West

2007 predicted order of finish . . .

* 1. San Diego: From LaDainian Tomlinson to Antonio Gates to Kris Dielman to Shawne Merriman to Jamal Williams, the Chargers are loaded with talent. About the only place where they need to prove themselves -- on the field, that is -- is at inside linebacker, where they have new starters in Stephen Cooper and Matt Wilhelm. This season will be proving ground for Coach Norv Turner, who has the reputation of a great offensive mind but not a leader. This team is eyeing a Super Bowl berth, as well it should be, but if the Chargers have learned anything from the Marty Schottenheimer era it’s that the march to a championship must begin with one thing: a playoff victory.

* 2. Denver: Retooled and reinvigorated, the Broncos are ready to challenge the Chargers for dominance in the division. That said, they got off to a bumpy start this summer, losing starting defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban for the season because of a torn Achilles’ tendon, and running back Travis Henry for at least a few weeks because of a sprained knee. Quarterback Jay Cutler showed some promising flashes last season, and now he has had an entire off-season to absorb the offense. He also has some new targets in tight end Daniel Graham and receiver Brandon Stokley. Defensively, the Broncos have gotten younger up front, and added a very good corner in Dre Bly.

* 3. Kansas City: If the Chiefs are third-best, you can bet this division is plenty strong. They were 4-2 against division opponents last season and made the playoffs despite three consecutive losses in December. The biggest questions this season are at quarterback, where veteran backup Damon Huard will start the season ahead of second-year player Brodie Croyle, and running back, where Larry Johnson sat out the bulk of training camp as a holdout, setting the stage for a comeback attempt by Priest Holmes. An interesting scheduling twist: For the fourth consecutive season, the Chiefs will play both defending conference champions, this time getting Chicago and Indianapolis on the road.

* 4. Oakland: Lane Kiffin won’t lack for challenges in his first season as an NFL head coach. With unsigned No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell sitting out training camp, it looks as if Daunte Culpepper will get the starting nod at quarterback. Culpepper should get hazard pay considering he’s playing behind a line that surrendered a league-high 72 sacks last season. No matter who’s playing quarterback, he’ll have capable receivers if he gets the time to find them. The Raiders do have a very good defense, one that returns every starter and key backup.