It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it Summer Scramble, and this afternoon we look at some of the AFC West's looming position battles.
-- Chargers strong safety: Kevin Ellison, the Chargers' sixth-round pick out of USC, will be a factor somehow in a newly configured Chargers secondary. He's got a chance to push incumbent Clinton Hart for the starting strong safety spot, first of all, and even if he doesn't get that he's likely to see time in passing-down packages at the expense of someone like Paul Oliver. San Diego's secondary is its most glaring weakness, and teams with Super Bowl aspirations generally do anything they have to do to make sure and shore those up.
PREDICTION: Ellison, a quick learner from a Division I factory, beats out Hart for the starting job and the result is good veteran depth at the position behind him.
-- Raiders quarterbacks: Former No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell projects as the starter, but the Raiders almost certainly got Russell's elusive attention when they picked up veteran Jeff Garcia in the off-season. "My job is to make certain decisions hard," Garcia told reporters upon his arrival at training camp in Napa on Tuesday. "JaMarcus' job is to make the decision easy." The Raiders would love for Russell to start transforming his promise in to on-field results as early as this August and September, but if he doesn't, they know and he knows that there's a legitimate option to whom the team can go to replace him.
PREDICTION: Russell's immense talent is still being held back by his delayed maturity. He struggles in camp and Garcia becomes the starter, leading the Raiders to a surprisingly decent season.
-- Chiefs safeties: Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page look like the starters, but the wild card in the equation is former Bears safety Mike Brown. The Chiefs will spend training camp giving the veteran Brown a long look, because they want to find out just what he has left at this point in his career. If he can play his way into a starting spot, Brown could be an impact playmaker in Kansas City's secondary. If he can't there's a chance he doesn't even make the team. He is one of the great mysteries the Chiefs face in training camp but could turn out to be one of their most important players.PREDICTION: Brown shows enough to win the starting spot, but the Chiefs will find that it's important to get him as much of a break as possible as the year goes along to keep him fresh and effective.
-- Broncos running backs: First-round pick Knowshon Moreno is the odds-on favorite to win the starting job and lead Denver in carries this year. But this is a vital position, especially in light of the disturbing fact that the Broncos' new coach's first act was to run a very good quarterback out of town, and veterans Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan are interested in toting the ball as much as possible. If Moreno slips up in camp or picks up the playbook slowly, one or both of the vets will be there to snatch away the job.
PREDICTION: Moreno wins the starting job, Jordan retains some value as a third-down and goal-line back, and Buckhalter is stuck having to wait for one of them to get injured.
Check out the entire Summer Scramble series:
July 7: NFC East Position Battles to Watch
July 8: NFC East Burning Questions and Prediction
July 9: AFC East Position Battles to Watch
July 10: AFC East Burning Questions and Prediction
July 14: NFC North Position Battles to Watch
July 15: NFC North Burning Questions and Prediction
July 16: AFC North Position Battles to Watch
July 17: AFC North Burning Questions and Prediction
July 21: NFC South Position Battles to Watch
July 22: NFC South Burning Questions and Prediction
July 23: AFC South Position Battles to Watch
July 24: AFC South Burning Questions and Prediction
July 29: NFC West Position Battles to Watch
July 29: NFC West Burning Questions and Prediction
Tomorrow: AFC West Burning Questions and Prediction
