NFL Divisional Preview: NFC West

It is almost August so you know what that means - NFL training camps are back in full swing and the Hall of Fame game is just around the corner as the official kickoff of the road back to the Super Bowl. With that said, we start our divisional previews with the home of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the tough NFC West. This division is still the murderer's row of divisions with any of the teams here being legitimate threats to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Arizona Cardinals

I am still as high on the Arizona Cardinals this year as I was last. Arizona is ready to bust out, especially with Jonathan Cooper coming back from a season-ending injury last year and the addition of Jared Veldheer from Oakland to anchor the offensive line. The emergence of Andre Ellington at the running back spot really helped situate the Arizona offence as something not to be messed around with. The all-around explosive back should better in year two. All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald is still a premier pass catcher in this league. The growing capability of Michael Floyd to be Robin to Fitzgerald's Batman has taken this offence to new levels. Keep an eye on recent second-round pick tight end Troy Niklas out of Notre Dame. His pass catching capability and decent blocking skills should give quarterback Carson Palmer another weapon to add to this potentially potent offence.

This defence is still one of the best in the league, but still might might be the worst ranked defence in this division. That's a scary thought. Losing both middle linebackers this off-season, from one leaving in free agency to Darryl Washington being suspended potentially for a year for drug and assault charges, have left the cupboard a bit bare at the linebacker position, where last year it was the teams strength. Kevin Minter, last year's second round draft pick, will be relied upon to elevate his play. While losing their middle linebackers from last year, the Cardinals made a scary pick up by signing Antonio Cromartie away from the N.Y. Jets. Adding Cromartie to pair with All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson should have quarterbacks on opposing teams shaking in their boots as they both have ability to pick off a pass and take it to the house for six. The safety pair of Tyrann Mathieu and Deone Bucannon is also scary. Both have the ability to make big plays and are a very young duo that will grow over the course of this season. Arizona has probably the slimmest chance of any of making the playoffs of any team in this division as it stands right now. That’s not from lack of talent, but just a super tough division. Prediction: 8-8

San Francisco 49ers

Having been oh so close to championship glory the last two years, the 49ers show no signs of not repeating and making it back to at least the NFC Championship. The 49ers are one of the most talented teams in the league with an offence that got better this past off-season. Acquiring Stevie Johnson from the Buffalo Bills, drafting of Carlos Hyde and the return from injury of Marcus Lattimore will bolster that side of the ball. Trading for Johnson gives quarterback Colin Kaepernick another big body target — just in case he didn't have enough in the form of Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, and Vance McDonald. This passing attack should go as far as Kaepernick's arm and accuracy will take them. The 49ers have the weapons to be a top 5 passing attack in the league. The biggest change will look to be in the back field, where a changing of the guard appears to be happening, with Frank Gore getting older and drafting Hyde, Lattimore, and LaMichael James in the last three years. All three of those younger backs will eat into Gore's bell cow status that he has had since arriving in San Fran in 2005, which might actually be even more dangerous considering the level at which each back is capable. The offensive line is still one of — if not the — best line in football. So, whoever is in the backfield will have wide open spaces in which to run.

The San Fran defence is one of the better ones in the league, but still ranks No. 2 in my books when it comes to the division. The injury to NaVorro Bowman certainly hurts and takes away one of the league's premier middle linebackers for potentially the entire year, depending on how fast he bounces back from injury. The drafting of Chris Borland should help ease the hit at middle linebacker until Bowman gets back, and gives them incredible depth after he returns. The front three of Justin Smith, Glenn Dorsey, and Ray McDonald are solid. Smith is getting up there in years, so this might be the year his play starts to decline. The secondary is solid but not spectacular. Eric Reid should be the bright spot this year as the second-year player will have an opportunity to shine for this defence. Prediction: 11-5, battling for a Wild Card spot in the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks

The champs are here! The Seahawks have as good a chance as any team to make a repeat trip to the Super Bowl. Getting a full year out of star wide out Percy Harvin would be nice. Being very limited in playing time last year because of injury, if Harvin can stay healthy, he can be that explosive player that the Seahawks traded for last year to take the top of defences. The return of Marshawn Lynch from his hold out is huge news, this offence runs through him his presence makes this team the threat it is. The rest of Russell Wilson's supporting cast at wide out are playing above their potential right now and will be tested more with the departure of Golden Tate to Detroit. Look for second-round pick Paul Richardson to be the guy who steps up  for Wilson to get them back to Super Bowl. Zach Miller at tight end is an average tight end who does his job well, and the offensive line is young and talented. Russell Okung is not talked about enough for his solid play at left tackle.

