My preseason predictions:
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-5)
2.Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
3.Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
4.St.Louis Rams (4-12)
Actual Standings:
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-4-1)
2.Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
3.St.Louis Rams (7-8-1)
4.Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
Arizona Cardinals: The 2012 Cardinals campaign started off with a bang. They started off 4-0 with Kevin Kolb playing solid at quarterback and picking up victories over the elite Seahawks and Patriots. Fast forward to game 5 against the Rams where Kolb goes down with an injury and they go 1-11 for the rest of the season. The quarterback play after Kolb went down was abysmal to say the least. Both John Skeleton and Ryan Lindley put up consistently pathetic showings. I mean it didn't help that their offensive line play was terrible and they couldn't run the ball, but their offense with Skeleton and Lindley under center was incredibly inefficient. This poor quarterback play led to their biggest weapon, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, having the worst season of his career. The Cardinals offense is miles worse when Fitzgerald isn't contributing and the lack of a quarterback that could get him the ball killed their offense this year. On the positive side, their defense was excellent all year. Patrick Peterson is the next star corner in the league and lineback Daryl Washington continue to improve and is quietly becoming one of the best linebackers in the league. Andre Roberts also emerged as a legitimate number two receiving option behind Larry Fitzgerald. If their passing game actually gets going next season (aka Kevin Kolb stays healthy and plays at the level he did this year), The Cardinals could have a potent 1-2 receiver combo in Fitzgerald and Roberts. The 2012 Cardinals season was ultimately one to forget after a promising start with a horrible offense that shut down after Kevin Kolb went down an injury.
San Fransisco 49ers: The 49ers had a similarly successful season then they one they had in 2011. The story of the year for them was the late-season quarterback change from Alex Smith to Colin Kapernick. Smith's play was fine all season, but once they got a taste of Kapernick's dynamic play when Smith missed the Bears game with a concussion, He remained the starter the rest of the season. Kapernick's play is explosive and has elevated this offense to the next level. He's got a great arm and his ability to run the ball effectively gives the 49ers a whole aspect to their offense. This season also saw the emergence of wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is finally playing at the level at he was expected to when the 49ers took him 10th overall in the 2009 draft. Besides Kapernick and the breakout season for Crabtree, This was pretty much the same old effective San Fransisco 49ers. The defense was menacing with Patrick Willis and Justin Smith being their typical superhuman selves and second-year linebacker Aldon Smith solidifying himself as an elite pass rusher with 17.5 sacks. Running back Frank Gore had another productive workhorse season that ended up being one of the best of his career and hasn't showed any signs of slowing down as he approaches 30. The 49ers had another excellent year and they look like they are going to be at the top of this division for quite some time.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks were one of the most surprising teams of 2012. This team was consistently good and at times, dominating. There are a few teams that are this well-rounded in the league and their success this season shows that. Russell Wilson had a phenomenal rookie season. No one expected him to be the starting quarterback over free agent pickup Matt Flynn and he made the most of his opportunity leading all rookies in passing touchdowns and improving each time he took the field. Wilson is a special player and the Seahawks got an absolute steal taking him in the third round of the draft. The Seahawks defense also came on strong this season and proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner are becoming shutdown corners, Earl Thomas is a beast at safety, Chris Clemons is becoming a great pass rusher and rookies Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin had made instant contributions to this stout defensive unit. Of course the most dangerous element to the Seahawks is still running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch gouged defenses for a career-best 1,590 yards this year. Lynch keeps getting better in Seattle and his production has been nothing short of exceptional over the past couple years. The Seahawks are a young them that is already thriving and can only get better from here.
St.Louis Rams: The Rams were the forgotten team in the NFC West this season. Their numbers weren't bad, but they weren't great either. Jeff Fisher seems to making an impact in his first year with the team. The defense was pretty effective with Robert Quinn and Chris Long establishing a solid pass rush, Linebacker James Laurinatis had another excellent season, and cornerback Cortland Finnegan bolstered the secondary with a Pro Bowl-worthy season in his first year with the team. Offensively, quarterback Sam Bradford was competent with solid receiver play from Danny Amendola (when healthy) and rookie Chris Givens showing show big-play capability. Steven Jackson had a bit of an off-year, but still ran for 1,000 yards and did has share to contribute to the offense. The Rams are an average team that seem to be headed in the right direction with Jeff Fisher at head coach.
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