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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Afc Capsules

Dave Goldberg Associated Press

A look at the AFC in order of potential. (Last season’s record in parenthesis):

New England (11-5)

Last season: Lost first two games, then won 11 of 14 to win the AFC East. Beat Pittsburgh and Jacksonville to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1985, then lost 35-21 to Green Bay.

Strengths: Overall offense, featuring the best pass-catch-run trio north of Dallas - Drew Bledsoe, Terry Glenn and Curtis Martin. Good outside pass rushers in Willie McGinest and Chris Slade.

Weaknesses: Offensive line and cornerback.

Keys to the season: Coach Pete Carroll, Bill Parcells’ replacement, is looser than Parcells and seems to have Bledsoe happy. The big question is whether he might be too loose.

Newcomers to watch: Two middle-of-the-road free agents, DB Steve Israel and OT Zefross Moss. CB Chris Canty, the first-round choice, should help.

Outlook: This was one of the NFL’s youngest teams last season and there’s no reason why it can’t stay at or near the top for a while.

Jacksonville (9-7)

Last season: Were 4-7 when Mark Brunell blossomed at quarterback and they won last five, sneaking into playoffs when Atlanta’s Morten Andersen, one of the best kickers ever, missed a 30-yard field goal. Then they won at Buffalo and Denver before losing to the Patriots 20-6 in AFC title game.

Strengths: Even without Brunell, who will be out until at least October with a knee injury, a nucleus of outstanding young players.

Weaknesses: Quarterback without Brunell. Tight end, where Pete Mitchell can catch, but nobody blocks.

Keys to the season: Rob Johnson, who will replace Brunell at quarterback for at least the first half-dozen games. With Brunell all season, the Jaguars probably could win the AFC. If Johnson can hold the fort, they’ve still got a shot.

Newcomers to watch: DT Renaldo Wynn, the No. 1 draft pick; TE Damon Jones; CB Deon Figures, a free agent who will probably start.

Outlook: Tom Coughlin has done a masterful job building and one injury isn’t expected to spoil the season for one of the NFL’s good young teams. Assuming that Brunell comes back, the Super Bowl is a possibility.

Denver (13-3)

Last season: Ran away with the AFC West, clinching home field in the conference playoffs with four weeks to go. But lost the first playoff game 30-27 to Jacksonville at Mile High Stadium.

Strengths: Offensive tandem of John Elway, who at 37 has slowed down a bit but made up for it with savvy, and RB Terrell Davis, who led AFC in rushing. Defensive line featuring Alfred Williams and newly acquired Neil Smith as pass-rushing bookends.

Weaknesses: Offensive line depth; speed at wide receiver; pressure to win because of Elway’s age.

Keys to the season: A quick start in a tough division will re-establish the confidence with which they played last season. Elway must stay healthy.

Newcomers to watch: Smith; OT Tony Jones; WR Willie Green, signed as free agent to replace departed Anthony Miller.

Outlook: The Broncos should win the AFC, but that doesn’t mean they will. There may be too many emotional scars left from last season and desperation to get Elway a ring may be counterproductive.

Pittsburgh (10-6)

Last season: Overcame opening game injury to Greg Lloyd and questionable quarterbacking to win AFC Central at 10-6. Routed Indianapolis 42-14 in first playoff game but lost 28-3 in New England.

Strengths: Coach Bill Cowher, who loses key players every year but plugs in no-names and wins. Defense, particularly at LB, where Lloyd is back. RB Jerome Bettis; OL led by C Dermontti Dawson.

Weaknesses: Secondary, which lost three top corners, led by Rod Woodson.

Keys to the season: Kordell Stewart’s performance at quarterback. Replacement players for cornerbacks and departed LB Chad Brown.

Newcomers to watch: CB Donnell Woolford, key free-agent signing; DE Nolan Harrison; CB Chad Scott, the No. 1 draft choice.

Outlook: Give credit to Cowher and personnel guru Tom Donahoe for finding gems to replace departed players. Cowher’s probably right and Stewart can be a full-time quarterback. If that’s so, the Steelers will be right up there.

Seattle (7-9)

Last season: Had second straight 7-9 season and finally gave up on QB Rick Mirer, installing John Friesz in his place. Friesz got hurt, Mirer returned and results were so-so.

Strengths: A new mind-set with Paul Allen in as the new owner; a new stadium approved and a bunch of first-rank free agents in town. RB Chris Warren with WR Joey Galloway and a potentially awesome front seven, featuring DT Cortez Kennedy, DE Michael Sinclair and LB Chad Brown, the free agent who aroused so much hope.

