People's Champ
Bleeding Teal
So with football (preseason at least) coming around the corner, I figure we take a look at each division and discuss what we think is going to happen. It will culminate in a few weeks to making our predictions up to the Super Bowl.
We will start first with the NFC West
(Teams listed in order of my predicted finish)
San Francisco 49ers---2009 Record:8-8 (2nd in division) Projected 2010 Record:10-6
Positives- Finally a year of continuity. The team has had a different offensive coordinator every year since they've drafted Alex Smith. They finally have the same O.C this year. That means the playbook can open up and provide them with more options.
-Mike Singletary. There was a question if he was ready to coach, or if his throwback mentality would work in a new age of football. Well, the team has responded well to his style. With another year under his belt,we shouldn't see a lot of mental mistakes with clock management etc. that have happened since taking over as head coach.
-Defense. Under Singletary, this has been a focal point. He has built a team around a smashmouth type defense.and no one defines that better than LB Patrick Willis. He is one of, if not the best LBs in the league. His physical play has earned him some attention and respect around the league. Ahmad Brooks signed a 2 year deal when he showed himself to be very effective over the final 6 games last year. Manny Lawson,LB, is in a contract year so I expect him to play big this year. They also signed Dre'Bly to a contract, which I think will help on the outside.
Question Marks: Alex Smith. This has to be the biggest question mark for this team. The team made strides last season and is looking to improve this season. Problem is, Smith hasn't proved himself yet. This might be his last opportunity to prove he was worthy of being the top pick. While you could argue that having different offensive coordinators has hurt him, he still hasn't shown himself to be a starting QB. There will be no more excuses. He has the same O.C from last year and with weapons (Gore, Crabtree, Davis), this should be the year he comes into his own. But he is the biggest question mark.
-Singletary. Why would I have him the postives then put him in the question marks. Simple. This is his final opportuinty as well. And its still not clear how much he will allow Smith the freedom to throw the ball. He is a firm believer in running the football, as suggested by this year's draft. He was disappointed by last years running game and maade changes to improve it. He has said that the running game is going to be the focus of the offense. Problem is, this team played better when Smith was allowed to throw the balland make plays. What team will we see this year? A more spread pass attack offense, or a more methodical running attack. What he decides could determine whether the 49ers make the playoffs or not, which in turn could decide his future as head coach of this team.
Overall Outlook--This is the year for the Niners to take the division. With the loses Arizona suffered (see below), a new regime in Seattle, and St Louis still in rebuilding mode, there is no reason the 49ers don't win the division for the first time since 2002.
Arizona Cardnials---2009 Record: 10-6 (Division Winner) Projected 2010 Record:7-9
Positives-Beanie Wells. Seriously the only positive I see from this team. He has great ability to run on the edges and looks like he's going to have a breakout year considering the offense is going to change. I see him with over 1200 yards this season.
Question Marks-Matt Leinart. He has is own question mark. We have no idea how well he will perform this season. It wasn't as if he was a rookie who sat so he could learn. He had the starting job but couldn't keep it. In fact, he wouldn't be in this postion if Warner didn't retire. Obviously the offense is going to change with Leinart at the helm. Can he produce at the most important position? We haven't seen him much so its a big question mark.
-Offense and Defense. The Cards lost a lot of big name players, the biggest being Warner. He was the offense. Yes Boldin, Fitzgerald, Breston were making some great plays, but they were coming from Warner, playing at an extremely high level. Losing him hurts the most. That led to losing Boldin. That one hurts as well because he was able to make big plays if teams were daring enough to double on Fitzgerald. Breston is a good reciever, but teams are going to make him prove to them that he is a threat.
Defensively, they lost defensive captain Karlos Dansby and safety Antre Rolle, both playing big roles on the defense. They replaced Dansby with Joey Porter, who while stillhas the potential to get off blocks and create a pass rush, can cause some locker room tension. With his me first attitude. They have added safety Kerry Rhodes, but unlike Rolle who had the ability to slide from free safety to the slot and play as the 3rd corner, Rhodes is more of a free ranging zone defender.
