Breakdown of the NFC West

Ok, here is my final team-by-team divisional breakdown. This is perhaps the weakest division overall and that is the NFC West. So, here goes...

NFC WEST

1. San Francisco 49ers. Last year the 49ers made a suprise run at the Super Bowl, finally losing in overtime of the NFC Championship game. The 49ers are led by quarterback Alex Smith. Smith seems to have finally shed the title of a first overall pick being a bust. To Smith's defense, he was always under a different system each year of his career. Now, he has some sense of stability even though the team took forever to re-sign him and did pursue Peyton Manning. Smith will now have the best arsenal of weapons that he has ever had in the passing game. The 49ers took a flyer on Randy Moss hoping that he still has one last shot in him. They don't intend to use him as an every down player, but he is a definite threat in the red zone and he can still go after the ball. I predict he will have at least 8 scores this season. They also brought in Mario Manningham from the Giants. Manningham will have a chance to shine in the #2 role here and he will put pressure on defenses with his route running and his ability to read zone defenses. Technically, the 49ers #1 receiver is Michael Crabtree, but he has to make himself more availible in big game situations. He was non-existent in the 49ers playoff run last season and will never be a great player unless he can put up big numbers when the team needs him the most. TE Vernon Davis has established himself as one of the league's best at that position. Davis is a threat all over the field, because he has the speed to be a legitimate deep threat, as well as the toughness to go over the middle. RB Frank Gore has taken a beating over his career, but has proven to be a valuable workhorse, who gets stronger as the season wears on. He will get more rest this year, because they want to utilize his backup Kendall Hunter more. Hunter has more speed than Gore, but like Gore is not afraid to put his head down and move the pile. The offensive line is quietly the best in the league. They are nasty run blockers who want nothing more than to put defenders on their backside, but they also do a great job keeping Smith upright, which is also helped him improve as a quarterback. However, make no mistake this team is built on it's defense. The defense is aggressive and will punish the ball carrier and try like Hell to cause turnovers. The defensive line is led by Justin Smith, who could have been the defensive MVP of the league and no one would have argued it. At times he seemed unblockable and is great at stuffing the run and getting after the quarterback. His motor is second to none, as he never takes a play off and goes full out all the time. The heart of the defense is the linebacking corps. Hands down this is the best foursome in the league. Led by ILB Patrick Willis who has been nothing short of dominant since his arrival and is the best linebacker in the NFL. Sneaking up on Willis's greatness is his ILB teammate Navarro Bowman. Bowman really stepped up his game last season and made plays, when opponents were trying to stay away from Willis. Now, everyone knows that they have to try and block both of these ILB's, which will be a nearly impossible task for an entire game. OLB Aldon Smith made a big impact as a rookie, registering 13 sacks in limited duty, now he will be the unquestioned starter, so his numbers could go even higher. The secondary is led by two hard hitting safeties in Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner. Both will come up and play the run and both will punish any receiver who comes over the middle. Having these two guys back there allowed CB Carlos Rogers take some chances and he made some big interceptions last season and he will have the chance to repeat his success. The 49ers are easily the best team in this division and will win the crown with a 12-4 record.

2. Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are taking a big chance in starting rookie Russell Wilson at quarterback. Wilson was a fiesty leader in college and is going to be asked to do the same here. He would be my sleeper pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year, if some guy named Luck wasn't playing this year. Wilson is going to have the luxury of having bruising running back Marshawn Lynch to run the offense through. Lynch has found his career in Seattle and has lived up to his first round pick many seasons ago. Lynch refuses to go down and some of his bruising runs have become memorable, the playoff game against the Saints and his run against the Eagles last year to mention two. Wilson is going to have to depend on Sidney Rice staying healthy. If Rice stays healthy, he is a big time receiver who can stretch any defense and is willing to fight for the catch. oposite of Rice is Golden Tate, who is really starting to polish his craft and is an excellent complimentary receiver. Doug Baldwin also came on strong last year and will be a mismatch problems for teams when he is lined up in the slot. The question mark for this team is can the offensive line hold up. They are not the strongest unit in the league and will have problems protecting the rookie. The defense on paper does not appear to be a strong unit, but they play hard and are a better unit at home with that loud crowd behind them, causing false start penalties, putting teams in long yardage situations. The strength of the defense is in the back end. Safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are opposites but they compliment each other in their opposite style of play. Thomas is a risk taker and can be a ball hawk at times making big plays to spark the team. Chancellor is the hitter of the two. He will play the run and will force fumbles, which also sparks the team. The rest of the defense are role players, but they work well together, but there are no real standouts on the rest of the defense. Seattle will have to work on rebuilding the defense for them to be a contender to the 49ers. The Seahawks will have the benefit of an easier schedule than most teams and will carve up a 7-9 record this season.

3. Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are a team in flux. They have a lot of potential, but can they put all the pieces together is the big question. They made the right choice in choosing John Skeleton as the starting quarterback. Skeleton has proved that he can play in this league and does a better job of winning games than the overpaid Kevin Kolb. Of course, Skeleton has the luxury of throwing to one Larry Fitzgerald who is the second best receiver in the game right now. Fitzgerald can outjump most people and uses that advantage to go after the ball, where the defender cant guard him. He is a home-run hitter as well as a possesion receiver. Fitz will do what's asked of him and make the plays necessary for his team. Lined up opposite of him is Andre Roberts who has shown that he can make plays, but his talents may be better suited in the slot than as the #2, but that may happen soon if 1st round pick Michael Floyd can develop quickly. Floyd has the ability to be the heir apperant to Fitzgerald and has the amazing opportunity to be mentored by a great receiver. RB Beanie Wells quietly had a very good season last year, but it seems like the Cardinals don't want to utilize him like they should. He carried the load last season and may not get the opportunity again this season as the Cardinals will make a push to put last season's draft pick Ryan Williams in the spotlight. Williams is an unknown commodity right now since he missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury. The offensive line is not very good, which will be a problem for Skeleton. He will be under pressure all the time, but he seems to handle the pressure well. The defense is quietly becoming one of the league's best. Last season they were one of the tops in 3rd down defense. They got off the field a lot and teams found it hard to have long drives on them. The front 3 in their 3-4 defense are perfect fits for their positions and do their jobs well without superstar fandom. The linebackers are also non-superstars, but they play their role very well. ILB Daryl Washington is one who could make some noise this year. He plays both the run and pass well and has the speed to match up with tight ends in coverage. CB Patrick Peterson electrified the league last year as a kick returner, but he did improve his coverage skills throughtout the year and is a future shutdown corner in this league. He is backed up by the excellent safety tandem of Kerry Rhodes and Adrian Wilson. Both are excellent against the run and will play their back zones to perfection. It is hard to get behind them. The Cardinals still need some pieces to get back on thier Super Bowl run from a few years back, but they are not far away and will be competitive in every game, finising the 2012 campaign with a 6-10 record.

4. St. Louis Rams. The Rams brought Jeff Fisher back into coaching and by season's end I'm sure he'll be questioning that decision. The Rams are led by QB Sam Bradford, who had an excellent rookie season, but he is going to have to bounce back from injuries that slowed his progression. If Bradford stays healthy, the Rams will be a little more competitive, but they will not make any noise just yet. RB Steven Jackson is one of the league's best. He has been a workhorse for this team for many years now and if he was on a better team would have been to multiple Pro Bowls and could possibly have been a Hall of Famer, but he will not get those accolades, because the franchise has been down for almost all of his career. Jackson is a power back, but he also has deceptive breakaway speed making him a weapon every time he gets the ball. Bradford's biggest problem is that he has no threats in the passing game. Danny Amendola is a nice story and had a great season, but he is not a legitimate #1 receiver. The Rams need a playmaker at the wide receiver position, something they have lacked since the Torry Holt/Issac Bruce days. The offensive line will have difficulties all season long. It is not a solid unit by any means. It could easily be another injury plagued year for Bradford, cause he will take a beating this season. The defense is a better unit than the offense and will only get better with Fisher calling the defense. Chris Long finally started living up to his father's legacy (it's unfair that he has that comparison, but it also drives him to be better). Long has a motor that keeps going and going. He has one mission each play, get to the ball carrier or the quarterback. The young tandem of Quinn and Brockers give the Rams a nice foundation to build around for many years and will do their job stopping the run. ILB James Laurinaitis is an excellent linebacker and is really coming into his own as a leader. Laurinaitis is an everydown linebacker and plays the game with tremendous passion. He still has work to do on his coverage skills and can be a bit over-aggressive against play-action passing, but he is the bestplayer the Rams can put out there at that position. Last year the Rams secondary was excremental. They improved on that by bringing in Cortland Finnegan to play corner. The question is whether he'll be the shut down corner he started out being, or will he be more interested being an instigator. The took a risk on rookie Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins has some trouble-making issues in his past, but if he can get past that has the ability to be a great player. However, like so many athletes with the troubled pasts, will he fall into the same mistakes now that he is getting paid to play. Hopefully, Fisher can keep him in line. The Rams have a long road ahead of them, but if the organization gives Fisher the chance, he can turn things around. It won't be this year as the Rams will finish with a 2-14 record.

Well that's the end of my divisonal team-by-team picks. Now, we'll see in four months how accurate I am.