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Here’s a list of some of the most compelling 2012 NFL games involving AFC West teams:

Sept. 9

Atlanta at Kansas City

Tony Gonzalez comes back to Kansas City.

Pittsburgh at Denver

The Steelers lost to Tim Tebow in their last game; they return to Denver to help the Broncos usher in the Peyton Manning era.

Sept. 10

San Diego at Oakland

I just love these season-opening Monday nighters.

Oct. 7

Denver at New England

Manning-Tom Brady has a new look. Still a classic.

San Diego at New Orleans

Philip Rivers-Drew Brees isn’t too shabby, either.

Oct. 15

Denver at San Diego

Early-season statement game on a Monday night.

Oct. 28

New Orleans at Denver

Manning faces the team that kept a Super Bowl ring from him.

Nov. 1

Kansas City at San Diego

Second half of the season starts on a Thursday night.

Nov. 12

Kansas City at Pittsburgh

Chiefs face Todd Haley, their former coach turned Steelers offensive coordinator, on a Monday Night. Should be fun.

Nov. 25

Oakland at Cincinnati

Carson Palmer goes back to Cincy to see Hue Jackson, the man who brought him to Oakland.

Dec. 6

Denver at Oakland

Rivalry gets a Thursday-night taste.

Dec. 23

San Diego at New York Jets

The AFC West’s lone crack at Tebow gets prime-time slot.

Dec. 30

Kansas City at Denver, Oakland at San Diego

If this division is as tight in 2012 as it was in 2011, this day will be crucial.

Denver quarterback Tim Tebow visited the Super Bowl media center on Thursday and was a major attraction. He made all of the rounds.

One of his stops was a visit on "The Scott Van Pelt Show." He discussed Tebow-mania, his whirlwind season and his relationship with Denver leader John Elway among other things.

Tebow talked to Skip Bayless to discuss the impact of his religious beliefs and his status with the Broncos moving forward.

Tebow told the Denver Post he is healing from injuries he suffered in a playoff loss at New England on Jan. 14. Tebow reportedly suffered rib, chest and shoulder injuries but managed to finish the game. He is not expected to miss any the team’s offseason program because of the injuries.

Prior to hitting the media center, Tebow appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." Meanwhile, the Florida product believes the NFL is a lot like the SEC.

In other AFC West news Thursday afternoon:

Former Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez said he plans to play one more year. Again.

There is a solid AFC West presence on Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 20 rookie list, which is an Insider piece.

Former Oakland practice squader Sterling Moore apparently wasn’t impressed with his time with the Raiders. The rookie cornerback is preparing to play in the Super Bowl with New England.

A theme developed in the divisional playoff round: the dominance of the young, athletic tight end. Whether it was New England’s Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, or San Francisco’s Vernon Davis or New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham, the tight end took over.

It is clear a way to offensive success in the NFL is having one of these types of players. Let’s take a look at each AFC West’s teams situation at tight end:

Denver: The Broncos have an interesting crew of tight ends. It has veterans Daniel Fells and Dante Rosario and youngsters Julius Thomas and Virgil Green. Fells is a good blocker and receiver and the team would like to re-sign him. But they are excited about Thomas (who like Graham was a college basketball player) and Green. Thomas was a fourth-round pick and Green was a seventh-round pick. Green is further along than Thomas right now, but the team believes Thomas -- who was bothered by an ankle injury all season -- has Graham-like potential.

Kansas City: The Chiefs have a young stud in Tony Moeaki. They just need him to get healthy and to stay healthy. Moeki set some Kansas City rookie tight end records in 2010 (yes, the great Tony Gonzalez was a Chief rookie at one time), but missed all of the 2011 season with a knee injury. He is improving and the team is excited about his future.

Oakland: The Raiders signed Kevin Boss after Zach Miller shocked the team by signing with Seattle last summer. Boss has big-play ability, but he has some limitations. The Raiders could like to see more plays and better health from Boss in 2012.

San Diego: Antonio Gates is one of the best tight ends the NFL has ever seen. He has been dealing with injuries the past few seasons and he is likely on the back nine of his career. Still, he will be an impact player in the immediate future. Watch for San Diego to look for an eventual replacement fairly soon.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- No tight end in the history of Kansas City Chiefs had a better rookie season than Tony Moeaki did in 2010.

