NFC West Preview

Last, and certainly least, the weakest division in football.....the NFC West

DAVE:

1. San Francisco 49ers: Coming into these previews, I had a handful of curveballs I was going to throw to keep from sounding like we were just going with the majority decision on these predictions. I picked Kansas City to win the AFC West. I laughed at all of Dallas' Super Bowl buzz. I co-signed the Lions as a potential breakout candidate and now I'm picking the 49ers to win the division. Suddenly though, as time has passed, these predictions don't seem as far-fetched and, more and more, people are (to use a Gabe phrase) pickin' up what I'm puttin' down. (Side note: Before you accuse me of claiming that the experts are stealing from me, that's not what I'm saying. It's just that what seemed like risky picks in July aren't as ledge-toeing in September).

Anyway, the self destruction of the Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks over the last half decade has opened the door for the Niners to emerge as the cream of the crop. Wisely, San Fran used the draft to build up its offensive line, snagging two road graders in RT Anthony Davis and G Mike Iupati in the first round. If those two pan out, expect a huge season for RB Frank Gore. Gore was good for 1,120 yards and 10 TDs(as well as another 400 yards and 4 TDs receiving) even without the improvements up front last year, and with concussion-case Brian Westbrook behind him and Glen Coffee now retired, it's going to be his show this season. The improvements on the line also help former #1 overall pick Alex Smith. Smith played admirably in his comeback season, after many left him for dead thanks to shoulder issues and mediocre production, and now comes into this season with a little more time to throw(in theory) to last year's breakout star, TE Vernon Davis(965 yards, 13 TDs). Smith also gets a full season of last year's holdout diva Michael Crabtree. Crabtree stepped in after a long time sitting on his couch and emerged as the team's best receiver almost instantaneously. With an actual offseason of learning the playbook and Davis garnering more attention, Crabtree could be even better in his sophomore season. Opposite Crabtree will be a couple of speedsters: Josh Morgan and former Dolphin bust Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn Jr is the most intriguing to watch because, with Crabtree as the unquestioned top dog, it allows Ginn to slide into a more complimentary role as a 2nd or 3rd receiver, which is what fits him more. Morgan could be a breakout star as he'll no doubt see a ton of single coverage and there aren't many #2 corners would can keep up with his speed.

Defensively, San Francisco is scary. They have the best middle linebacker in football in Pat Willis, a very reliable vet in former Bengals Pro Bowler Takeo Spikes, and a decent pass rusher off the edge in Manny Lawson.....and that's just the linebacking crew. In the secondary, the Niners are led by vastly underrated free safety DaShon Goldson, who was all over the field last season(94 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, 4 INTs). Goldson will soon be joined in the starting lineup by former USC athletic freak Taylor Mays. Mays sits behind incumbent Michael Lewis at strong safety, but it is only a matter of time before head coach Mike Singletary is wowed by Mays' amazing skill set. On the corners, Nate Clements has failed to live up to his huge contract and has been a threat to be cut or traded the past two seasons. Clements can still be a playmaker if Singletary can light the fire under him that Mike did under Vernon Davis. Opposite Clements is Shawntae Spencer, who is an adequate cover guy but may be the weak link on this defense.

The Niners can be a very real threat in the NFC this year. Keep in mind that all three of the other teams in this division have represented the NFC in the Super Bowl in the last decade and the Niners have a lot of potential on O and are just plain scary on defense. On top of that, they are led by Mike Singletary, who is slowly but surely emerging as one of the game's best coaching leaders. With the division in shambles, the Niners should walk through the West. When the playoffs start, we'll see if San Francisco can be the fourth and final team to play on Super Sunday.

