TypicalBill
05-16-2003, 04:46 AM
Chiefs
If Dick Vermeil is going to match the feat he accomplished with St. Louis -- bringing a title to town in his third season with the club -- he'll need a dramatic turnaround from his defense. The Chiefs are coming off a campaign in which they led the league in scoring (29.2 points per game). Unfortunately for Vermeil, only four teams allowed more than the 24.9 ppg surrendered by Kansas City last season.
The Chiefs, who have gone five straight years without making the playoffs, were dead last in total yards allowed (390.5 ypg) and 31st in passing yards allowed (261.3 ypg) last season. However, the offseason additions of linebacker Shawn Barber, defensive end Vonnie Holliday and cornerback Dexter McCleon are supposed to greatly improve the defense.
More (http://espn.go.com/nfl/overview/Chiefs2003.html)
Chargers
The roster features a number of Pro Bowl-caliber players. The coach is a likely future Hall of Famer. And the schedule has generally been kind. Yet, for some reason, the Chargers have failed to finish seasons with all the promise they've shown early in recent campaigns.
After starting last season 6-1, San Diego went 2-7 and missed the playoffs. A year earlier, the team started 5-2 only to end the season with a nine-game losing streak. And a 4-1 start in 1999 resulted in just an 8-8 finish. But coach Marty Schottenheimer has continued to help construct a team that could get out of the AFC West basement and into the postseason.
More (http://espn.go.com/nfl/overview/Chargers2003.html)
Broncos
The longer Denver goes without another postseason victory, the more critics will question Mike Shanahan's supposed greatness. Sure, he won Super Bowls in his third and fourth seasons with the Broncos, but those were during John Elway's final two years. Since then, Denver has had a handful of starting quarterbacks, one playoff appearance and no postseason victories.
But just like the last couple of years, this season is supposed to be different. Denver has rescued Jake Plummer from the Arizona Cardinals and Shanahan is convinced he can make a winner out of a quarterback with 90 career touchdowns and 114 interceptions. The consensus is: How Jake goes determines how good of a season Denver has in 2003.
More (http://espn.go.com/nfl/overview/Broncos2003.html)
If Dick Vermeil is going to match the feat he accomplished with St. Louis -- bringing a title to town in his third season with the club -- he'll need a dramatic turnaround from his defense. The Chiefs are coming off a campaign in which they led the league in scoring (29.2 points per game). Unfortunately for Vermeil, only four teams allowed more than the 24.9 ppg surrendered by Kansas City last season.
The Chiefs, who have gone five straight years without making the playoffs, were dead last in total yards allowed (390.5 ypg) and 31st in passing yards allowed (261.3 ypg) last season. However, the offseason additions of linebacker Shawn Barber, defensive end Vonnie Holliday and cornerback Dexter McCleon are supposed to greatly improve the defense.
More (http://espn.go.com/nfl/overview/Chiefs2003.html)
Chargers
The roster features a number of Pro Bowl-caliber players. The coach is a likely future Hall of Famer. And the schedule has generally been kind. Yet, for some reason, the Chargers have failed to finish seasons with all the promise they've shown early in recent campaigns.
After starting last season 6-1, San Diego went 2-7 and missed the playoffs. A year earlier, the team started 5-2 only to end the season with a nine-game losing streak. And a 4-1 start in 1999 resulted in just an 8-8 finish. But coach Marty Schottenheimer has continued to help construct a team that could get out of the AFC West basement and into the postseason.
More (http://espn.go.com/nfl/overview/Chargers2003.html)
Broncos
The longer Denver goes without another postseason victory, the more critics will question Mike Shanahan's supposed greatness. Sure, he won Super Bowls in his third and fourth seasons with the Broncos, but those were during John Elway's final two years. Since then, Denver has had a handful of starting quarterbacks, one playoff appearance and no postseason victories.
But just like the last couple of years, this season is supposed to be different. Denver has rescued Jake Plummer from the Arizona Cardinals and Shanahan is convinced he can make a winner out of a quarterback with 90 career touchdowns and 114 interceptions. The consensus is: How Jake goes determines how good of a season Denver has in 2003.
More (http://espn.go.com/nfl/overview/Broncos2003.html)