning drive.

The Chargers overcame the loss of inside linebackers Kevin Burnett and Tim Dobbins.

Safety Eric Weddle had a big day with eight tackles.

San Diego tight end Antonio Gates uncharacteristically dropped two passes.

The Giants ran 11 more plays than San Diego did.

Punter Mike Scifres continued his excellent situational punting.

The Chargers have 15 sacks in the past three games. Linebacker Shaun Phillips has five sacks in the past three games and Shawne Merriman has four sacks in the past two games.

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.


(Read full post)

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.