Ever since Peyton Manning joined forces with John Elway in the Mile High City, the Denver Broncos have dominated the AFC West. They’ve won the division four consecutive years, which includes the season before Peyton arrived, when Tim Tebow was the quarterback.

Now, with the 2015 campaign on the horizon, other teams in the division are optimistic they can dethrone the Broncos. With that in mind, here’s six things you must know about the AFC West before the regular season.

Kubiak wants one primary back – In today’s NFL, it’s common to see teams utilize a running back by committee system. It keeps guys fresh and gives defenses a change of pace.

However, in a perfect world for Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, he’d like to have one primary guy.

“I can tell you this, I believe in the (bell cow),” Kubiak said.  “And I believe it’s up to the player to prove he can do that. Do you need two guys in a season? You are darn right, in this league. But I think if a guy goes out there and he shows he can play three downs, can protect the quarterback, and can handle it, then he should stay out there.”

Montee Ball, 24, showed signs of great things to come during his rookie campaign, as he averaged 4.7 yards per carry, but things didn’t go as planned during his sophomore campaign. The former Wisconsin product only averaged 3.1 yards per carry last year and his season was cut short due to a groin injury.

Despite Ball’s shortcomings, Denver’s rushing attack was able to stay afloat due to the emergence of undrafted C.J. Anderson. The 5-foot-8, 224 pound back rushed for 849 yards on 179 carries, which is good enough for a 4.7 yards per carry average.

With the upcoming season around the corner, Anderson doesn’t want to let up.

“My goal is to be out there all three downs. That’s my plan,” Anderson said.

In that same token, Ball is eager to regain his spot.

“It’s a healthy competition. I tell (Anderson), ‘Soon as you slip up I’m right there. And he knows it. That’s how he got his opportunity,” stated Ball.

You have to admire Ball’s competitive spirit, but at this juncture the job is Anderson’s to lose.

Eric Berry’s return could lift KC – Forget that Eric Berry was a top five pick out of Tennessee or that he’s a three-time Pro Bowler for a second. This man just defeated cancer. Let that sink in.

Whether or not Berry is able to return to an elite level of play has yet to be seen, but just his mere presence alone could be enough to inspire his teammates.

Tight end Travis Kelce is surely thrilled to have Berry back.

“EB is superhuman, even Superman doesn’t have anything on Eric Berry, man. That guy is — you can’t say enough good things about him. It’s good just to have him back as a brother, but also as a leader and a football player. It’s good to have him back in good spirits and everybody back on the same page, lighting up the atmosphere a little bit,” Kelce said.

As expected, the Chiefs are bringing Berry along slowly and will monitor him very closely. In the same breath, Berry isn’t satisfied with just returning. 

“To be honest with you, it felt good to get back on the field. But in my mind, I still feel like I have work to do … this is just a checkpoint, and I’m going to just keep pushing through them,” Berry said.

Here’s a taste of Berry from Chiefs camp:

Last year, Kansas City’s pass defense finished second, only behind the Seattle Seahawks. With Berry back in the fold, things could become scary for opposing quarterbacks.

Jack Del Rio wants quick success in Oakland – Since Jon Gruden left Oakland back in 2001, the Raiders have gone through eight different head coaches.  The majority of those hires were guys with little to no head coaching experience.

This time around, Oakland has decided to go with a more veteran guy in Jack Del Rio. Upon his arrival, Raiders owner Mark Davis didn’t waste any time laying down the expectations.

“I have no doubt that he will make a significant impact and help reach the goal of everyone in this building, which is to win championships,” Davis said.

Despite the lofty claim from Davis, Del Rio wants to worry about making the playoffs first.

“Goal No. 1 is to win our division, and I don’t see why not,” said Del Rio, who never won a division title in his nine seasons as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Oakland’s last playoff appearance came in 2002, where they lost in the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that season, the Raiders have accumulated an overall record of 56-136 to go along with zero winning seasons.

