AFC West Breakdown - Left Guard
[I am going to break down the AFC West position by position to determine who holds the power in the conference. The top spot will be worth 4 points, second is 3 points, third is 2 points and fourth is 1 point. At the end of the article, I will post a running tally. These breakdowns are as of May 15th, and they assume that all draft picks will be signed and ready to play in 2008. If there are any additional free agent signings, this could affect the rankings.]
The AFC West features two elite players at the left guard position, a first-round bust at left tackle, and a 5th-round selection that has turned in a serviceable career. It’s no wonder that a division that showcases such elite running attacks would have strong interior lineman to open the holes.
1.) Brian Waters (Kansas City) - The cream of the crop - unti Kris Dielman gets a little more experience. Waters is a 3-time Pro Bowler (2005, 2006, 2007) and a two-time All Pro (2005, 2006). He was even the AFC Player of the Week once after the Chiefs rang up nearly 23,000,000 yards on the ground (my memory may be a little fuzzy, but it sure seemed like that much). Although he’s getting older, he is still productive. He’s a respected voice in the locker room too, something a young team like the Chiefs desperately needs. (4 points)
2.) Kris Dielman (San Diego) - It’s almost not fair that Dielman gets to line up next to Marcus McNeil and have LaDanian Tomlinson running behind him. Is Dielman that good, or does he benefit from the players around him? I think the answer to both questions is “yes”. Dielman mad the Pro Bowl for the first time last year, and should only get better. Not bad for an undrafted free agent. (3 points)
3.) Robert Gallery (Oakland) - I really respect Gallery for changing positions and becoming a serviceable, if not above-average left guard. He was totally overwhelmed at the tackle position, and was on the verge of becoming a total bust. However, he has embraced the change to guard, and helped lead the Raiders to the 6th-rated rushing attack in 2007. It’s eerie how much his career parallels Tony Mandarich - right down to the goofy haircut. (2 points)
4.) Chris Kuper (Denver) - Much like everyone else involved in the Denver rushing attack, Kuper is one of those “insert here, run for 1,000 yards” players that the Broncos seem to churn out each season. A former 5th-round draft pick, Kuper has carved out a nice little career, and should continue to be a productive member in Denver’s zone blocking scheme. However, when you play in a division with Waters and Dielman, you tend to get overshadowed.
Dielman and Waters should be the gold standard for what left guards aspire to be - big, mobile, and pretty nasty, too. Gallery gets applauded for reinventing himself, and as my colleague Sean Cooke said, Kuper’s claim to fame is having the smallest face on the biggest head ever.
Running Tally:
San Diego - 25 points
Kansas City - 16 points
Denver - 15 points
Oakland - 14 points
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19 Responses to “AFC West Breakdown - Left Guard”
June 4th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I have to say this. Even as a Raider fan, I can acknowledge when other teams do good things/make good moves…but how do you have them rated anywhere below Kansas City and especially below Denver?
And Gallery changed positions to the Left Tackle, he’s a guard originally, meaning that he should be back to the form that had him get drafted so high in the first place. Just wanted to say that.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Logan, I think if you wait this list out you’ll see the Raiders overtake the Cheifs. The fact that we’ve done TE and LG already give the chiefs a boost, as these are their two strongest positions. Once DBs and DLs come up, the Raiders should get a boost since the Chiefs are especially weak and unproven at those positions.
June 5th, 2008 at 4:23 am
More or less, I think you’ve underrated Gallery because of the so called position switch, when in reality he’s going back to his collegiate position, and with the 2nd year under Cable’s blocking scheme, he should not only be back to form, but easily able to shed the Bust label.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:29 am
In the overall analysis, speaking of Gallery, how can teams miss on a guy taken as high as he was in the draft? Most folks acknowledge that premier OL players are among the very safest to draft and yet every so often they still miss.
Is it not seeing the desire or work ethic of a player? Not seeing a winning mindset or attitude? Until someone figures it out, there will continue to be bust players taken in the draft, INCLUDING offensive linemen.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Haha, now you’re just reaching. He came into the league as the Raiders right tackle, then on one of the numerous line changes, he was moved (by an offensive line coach that is no longer with the team) to left tackle, which is much harder than right tackle. Cable moved him to guard (left guard, obviously) last year, and he played just fine.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Regardless of which position that Gallery was drafted at, he is not better than Waters and Dielman. Not even close.
And Bryan, you’re right - once we hit the defensive backfield, the Raiders should (will) move up.
Thanks for reading -
RB
June 5th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Ryan did you adjust the score to reflect the fact that Travis Henry is gone? He never should have been ranked ahead of Fargas in the first place but now it is official. Even though your point totals are inaccurate anyway because the entire backfield should have been taken into consideration not just one runningback. Doing it that way was CLEARLY so you could rank the Chiefs 2nd in the category considering the Broncos and Raiders impliment RB by commitee. If the rankings were done correctly then the Raiders backfield would overtake the Chiefs as well. And the point total would have the Raiders in 2nd as it should be by this point.
The only other time I have disagreed with you Ryan is when you rated Gonzo ahead of Gates because you were going by career numbers as opposed to going forward.
For the record, I agree with these LG rankings.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Oh and BTW Ryan. I have added the total to what it should be and it goes like this so far:
San Diego- 27
Oakland- 18
Kansas City- 13
Denver- 12
It is maddening not being able to find many positions that the Chargers aren’t the best at.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Hey Dizzle i understand your pain… But when we start getting to the defensive backs we should definetly be better than the Bolts, actually when it comes to defensive backs Asomughua, Hall, Huff, and Wilson were the best in the divison, if not the best in the league… At least on paper we are…
GO RAIDERS!!!
June 6th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Please see the disclaimer at the top of each listing - these rankings are as of May 15th - so no, they do not reflect the fact that Travis Henry is no longer with the Broncos.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Chris Kuper is not the Broncos starting left guard. He was the 3rd string LG last year. He’s competing for the starting RT spot this year.
Ben Hamilton returns, says he’s 100% healthy, and would push any other LG in the AFC West for the #1 spot.
June 7th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Kyle shut up…
June 9th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I second that for kyle
June 9th, 2008 at 11:50 am
LMAO pat T “Kyle shut up” nothing more needed to be said there.
Ryan the center is next and it has been a while since your this was posted. Get on the ball man. We are all on pins and needles here! We must know where the rest of the Olineman stack up.
June 9th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Wow, typical response from someone with nothing intelligent to say.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Intelligent huh Kyle? Hahaha nice comeback you left me speechless… Typical from a bitch Chiefs fan…
June 10th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Kyle your an IDIOT… WHY WOULD I WASTE MY TIME WRITING YOU CRAP… EVER HEARD THE SAYING ONCE AN IDIOT ALWAYS AN IDIOT? WELL THATS YOU…
June 11th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Wow, pat, you’re right. I stand corrected.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Kyle if we talked football you’d be overwhelmed…
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