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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 1986)
Friday, August 29, 1986 Daily Nebraskan Raiders, Broncos will battle in West f Analysis by Jim Ballard Senior Reporter When talking about the AFC's west ern division, usually two things come to mind: the black and silver of the Los Angeles Raiders, and the bright blue and orange of the Denver Broncos. The Raiders and the Broncos again should be the dominant teams in the West this year, with both having excel lent shots at making the playoffs. The Raiders' hopes of another suc cessful season rely on the AFC's, if not the NFL's, premier running back, Mar cus Allen. The former Heisman Trophy winner led the NFL last season in rush ing with 1,759 yards and added 555 yards through the air with 67 recep tions. After Allen, the Raiders' only other offensive threat will be tight end Todd Christensen. Last year he hauled in 82 passes for 987 yards and six touch downs. However, second-year man Jes sie Hester and Dokie Williams could cause some excitement at their receiver positions. The only problem, though, is the man throwing those passes, Marc Wil son. Wilson had a mediocre season last year and probably won't do much bet ter this year. Backup quarterback Jim Plunkett is entering his 16th year and should retire. That means the Raiders could be relying more on former Okla homa State star Rusty Hilger, who wasn't exactly dazzling in limited play ing time last year as a rookie. However, the thing that makes the Raiders an almost great football team (besides Allen), is the defense. Last season they finished fourth in total defense in the NFL, and wound up with 65 sacks. Why is the Raider defense so good? Howie Long. Long has emerged as possibly the best defensive lineman in the NFL, which causes him to be double and triple teamed quite often. This lets the rest of the raiders defense do its thing, and with guys like Matt Millen, Rod Martin, Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes the Raiders could be tough to beat. The Denver Broncos were 11-5 last season, the third best record in the league, and didn't even make the playoffs. This year could be a different story, however, if Bronco quarterback John Elway can continue to put up his impressive numbers, but not make dumb mistakes when it really counts. Elway completed 327 passes last year for 3,891 yards, which was second in the NFL. He also led the league in total offense with 4,144 yards, while throwing 22 touchdowns. Elway also has some good hands to be throwing to in veteran wide receiver Steve Watson, and Van Johnson who had a good rookie season. Like the Raiders, though, the Bron cos are going to have to rely on a tough defense to win ballgames. Up front the Broncs have solid exper ience in nose tackle Rubin Carter and end Rulon Jones. However, Carter is being pushed at his position by second year nose tackle Greg Kagen. All-Pro Karl Mecklenberg anchors the linebacking corps, with Pro Bowler Dennis Smith heading up the defensive secondary. After the Raiders and Broncos, the level of talent may drop off a bit, but the San Diego Chargers, Seattle Sea hawks and the Kansas City Chiefs aren't cream puffs either. The Chargers have the veteran Dan Fouts, and even though he's already been in the league for 14 years and getting a little on the gray side, he can still put the ball in the air. The Chargers are in trouble on the defensive side of the ball. Last year as a team they ranked last in the NFL in total defense. To try to solve that problem, seven of their top nine draft choices were defensive play ers. That included All-American tackle Leslie O'Neal out of Oklahoma State. Seattle was 8-8 last season, and returns this year to find one of the roughest schedules in the NFL facing them. Their opponents for 1986 com bined to win 57.4 percent of their games last season. The Seahawks made a good move in the draft this year as they picked up Florida star John L. Williams. Williams should take some of the pressure off star running back Curt Warner. Receiving is the major strength for Seattle, as reliable Steve Largent and youngster Daryl Turner make Dave Kreig look better than he actually is. On defense the Seahawks don't have any big name players, with the excep tions of Kenny Easley and Jacob Green, but they play well together as a team. The Kansas City Chiefs return again this year without an offensive attack and a questionable defense. The Chiefs finished last in rushing for the third straight year, and picked up veteran Mike Pruitt to help them out in that area i) UNL independent study can help. Over 70 college courses available. UNL independ ent study fits your schedule as you pick the course, study and test times. For information, visit room 269, Nebraska Center for Continuing Education, 33rd and Holdrege. Or call: 472-1926. 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