Weaknesses: Questions at QB, where Friesz is a career backup, Warren Moon will be 41 in November, and Jon Kitna has promise. Lack of cohesion that was a natural result of signings - the entire cornerback corps has changed.

Keys to the season: Quarterback, where Moon could be the starter with Friesz in his customary reserve role.

Newcomers to watch: Brown and CB Willie Williams who came from Pittsburgh. S Bennie Blades, who will join his brother, WR Brian; Two high No. 1 picks, CB Shawn Springs and OT Walter Jones.

Outlook: There’s a lot of optimism, but the Seahawks aren’t headed to the Super Bowl yet. They should make the playoffs, but need a young quarterback (Kitna?) before they enter the elite class.

Indianapolis (9-7)

Last season: Started 4-0 before injuries began to hit home. Made playoffs as wild card before losing 42-14 to Pittsburgh.

Strengths: Offensive skill positions - QB Jim Harbaugh, RB Marshall Faulk, WR Marvin Harrison, TE Ken Dilger. But all must stay healthy. Linebackers, led by Quentin Coryatt.

Weaknesses: Offensive line, which can endanger the health of Harbaugh and Faulk. Secondary, which lost top CB Ray Buchanan.

Keys to the season: Health and defense. If the offense stays healthy, it will score. But loss of Buchanan and DT Tony Siragusa make defense more questionable.

Newcomers to watch: OTs Tarik Glenn and Adam Meadows, first and second draft picks. Glenn’s holdout may have propelled Meadows ahead of him.

Outlook: The arrival of Harbaugh and Faulk have made the Colts a playoff contender. But they have the troubling look of teams like Houston and Kansas City of the early ‘90s, who always made it but rarely progressed.

Cincinnati (8-8)

Last season: Started 1-6, coach Dave Shula was fired and Bruce Coslet directed them to a 7-2 finish.

Strengths: Passing game with QB Jeff Blake and WRs Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott; Linebackers, led by James Francis.

Weaknesses: Offensive line, which hasn’t been healthy this decade; Depth at running back with defection of Garrison Hearst.

Keys to the season: Two players who were No. 1 overall in the draft - DT Dan Wilkinson and RB Ki-jana Carter.

Newcomers to watch: OLB Reinard Wilson and RB Corey Dillon, the first two draft picks and C Rod Payne, No. 3. QB Boomer Esiason, a backup in his second time in Cincinnati.

Outlook: Was second half of last season a mirage? Or was this an 8-8 team that needed direction? Probably a decent team, but no more.

Kansas City (9-7)

Last season: Missed playoffs for the first time since 1989, although they had eighth consecutive winning season.

Strengths: Overall defense as always, particularly the secondary, where CB Dale Carter has matured into one of the NFL’s best.

Weaknesses: Running game, where Greg Hill is untested as workhorse and 37-year-old Marcus Allen will be third-down, short-yardage.

Keys to the season: Elvis Grbac, signed as a free agent, must show over a full season the flashes he showed in spurts as a backup in San Francisco.

Newcomers to watch: Grbac and his new receiving corps - free-agent WRs Andre Rison and Brett Perriman and rookie TE Tony Gonzalez.

Outlook: Marty Schottenheimer’s teams are always solid on defense. Rison and Perriman, plus Grbac give him the potential for offensive explosion he’s never had.

Oakland (7-9)

Last season: Started 1-4 with quarterback Jeff Hostetler hurt, and never really came back. Coach Mike White was fired after the season and Joe Bugel took over.

Strengths: Defensive line, which has almost too much talent; wide receiver, headed by Tim Brown.

Weaknesses: Organization, where Al Davis is still trying to recreate the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Keys to the season: Davis has decided Jeff George is the answer at quarterback, although for all his talent, George has been a failure elsewhere.

Newcomers to watch: George; DT Darrell Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft; KR Desmond Howard, the MVP in the Super Bowl.

Outlook: Davis is satisfied only with Super Bowl victories and the 1983 Raiders were the last AFC team to win one. But “Jeff George” and “Super Bowl” don’t fit in the same sentence.

Buffalo (10-6)

Last season: A last blast for the team that went to four straight Super Bowls in the early ‘90s - their 30-27 loss to Jacksonville at home in the wild-card round may have signaled the end of one of the NFL’s most successful runs. Two of the anchors, C Kent Hull and QB Jim Kelly, retired after the season.