Yes, that includes Tony Gonzalez, simply the best tight end ever to play the game.

Moeaki, a third-round pick from Iowa, had 47 catches for 456 yards as a rookie. An all-around player, Moeaki stretched the field for Kansas City and was a top weapon. He has the ability to become one of the NFL’s better tight ends in the next several years.

The soft-spoken Moeaki, however, is not necessarily focused on repeating his personal success, but wants to repeat what the Chiefs did as a team last season. After winning a combined 10 games in the three previous seasons, Kansas City went 10-6 and were a surprise AFC West champion in 2010.

“That was what was the most fun,” Moeaki said. “Winning the division is what I remember the most. That’s what I want to do again and get better as team.”

Moeaki knows the Chiefs’ offense, which boasted the No. 1 run offense in the NFL last season, has a chance to be even more dangerous with the additions of receivers Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin and running back Le'Ron McClain. He simply wants to be part of the package.

“We have a chance, but we just have to keep getting better,” Moeaki said. “I have to get better every day.”

Meanwhile, Moeaki is enjoying the opportunity to play again with one of his close friends, former Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi. The Chiefs’ took Stanzi in the fifth round of the April draft. Moeaki and Stanzi worked out together during the lockout and they spend a lot of time in camp going over the Kansas City offense.

It is the opinion of NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas that former Chiefs star tight end Tony Gonzalez should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

My thoughts? Well, if I had a vote, he’d be on my ballot every time until he was bronzed. It took Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, three tries. I thought he should have gotten into the Hall on his first try. And Gonzalez has even better numbers.

In other AFC West nuggets Thursday:

An arrest affidavit detailing the sexual assault allegations against Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox will be released next week. Cox is charged with one count of sexual assault while the victim was physically helpless and one count of sexual assault while the victim was incapable of determining the nature of the conduct. Cox has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in October.

The Oakland Tribune looks where Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha ranks on the list of the NFL’s best players.

Former Kansas City Pro Bowl safety Deron Cherry understands the NFL labor dispute.

There is an AFC West feel to this list of the best outside linebackers in the NFL.

Just because Antonio Gates made the transition from basketball to the NFL, it doesn’t mean everyone can do it.

Yet, in the past several years, Clancy Barone has seen a trend at the college basketball level.

“Antonio Gates made it look easy, but it’s not,” said Barone, who coached Gates earlier in his career and is now Denver’s tight ends coach.

“It seemed like every college basketball player who wasn’t going to the NBA, that they would be the next Antonio Gates. It’s not the case … It’s not for everybody. There’s just a select few that can make it work.”

Last season, New Orleans rookie Jimmy Graham excelled after playing one season of college football at Miami following a four-year basketball career at the school. Barone and the Denver Broncos hope Julius Thomas is the next player to make it work.

Denver took Thomas in the fourth round of last month’s draft despite the fact he played just one year of college football at Portland State. Thomas was a star on the team’s basketball team and walked on to the football team after his hoops eligibility ran out. Prior to that he played just one year of high school football in Stockton, Calif.

Denver sees something in Thomas, though, and the Broncos think he can join Gates and Graham as the rare players who can transition from being a college basketball player to being an NFL tight end. I don’t count Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez –- the greatest tight end of all time –- among that group because he was a college football star who also played basketball at California. Make no mistake, Gonzalez, a first-round pick, was a football player first.

Thus, it was Gates who started this trend. A high school football star in Detroit, he was a standout on the Kent State basketball team that made an Elite Eight run in 2002. The Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent project in 2003 and he quickly developed into a prime offensive weapon.

Barone soon heard of other college basketball players who wanted to try out the NFL tight end gig. Denver gave a cup of coffee to former Mercer hoopster Wesley Duke. Former George Mason star Jai Lewis had an unsuccessful whirl at the NFL. Cleveland drafted former BYU basketball player Jordan Cameron, who eventually transferred to USC to play football, in the fourth round last month.

“It’s not for everybody,” Barone said. “Gates is a future Hall of Famer and now, all of sudden, everybody wants to do it. You look at guys because of the athleticism and the body build. But they must have toughness to be a football player and the willingness to learn football. Antonio Gates is a student of the game. That’s part of the reason why it worked for him.”