Overall Outlook--the Cardinals will suffer from losing 4 key players that were leaders/bigcontributors to this team. Leinart is the question mark on this team. How well he performs determines just how many games this team wins. I don't think they can overcomes these loses and will take a step back. Not enough to fall behind the Seahawks or Rams, but enough to miss the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks---2009 Record:5-11 (3rd in division) Projected 2010 Record:5-11
Postives- 2010 Draft. The Seahawks had maybe the best draft this year.they got Russell Okung in the 1st round which should really help bolter the offensive line. Earl Thomas was also a great pick. This safety has great speed, instincts and ball skills was definately helps out in the backfield. Getting Golden Tate in the 2nd round was a steal and may turn out to be one the best picks for the Seahawks. They also traded a 5th round pick to the Jets for Leon Washington, which was a great move.
Question Marks-Pete Carroll. This has to go under question mark. Can Carroll turn around the notion that he's only a college head coach? After his failed attempt in the NFL the first time around, has he been able to make adjustments to bring sucess to the Seahawks? He had a terrific draft but still is an unknown.
-QBs. Hasselbeck will be 35 in September. Is coming off 2 seasons in which he missed 11 games due to injuries. Nobody can doubt that when he's healthy, he still can be a very good QB, and this offense runs much better with him under center. But can he stay healthy? Should he not be able to their backup is Charlie Whitehurst. This was one of the most interesting, lopsided trades of the offseason. Whitehurst was the Chargers 3rd stringer and has never thrown an NFL pass. Yet, that didn't stop the Seahawks from trading their 40th pick and 2011 3rd rounder for Whitehurst and the 60th pick. They then proceeded to sign him to a 2 year $8 million deal. Having yest see him throw a pass, this is a big question as to whether he can be a legit QB in the NFL.
-Defense. Specifically the pass defense, which ranked 30th last year. Some of the big issues were lack of a playmaking safety, Marcus Trufant's injury, and a lack at the No. 2 corner spot. Trufant's knee seemed to do better as the season progressed, but never fully regained his speed or technique. He is very important to that secondary if they are to improve at all. As for the No.2 spot, Josh Wilson will get a chance to start, but its not for certain. That will be a question mark all season. And drafting Thomas was a big pickup for the 'Hawks. He could provide that playmaking ability that Deon Grant couldn't give them last year. Of course, it helps if you have some soild pass rushers, which Seattle doesn't have. All of their lineman are average at best, so the Linebacker core is going to have to make up for the line's inabilities.
Overall Outlook---While Seattle has made some improvemnts through the draft, they still have needs that will bother them this season. Question marks on defense and at the QB spot have this team still at bottom half of this division.and how will Carroll fare in his return to the NFL? This is a rebuilding season for the 'Hawks, so expect some goreing pains all around.
St. Louis Rams---2009 Record:1-15 (Last in Division) Projected 2010 Record:2-14
Rebulding Mode- This is much harder to do a positive/question marks with a team as bad a shape as the Rams. Start with offense. They have no depth on the line, though they should slightly improve with some needed movement on the line. At QB, its a question of when to put Bradford in. A.J Feeley should probably start at QB, seeing as how he knows O.C Pat Shurmur's offense very well. While he won't be great, or even good at times, it better than throwing Bradford to the wolves. Also, help is needed for Jackson. He has carried the running game by himself, while also coming out of the backfield to make catches. Can't let that happen. The recievers need to step up and help Jackson who is already running the ball too much.
Defensively there are many liabilites. They were 31st in points allowed and 27th in just about every important category. The D-line is just painful to watch. With no true pass rusher on the front 7, its going to be a long season. The cornerbacks have been just as bad, if not worse. One positive is their safeties. O.J Atogwe is a turnover creator with great range and skill.
Overall Outlook---Not too much positivity if your a Rams fan. Outside of Jackson, there is no true quality NFL starter on that team. This rebuilding project is very much in its early stages. So expect more growing pains and terrible games this season.
NFC West Outlook---This division again will be one of the worst in the NFL. With 2 teams in rebuilding mode, and another trying to gather themselevs together after losing key players, the division is seemingly there for the 49ers to take. All 4 teams have question marks at the QB spot and I think the QB will deteermine how well each team does.
