Here's a look at each AFC West team (in order of finish in 2002):

	Head coach Bill Callahan
	2002 record 11-5
	2002 finish AFC champion

Oakland Raiders
Overview: The Raiders survived the toughest schedule among the playoff teams to end up with the AFC's top seed, an 11-5 record and a trip to the Super Bowl. Next year's team will be older and a little thinner after they shave $50 million off their overextended 2003 salary cap.

First-year coach Bill Callahan surprised everyone with his aggressive, imaginative offense along with a solid defense that improved dramatically in stopping the run. Callahan had the right plan in keeping veterans rested and getting his team to the Super Bowl, but repeating won't be easy. Next year's schedule won't be as tough, playing the AFC North and NFC North, so a few more breathers during the regular season will help.

The key will be keeping aging, skilled players such as Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Charlie Garner healthy, along with an offensive line that has some age on it. As Gannon goes, so go the Raiders. Keeping him healthy for 16 games and three playoff games is vital. Because the cap is tight, the Raiders won't have the luxury of signing many veteran free agents for more than the minimum as they did last year, bringing in John Parrella, Rod Woodson, Sam Adams and Bill Romanowski. The Raiders need as solid a draft as they had a year ago, but having the final two picks in the first round doesn't help those odds.

Biggest Needs: Fresh troops along the defensive line. The Raiders will lose Regan Upshaw and Adams because of the salary cap, and they have to come up with a run-stopper to work alongside Parrella. A young pass-rushing end would help, too. The Raiders could lose Mo Collins at guard, so they may need to use a second- or third-round choice for a good, young, interior line blocker. They may not be able to keep Tyrone Wheatley and Zack Crockett, so they need to get some cheap or young running back depth behind Garner.

Biggest Decisions: The Raiders have no trouble getting under the cap now, but it gets tougher in April if defensive tackle Darrell Russell is reinstated and his $10 million salary goes on the books. The Raiders plan to cut him, and they must come up with a quick $2 million of cap room to get rid of him. The biggest decision involves center Barret Robbins, who went AWOL on the eve of the Super Bowl and might not be welcomed back by his teammates. All-Pro centers are hard to replace, but Callahan may have no choice if Robbins can't fit back in.

Cap Room: $46.16 million over the $74.8 million cap.

	Head coach Mike Shanahan
	2002 record 9-7
	2002 finish 2nd in AFC West

Denver Broncos
Overview: Mike Shanahan thinks only in terms of Super Bowls, and he has to make significant changes in a team that faded down the stretch and ended up 9-7 and out of the playoffs. Shanahan applied more internal pressure last year. He publicly challenged players such as Trevor Pryce and Jason Elam. Late in the season, he benched starters such as Chester McGlockton, Lional Dalton and Deltha O'Neal. In the opener, he warned Brian Griese that he might be benched if the Rams rallied off Griese's mistakes in the third quarter. Now, Shanahan is looking to replace Griese.

The window is starting to close on the Broncos. Mainstays such as Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey and Shannon Sharpe are getting older. The offensive line isn't as dominating as in the past. The defense finished sixth statistically, but it was too vulnerable to short passing attacks and late comebacks.

Not making the playoffs will only make Shanahan more determined. He'll purge a few veterans -- McGlockton, cornerback Denard Walker, halfback Terrell Davis and possibly defensive end Kavika Pittman -- to get under the cap. A good draft has helped the offense, though. Halfback Clinton Portis was the Offensive Rookie of the Year with his 1,508-yard debut. First-round pick Ashley Lelie offers explosiveness and speed from the receiver position. The strength of the team is Shanahan's offensive schemes and the speed and power of the linebackers. At least, Shanahan has something to work with.

Biggest Needs: If Shanahan follows through and cuts Griese, he'll make a big push to get Jake Plummer at quarterback. Plummer is still young enough to be a playoff quarterback, and he has enough experience in the West Coast offense, but the Broncos can't go too crazy in trying to pay him. Griese is in the midst of a six-year, $39 million contract. If the Broncos cut McGlockton, they will be in the market for a big defensive tackle to replace him.

Biggest Decisions: Finding the right quarterback is critical. It's not out of the question that Shanahan could get by with Steve Beuerlein, but he knows going with older quarterbacks means needing two options because of injuries. This wouldn't be a bad year for Shanahan to use a second- or third-round choice on a young quarterback. It's a quarterback-rich draft. But Shanahan isn't thinking much about the future. He wants to win now.