2. Seattle Seahawks: Really, you had to pick somebody to finish second here. The Seahawks were a more interesting team a week ago, with former Lions 1st rounder and Pete Carroll pupil Mike Williams starting to shake off the bust tag and veteran wide receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh back as a reliable target for QB Matt Hasselbeck. Now, Housh is gone and Williams is the starter, and uncertainty is abound. For one, Williams hasn't made a meaningful play in the NFL since he was drafted in 2005. He's reunited with Carroll and he's been decent, but you can't be too excited about him as your #1. You have to be equally discouraged by former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch being the starter opposite BMW. Branch is an IR visit waiting to happen and it wouldn't surprise me if Seattle's starting wideouts by November are a pair of former 2nd rounders: Deon Butler and Golden Tate. Butler made a couple of plays as a rookie last season and the same is expected of Tate once he stops robbing donut shops and starts getting serious about football. In the running game, Julius Jones is gone and the show is now being co-hosted by Justin Forsett and Leon Washington. Since preseason last year, I've always liked Forsett and, with JJ out of the picture, I like Forsett even more. After all, his biggest threat to take away touches is a scatback coming off a fractured leg. Washington is this year's feel-good story. He wanted a long-term deal with the Jets, didn't get it, played anyway, suffered a gruesome leg injury, rehabbed and then got traded on Draft Day to Seattle. "Little Leon" has played well in the preseason but, as the team's best return guy, the team may not have him shoulder too much of the rushing load. Since this is a predictions piece, I'm calling 1,600 combined yards for Forsett this season and I think he visits the end zone at least six times. Right it down. Lock it up. Of course, the key to all that will be this porous Seahawks offensive line. The team used one of its first round picks on Oklahoma St left tackle Russell Okung, widely considered the best offensive tackle prospect in the draft. Okung, as has become the standard in Seattle, got hurt and is iffy for the opener. In preparation, the Seahawks acquired Stacy Andrews from the Eagles to man Okung's post. The offensive line will need to come together fast and Okung will have to be a quick healer because Hasselbeck has proven to be made of glass the last two seasons.

On defense, Seattle's excited about first rounder Earl Thomas at free safety, and big things are expected from last year's fourth overall pick Aaron Curry at OLB. Beyond them, there isn't much. MLB Lofa Tatupu is another former Carroll protege, but he's had troubles staying healthy. The same can be said for CB Marcus Trufant, who was a former Pro Bowler just like Tatupu was and then gotten eaten up by the injury bug. Carroll did a great job with maintaining a good defense at USC, but this is the NFL, and Carroll is going to be in for a rude awakening when this unit takes the field.

Seattle is the most promising of the teams not named San Francisco. They didn't lose as much talent as Arizona did and they have more solid players than St. Louis. Still, this is a 6-win team, at best, even with the forecasting of a big year for Forsett. The offensive line is unproven. There isn't a receiver who scares a defense and bad drafting has made Seattle's defense just plain terrible. It's Carroll's job to right the ship in his return to the NFL. He made some solid picks with Okung, Thomas and Tate and we will see if those pan out in Year 1 of the Carroll Comeback.

3. St. Louis Rams: Yup, that's right. The Rams. I'm THAT impressed with Sam Bradford, the overpaid #1 overall pick, so far in the preseason(actually, it has more to do with me thinking Arizona is going first-to-worst this year. More on that later). Obviously, the key is keeping Bradford upright and healthy, and that's something former 2nd overall pick OT Jason Smith is going to have to lead the charge on(as well as rookie OT Roger Saffold). Bradford has exceptional accuracy and his arm, while diminished a little from shoulder surgery, is still very good. Could he be a Big Ben/Joe Flacco/Matt Ryan-type impact rookie at QB? Maybe. He'll be helped out by Steven Jackson at RB. Jackson isn't just a tough, punishing runner, he's also a solid pass-catcher out of the backfield and that will work as a safety valve for Bradford if things get hairy. Oh, and things WILL get hairy. The Rams lost top wideout Donnie Avery for the season with a torn ACL and then brought in former Ravens top pick Mark Clayton as a potential replacement. Clayton is better than some have given him credit for. Is he a Pro Bowl calibur #1? Of course not. Could he have a resurgence with Bradford at QB? Absolutely. Outside of Bradford, Jackson and Clayton, there isn't much to get excited over.

Defensively, the team is a work in progress. Former high draft pick Chris Long still hasn't emerged like St. Louis would have liked, even under the tutlege of a defensive maestro like head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Fellow DE James Hall hasn't mattered in a while and he's the 2nd best guy on this defensive line. The linebacking crew is a bit more promising. MLB James Laurinaitis, son of former "Legion of Doom" member Animal(only the greatest tag team EVER), is the star of this defense. He racks up tackles in bunches and makes plays all over the field. Problem is, he's the only guy on this defense with that kind of resume. Free safety O.J. Atogwe is an above average safety and maybe even a potential Pro Bowler, but his skills are negated by the lack of talent in the rest of the secondary. Ronald Bartell? Kevin Dockery? No, thanks.