Current players and staff are well aware of the dark cloud over the franchise, but in order to turn things around, Del Rio believes they need to only focus on moving forward. 

“I told them, ‘You guys can really help us by not referring anymore to negative things that have occurred here. Let’s just talk about what we’re going to do going forward and the positives and bring us that great energy. That’ll help,” he said.

The Raiders are very talented at key skill positions, but they’ll go as far as second year starting quarterback Derek Carr takes them.

“You see the energy at practice,” Derek Carr said. “There’s a hope out here. There’s a buzz. There’s a feeling that we have a good team. We know we can win.”

It’s great to see all the optimism surround Raiders camp, however they’re very likely to finish last in the division once again.

Manti Te’o poised for breakout year – Out of Notre Dame, Manti Te’o was looked at as one of the highest profile defensive players in recent memory. After all, Te’o was a finalist for the coveted Heisman Trophy.

However, things haven’t gone as planned throughout Teo’s early professional career, but with new linebackers coach Mike Nolan in San Diego, things could be changing.

“Coach Nolan brings an old-school feel to not only our position, but to the defense as a whole,” Te’o said. “He’s all about making plays. He’s all about doing whatever it takes to put each piece in a position to make a play. It’s definitely a good thing to have him here.”

Although Te’o hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far, just getting the in-game experience has been beneficial in his maceration process. 

“I can’t tell you how much different it is, man,” he said. “It feels so comfortable out there, to finally be out there and just play ball. To be able to communicate with my teammates on certain levels, and not being the guy being told things. I understand things on my own, and now I can help other people out. With that comes a lot of confidence and a lot of responsibility — and it’s something that I’m very appreciative to have.”

San Diego struggled against the run mightily a season ago, ranking 26th.

If Te’o is able to truly take a major leap in 2015, it’ll give the Chargers a much needed boost.

Jerry Rice thinks Amari Cooper is the next Tim Brown – Whenever a legend of Jerry Rice’s stature speaks, we listen. 

“They have their new Tim Brown,” Rice said about first-round draft pick Amari Cooper.

“I think with Cooper, he’s very much like Tim Brown. Very explosive, got speed to burn,” Rice added.

Rice is considered by most (all) to be the best receiver of all-time, but making such claims about a guy who has never caught a pass in the league makes you raise your eyebrow.

At the same time, Rice isn’t too far off.

Cooper runs a 4.42 and stands at 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, but more than anything, Cooper possesses elite footwork and route running.

Raiders fans are hopeful Derek Carr to Amari Cooper becomes one of the most feared tandems in the league.

Travis Kelce wants the ball more – While a lot of people are talking about the Chiefs addition of Jeremy Maclin and deservedly so, 6-foot-5, 260 pound tight end Travis Kelce seems poised to reach star status.

Last year, the 25-year-old caught 67 passes for 862 yards to go along with five touchdowns.

Kelce plans on becoming Alex Smith’s security blanket going forward.

“Things like that are encouraging,” Smith said. “Obviously, he’s a tremendous player, but it’s so great to kind of see that confidence there on the field, him calling for when he wants the football. As a quarterback, that’s encouraging. You want a bunch of guys out there that are feeling good about their matchup and want the football.”

Defenses will be concerned with Maclin’s playmaking ability on the outside, which will allow Kelce to operate in the middle of the field.

Head coach Andy Reid wants to move Kelce all over the field.

“He’s doing a nice job. I think he’s got a good grasp of things,” Reid said. “When we go double tights, we play him in a few different positions and even when we go three tight ends, we plan on moving him around in different spots.”

There’s been comparisons to Rob Gronkowski, but Kelce isn’t concerning himself with the outside noise.

“Every single day, every single week, I’m trying to get better at the small things,” Kelce stated. “No one puts more expectations on me than myself. That’s just the heart of a competitor; that’s how I was raised. I come out here and put all my effort, all my focus on being the best player I can be.

With the NFL regular season just weeks away, make sure to keep these six things in mind when watching AFC West football.