Thoughts, opinions, predictions on the NFC West for the 2010 season are welcome.
We will start first with the NFC West
(Teams listed in order of my predicted finish)
San Francisco 49ers---2009 Record:8-8 (2nd in division) Projected 2010 Record:10-6
Positives- Finally a year of continuity. The team has had a different offensive coordinator every year since they've drafted Alex Smith. They finally have the same O.C this year. That means the playbook can open up and provide them with more options.
-Mike Singletary. There was a question if he was ready to coach, or if his throwback mentality would work in a new age of football. Well, the team has responded well to his style. With another year under his belt,we shouldn't see a lot of mental mistakes with clock management etc. that have happened since taking over as head coach.
-Defense. Under Singletary, this has been a focal point. He has built a team around a smashmouth type defense.and no one defines that better than LB Patrick Willis. He is one of, if not the best LBs in the league. His physical play has earned him some attention and respect around the league. Ahmad Brooks signed a 2 year deal when he showed himself to be very effective over the final 6 games last year. Manny Lawson,LB, is in a contract year so I expect him to play big this year. They also signed Dre'Bly to a contract, which I think will help on the outside.
Question Marks: Alex Smith. This has to be the biggest question mark for this team. The team made strides last season and is looking to improve this season. Problem is, Smith hasn't proved himself yet. This might be his last opportunity to prove he was worthy of being the top pick. While you could argue that having different offensive coordinators has hurt him, he still hasn't shown himself to be a starting QB. There will be no more excuses. He has the same O.C from last year and with weapons (Gore, Crabtree, Davis), this should be the year he comes into his own. But he is the biggest question mark.
-Singletary. Why would I have him the postives then put him in the question marks. Simple. This is his final opportuinty as well. And its still not clear how much he will allow Smith the freedom to throw the ball. He is a firm believer in running the football, as suggested by this year's draft. He was disappointed by last years running game and maade changes to improve it. He has said that the running game is going to be the focus of the offense. Problem is, this team played better when Smith was allowed to throw the balland make plays. What team will we see this year? A more spread pass attack offense, or a more methodical running attack. What he decides could determine whether the 49ers make the playoffs or not, which in turn could decide his future as head coach of this team.
Overall Outlook--This is the year for the Niners to take the division. With the loses Arizona suffered (see below), a new regime in Seattle, and St Louis still in rebuilding mode, there is no reason the 49ers don't win the division for the first time since 2002.
Arizona Cardnials---2009 Record: 10-6 (Division Winner) Projected 2010 Record:7-9
Positives-Beanie Wells. Seriously the only positive I see from this team. He has great ability to run on the edges and looks like he's going to have a breakout year considering the offense is going to change. I see him with over 1200 yards this season.
Question Marks-Matt Leinart. He has is own question mark. We have no idea how well he will perform this season. It wasn't as if he was a rookie who sat so he could learn. He had the starting job but couldn't keep it. In fact, he wouldn't be in this postion if Warner didn't retire. Obviously the offense is going to change with Leinart at the helm. Can he produce at the most important position? We haven't seen him much so its a big question mark.
-Offense and Defense. The Cards lost a lot of big name players, the biggest being Warner. He was the offense. Yes Boldin, Fitzgerald, Breston were making some great plays, but they were coming from Warner, playing at an extremely high level. Losing him hurts the most. That led to losing Boldin. That one hurts as well because he was able to make big plays if teams were daring enough to double on Fitzgerald. Breston is a good reciever, but teams are going to make him prove to them that he is a threat.
Defensively, they lost defensive captain Karlos Dansby and safety Antre Rolle, both playing big roles on the defense. They replaced Dansby with Joey Porter, who while stillhas the potential to get off blocks and create a pass rush, can cause some locker room tension. With his me first attitude. They have added safety Kerry Rhodes, but unlike Rolle who had the ability to slide from free safety to the slot and play as the 3rd corner, Rhodes is more of a free ranging zone defender.
