Camp Watch: The Rest of the West

The big news from this morning’s Broncos practice – Domenik Hixon is hurt. He got dinged up a little bit in today’s practice – he had a sling and ice pack around his shoulder but said he hoped to play in the afternoon practice. By the sound of the trainer, though, it seems unlikely he’ll be hitting the field today. A slight shoulder separation is the initial diagnosis, with an MRI scheduled to be sure. Our wide receiver depth is looking thinner by the minute, but everyone who sees the field looks impressive. We may have more depth there than meets the eye.

But I spent a little time researching what the other teams in the AFC West are talking about in regards to Training Camp – everyone’s is underway, and it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on our main foes this year. I start real quickly with a tidbit on our first Preseason Opponent.

San Francisco 49ers

In 13 days we’ll be facing the Niners on Monday Night Football… but they’ll be without their Pro Bowl runningback Frank Gore. The franchise’s season rushing record holder is expected to miss about 4 weeks with a broken right hand. This, of course, right after the Niners gave Gore a fat contract.

I’m actually disappointed by this news – I was looking forward to the 49er’s playing against our run defense for a quarter or two, and seeing how the defense was doing against a star RB. Now we won’t get that chance. I’m not nearly as high on the 49ers as everyone else in the league, even before this injury. I think they’ll struggle to win half their games, but more on that in next week’s Pick ‘Ems.

Oakland Raiders

After working out for the team yesterday, it looks like the Raiders are set to sign Daunte Culpepper, at least according to several reports. I don’t think he’s healthy enough to see the field until October or so, but with JaMarcus Russell holding out, I guess the team had to do something. I was a Josh McCown fan at Arizona, and thought he should have been given a shot in Detroit… looks like his job as the opening day starter is far from safe if the Raiders continue to bring in more competition.

Kansas City Chiefs

[UPDATE – Literally ten minutes after posting, it appears the Chiefs signed Bowe. He should arrive at camp tomorrow.] Speaking of holdouts… the Chiefs are still Larry Johnson-less as their camp continues. They also have yet to sign their first-round pick, Dwayne Bowe. I’ve heard good things about Brodie Croyle – good for the Chiefs, I say. I hope Croyle does well – I want a good game more than an easy win when it comes to my football. Defensively, they made a lot of improvements, and these seem to be working out for them. Their new offensive linemen are reportedly really struggling to hold up against their defensive line. The same could be said at times for the Broncos, though… Overall, I can’t see the Chiefs doing much this year without two of their biggest playmakers even on the practice field.

San Diego Chargers

The Big Man on Campus, the Chargers are set to have another great season this year. As much as Broncos fans like to quote the big weakness of the team – their coaching overhaul – it has to be said that Norv Turner has never had this talented of a team at his disposal, and his offensive skills could really complement the team. For only the second time this decade, the Chargers got their first round pick on the field in time for camp. But the biggest story I’ve read circles around last year’s first rounder, CB Antonio Cromartie, who is doing well at returns and also intercepting balls during practice. Of course, their offense is running well. Philip Rivers is accurate with his throws, and the team is focusing on winning a championship. I mean, really really focused. Maybe even too focused to notice that they have a really tough schedule in front of them. Anyway, it was hard to find more training camp notes on the Chargers practices, but I’ll give it another go in the coming days.