Cap Room: $22.39 million over

	Head coach Marty Schottenheimer
	2002 record 8-8
	2002 finish 3rd in AFC West

San Diego Chargers
Overview: Marty Schottenheimer still can't figure out why the Chargers faded so much down the stretch. He got off to a 6-1 start, but lost seven of the final eight games. There were reasons. Losing run-stopping defensive tackle Jamal Williams to a cheap shot in a home game against the Broncos hurt. Defensive play-makers Marcellus Wiley, Junior Seau and others didn't finish the season as strong as expected. Quarterback Drew Brees hit a little bit of a wall by November and couldn't finish the season as strong as he started.

Despite that, the Chargers showed that they had the ability to compete with anyone. Players bought into Schottenheimer's no-nonsense approach. They worked hard in practice and in training camp. Offensive line coach Hudson Houck did an amazing job with marginal talent. LaDainian Tomlinson developed into a superstar and a leader from the backfield in his second season.

There were a lot of positives, but Schottenheimer has to find a way to stop what is becoming a tradition -- the Chargers' late-season fade. If anything, the team's success and failures showed that more work is needed on the roster. They don't have receiving threats that consistently scare defenses. More talent is also needed on the offensive line.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment came on defense, where the Chargers finished a disappointing 30th. They are loaded at linebacker with Seau, Donnie Edwards and Ben Leber, but quarterbacks took advantage of their inability to stop the short pass and moved the chains against them. Having Quentin Jammer for a full training camp will help. He held out last season and was only a spot player. The Chargers need him as a starter.

Biggest Needs: There are many. They need another receiving threat. They could use one or two offensive line starters. They could use a defensive tackle for depth. If the Chargers cut Doug Flutie, they will be looking for a backup quarterback. General manager John Butler is aggressive, so he will try to address as many of these needs as possible.

Biggest Decision: Schottenheimer has to make some moves in his secondary. He's already moved Rogers Beckett from free to strong safety, and there is a good chance the Chargers will release strong safety Rodney Harrison. He could move cornerback Ryan McNeil from cornerback to safety to help the interior coverage, so Schottenheimer may try a lot of experimenting in his secondary. If the plans work, the Chargers won't be as vulnerable against the pass.

Salary Cap: $2.63 million over

	Head coach Dick Vermeil
	2002 record 8-8
	2002 finish 4th in AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs
Overview: The Chiefs must figure out if the scheme or the talent is more responsible for them having such a bad defense. The Chiefs gave up a pathetic 390.5 yards a game and too many big plays. Coach Dick Vermeil sat down with his staff and defensive coordinator Greg Robinson to come up with plans to stop allowing so many big plays. As good as the Chiefs offense is, it can't survive being forced to score 30 points a game to win.

The Chiefs finished 8-8 and were one of the most exciting teams in the conference. Quarterback Trent Green made the most of his big players. Priest Holmes continued to give his best Marshall Faulk impersonation. Tight end Tony Gonzalez was a terror in the middle of the field. Eddie Kennison developed into a dangerous big-play receiver. If the Chiefs can get more out of Johnnie Morton or come up with another receiving threat, they will be even tougher to stop.

Perhaps the biggest improvement on the team came along the offensive line. The addition of Willie Roaf at left tackle and the positive switch of John Tait to right tackle gave Vermeil the best blocking unit in football. The only scare was the late-season hip injury that kept Holmes out of the Pro Bowl. Though the injury isn't considered to be long-term or serious, it showed that Holmes is human and how valuable he is to the offense.

Biggest Needs: The Chiefs will be one of the most aggressive teams in free agency. They will pursue an impact linebacker, whether it's Anthony Simmons of the Seahawks, Rosevelt Colvin of the Bears or Mike Peterson of the Colts. The Chiefs need a third cornerback and more pass-rushing help along the defensive line. When you are 32nd on defense, you need a lot of help.

Biggest decision: Finding the right adjustments in the defensive scheme to stop the bleeding. The Chiefs don't have a lot of speed at linebacker. They tend to ask the cornerbacks to play in difficult man situations. They must find the right blend between the talent and the scheme.

Salary Cap: $6.9 million over

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.