Still, Barone admits the success of Gates made him more willing to take a look at Thomas, who wowed NFL scouts with his athleticism at the NFL combine. Thomas, who played well for Portland State last season, is 6-5, 245 pounds and has 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash.

Barone said one of the first things he told Thomas when he worked him out -- Thomas said he had his best pre-draft experience with Barone -- was that he would be inundated with Gates comparisons because of their similar journey. He told him not to buy in to that talk, that Thomas will have to pave his own way to NFL success.

With that said, Barone admits there are some comparisons beyond the college basketball connection.

“When I sat down with Julius, I saw some things that were very similar to Antonio,” Barone said. “He gets the game. He understands it very well and he had great body control like Antonio.”

Thomas said he will study Gates’ game not only because he, too, was a college basketball player making the transition to tight end, but also simply because Gates sets the gold standard for tight end play.

“He is a guy that you can study and really start to model some of the things you do after,” Thomas said. “I take it as an honor to be included in the same sentence as a lot of guys who have played basketball and transitioned to football and done well. That’s a standard that I want to hold for myself, being successful in making that transition. Being compared to Antonio Gates is a great start for me. I’m going to go ahead and work as hard as I can to make that comparison as similar as possible.”

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. thinks Denver made a worthwhile risk in taking Thomas. Williamson realizes the Gates’ comparison is lofty, but the fact that Thomas played basketball is not exactly a negative.

“It’s a worthwhile risk for sure,” Williamson said. “When I was in recruiting at Pitt, we very much liked seeing high school kids with a basketball background. It was different at that level of course. They had size, were in shape, had good hand/eye coordination and knew how to use their body to shield defenders from the ball. Of course, that transition is much harder going from college to the NFL … I do think it is very worth the risk and I am quite curious to see how (Thomas) does in the NFL.”

Not as curious as Barone.

“We’ve seen it work before,” Barone said. “We’d like to see it work again.”

ESPN.com’s NFL writers rank the top 10 tight ends in the league today. Next week: Top 10 coaches.

Antonio Gates has received the Adrian Peterson treatment.

This guy didn’t do it this time.

Up from the NFC South rises Pat Yasinskas into the ESPN.com Power Rankings’ hot seat. Embrace the heat, my friend. In another airtight positional Power Rankings battle, Dallas' Jason Witten edged out Gates by one vote to be crowned the almighty ruler of all NFL tight ends.

How in the name of Kellen Winslow did it happen, San Diego? Talk to Yasinskas.

Yasinskas ranked Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez No. 2. He had Witten No. 1 and Gates No. 3. Witten finished with 76 voting points. Gates had 75. No other voter placed Gonzalez higher than fifth. He finished sixth.

Send your cards and letters to Yasinskas, Dallas. If you must let him know your thoughts, stay classy, San Diego.

Yasinskas reasoned that he sandwiched Gonzalez between Witten and Gates because of Gonzalez’s incredible career. Gonzalez, 35, owns every major receiving record by a tight end.

“Yes, he's nearing the end of his career, but this is the best tight end in history,” Yasinskas said. “I think that counts for something. Gonzalez still is playing at a high level. He has great chemistry with quarterback Matt Ryan and the desire for a Super Bowl ring is keeping Gonzalez going strong.”

Here is the rest of the top 10 after Witten and Gates: Indianapolis’ Dallas Clark (53 points), San Francisco’s Vernon Davis (50), Washington’s Chris Cooley (36), Gonzalez (33), Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow Jr. (26), Jacksonville’s Marcedes Lewis (21), Detroit’s Brandon Pettigrew (18) and Green Bay’s Jermichael Finley (15).

Witten and Gates clearly stand out as the game’s elite tight ends. Witten was ranked first on four ballots and second on the other four. Gates received the other four first-place votes. He received three second-place votes and Yasinskas’ third-place vote.

The only thing that separated Witten and Gates in 2010 was health. Witten, 28, had 94 catches for 1,002 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Gates, 30, was on his way to a brilliant season when it was derailed by nagging ankle and foot injuries. Gates ended up on injured reserve and missed six games. He finished with 50 catches, 782 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said both Witten and Gates are game-changers.

