BREAKDOWN – AFC West
By Steve O’Reilly
In the Wild Wild West one thing that is constant lately is change itself. The Chargers have been the stalwarts of the Division over the last half decade with the Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs constantly changing direction. Phillip Rivers and Co’ have played exceptional football in the latter half of every season he’s been in the league, to the point that he is Undefeated during his career in the month of December. Their late season charge coupled with the Broncos trend for a late season collapse has led to the Bolts owning the AFC West. This season, the Raiders seem to be catching some attention with a new QB and some continuity from the coaches. The Chiefs proud franchise is in a rebuild and Matt Cassel heads into his second year under the Scott Pioli regime. Gone are some Pro Bowlers, entered are some young Rookie studs but it appears as though the outcome will likely remain the same! Let’s Breakdown the AFC West! Read more
Larry Johnson“hair tackles” Troy Polamalu
By Gayle Saunders
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Who knew grabbing by the hair to complete a tackle was actually legal? Johnson showed that he was going to take out Polamalu by any means necessary. Unbe-weave-able!
Damion McIntosh flattens 2 Miami Dolphins
By Gayle Saunders
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Not since Friday’s D-Bo have we seen two guys get punked that easy. Damion McIntosh unleashes the beast on two Dolphin DB’s!!!
John Lynch Vs Dante Hall
By Gayle Saunders
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John Lynch lays some serious thunder on Kansas City Chiefs lil man Dante Hall.
A Closer Look – AFC West!
By Steve O’Reilly
Over the last half a Decade this division has been controlled by the San Diego Chargers. The once mighty Denver Broncos lost their mojo when John Elway retired and the rebuild under the Josh McDaniels regime has been anything but smooth. The Chiefs have been up and down, they made the playoffs in 2006 where they lost to Indianapolis in the Wild Card but haven’t really done anything at all since. The rebuild in Oakland has been going on since the Tampa Bay Bucs put a whooping on them in Super Bowl back in the early 2000′s. If one thing is clear about the AFC West it’s that the division is owned by Phillip Rivers. Love him or hate him you have to respect him. The QB from NC State has never lost in the month of December and since taking over the reigns in 2006 from Drew Brees has never not won the AFC West. Let’s go around the Division and look at who might be able to walk away with the crown in 2010! Read more
The Big Surprise – AFC!!
By Steve O’Reilly
Last week we took at look at some of the teams that I felt could possibly be a surprise team in their Division, focusing on the NFC. This week we will take a look at the AFC and each of the four conferences to see who might be the team that comes from relative obscurity or mediocrity and really open some eyes in 2010! Read more
Thomas Jones gets a two year deal in Kansas City
By Gayle Saunders
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The Kansas City Chiefs just strengthened their running game with the signing of Thomas Jones. The Chiefs signed the free agent running back, who was a big reason the New York Jets reached the AFC Championship.
People tend to forget that Jones was the NFL’s third-leading rusher last season. Jones had career highs of 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, a year after being selected for the Pro Bowl following a season in which he ran for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns. Even though Jones rushed for 1,000 or more yards for five straight seasons, the Jets cut ties with him when free agency started last Friday. The biggest concern for the Jets was paying his $3.3 million roster bonus on top of a $2.8 million base salary this season. The Jets failed to reach a compromise with Jones on restructuring his contract. The team wanted him to take a pay cut, and Jones was not interested. Last off season, Jones sat out voluntary activities while trying to renegotiate his deal, which was front-loaded over the first two seasons. He made only $900,000 in base salary last season, but didn’t let that affect his play.
The 31-year-old Jones is expected to team up with third-year running back Jamaal Charles in the backfield, who had his best season in Kansas City with 1,120 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
Thomas Jones was a major reason the New York Jets ranked first in the league with 172.2 yards rushing per game, However he seemed to tire down the stretch as rookie Shonn Greene came alive, which allowed Greene to take more of the carries down the stretch, but Jones is confident that he can play another four or five seasons because of the unbeleivable shape he keeps himself in.
He was drafted seventh overall in 2000 by the Arizona Cardinals and then was traded to Tampa Bay in 2003, went to Chicago the following year as a free agent and was traded to the Jets in 2007. Jones also ranks second only toLaDainian Tomlinson, who is also a free agent, in yards rushing since 2005. Jones ranks 28th on the career list with 9,217 yards, 190 behind Earl Campbell.
