Afc West-training Camp Preview

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AFC WEST-TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW
Don Banks-Inside NFL-SI.com

More accurately, the Chargers should be a team on the rebound this season; they slipped to 9-7 and out of the playoffs last year after winning the division in 2004. Widely lauded as the one best teams ever to miss the postseason, the '05 Chargers proved they could win anywhere (like at Indianapolis in Week 15) and lose to anyone (at home against Miami in Week 14, one of three glaring home defeats).
The Chargers still have a bevy of talent, but how far they go this season will almost certainly revolve around the maturation of their new starting quarterback, Philip Rivers, who replaces the departed Drew Brees. Rivers has appeared in only two games in his first two NFL seasons, but if the 2004 first-round pick can at least handle a caretaker quarterback role this year, San Diego has enough weapons around him to be very formidable on offense.
Defensively, the Chargers have a stout front seven (San Diego was first against the run in '05), and they tried to solidify their problematic secondary by drafting Florida State cornerback Antonio Cromartie in the first round. Here's another hopeful sign: After a killer schedule last year, San Diego faces only one '05 playoff team in the season's first half, and five overall.
Team in transition

KANSAS CITY
Head coach Dick Vermeil has retired -- for good this time. Offensive coordinator Al Saunders didn't get the nod as his replacement and moved on to work for Joe Gibbs in Washington. That's plenty of transition for any team to cope with, but the Chiefs are a veteran club that should be able to deal with the changes that new head coach Herman Edwards and newly promoted offensive coordinator Mike Solari bring to the table.
Not that K.C. wants to change a thing on offense, where ultraproductive running back Larry Johnson, quarterback Trent Green and tight end Tony Gonzalez will again be capable of inflicting pain on any defense. As always, it's the Chiefs' defense that needs the upgrade, after finishing 25th overall in yards allowed in 2005. First-round draft pick Tamba Hali, a defensive end out of Penn State, is being counted on to amp up a pass rush led by playmaking defensive end Jared Allen. Given K.C.'s long-standing pass-coverage problems, focusing on the pass rush is a smart move. It would be a nice boost to the secondary if the Chiefs can finally land free-agent cornerback Ty Law, because it's hard to see the likes of cornerback Lenny Walls and safeties Greg Wesley and Sammy Knight having markedly different results than they did last year.