“Witten to me is the class of the two-way tight ends,” Williamson said. “Receiving needs to trump blocking because that is what the league is right now. If someone put Witten first on the list, I can buy that. In terms of doing it all, I think he is the best. … I think he is the best of the two-way guys if you put an equal amount of faith in both receiving and blocking. He is the all-around tight end prototype. If you put more weight on receiving, which I would, you have to give the nod to Gates. He was awesome last year. He was hurt and that was the only negative other than blocking. He played hurt a lot and was great.”

Let’s dig deeper into the rankings:

Not easy pickings: Several of our voters were surprised by the difficulty of this process. This is our fourth position in the series. We previously looked at receivers, running backs and pass-rushers. The pass-rushers process was very difficult. This vote was not a cool breeze, either.

This is a very strong league for tight ends these days.

“After a hellish pass-rusher ballot, I thought tight ends would be far easier,” AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky said. “They were just as difficult. There is a great deal of young talent too. I steered clear of first-year guys, but in another season or two, this could be even more brutal to sort through.”

Blame injuries: In addition to the glut of talent, a primary reason this vote was so difficult was the fact that there were major injuries at this position in 2010. In addition to Gates, Clark, Finley and Houston’s Owen Daniels were injured. That changed the voting landscape.

“I thought it was tough because there are a lot of guys with mitigating circumstances,” NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert said.

Clark’s injury prompted Yasinskas to rank him 10th. No other voter placed him lower than fourth.

“There's no doubt this guy has had a great career,” Yasinskas said. “But I ranked him a little lower than most and that's almost entirely because he missed 10 games last season. Clark is 31 and I'm not sure he'll be the same player going forward.”

Not everyone loves Tony G.: Clearly, Yasinskas believes in Gonzalez. He gets to see him play regularly and thinks he’s still an impact player. That’s why he ranked him second. But not everyone agrees that the future Hall of Famer is still an elite player. Kuharksy left Gonzalez off his ballot altogether.

“Gonzalez is still an excellent player,” Kuharsky said. “But as I struggled to find room for the 10 I felt needed to make the cut, he fell off. In 2010 his numbers suggest he was more quantity than quality. I'm not looking for giant plays from my tight end, but Dallas Clark replacement Jacob Tamme matched Gonzo's 9.4 yards a catch, and while Gonzalez's first-down percentage was good (55.7), it was way lower than that of the three top rookies and smaller than that of guys like Heath Miller, Ben Watson and Todd Heap, whom I hardly considered. One final note: As I've got access to Frank Wycheck during three shared radio appearances a week, I asked him for a ballot. I'm sure he admires Gonzalez's body of work. But right now Gonzalez wasn't in Wycheck's top 10 either.”

The Davis flip-flop: The 49ers’ immensely talented tight end received a wide range of support. Four voters had him third. Yet, I had him ranked ninth and Yasinskas had him eighth. I like Davis, but I’m not convinced we always see his best effort.

NFC West blogger Mike Sando was among those who voted Davis third. Sando argued that Davis has made an impact despite playing with subpar quarterbacks.

“It's easy to forget about Vernon Davis because he plays for a low-profile team that has struggled,” Sando said. “If you've seen the 49ers much, you know Davis makes the huge play better than any tight end in the league. He'll catch touchdown passes for 60 or 70 yards, outrunning even cornerbacks. He remains unrefined and can still improve his all-around game quite a bit, but his 20 touchdown receptions over the past two seasons rank first among tight ends.”

This position is in it for the long haul: I remember a conversation I had with Gates prior to the 2009 season. He was glowing over all the young talent at the position in the NFL. Gates rattled off several young tight ends he expected to have bright careers.

There’s no doubt, this is a special time for tight end play. As Gonzalez puts the cap on the most brilliant career by anyone at the position in the history of the game, the position is well stocked for the future.

Five players on the list -- Davis, Winslow, Lewis, Pettigrew and Finley -- are 27 or younger. The only players who are 30 or older on the list are Gonzalez, Clark and Gates.

Oakland’s Zach Miller and the Jets’ Dustin Keller, who finished 11th and 12th, respectively, are also young players. Miller is 25 and Keller is 26.

Shannon Sharpe is going to Canton two years too late.

Kudos to the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters who ended Sharpe's surprising wait on his third year of eligibility. Sharpe will truly be a deserving member of the Hall of Fame.

I remember being shocked two years ago when Sharpe didn’t get elected on his first try. I had the same feeling last year when Sharpe was blocked from Canton. This year, the voters got it right.