Overall Outlook--the Cardinals will suffer from losing 4 key players that were leaders/bigcontributors to this team. Leinart is the question mark on this team. How well he performs determines just how many games this team wins. I don't think they can overcomes these loses and will take a step back. Not enough to fall behind the Seahawks or Rams, but enough to miss the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks---2009 Record:5-11 (3rd in division) Projected 2010 Record:5-11
Postives- 2010 Draft. The Seahawks had maybe the best draft this year.they got Russell Okung in the 1st round which should really help bolter the offensive line. Earl Thomas was also a great pick. This safety has great speed, instincts and ball skills was definately helps out in the backfield. Getting Golden Tate in the 2nd round was a steal and may turn out to be one the best picks for the Seahawks. They also traded a 5th round pick to the Jets for Leon Washington, which was a great move.
Question Marks-Pete Carroll. This has to go under question mark. Can Carroll turn around the notion that he's only a college head coach? After his failed attempt in the NFL the first time around, has he been able to make adjustments to bring sucess to the Seahawks? He had a terrific draft but still is an unknown.
-QBs. Hasselbeck will be 35 in September. Is coming off 2 seasons in which he missed 11 games due to injuries. Nobody can doubt that when he's healthy, he still can be a very good QB, and this offense runs much better with him under center. But can he stay healthy? Should he not be able to their backup is Charlie Whitehurst. This was one of the most interesting, lopsided trades of the offseason. Whitehurst was the Chargers 3rd stringer and has never thrown an NFL pass. Yet, that didn't stop the Seahawks from trading their 40th pick and 2011 3rd rounder for Whitehurst and the 60th pick. They then proceeded to sign him to a 2 year $8 million deal. Having yest see him throw a pass, this is a big question as to whether he can be a legit QB in the NFL.
-Defense. Specifically the pass defense, which ranked 30th last year. Some of the big issues were lack of a playmaking safety, Marcus Trufant's injury, and a lack at the No. 2 corner spot. Trufant's knee seemed to do better as the season progressed, but never fully regained his speed or technique. He is very important to that secondary if they are to improve at all. As for the No.2 spot, Josh Wilson will get a chance to start, but its not for certain. That will be a question mark all season. And drafting Thomas was a big pickup for the 'Hawks. He could provide that playmaking ability that Deon Grant couldn't give them last year. Of course, it helps if you have some soild pass rushers, which Seattle doesn't have. All of their lineman are average at best, so the Linebacker core is going to have to make up for the line's inabilities.
Overall Outlook---While Seattle has made some improvemnts through the draft, they still have needs that will bother them this season. Question marks on defense and at the QB spot have this team still at bottom half of this division.and how will Carroll fare in his return to the NFL? This is a rebuilding season for the 'Hawks, so expect some goreing pains all around.
St. Louis Rams---2009 Record:1-15 (Last in Division) Projected 2010 Record:2-14
Rebulding Mode- This is much harder to do a positive/question marks with a team as bad a shape as the Rams. Start with offense. They have no depth on the line, though they should slightly improve with some needed movement on the line. At QB, its a question of when to put Bradford in. A.J Feeley should probably start at QB, seeing as how he knows O.C Pat Shurmur's offense very well. While he won't be great, or even good at times, it better than throwing Bradford to the wolves. Also, help is needed for Jackson. He has carried the running game by himself, while also coming out of the backfield to make catches. Can't let that happen. The recievers need to step up and help Jackson who is already running the ball too much.
Defensively there are many liabilites. They were 31st in points allowed and 27th in just about every important category. The D-line is just painful to watch. With no true pass rusher on the front 7, its going to be a long season. The cornerbacks have been just as bad, if not worse. One positive is their safeties. O.J Atogwe is a turnover creator with great range and skill.
Overall Outlook---Not too much positivity if your a Rams fan. Outside of Jackson, there is no true quality NFL starter on that team. This rebuilding project is very much in its early stages. So expect more growing pains and terrible games this season.
NFC West Outlook---This division again will be one of the worst in the NFL. With 2 teams in rebuilding mode, and another trying to gather themselevs together after losing key players, the division is seemingly there for the 49ers to take. All 4 teams have question marks at the QB spot and I think the QB will deteermine how well each team does.
Thoughts, opinions, predictions on the NFC West for the 2010 season are welcome.
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