Strengths: Experience - Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, Steve Tasker, Andre Reed and, most important, coach Marv Levy are still around. Defense, where Smith and LB Bryce Paup were the last two defensive players of the year.

Weaknesses: Quarterback, where Todd Collins has won the job during the exhibition season, but doesn’t approach Kelly in experience. Offensive line.

Keys to the season: Collins will be asked not to lose games rather than win them - the defense will do that. That worked last season in games he played when Kelly was hurt.

Newcomers to watch: RB Antowain Smith, the first-round draft pick, is Thomas’ heir apparent, and DE Marcellus Wiley, No. 2, will probably succeed Smith.

Outlook: If Collins does the job, they could surprise.

Tennessee (8-8)

Last season: Went 6-2 on the road and 2-6 at home as a lame duck before thousands of empty seats at the Astrodome.

Strengths: Running back Eddie George and the potential of Steve McNair at quarterback. Overall defense under Jeff Fisher.

Keys to the season: McNair and the residents of Memphis, who have yet to embrace the team.

Newcomers to watch: LB Lonnie Marts, a free agent; DE Kenny Holmes, the No. 1 draft pick, could be a starter; and WR Joey Kent, the second-rounder.

Outlook: The Oilers may have another season without a home crowd. If McNair lives up to potential, the Oilers have playoff shot.

Miami (8-8)

Last season: With seven rookies playing regularly in Jimmy Johnson’s first year, the Dolphins were erratic. They started 3-0, but Dan Marino broke an ankle in Indianapolis and it was downhill from there, even after Marino’s return.

Strengths: Marino, who at 36 can still dissect a defense. But he lost his deep game when WR Yatil Green went down for the season with a knee injury.

Weaknesses: A lot, particularly with the raft of injuries that hit the team in training camp.

Keys to the season: Health, particularly Marino’s.

Newcomers to watch: CB Sam Madison, a second-round choice, could be one of JJ’s instant starters.

Outlook: No Johnson team will be out of it unless it’s deliberate - as it was in his first season in Dallas. But youth combined with injuries is not a playoff formula.

San Diego (8-8)

Last season: Couldn’t run the ball, putting too much of the burden on QB Stan Humphries and WR Tony Martin.

Strengths: Humphries, who is as tough as they come; Receiving corps, which has added Eric Metcalf to Tony Martin. LB Junior Seau, currently hurt.

Weaknesses: Running game - Chargers traded for Erric Pegram and signed Gary Brown, who was out of football last season. Brown has looked good in camp. Pass rush; offensive line, one reason the running wasn’t there.

Keys to the season: Brown and Pegram, who could lift the team into playoff contention if they can run, along with the health of Seau.

Newcomers to watch: Metcalf, Pegram and Brown, who all are expected to juice up the offense; DE William Fuller, signed to improve pass rush; QB Jim Everett, insurance for inevitable Humphries injury.

Outlook: Don’t write them off, but they’re in a tough division with a lot of question marks.

New York Jets (1-15)

Last season: After committing $84 million to free agents, still couldn’t win. Rich Kotite fired himself after the season and Bill Parcells came in after months of haggling with New England for his rights.

Strengths: Parcells, who by himself should squeeze four or five more wins out of a team that has more talent than one win; receivers, led by Keyshawn Johnson, Wayne Chrebet and Jeff Graham.

Weaknesses: Overall defense, particularly line, where Parcells cut proven veteran Marvin Washington to make a point.

Keys to the season: A few early wins that could instill the kind of confidence Parcells wants.

Newcomers to watch: Parcells first. Then LB James Farrior, No 1 draft choice; WR-KR Dedric Ward, fourth-rounder, who could make the quickest early impact.

Outlook: This team will improve simply because Parcells is there. But there’s still quite a ways to go.

Baltimore (4-12)

Last season: Beat Oakland in first game and it was downhill from there.

Strengths: Offense, led by QB Vinny Testaverde, who made Pro Bowl for the first time.

Weaknesses: Overall defense. Running back, where suspension of Bam Morris leaves 35-year-old Earnest Byner as the No. 1 running back.

Keys to the season: Finding a few players who can keep Testaverde from having to score every time he touches the ball.

Newcomers to watch: OLB Peter Boulware, the No. 1 draft pick.

Outlook: The Ravens will be fun to watch - a lot of 44-40 games. Unfortunately, they’ll lose most of them.