Sharpe was a truly special player. He made the Denver Broncos unique. He made the team’s offense in the 1990s special. He changed the way the tight end was viewed in the NFL. Drafted out of tiny Savannah State in 1990 as a raw, lanky receiver, Sharpe transformed into an elite tight end and paved the way for the likes of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.

Sharpe was a great receiver at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. He made linebackers and safeties look silly in coverage. He was a pumped-up receiver at tight end. It’s ironic that it was his ability as a receiver that kept Sharpe out of the Hall of Fame for two years. Sharpe was considered by many voters as a receiver and there has been a log jam (former Raiders’ receiver Tim Brown was not elected Saturday for the second straight season because of the glut at the position) of worthy receivers waiting to get in.

But Sharpe was more than simply a receiver. Former Denver quarterback John Elway said Sharpe was an underrated blocker and he was a key part of the team’s famed zone-blocking scheme that helped pave the way to Super Bowl titles after the 1997 and ’98 seasons.

What made Sharpe special was his ability to stretch the field as a big receiver. He had terrific hands and he was incredibly strong, so he was a nightmare for defenses to prepare against. Before Gonzalez broke his records, Sharpe widely considered to be the NFL’s best-ever tight end. Elway said this week that he still thinks Sharpe was the best tight end to play the game.

Sharpe’s election continues a nice Hall of Fame run for Denver. Elway was the team’s first Hall of Fame enshrinee in 2004. Left tackle Gary Zimmerman was elected in 2008 and running back Floyd Little was elected last year.

Now, Sharpe joins his former teammates Elway and Zimmerman where they all belong.

Although the success of the four AFC West teams was mixed -- Kansas City and Oakland made strides while San Diego and Denver both took steps back -- there were several strong individual performances by players on every team in the division.

Let’s take a look at our 2010 season awards:

MVP

Jamaal Charles, Kansas City

Why: There are many reasons why the Chiefs -- who won a total of 10 games in the three previous seasons -- won 10 games and their first AFC West championship in seven years, but the play of Charles was the biggest. He was second in the NFL with 1,467 rushing yards, and he led the NFL with a 6.4 per-carry average. Kansas City had the No.1 ranked run offense in the NFL. Charles was the spark plug to this improved offense. Charles was the most exciting player on the division winner.

Offensive Player of the year

Philip Rivers, San Diego

Why: Rivers had a huge 2010 season. Rivers, who turned 29 in December, is in his prime and continues to get better. He threw for an NFL high 4,710 yards. He is the AFC Pro Bowl starter. Had the Chargers, who dipped from 13-3 in 2009 to 9-7 in 2010 and were out of the playoffs for the first time in five years, had a better overall record, Rivers would have been a strong NFL MVP candidate.

Defensive player of the year

Tamba Hali, Kansas City

Why: Hali had been a favorite of scouts, but with little fanfare -- until 2010. Hali flourished in the 3-4 system of Kansas City's new defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel. Hali led the AFC with 14.5 sacks. He is a dominant player. While players like Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha and Richard Seymour and San Diego’s Shaun Phillips all had strong seasons, no one defensive player in the AFC West had an impact on his team's overall defense as much as Hali did. He is a free agent, and the Chiefs will probably either give him the franchise tag or a long-term contract.

Coach of the year

Todd Haley, Kansas City

Why: Haley led the Chiefs to a worst-to-first turnaround. Few expected the Chiefs, who were 4-12 in Haley’s first season, to make such a fast turnaround. Haley will probably be a candidate to win the NFL coach of the year award when it’s announced Wednesday. There’s no other choice in the AFC West.

Comeback player of the year

Brandon Lloyd, Denver

Why: Lloyd had an astounding season after being inactive for 14 games in 2009. In 2010, at the age of 29, the former journeyman had a career year. He led the NFL with 1,448 receiving yards. He gained first downs on 72 of 77 of his catches, which was a 93.5 percentage. It was the highest first-down percentage of any receiver in the NFL in the past 10 seasons.

Offensive rookie of the year

Tony Moeaki, Kansas City

Why: The Kansas City tight end became one of Matt Cassel’s favorite targets. He had 47 catches for 556 yards and three touchdowns. Moeaki’s rookie season production far exceeded the rookie-season production of former Kansas City superstar tight end Tony Gonzalez. I’m not saying Moeaki -- a third-round pick from Iowa -- will have a career like Gonzalez’s, but he was terrific. Moeaki can split the field and he has soft hands.

