NFC West - For the first time in a decade or so, the NFC West belongs to the San Fransisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh came in, and really did a stand up job. The 49ers had not enjoyed much success in recent years, and perhaps the single player who best represented this was quarterback Alex Smith. But all of that changed last season. Harbaugh was the new head coach and implemented a much stricter, more disciplined style of play, and the 49ers thrived. The defense looked like an elite unit within the league, and the offense was efficient and limited mistakes. Combine those two, and the 49ers had a very strong season, finishing the regular season with a 13-3 record and a very comfortable five game margin between them and the second place team in the division. Everything went right. They did not allow a single team to score 30 points on them, until the Saints managed it in the playoffs, and San Fransisco pulled off a miracle win against them. The offense was solid, and at times showed outright explosiveness. Everything just seemed to fall into place for this team, until the NFC Championship Game loss to the Giants. Going into this season, the 49ers look to repeat the success they enjoyed last season, and should be the clear favorite in a weak division. There are question marks, and perhaps the biggest is how Alex Smith will follow up a banner year, especially since it seemed that the team was actively courting Peyton Manning, something that Coach Harbaugh inexplicably denied. Also, the 49ers won't be sneaking up on people this season. But overall, this is a team that looks better than anyone else in the division, and they should repeat as division champs, although they might not be 13-3 at the end of this season. The schedule is much tougher, and it starts right away, with a big test at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. Still, a first place finish is likely, and probably by some margin, given the traditionally weak level of play the last few years in this division.
The Arizona Cardinals seem hungry to quickly return to elite status, while that window of opportunity is open, as this team still has some talent from the Super Bowl run and the two consecutive division titles in 2008 & 2009. The Cardinals defense was not horrible, but certainly did not rank as an elite unit, either. The offense struggled at times, and just has not been the same since the departure of quarterback Kurt Warner. Back then, this offense was an elite unit, and very dangerous and explosive. That has not been the case so much as of late, and Arizona looked downright pedestrian at points last season. This is a team with some offensive talent, most notably star wide receiver Larry Fitgerald. They got off to a horrible start after winning their opening game, but began to recover as the season progressed. If they get off to a good start this season, they could produce a winning season and even compete for the playoffs, if things fall their way – although I think that might be a stretch with this team. They have a tough schedule, with six games against playoff opponents, and four of those are going to be on the road. It almost seems unfair that a team like this should have such a brutal schedule, but there it is. So, they have their work cut out for them. But the Cardinals could still produce a winning record, and they should at worst be somewhere near .500, if things don't go their way. It's hard to picture them contending for the division title, however, or even making a serious run to the playoffs, although stranger things can happen. As it is, they should be able to finish in second place in a weak division, although Seattle might have something to say about that. It seems likely that the two teams will fight each other for that second place finish.
The Seattle Seahawks changed their uniforms, finally. Much like the Buffalo Bills until last season, they had ugly, ugly uniforms. Buffalo made changes, and reverted to an older style that the franchise used to wear in the early 80’s. The Seahawks are still trying to make their new uniform designs work, and it remains to be seen how it will look overall. The helmets are now darker blue, but the Seahawks have various new designs, going all out in taking advantage of the new uniforms that Nike provided for every team (although the Packers refused, and are going back to the same uniforms they wore last season). So, how will the new look Seahawks actually look on the playing field? Well, hopefully much better than they did for much of last season. Two years ago, they historically managed to become the first team with a losing record to qualify for the playoffs, as they took the division with a 7-9 record. Coach Pete Carroll continues to make adjustments, as his second stint at head coaching in the NFL continues. He has done fairly well so far, with a division title to his name. But this season looks to be difficult, and if Seattle’s fortunes are to improve, than they will have to do it with a fairly difficult schedule. Of course, they play the San Fransisco 49ers twice, but they also have home games against the Packers and the Patriots, and will have to visit the Lions in Detroit. Those are some tough games, but will provide a good opportunity to measure exactly where this team is. The Seahawk defense was actually fairly stellar last season. While they allowed thirty or more points three times, they held half of their opponents to under twenty, and were particularly solid in the second half of the season. After an abysmal season, the Seahawks showed some pride when they won five games in a six game stretch. But one of their problems was the offense, which played poorly far too often. They recovered somewhat in the second half (the whole team did), but they still have considerable problems, including at the quarterback position. No one knows fully what to expect there, and the starting quarterback to open the season may very well be benched by the mid-point of the season. This is a team that is still finding itself, and so, it will likely need more time before Seattle can think about winning with any real consistency. That said, if both the offense and the defense play the way it did in second half, this could very well be the sleeper team that surprises everyone. It should be a good enough team to place second in the division, but probably cannot hope to really win this division. Still, Pete Carroll seems to have this team heading in the right direction, and that might just lead this team to sneak into the playoffs, particularly if the offense finds it’s game.
The St. Louis Rams seemed to have a very bright future ahead of them going into last season, and many predicted that they would follow up the strong promise that a surprisingly good season in 2010 showed with a stellar 2011 campaign. It did not happen, as the Rams crashed and burned. Their offense, behind young quarterback Sam Bradford and with star running back Steven Jackson, seemed to be in good hands. But that offense completely fell apart last year, ranking dead last in the league. St. Louis scored 27 points or more twice last season, and of the other fourteen games, they reached twenty points only once. They scored 13 points or less a shocking twelve times in a sixteen game schedule! Their defense was not much better, either, ranking near the bottom. Perhaps the surprisingly strong showing of the 2010 season masked some deep and fundamental problems that this team has. Still, St. Louis does have some talent on the team, and should show some improvement in the upcoming season. The 49ers are very good, and the Cardinals and Seahawks are trying very hard to become contenders again, so the Rams might have to wait before they get out of the cellar in this division. But almost anything would be better than to repeat what happened last season. Jeff Fisher is an excellent coach, and he should bring a measure of discipline to this team that is sorely needed. They have some really tough games at Detroit and home against the Patriots and the Packers, to say nothing of the games within their own division. So, while they likely will improve from last season in terms of play, and in terms of record, it still might not be enough to avoid another last place finish. Still, if the team can remain healthy and focus on more consistency and minimizing mistakes, the Rams could make a big leap in the won/loss column.
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