The defending champs largely bring back their entire defence. The Legion of Boom's play last year was incredible and Richard Sherman is the face of it. The secondary of Seattle is the best in the league and the combination of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas at safety is the best in the league. Between Chancellor's hard hitting and Thomas' ball hawking capability, the sky is the limit for this group. The linebackers for the champs are underrated. Wagner and Wright are great coverage linebackers and are quick with great range. The extra pass rush capability of Bruce Irvin off the weak side makes this a formidable trio. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were great pick ups two off-seasons ago and anchor this line to bring the pressure against opposite quarterbacks. Both should pick up 10 sacks this year. Prediction: 12-4, deep run with a strong chance of repeating as Super Bowl champs

St. Louis Rams

This team is by far the biggest wild card in the division, and it all depends on the health and play of quarterback Sam Bradford. The Rams could sneak into the playoffs as the third team out of this division and could be just as dangerous as the Seahawks or 49ers. Bradford, first and foremost, has to be healthy for this team to do anything and has to return to form he showed as a rookie. If that happens, this team could go for division title. If not, they could easily be last place in this division. The wide receivers and tight ends for Bradford are some of the most explosive in the league. Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Austin Pettis, Brian Quick and especially Tavon Austin have the potential to blow the top of any defence when used correctly. Running back Zac Stacy was a surprise last year and should continue his success. Drafting Tre Mason out of Auburn should add an explosive, shifty back out of the backfield. Greg Robinson, the guard out of Auburn, should help anchor the left side of the line with Jake Long. Resigning Rodger Saffold to play right tackle should keep Bradford up-right.

This front four of the Rams' line absolutely terrifies me, and I am not even a quarterback. The addition of Aaron Donald to the already talented line of the Rams should keep quarterbacks up at night. Chris Long and Robert Quinn might be the most talented duo off the ends in the league. Quinn should have another 15 or more sack season, while Long should be in the 10 sack range. Even the defensive tackles can get around 8 sacks each. Michael Brockers and Donald will cause chaos up the middle of the offensive line. Alec Ogletree and James Laurinaitis are two great young talents who are playmakers at their position, can fly to the ball, and are solid against the run. The strong side linebacker position is a little bit weaker than elsewhere in the linebacking core. I expect Ray-Ray Armstong to come out strong in pre-season and take the job away from Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Losing Cortland Finnegan to Miami this off-season hurts this secondary, Janoris Jenkins will now be relied upon to be the shut down corner and Trumaine Johnson will be a solid across from him. The depth behind them is kind of shaky, but the pressure put on them by the front 4 on line should ease pressure on secondary. This team can either boom or bust as of right now. Prediction 7-9, but with the potential to compete in the division.

NFL Offseason Review: NFC West

With training camp about to start in the NFL, let's take a look at the offseason for each and every team and their potential outlook for the upcoming NFL season.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals made a big splash this offseason by trading for Carson Palmer from the Oakland Raiders. This will be a big upgrade from the spare junk quarterbacks they were putting on the field last year to throw to Larry Fitzgerald. New head coach Bruce Arians - coming over from the Colts in the offseason after turning the lowly Colts from the league worst record last year in 2011 to playoff contender in 2012 with head coach Chuck Pagano being out because of his cancer situation - will bring a methodical offense over to help out the Cards and let that incredibly underrated defense do it's thing.

The defense lost a couple key contributors in Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes, but traded for Javier Arenas from Kansas City, signed Antoine Cason away from San Diego, and signed Yeremiah Bell to help out their already solid defense. The return of Karlos Dansby to help anchor the linebackers, and a very underrated draft by the Cards will help them push the other teams in the NFC West. I believe they hit on every single one of their picks, grabbing Jonathan Cooper in the first to solidify their line, Kevin Minter in the second to add depth to linebacker, and Tyrann Mathieu - if he can keep his head on straight - will be a steal in the 3rd. Overall, look for Arizona to have a good year, around 6-8 wins can easily be done.

