DENVER -- A dazzling defense rendered the Denver Broncos quarterback question a moot point last year. The Super Bowl champs are counting on that being the case again this season.The six-month saga over who will guide Denvers title defense came down to Mark Sanchez losing his grip on both the ball and the job when he fumbled twice inside the San Francisco 15-yard line on Aug. 20. Rookie Paxton Lynch might be the franchises future, but the present belongs to Trevor Siemian.The seventh-round pick out of Northwestern in 2015 has made the startling jump from No. 3 QB to starter thanks to a confluence of events, including a retirement, a rebuff and a reboot.While Lynch was showing more promise than proficiency, Siemian displayed poise, power and precision.Thats not surprising given that Siemian had a birds-eye view of the Broncos quarterback conundrum last year when coach Gary Kubiak began every Monday meeting after mid-November with an announcement whether Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler would start.The Broncos made it work thanks to a spectacular supporting cast that also makes them the favorite to win their sixth straight AFC West crown, although Oakland and Kansas City are closing that gap.The Raiders and Chiefs both beat the Broncos in Denver last year, and it took Mannings Willis Reed moment to keep the San Diego Chargers from doing the same.Manning retired a month after Denvers parade and Osweiler bolted 48 hours later to the Houston Texans. GM John Elway was rebuffed in his attempt to get Colin Kaepernick, so it came down to a three-way QB competition. Now, the Broncos go into the NFL kickoff game against Carolina on Sept. 8 with two quarterbacks who have never thrown a pass that counts in the NFL.Thats not exactly a recipe for another run, but the Broncos always seem to navigate their way through adversity.DOMINANT DENVER: The Broncos lost DE Malik Jackson and MLB Danny Trevathan to free agency, not really lamentable departures. Theyve had injury issues along the line, but theyre still loaded with pass rushers Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett, plus MLB Brandon Marshall and DBs Chris Harris Jr., Bradley Roby, Aqib Talib, Kayvon Webster, T.J. Ward and Darrian Stewart.Miller parlayed his Super Bowl MVP performance into a jet-lagged offseason that included 61 flights and 47 television appearances. Oh, and a record six-year, $114.5 million deal with $70 million in guarantees. Hes looked terrific in limited action this summer.The retooled offense features four new starters on the line, a bona fide fullback and a new tight end group. Denver has co-stars at wide receiver in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, who is bent on putting last years drops and drama behind him.RISING RAIDERS: The future of the team in Oakland remains as foggy as an autumn morning in the Bay Area. Still, the Raiders have legitimate hopes of contending for the playoffs for the first time in years.They rebuilt the defense, signing CB Sean Smith, LB Bruce Irvin and S Reggie Nelson, drafting S Karl Joseph and DL Jihad Ward. Those five team with All-Pro Khalil Mack on what should be a much-improved unit.Offense all comes down to whether Derek Carr takes another step forward. After playing very well in the first half last season, Carr struggled in the second half, in part because of injuries to WR Amari Cooper and C Rodney Hudson. Oakland hopes signing G Kelechi Osemele fortifies the line and leads to a more consistent running game.CHAMPING CHIEFS: Kansas City LB Justin Houston is out for now after surgery to repair a non-functioning ACL in February. The Chiefs also took a cautious approach with LB Tamba Hali after surgery on his balky knees, and RB Jamaal Charles, who had his right ACL repaired last season.With injury issues a concern, the Chiefs also feel they have more talent across the board than at any point under GM John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid. Charles and RBs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware form a potent three-headed monster, and Jeremy Maclin and TE Travis Kelce give Alex Smith decent pass catchers.The defense was great last season but is a year older, with concerns about the pass rush and in the secondary, where SS Eric Berry didnt report until Sunday.RECHARGED CHARGERS: Joey Bosa went public with his contract dispute. While the front office ripped Bosa, coach Mike McCoy seemed to support the former Ohio State defensive end selected third overall in the draft. He said whenever Bosa shows up, he is one of us. Bosa finally signed on Monday.The Chargers, 4-12 last season, missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six years, and could really use Bosa at full strength. Their D-line lost Sean Lissemore to a season-ending shoulder injury in training camp and Damion Square to a four-game suspension to start the season.On offense, Melvin Gordon is trying to bounce back from his nightmarish season.PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers.---AP Sports Writers Dave Skretta, Josh Dubow and Bernie Wilson contributed.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapletonNike Shox Outlet Cheap . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Vapormax Womens Shoes . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. http://www.clearancenikeshoxcheap.com/clearance-womens-nike-shox/shox-gravity.html . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Wholesale Vapormax Plus . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Discount Mens Nike Shox . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. While Chrissy Lewis-Summers was working at a 60-hour-a-week office job, a friend asked what she would like to be doing if money were no object. Without hesitation, she replied that she wanted to help empower girls through sports.It was the first time she had said it aloud and the first time she fully realized her true passion. Instead of letting the moment go to waste, she turned it into her full-time job.In August 2011, Lewis-Summers formed Beyond Sticks, a field hockey program that focuses on leadership and character development. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Lewis-Summers, a former field hockey player at Vassar College, began by giving private lessons to three girls.Three players quickly turned into seven, and then seven turned into 15, and before long, she had enough to field an entire team. From there, she started a summer camp, and soon enough, it was a booming organization that provided an in-demand opportunity for hundreds of area girls. In addition to the on-field coaching and activities, Beyond Sticks prioritized life skills and character building off the field.Soon the organization had two successful components -- a club level and a recreation level -- and was quick to add a third nonprofit element. Calling it Play Beyond the Game, Lewis-Summers was determined to make sure every girl who wanted to play the sport had an opportunity to do so, regardless of her familys financial status, and she designed the program to bring the sport into lower-income communities.At the 2015 espnW: Women + Sports Summit, Lewis-Summers was awarded a Toyota Everyday Heroes grant of $10,000 for her organization. The money went into funding a new program in New York City. Lewis-Summers worked with Inwood Academy for Leadership, a charter school, to make it the first public school in the city to offer field hockey. With help from players on the nearby Columbia University field hockey team, the organization has been able to bring the game to kids who otherwise would likely have never been introduced to the sport.I think this program has given these girls the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone, in trying a sport that is totally new to them and finding joy in challenging each other to get better and better each week, Columbia student-athlete and program volunteer Taylor Mills said.These girls also have had an opportunity to talk to female collegiate student-athletes to learn about hard work and the many great advantages of attending college. [Lewis-Summers] has expressed that for many of these students, college isnt always encouraged for their future. I certainly hope that tthis program has given these girls the chance to see why furthering their education can open so many doors for them in their future.ddddddddddddLewis-Summers hopes to expand the program in New York and to other lower-income areas, using Inwood Academy as the pilot.Several of her players in Virginia who started as middle-school students and stayed through high school are now college students, so Lewis-Summers is starting to see the fruition of her hard work. She points to one former player as an embodiment of the program and everything it stands for. Samantha Russell started as a seventh grader and instantly fell in love with the game.She was part of my first team, Lewis-Summers said. She got cut her freshman year [of high school] because she had an asthma attack and was able to continue to play through our rec program and then went back the next year and made her varsity team. And now shes a freshman at Kenyon College and playing on their team.She really bought into the idea of positive coaching, the idea of positive playing and just lived and breathed it. Its been an incredible joy to watch her go from a little seventh grader to now playing at a Top-25 D-III school.With her husband landing a job at West Point, Lewis-Summers now lives in New York with him and their 2-year-old daughter. She is expecting twins later this month and plans to take a short time off after giving birth. Then she will resume full-time duties with Beyond Sticks.Although free time is clearly at a premium, she has been volunteering a few days a week with the Vassar College field hockey team and makes frequent trips to Virginia to her organizations home base. When Lewis-Summers isnt there or when she will be out on maternity leave, she relies on a dedicated team of volunteers and one full-time staff member, who help ensure the operation runs smoothly.Lewis-Summers says she is forever grateful for Toyotas financial assistance, but she is most thankful for the connections and inspiration the award has afforded her -- and for the validation it has provided. She has stayed in touch with fellow 2015 award winner Heidi Boynton, the founder of the Mini Mermaid Running Club, among other previous winners.Were a small organization, so it gave us that confidence that were doing the right thing, she said. It gives you the assurance to go out and say, We are providing a really good service for girls, and its really helped us in that area. We want all girls to have access to field hockey. ' ' '