Defensive rookie of the year

Eric Berry, Kansas City

Why: Berry was as advertised when he entered the draft out of Tennessee. Usually, safeties are not considered at the top of the draft, but Berry was considered a game changer and he delivered as a rookie. The No. 5 pick of a strong draft was an instant impact player in Kansas City. He is a playmaker and an intelligent anchor to a young defense. This week, he is making the first of what should be many Pro Bowl appearances.

Executive of the year

Scott Pioli, Kansas City

Why: Like Haley, Pioli deserves a lot of credit for Kansas City’s turnaround. This is suddenly a strong roster, built for the immediate future and for down the road. In two seasons as Kansas City’s general manager, Pioli has made the right calls and has built a strong roster. His work in free agency and the draft in 2010 coupled with the development of Cassel -- who was acquired in 2009 -- make Pioli the easy choice.

Specialist of the year

Jacoby Ford, Oakland

Why: Ford had three kickoff returns for touchdowns in an eight-week stretch. I expect Ford, a fourth-round pick in 2010, to become one of the game’s most dynamic players as soon as 2011. The fastest player at the combine last year, Ford is a threat to bring the ball to the house every time he touches it. Expect him to get a chance to return punts in 2011 as well as becoming a primary receiving target, which he was toward the end of the season. This is a special talent.

Brian Waters had nothing to do but ride and watch.

Nursing an injury for much of training camp, the Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl guard was relegated to jockeying an exercise bike instead of practicing with his teammates. With a perfect sideline view, Waters noticed something develop in the summer heat as he pedaled for countless hours.

The Chiefs had some extremely talented young players.

“Sitting there on the bike, our young guys really stood out to me,” Waters said this week. “I noticed the 2008 class was really developing out there, and then there was the rookie class. They were really something. The combination of those two classes really gave me hope that we might be on to something. Those two classes are a big reason why we’re where we are.”

There are several reasons why the 10-6 Chiefs – who won a total of 10 games in the previous three seasons – went from worst to first in the AFC West and will play host to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in the AFC wild-card round. The Chiefs are well coached, quarterback Matt Cassel has developed, the running game was tops in the NFL, the offensive line was strong, they didn’t make many mistakes, and the defense was aggressive and improved its pass rush. A lot of those reasons can be attributed to the development of Kansas City’s third-year players and rookie class.

“The Chiefs have some very good young players,” Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said. “I think a big reason why this team improved so much is because of those two classes. There’s a ton of guys who are giving the Chiefs big-time contributions from 2008 and 2010.”

The 2008 draft -- buoyed by the Jared Allen trade to Minnesota – was the final contribution of the 20-year Carl Peterson era in Kansas City. Many league observers thought that draft class had a chance to be special. But it looked anything but special for the first two seasons, although second-round pick Brandon Flowers (cornerback) and third-round pick Jamaal Charles (running back) showed signs of being excellent players early on.

The two first-round picks, defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey (No. 5 overall) and left tackle Branden Albert (No. 15), were nothing special in their first two years. However, Dorsey and Albert have both made big progress this season.

Dorsey has flourished in defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel’s 3-4 defense after struggling in the 3-4 under Clancy Pendergast last season. Dorsey has been the anchor of the defense, and he plays with a high motor. Many scouts thought the LSU star was the best player available in the 2008 draft, and he is now showing how good he is. Albert has melded well with the veterans on Kansas City’s line, and also has made major strides in 2010. There had been talk before the 2010 draft that the Chiefs would take Russell Okung with the No. 5 pick (who went one pick later to Seattle) and move Albert to right tackle.

The Chiefs have to be thrilled they didn’t make that move. Kansas City has its left tackle for the next several years, and it seems to have scored big with safety Eric Berry, the team’s top pick in 2010.

“Dorsey and Albert are showing why they were such high picks,” Williamson said. “Dorsey has been much better in the 3-4 than I thought he would be. He’s playing with a great purpose, and Albert is the best player on a good line.”

The showcase player of the Chiefs’ 2008 class, of course, is Charles. Kansas City drafted Charles out of Texas because of his blazing speed. The Chiefs hoped he’d be a nice change-of-pace player. In his third NFL season, Charles -- who along with Albert was a prize from the Allen trade -- has developed into the NFL’s premier game-breaker.

