AFC West breakdown: How San Diego's Eddie Royal helped the Raiders
POSTED: 08/29/2012 10:04:39 PM MDT
UPDATED: 08/29/2012 10:16:27 PM MDTBy Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
The Broncos are ready to close out the preseason Thursday night in Arizona, with all things Dove Valley grabbing headlines here. But their AFC brethren have rolled up their sleeves as well.
After talking to scouts and personnel executives around the NFL, here is a quick look at how things are going elsewhere in the division:
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
The lowdown: The Chiefs want to take their first-round pick from April's draft for a test drive to close out their preseason schedule.
So, nose tackle Dontari Poe will get an opportunity to show what he can do under the lights of Lambeau Field. Chiefs' coach Romeo Crennel said this week Poe would be with the starters in the team's preseason finale against the Packers.
Green Bay isn't expected to play many starters on offense, but it is a big moment for Poe, who has tried to battle his way into the starting lineup since training camp opened. A look at the game video thus far in the preseason shows what the athletic, yet raw, rookie can do.
Poe has flashed the agility, uncommon for his size, to have a 3-4 team like the Chiefs excited about his prospects.
But he's also struggled at times to succeed in the most important part of his job — to engage blockers and not surrender a running lane. Poe, as he did at Memphis at times, wants to chase plays, or get himself into a gap to try to get into the backfield.
Crennel needs him to be far more disciplined than that. He's often going to have to beat blockers head-up, using his speed and strength, without getting pinned to one side or the other.
He has appeared early in games in some of the Chiefs' specialty packages on defense, but Thursday is expected to be his most extensive time with the starting base defense.
Good to know: Though he has been suspended for the regular-season opener for a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy, outside linebacker Tamba Hali is expected to take a routine number of snaps in the preseason finale.
Hali will play, but won't get in any additional work leading up to his missed week. Hali, like all suspended players, must leave his team's complex by 7 p.m. mountain time Friday and not have any contact with team personnel for a week.
A good read: Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star on Jacques Reeves' return after time off for family.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/28/3783613/chiefs-reeves-put-career-on-hold.html
OAKLAND RAIDERS
The lowdown: Former Broncos wideout Eddie Royal may have been the player who put former Pro Bowl returner Roscoe Parrish on the Raiders' roster this week.
Though Royal has missed time in the preseason with a leg injury, the Chargers think enough of him as a slot receiver/returner combo that San Diego chose to release Parrish this week despite having just signed the veteran returner in April.
The Raiders were so interested that, after Parrish was released in San Diego on Monday morning, he had already agreed to terms with the Raiders by Monday evening. Parrish led the NFL in punt returns in 2007 and 2008, with averages of at least 15.3 yards per return in both of those years.
In '07 Parrish had just two fair catches and had a punt return for a touchdown. In '08 he had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown.
He fills an immediate need for the Raiders with the rash of injuries they've had at wide receiver that have also impacted the return game - specifically to Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore.
The under-sized Parrish has not played 16 games in a season since 2007, however, and played in just two games last year because of an ankle injury that put him on injured reserve in Week 3.
It's possible the 30-year-old could also see some time as a slot receiver for the Raiders with two 30-catch seasons in his career (2010 and 2007). The Raiders also claimed cornerback Coye Francies Wednesday as a potential kickoff returner.
Good to know: Given reserve quarterback Terrelle Pryor leads the Raiders in rushing so far in the preseason — 112 yards on 9.3 yards per carry — many in the league can see the Raiders trying to get the second-year quarterback involved in the offense in some way.
It is worth noting Raiders coach Dennis Allen was with the Broncos last season when the team re-tooled the offense to use the read option with Tim Tebow at quarterback. So, Allen likely has plenty of notes to refer to if he wants to sprinkle Pryor into the Raiders' attack.
A good read: The Oakland Tribune's Matthew Artz on whether the Raiders have have a future in Oakland.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-farmer-nfl-la-20120828,0,2010948.story
For the Chargers click the link below -
Read more: AFC West breakdown: How San Diego's Eddie Royal helped the Raiders - The Denver Post
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