2011 NFL Preview: NFC West
Fans will indeed have something to do on Sunday's this fall, because the lockout is finally over and the NFL season kicks off Thursday September 8th with the New Orleans Saints taking on the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
To say that fans are eager to get the season under way would be an understatement. No more lockout news on ESPN, just talk and highlights of players on the field, not in the court room. Everyone, except Bengals fans, have high hopes for their team this season and this is probably the most anticipated NFL season in years.
So, before the season starts with all that has ensued post-lockout, I will break down each team, everything from new additions, key departures, schedule strength, as well as predictions for the season, saving an indepth Bengals analysis for the finale. Weekly picks and editions of "Holy Crap" and "C'mon Man" will also return once the season gets underway.
We will start at the bottom and work our way up by leading off with the worst division in football last year, the NFC West. St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona went a combined 25-39 and the Seahawks won the division at 7-9, becoming the first team to ever make the playoffs with a losing record in a full season. The only time a team with a less than .500 record went to the playoffs, it was the strike shorten season of 1982 when the Detriot Lions and Cleveland Browns made the playoffs at 4-5.
However, the NFC West will have a team with an above .500 record this season and here's what to expect from each team.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: 5-11 (in 2010)
There was nothing funny about Arizona's season in 2010. The team started four different guys at quarterback, which led to the Cardinals trading for former Eagles QB Kevin Kolb. Arizona was dreadful on offense last season, even with perennial Pro Bowler WR Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals ranked dead last on the ground and second last through the air. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals will be relying heavily on Kevin Kolb this season, but losing leading rusher Tim Hightower and WR Steve Breston to free agency, will not help Kolb in his transition to the Cardinals.
Arizona drafted defensive back Patrick Peterson (LSU) in the first round of the draft to help improve the defense and all indications point to him being a great player. Peterson was probably the most pro ready player in the draft and he is an excellent return man.
Arizona will be better than they were in 2010 with the addition of Peterson and having Kolb at QB, but trips to Minnesota, Baltimore, and Philadelphia along with Pittsburgh, New York Giants and Dallas coming to the “Big Toaster,” not to mention their games against rival NFC West foes, Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis, it will a tough first season in the desert for Kevin Kolb.
San Francisco 49ers: 6-10
San Francisco came in with high expectations in 2010, but a 6-10 record led to the firing of head coach Mike Singletary. So, in steps former Stanford head coach and former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.
The additions of first round pick DE Aldon Smith (Missouri) and signing defensive backs Donte Whitner, Carlos Rogers and Madieu Williams will help boost a defense, led by Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis, that was 24th against the pass. San Francisco also signed WR Braylon Edwards and drafted RB Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State) to team up with WR Michael Crabtree, TE Vernon Davis and RB Frank Gore on offense.
San Francisco can be better than 6-10, but a schedule that features games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Dallas, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Detroit, will surely test Jim Harbaugh in his first year as an NFL head coach.
Seattle Seahawks: 7-9
Being 7-9 last year, one would think that the Seahawks had a disappointing season. Well, 7-9 was good enough to win the division last year in the terrible NFC West and the Seahawks stunned everyone by beating New Orleans in the playoffs. It will be tough to repeat as division champions in 2011 though, as the Seahawks will be ushering in a era new quaterback.
Seattle cut ties with their most recognizable star, QB Matt Hasselbeck, who left for Tennessee. Seattle signed former Viking QB Tarvaris Jackson to battle Charlie Whitehurst for the starting job, but I think Seattle will miss Hasselbeck. It's hard to remember a time when he wasn't the starting quarterback and it's going to be hard to replace a Matt Hasselbeck.
Hasselbeck was a three time Pro Bowler and was named to the All-Pro team in 2005. He led the Seahawks to six postseason berths, including an appearence in Super Bowl XL, and holds numerous Seattle regular season and postseason passing records. Jackson is a fine player, but he does not have the credentials that come with a Matt Hasselbeck. The additions of WR Sidney Rice, another former Viking who followed Jackson to Seattle, and TE Zach Miller give Jackson or Whitehurst added weapons to throw to, but I don't think that will be enough to make up for the loss of Hasselbeck.
Seattle has a difficult schedule with Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago, New York Giants, Dallas and Philadelphia, but that’s what happens when you win the division. With their schedule, a new quarterback and the rest of the NFC West getting better, it will be tough getting back to the playoffs.
St. Louis Rams: 7-9
The Rams come in as my pick to win the NFC West after what they were able to last year in by going 7-9 with a rookie head coach and rookie quarterback. Rookie QB Sam Bradford played very well his first season in the NFL and was named Rookie of the Year. Bradford passed for 3,512 yards, 18 TD and 15 INT, with very little talent around him. Pro Bowl RB Steven Jackson had another great season running the football for 1,241 yards and 6 TD, but the Rams needed to make upgrades on offense.
Offseason acquisitions of RB Cadillac Williams and RB Jerious Norwood are solid backups to Steven Jackson and three new receivers were added to the roster. Former Jaguars WR Mike Sims-Walker was signed as a free agent and WR Austin Pettis (Boise St.), WR Greg Salas (Hawaii) and TE Lance Kendricks (Wisconsin) were drafted to improve an offense that was 21st in passing and 25th in rushing last season.
With all the new weapons on offense, Sam Bradford having a full year under his belt and an improving defense, the Rams can win the NFC West, but a tough schedule will make it difficult. St. Louis’ first seven games are against Philadelphia, New York Giants, Baltimore, Washington, Green Bay, Dallas and New Orleans, which is a brutal way to start the season. So, the Rams could struggle early, but an easier second half of the schedule could play to their benefit.