Charles was second in the NFL in rushing this season with 1,467 yards. His 6.38 per-carry average was the second highest single-season average behind the legendary Jim Brown, who averaged 6.4 yards a carry in 1963. If the Chiefs have a chance to beat the Ravens, it will start with Charles’ big-play threat.

The class, which also features right tackle Barry Richardson, also netted Kansas City’s two cornerbacks, who have a chance to be with the team for several years. While Flowers showed strong signs of being a good player (Williamson says he thinks Flowers can be a top-five cornerback), right cornerback Brandon Carr has come on strong this season. The fifth-round pick led the Chiefs with 19 passes defended, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

While Peterson and coach Herm Edwards’ swan song presented Kansas City with a terrific parting gift, the second draft class of the Scott Pioli-Todd Haley era has been a jackpot. Their first class was small and so far uninspiring besides kicker Ryan Succop, the final pick of the entire 2009 draft. But their second class has been one of the best rookie classes in the NFL, along with those of Oakland, New England and Tampa Bay.

In June, Haley said he didn’t think the task was too big for his draft class, and that was before he had seen the players in training camp. Through the regular season, Haley had to feel the same way. This class has been extremely productive.

It starts with Berry. While he is still learning, he has been a complete player and has the look of being a fierce player for a long time. Gary Horton of Scouts Inc. notes that Berry, who was named the NFL's defensive rookie of the month for December, is an excellent blitzer, strong in run support and continues to improve in coverage. Berry had four interceptions as a rookie. It’s noteworthy that Berry will be on the same field as the Ravens’ Ed Reed in his first postseason game. Berry has a chance to a have a Reed-like impact on the Chiefs in the coming years.

Second-round picks Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster are both fine returners. Arenas has been decent as a nickel cornerback, and McCluster, when healthy, is a downfield target.

Next to Berry, perhaps the next most productive rookie has been third-round pick Tony Moeaki. Cassel looks to have complete trust in Moeaki, a tight end who can split the field and has soft hands. How good has Moeaki been? His rookie season has been much better than former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, the NFL record holder for all relevant tight end receiving marks.

Moeaki had 47 catches for 556 yards this season. His reception total was a team rookie record by 14 catches, and his yardage total was three yards off the team’s rookie mark. Safety Kendrick Lewis also has been a contributor this season.

“You have to give a lot of credit to the young kids,” veteran receiver Chris Chambers said. “They’ve come in here and acted like pros. They are a big reason why we’ve been so successful this season, no doubt about it.”

As of Saturday afternoon, it appeared unlikely that the Raiders would promote punter Danny Baugher from the practice squad to replace star punter Shane Lechler, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury. But the team has been hopeful Lechler will play Sunday against the Colts in a must-win game for the Raiders. Oakland defensive lineman Richard Seymour will be a game-time decision because of a hamstring injury. He didn’t practice all week.

• Former Kansas City great tight end Tony Gonzalez talks about the possible end of his career.

• Mel Kiper looks at Denver’s options with its top pick, which will end up being very high.

• Kansas City linebacker Demorrio Williams and Denver running back Knowshon Moreno were among the players fined for Week 15 infractions.

• Colts coach Jim Caldwell has fond memories of a very giving Al Davis. It’s a cool story. Check it out.

One player from each AFC West team to watch in Week 14:

Denver, Champ Bailey, cornerback: At the age of 32, Bailey showed he is still an elite player in Week 13. He shut down Kansas City receiver Dwayne Bowe. Bowe entered the game as the hottest player in the NFL, regardless of position. Bowe had 32 catches and seven touchdowns in the three previous games. He didn’t have a catch against Bailey. Bailey is going to be a free agent after the season and he just showed the league he is still worth a ton of money.

Kansas City, Tony Moeaki, tight end: The third-round pick has been terrific. Moeaki has 36 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns. Moeaki has surpassed the rookie production of former Kansas City superstar tight end Tony Gonzalez. He had 33 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns in 1997. I’m not saying Moeaki is going to have the legendary impact that Gonzalez had in Kansas City, but he sure has started his Chiefs’ career the right way.

