Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are the definition of overachievers. Somehow with subpar quarterback play and generally sloppy play last year they went 8-8. This is a team that won't blow you away with talent, but they are smart and know to how play close, tight games and often times they come out on top. They are making the right choice going with John Skelton at quarterback. He's not an incredible quarterback by any means, but he's a good game-manager and can make some plays here and there opposed to Kevin Kolb who looked awful just about every time he was on the field last year. Skelton also has the luxury of throwing to Larry Fitzgerald, who is the epitome of a game-changing receiver. They also have a solid running back option in Beanie Wells and a decent defense anchored by pass-rushing defensive end Darnell Dockett and a beyond respectable and underrated secondary led by Adrian Wilson and Patrick Peterson. The brunt of the Cardinals problems come in the receiving game. Besides Fitzgerald, They have an unproven bunch of wideouts including unspectacular veteran Early Doucet and unproven rookies Michael Floyd and LaRon Byrd. The lack of second receiver is preventing from contending for the division title. The Cardinals are an alright team, but the lack of a strong quarterback and a second receiving threat takes them out of the hunt of being playoff contenders.
St.Louis Rams: The Rams are definitely a team in rebuilding mode. This year will probably be another rough one for Rams fans, but there is hope on the horizon. New coach Jeff Fisher is one of the best coaches of the past 20 years. He's got a great track record and his attitude and coaching will no doubt turn this team around in the future. Fisher's expertise will probably help the growth of young quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford had a pretty solid rookie year (He won Offensive Rookie of the Year), but he followed that up with one of the worst sophomore slumps in recent memory. The presence of Fisher and pretty much all new coordinators should help improve Bradford as a decision maker, game manager, and as a quarterback overall. The Rams also had a great, deep draft class. Fisher tends to be great at finding value in the draft. Clearly it's too early to tell for this year, but I'd be willing to wager that he found some gems in this draft. The Rams, of course, still have All-Pro running back Steven Jackson who has and will continue to help stop the bleeding in St.Louis. That being, the Rams are pretty much screwed at the moment at every other position. Sam Bradford has next to no one to throw too (His top wideout is Danny Amendola has a whopping 4 career touchdowns in three seasons) and their defense (minus Chris Long, James Laurnauntis, and newly acquired cornerback Cortland Finnegan) is woefully inexperienced and pretty damn bad. The Rams should be good in a couple year, but for now they are stuck in the NFL's basement.
San Fransisco 49ers: The 49ers surprisingly great 2011 year that ended in a heartbreaking NFC Championship game defeat at the hands of the Giants pro might not be topped this year, but this is still a great team that should coast to the NFC West title. Of course, the 49ers are a defensive-based team. They have one of the best defenses in the league and their play on defense are the main reason they were so successful last year. They should have no trouble being dominant again this year. Patrick Willis, Donte Whitner, Ahmad Brooks, and Carlos Rodgers are all in the prime of their careers and Justin Smith is still a scary pass rusher deep into this career. Their offense was not particularly great last season, but they made some moves in free agency that should help them improve as an offensive unit this year. Randy Moss and Mario Manningham give them depth and the potential for some big plays at wide receiver. More importantly the addition of Moss and Mannigham are going to at the very least give elite tight end Vernon Davis and productive, but overworked wide receiver Michael Crabtree a bit of a break and they should see their respective stats improve due to Moss and Manningham's presence.The addition of Brandon Jacobs gives them a power back who should be extremely productive as a 3rd down back. I expect him to get his fair share of carries and I really like how he fits into the running back mix with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. If Alex Smith can come out and improve on his career-best year at quarterback last season and the new offensive pieces fall into place, then the 49ers could potentially make a repeat appearance in the NFC title game.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are kind of a rough team to call at the moment. They went out and signed quarterback Matt Flynn in the offseason, but he got overshadowed by rookie Russell Wilson. I will say that Wilson has looked damn good so far in the preseason and absolutely deserves a chance to start the year at quarterback. Save for Andrew Luck, I think Wilson has the best chance of having a breakout rookie year. Wilson could benefit from having the potential resurgence of top wideout Sidney Rice this year. Rice has the injury bug hit him pretty hard the past two years, but if he remains healthy he could be poised for a excellent year like his last healthy season with the Vikings in 2009. It also helps the Seahawks have an explosive running threat that is Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is another guy who gets a hurt a lot, but when he is on the field is a huge playmaker. He will burn you when gets the oppurtunity and should easily have another 1,000 year barring injury. The Seahawks potential strengths, are also their potential weaknesses. Sidney Rice could have another subpar year and the Seahawks have a collection of respectable, but not particularly dangerous wide recievers besides him, they could be in trouble in the passing game. Their defense is alright, but they aren't good enough to win games for the Seahawks if the offense struggles. The Seahawks are one of the biggest crapshoot teams in the league and their health and how well Russell Wilson performs this year are going to determine their fate.
My Predictions for the NFC West Standings
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-5)
2.Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
3.Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
4.St.Louis Rams (4-12)
No comments:
Post a Comment