The Rams are a mediocre team in a mediocre division, but the presence of Bradford(if he stays healthy) gives them promise. Spagnuolo still has to put his mark on this defense and that starts with getting something out of Long. Obviously, this team is years away from contending but, by comparison to teams like the Cardinals, they are at least on the right track.

4. Arizona Cardinals: This was going to be a rough season for Arizona even BEFORE they cut the cord on "QB of the future" and former 10th overall pick Matt Leinart. Ken Whisenhunt is a good head coach and he came a Santonio Holmes circus catch away from winning the Super Bowl two years ago, but he's not a miracle worker. Yes, new QB Derek Anderson was once a Pro Bowler, but that was so long ago it might as well have never happened. Anderson has the benefit of having an elite receiver in Larry Fitzgerald and a solid running game led by Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, but at the end of the day, he's Derek Anderson. He's the same guy who struggled in Cleveland after his Pro Bowl breakout season and he's the same guy the Browns cut loose in exchange for Jake Delhomme. He's not Kurt Warner. He's not even Kent Graham.

On defense, the Cardinals lost ALOT of good players. LB Karlos Dansby, the guy who saved their season last year with his fumble return for a TD against Green Bay in the Wild Card round, left for Miami. S Antrel Rolle is now a New York Giant....and those were two of the best players on a defense that still gave up nearly 100 points in its last two games. Arizona did bring in former Steeler Joey Porter and former Jet Kerry Rhodes to replace both men, but Porter and Rhodes aren't nearly as good as Dansby and Rolle. The Cards do still have DT Darnell Dockett, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and S Adrian Wilson, but unless the two new additions produce, that's about all they have.

So, what looked like a bad season got progressively worse the minute Leinart proved to be every bit of the bust he was when Warner took his job a few years ago. We don't know what Derek Anderson is going to show up and, with Anquan Boldin gone, the benefit of having Fitz at wideout is a bit diminished. The running game needs to carry this team and the addition of Alan Faneca at guard will help that aspect, but this team is still in for a world of hurt, especially if this defense continues to play the way it did at the end of last year.

Gabe:

Statement: This will be the worst division in the NFL.

1. San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers drafted two offensive lineman this year. If their line can gel then Frank Gore is going to have a huge year. Back-up running back Glenn Coffee quit the team unexpectedly, but the Niners have replaced him with the still dangerous Brian Westbrook. I think tight end Vernon Davis and the rest of the receivers will make some strides and that quarterback Alex Smith will finally have a good year. I actually drafted Smith as a back-up in one of my fantasy leagues this year.

Dave went into the names on defense. I love their defense also. I think the X-factor is head coach Mike Singletary. He knows how to win. He knows what it takes to be an elite defense. They have the talent and they have the leadership. I think this defense will do big things.

And now for something bold.....

2. Arizona Cardinals - They are now in the hands of quarterback Derek Anderson, and I think they are very capable hands. Anquan Boldin is gone but they still have all-world wideout Larry Fitzgerald. I think Steve Breaston is a good no. 2 receiver that will take enough attention away from Fitzgerald for Fitz to continue his elite play. I really like the combo of Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower (CAA represent!) in the backfield.

Dave is right about the defense. They have lost a lot of players. But they did bring in a few, like Joey Porter, and they still have a few, like Adrian Wilson. I'm not saying they are going to be good, but they are going to be better than the rest of this crap division.

3. St. Louis Rams - No, really. I know receiver Donnie Avery is on the shelf. Sam Bradford seems like he might be the real deal at quarterback. Provided he doesn't hurt his shoulder again, he'll be decent. Stephen Jackson is a monster at running back. He is also the Rams' top receiving threat. If he stays healthy, and that is a huge "if," he is an amazing player with tons of talent.

The defense is young, but talented. I think they need to be coached up and if there is one man who can do that it's Steve Spagnuolo. Of course, I might be a little biased about Spagnuolo's coaching ability. (For those scoring at home, Spagnuolo was the Giants' defensive coordinator they year they won the Super Bowl.) The point is, this division stinks and the Rams have tons of upside, way more than Seattle. I don't see why the Rams couldn't make some noise in the West.

4. Seattle Seahawks - They have no Who's-Your-Mama at receiver anymore. They are losing running backs like Dave is losing hair. Matt Hasselbeck is old. I hate the Seahawks for the way they beat the Giants in 2005. They suck. Boom. Roasted.

(They were last team I had to preview and I hate them. So sue me for the lack of words.)