Predicted Standings
The NFC West will be better than it was last season and I see the St. Louis Rams winning the division behind second year QB Sam Bradford. Rookies always make great strides between their first and second seasons and Bradford was very good last year and I think he will be even better this year. Don't sleep on Arizona though, that offense should put up a lot of points and the Kevin Kolb to Larry Fitzgerald combo will quickly become one of the best in the league.
Predicted 2011 NFC West Standings:
St. Louis: 9-7
Arizona: 6-10
San Francisco: 6-10
Seattle: 5-11
Up next: NFC South
To say that fans are eager to get the season under way would be an understatement. No more lockout news on ESPN, just talk and highlights of players on the field, not in the court room. Everyone, except Bengals fans, have high hopes for their team this season and this is probably the most anticipated NFL season in years.
So, before the season starts with all that has ensued post-lockout, I will break down each team, everything from new additions, key departures, schedule strength, as well as predictions for the season, saving an indepth Bengals analysis for the finale. Weekly picks and editions of "Holy Crap" and "C'mon Man" will also return once the season gets underway.
We will start at the bottom and work our way up by leading off with the worst division in football last year, the NFC West. St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona went a combined 25-39 and the Seahawks won the division at 7-9, becoming the first team to ever make the playoffs with a losing record in a full season. The only time a team with a less than .500 record went to the playoffs, it was the strike shorten season of 1982 when the Detriot Lions and Cleveland Browns made the playoffs at 4-5.
However, the NFC West will have a team with an above .500 record this season and here's what to expect from each team.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: 5-11 (in 2010)
There was nothing funny about Arizona's season in 2010. The team started four different guys at quarterback, which led to the Cardinals trading for former Eagles QB Kevin Kolb. Arizona was dreadful on offense last season, even with perennial Pro Bowler WR Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals ranked dead last on the ground and second last through the air. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals will be relying heavily on Kevin Kolb this season, but losing leading rusher Tim Hightower and WR Steve Breston to free agency, will not help Kolb in his transition to the Cardinals.
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| Kevin Kolb will finally get his chance to start every week in Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York) |
Arizona will be better than they were in 2010 with the addition of Peterson and having Kolb at QB, but trips to Minnesota, Baltimore, and Philadelphia along with Pittsburgh, New York Giants and Dallas coming to the “Big Toaster,” not to mention their games against rival NFC West foes, Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis, it will a tough first season in the desert for Kevin Kolb.
San Francisco 49ers: 6-10
San Francisco came in with high expectations in 2010, but a 6-10 record led to the firing of head coach Mike Singletary. So, in steps former Stanford head coach and former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh had a great run at Stanford, winning the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech last year, being named Coach of the Year and turning Stanford QB Andrew Luck into the most highly coveted college player in recent memory. The 49ers hope Harbaugh can turn Alex Smith’s career around, but they drafted Colin Kaepernick (Nevada) to be the quarterback of the future. If Smith struggles early, Kaepernick could become the starter.
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| Jim Harbaugh will try and get the 49ers back to the playoffs in his first season coaching in the NFL. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) |
San Francisco can be better than 6-10, but a schedule that features games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Dallas, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Detroit, will surely test Jim Harbaugh in his first year as an NFL head coach.
Seattle Seahawks: 7-9
Being 7-9 last year, one would think that the Seahawks had a disappointing season. Well, 7-9 was good enough to win the division last year in the terrible NFC West and the Seahawks stunned everyone by beating New Orleans in the playoffs. It will be tough to repeat as division champions in 2011 though, as the Seahawks will be ushering in a era new quaterback.
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| For the first time since 2001, Matt Hasselbeck will not be in a Seahawks uniform. (Rod Mar/The Seattle Times) |
Hasselbeck was a three time Pro Bowler and was named to the All-Pro team in 2005. He led the Seahawks to six postseason berths, including an appearence in Super Bowl XL, and holds numerous Seattle regular season and postseason passing records. Jackson is a fine player, but he does not have the credentials that come with a Matt Hasselbeck. The additions of WR Sidney Rice, another former Viking who followed Jackson to Seattle, and TE Zach Miller give Jackson or Whitehurst added weapons to throw to, but I don't think that will be enough to make up for the loss of Hasselbeck.
Seattle has a difficult schedule with Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago, New York Giants, Dallas and Philadelphia, but that’s what happens when you win the division. With their schedule, a new quarterback and the rest of the NFC West getting better, it will be tough getting back to the playoffs.
St. Louis Rams: 7-9
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| Sam Bradford had a solid rookie season, good enough to earn him Offesnive Rookie of the Year. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) |
With all the new weapons on offense, Sam Bradford having a full year under his belt and an improving defense, the Rams can win the NFC West, but a tough schedule will make it difficult. St. Louis’ first seven games are against Philadelphia, New York Giants, Baltimore, Washington, Green Bay, Dallas and New Orleans, which is a brutal way to start the season. So, the Rams could struggle early, but an easier second half of the schedule could play to their benefit.
Predicted Standings
The NFC West will be better than it was last season and I see the St. Louis Rams winning the division behind second year QB Sam Bradford. Rookies always make great strides between their first and second seasons and Bradford was very good last year and I think he will be even better this year. Don't sleep on Arizona though, that offense should put up a lot of points and the Kevin Kolb to Larry Fitzgerald combo will quickly become one of the best in the league.
Predicted 2011 NFC West Standings:
St. Louis: 9-7
Arizona: 6-10
San Francisco: 6-10
Seattle: 5-11
Up next: NFC South
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