Oakland, Darrius Heyward-Bey, receiver: Heyward-Bey’s production has been non-existent. He hasn’t had a catch since he caught five passes against Seattle on Oct. 31. The No. 7 overall pick of the 2009 draft is just not ready to be a consistent NFL player. With rookie Jacoby Ford looking great and Chaz Schilens regaining his health, Heyward-Bey may be ready to take a back seat if he doesn’t start producing soon.

San Diego, Ryan Mathews, running back: It will be interesting to see how many opportunities Mathews gets to run the ball Sunday against the Chiefs. He didn’t have a carry in a loss to Oakland despite being healthy for the first time in a month. Yes, San Diego only ran the ball eight times because it fell behind quickly. But if Mathews doesn’t get many carries this week, it’s clear the Chargers just don’t trust the No. 12 overall pick yet. In addition to durability issues, Mathews had fumbling problems and has been inconsistent in pass protection.

We have sentiment in the AFC West and it just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t offer pre-congratulations to one of the best players ever to play in the division.

Former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez (the greatest player ever to play the position statically speaking and probably generally speaking) is one catch away from achieving a major accomplishment. He has 999 career catches.

Gonzalez played in Kansas City from 1997-2008, and had all but 83 of those catches with the Chiefs. When the second-year Atlanta Falcons makes his next catch and becomes the seventh member of 1,000-catch club, Chiefs fans should take a moment to salute their former hero.

Gonzalez said this might be his final season. The new Kansas City regime traded Gonzalez to the Falcons just prior to the 2009 draft for a second-year round pick in 2010, which the Chiefs turned it into cornerback/returner Javier Arenas, who looks like he might be a dynamic player.

I know Kansas City fans, understandably, were saddened to see Gonzalez go last season, but he wanted to go to a contender and the Chiefs wanted to start over. So, everybody moved on happily. Sunday, Gonzalez should further cement himself as a first-ballot hall of famer for an achievement he mostly accomplished in Chiefs’ red.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- I wanted to get some quick thoughts from Kansas City coach Todd Haley’s presser. No Kansas City players were available prior to practice.

Haley was evasive when it came to how long backup quarterback Brodie Croyle would be out with an arm injury. The team has signed quarterback Bill Stull to help carry the load in practice and potentially in Saturday’s preseason game at Tampa Bay.

''Whether [Croyle’s injury] is a month long, one week, two day, one day, we had to get an arm in here,” Haley said.

Haley was asked if he ever considered not having a physical training camp.

“It’s all I know,” Haley said. He said other coaching philosophies are fine, and perhaps one day he could change his stance, but staying physical is what he’s most comfortable with.

In other news:

• Center Rudy Niswanger played some guard in camp Tuesday and Haley said Niswanger’s versatility could allow him to do that during the season.
• Haley praised the play of linebacker Mike Vrabel, who turned 35 Saturday.
• Haley stated the importance of special teams. He said he told his team that some players will make the 53-man roster and play on game day based on their special-teams performances in camp and in the preseason.
• Former Kansas City great Tony Gonzalez said there is a 50 percent chance this is his final NFL season. Gonzalez was traded to Atlanta prior to last season.
• It’s a cloudy and fairly cool day here. The Chiefs are enjoying this weather after dealing with extreme heat and humidity for much of camp.

I hope to have more after practice.

Former Kansas City star tight end Tony Gonzalez is looking forward to seeing his old teammates Friday night when the Atlanta Falcons host the Chiefs.

The problem is, Gonzalez doesn’t know many of the 2010 Chiefs. Since Gonzalez, one of the greatest Chiefs of all-time, was traded in April, 2009, the young team has undergone a major transformation.

• The man responsible for all the change in Kansas City, Scott Pioli, is happy with the way the team’s training camp has gone thus far.

• Former Oakland quarterback JaMarucs Russell appeared in court stemming from his arrest in July over the possession of codeine syrup.

• The Chargers are practicing the Wildcat with rookie tailback Ryan Mathews. They are calling it the Wilddog because Mathews played for the Fresno State Bulldogs. Last year with LaDainian Tomlinson, the team called it the Wildfrog in homage to Tomlinson’s TCU Horned Frogs. San Diego coach Norv Turner acknowledged that the team won’t use the formation much, but it is good to practice. San Diego used it eight times last season.

• A religious group that Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow has endorsed has bought advertising time during Denver games this season.