San Francisco 49ers

The NFC Champs from last year did nothing to make anyone doubt they will be making a repeat trip to the Super Bowl this year. The loss of Michael Crabtree to injury will definitely hurt the champs, but the addition of Anquan Boldin and A.J. Jenkins stepping up will be more then enough to make that not a factor. Another year of Colin Kaepernick maturing and playing the full year will help. Hopefully his running style will not lead him to get injured like RG3. The running back position for the 49ers will get a nice boost with Marcus Lattimore coming in from the draft leaving that position stocked to the max.

One of the best defenses in the league only got better this offseason. True, the loss of Dashon Goldson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is going to hurt. But replacing him with Eric Reid in the draft should lessen the hit. Also signing Nnamdi Asomugha away from the Eagles should help the secondary. I do believe he is much better then what he showed with Philly. The linebacking core is still intact and it's the strength of the team, with every starter being a Pro Bowl caliber player. The defensive line should be solid as long as Justin Smith can stay healthy. The additions of Glenn Dorsey from Kansas City, drafting Tank Carradine, and former track and field star Lawrence Okoye should help lessen the loss of Issac Sopoaga in free agency. I full expect the 49ers to be there at the end of the season, playing for the NFC Championship or even taking aim at the Super Bowl again. 

Seattle Seahawks

Let me start out by saying I believe the Seahawks overpaid to get Percy Harvin, but man will he just make this offensive that much more explosive. So, in the end, it might be worth it especially if they go deep into playoffs. Other than that, the Seahawks offense remains pretty much intact from last year: Russell Wilson doing his thing, the offensive line being solid, and beast mode Marshawn Lynch running over people not smart enough to get out of the way. The Seahawks had a weak draft in my opinion, taking Christine Michael with their 2nd pick was drafting for luxury at a position where they're already stacked. The rest of their picks were more depth moves. No real splash players there.

The 'Hawks lost a couple big defensive linemen in the offseason in Alan Branch - who for being a mountain of a man is quite agile - to the Buffalo Bills, and Jason Jones, an extremely underrated piece of that defensive line to the Lions. They gained 2 good pass rushers in free agency in Cliff Avril from the Lions (making it pretty much a trade of Jones for Avril a deal I think Seattle won). Also Michael Bennett from the Buccaneers, who is solid against the run and a good pass rusher, gives them another 2 ends to go with their already solid combo of Bruce Irvin and Chris Clemons. The secondary for the Seahawks remains the strength of the team, and signing aging wonder Antoine Winfield can only help. The linebackers are an underrated group, lead by Bobby Wagner. He and KJ Wright make a fantastic combo for the Seahawks. Like the 49ers, they could be the team representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. I fully expect the Seahawks and Niners to be battling for that Super Bowl spot.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams have finally given Quarterback Sam Bradford some legit weapons on the outside in the form of West Virginia wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. These 2 quick-as-lightning versatile wide outs should help stretch defenses out and force the safeties to play deep to stop big plays. This will lead to big plays from free agent tight end acquisition Jared Cook, who himself is a big athletic threat to take it deep as well. Expect Bradford to get back to the numbers he put up in his rookie season. To keep the former number 1 overall pick upright, the Rams signed Jake Long to protect Bradford's blind side. This signing should solidify the o-line making them a solid overall. The drafting of Barrett Jones from Alabama should help as well. His versatility along the inside of the line will give them depth. The big question in the Lou will be at running back. Gone is Steven Jackson, who will be a Hall of Famer when he decides to hang the cleats up. Two 2nd year backs will carry the load for the Rams; Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson will be relied on to pick up the slack. Expect them both to split the carries pretty evenly. Don't expect their combined numbers to be anywhere near the numbers Steven Jackson did in his hey day.

St. Louis will have a solid defense this year. Their front 4 is as solid as any in the league. Chris Long and Robert Quinn will both have double digit sacks, in my opinion. The linebacking core got a big upgrade in the selection of Alex Ogletree with their second pick of the first round. He will pair up nicely with James Laurinaitis, especially in the nickel packages. Both are rangy and can play the run and the pass. The Rams are solid at corner with Finnegan and Jenkins starting, and have much more depth behind them. The worry is going to be at safety. Both 3rd round selection TJ Mcdonald and whoever wins the job out of camp are going to be exposed back there. Watch out for that Rams fans. In the tough NFC West the Rams are going to put up a heck of a fight up to get into the playoffs, but I see them coming up short this year. Look for 8-9 wins and just coming up short for a playoff spot.

That's it for my look at the NFC West stay tuned for my look at the NFC South next!

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