Remember a few short years ago when the Seahawks won this division by virtue of beating the Rams in week 17, therefore earning the tiebreaker over St Louis and capturing the division title with a record of 7-9? Remember all the talk of making a rule so that you can’t make the playoffs with a losing record, that surrounded it? By the halfway point of that 2010 season not even Rain Man could have kept track of how many times that division was described as “the worst in sports”. Now three years short years later and they are the best in the NFL. Hell even Arizona, should be competitive.

How they will finish:

4. Cardinals 4-12 overall, 0-6 in the division (+2500 to win the division)

That Cardinals team last year may have been the worst football team in my lifetime. I’m not typically one of those dopes that say a college team could have hung with the pros but if you were forced to make a bet on a matchup of the 2012 Arizona Cardinals and the 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide with the spread set at even, where is your money going? Maybe you’re thinking well I’d take Alabama just for the fun of it. Okay what if the spread was Alabama -3? That Cardinals offensive line was so bad last year that the abysmal quarterbacking crew they had didn’t even have a chance to get a throw off. Maybe Alabama wouldn’t be able to score against the size and speed of an NFL defense but I can’t picture Arizona scoring against Alabama, in that hypothetical, either.

The Cardinals were obviously in need of a massive overhaul this offseason, and that they did. This offseason they brought in a new coaching staff, hiring Bruce Arians who filled in rather nicely for Chuck Pagano a year ago, signed RB Rashard Mendenhall, DE Frostee Rucker, DE Matt Shaughnessy, LB Lorenzo Alexander, LB Jasper Brinkley, LB Karlos Dansby, CB Antoine Cason, CB Jerraud Powers, and S Yeremiah Bell. They also traded for QB Carson Palmer and CB Javier Arenas. Then they drafted S Tyrann Mathieu, LB Kevin Minter, LB Alex Okafor, WR Ryan Swope, and RB Stepfan Taylor. It’s safe to say they were rather active this offseason.

There are still glaring weaknesses on this offense like the offensive line and the fact that Carson Palmer is a bit of a quick fix instead of a problem solver. Despite the fact that he is still Carson Palmer he should be a huge upgrade from last year's situation. While he will still throw his share of INTD’s, he is actually capable of getting the ball to Larry Fitzgerald, which wasn’t possible last year. After five consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons Fitz was only able to tally 798 receiving yards last year and had a career low average yards per catch with 11.2. He should benefit big time by the arrival of Palmer and that will instantly make this offense at least a little bit better.

Another guy that will benefit from Palmer and that should help spread the field for Fitzgerald is TE Rob Housler. Bruce Arians has already praised his ability to block and he has the tangibles to be a threat downfield as well. He raised his reception totals from 12 in 2011, his rookie year, to 45 last year even with those god awful quarterbacks. However he suffered a high ankle sprain last week and was held out of the final preseason game. It doesn’t seem like he will miss any regular season games yet, but those injuries are dangerous and can lead to much bigger problems.

The running game certainly needs some work as well. Last year they ranked dead last in rushing with only 75 per game. Of course all the stats on last year's team should just be thrown out the window but Rashard Mendenhall might not be the answer to fixing the problem. I give them credit for shaking things up but he only only carried the rock 51 times for 182 yards in six games last year. While he did have two thousand yard seasons in Pittsburgh one came by way of 324 carries. That had to play a large part in him injuring his knee the following season. Then last year he tried to come back maybe a bit too soon and looked slow before making his way to Arizona. He will be the starter in Week 1 and for the foreseeable future but his value is more as a short yardage back not as a feature back.

As far as their defense is concerned, things may be finally trending in the right direction. Last year they were 28th against the run. They were so bad against the run that it helped their secondary reach the top 5 against the pass. Not to discredit their secondary too much they have some really talented pieces. They really revamped their front seven. Three new faces will start at linebacker while a total of five new faces will get a lot of playing time at those seven positions. The middle of that defensive line is still weak but between Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett and Frostee Rucker they have some talent along that line now.

Like I said the Cardinals defense was 5th against the pass last year but a large part of that was in thanks to the opposition running down their throat so much. While they lost Adrian Wilson, Kerry Rhodes, William Gay, and Greg Toler from that 2012 crew, they replaced them with Yeremiah Bell, Javier Arenas, Jerraud Powers, Antoine Cason, Tyrann Mathieu. Even if they were overrated last year, the 2013 version will have a secondary consisting of Patrick Peterson and Powers at cornerback, Yeremiah Bell and the honey badger at safety and Arenas, Cason and Rashad Johnson for depth. As far as I am concerned they are even better.

Even though I have used too many words on the Arizona Cardinals I can’t not talk about the second coming of Deion Sanders. Patrick Peterson is the closest thing we have seen to Primetime. He is a shutdown corner, a special teams weapon, he even has been taking some snaps are wide receiver this preseason. Now if we can only get him to pick up a baseball bat. By the way if the new faces in the secondary can play to their potential and allow Peterson to rest a bit when they are on defense the Cardinals might actually be able to play him at wide receiver without losing too much on the defensive side. They don’t have a ton of offensive weapons and he could make all the difference in spreading opposing defenses out.

All in all this team is headed in the right direction. They obviously still have holes to fill but the future is bright in Arizona, it’s just a shame they have to play the 49ers, Seahawks and Rams six times, not to mention non divisional games of @ NO, vs Atl, and vs Hou. This is probably the best team ever to have 25-1 odds to win an NFL division.

3. Rams 8-8 overall, 2-4 in the division (+750 to win the division)

In 2009 the Rams finished 1-15 resulting in getting the first overall pick and Sam Bradford. In his rookie season the Rams had a chance to win the NFC West at 8-8 and get into the playoffs. Before they blew that game I doubt that anyone thought by the time 2013 rolled around Bradford still wouldn’t have achieved a record over .500. Then they lost to Seattle, missed the playoffs and things fell apart.

In 2011 they followed a near playoff run with a 2-14 season. After that abysmal year I don’t think anyone thought the Rams were actually close to being successful once again. Then for 2012 they brought in Jeff Fisher as head coach and had themselves a nice season. Still they came in at just under .500 but that was pretty good seeing as to how they had nearly zero playmakers surrounding Bradford and looked as though they were clearly in the middle of a rebuilding phase that could take years. While they didn’t finish with an overall record of .500 or better they did finish with a record over .500 against the 49ers and Seahawks (2-1-1).

Now in 2013 things are looking up but they are still looking up at Seattle and San Francisco. They bid farewell to Danny Amendola, Steven Jackson, and wide receiver Brandon Gibson (Gibson led the Rams in catches, targets and receiving touchdowns last year and was just just eight yards shy of leading the team in receiving yards) as well as a couple defensive pieces. However they had a stellar offseason and will be looking to finish 8-8 or better for the first time since 2006 (in 2006 as well as 2004, their last winning season was back in 2003). The Rams made two key signings, one on both sides of the ball, and coupled that with a great draft.

With the first signing, Jeff Fisher was able to convince one of the off-seasons’ most sought after players, tight end Jared Cook, to follow him from Tennessee to St. Louis for just $16M guaranteed. Of course the only explanation is that he came into the league under Jeff Fisher, he had his best year under Jeff Fisher and now looks to become the next star tight end under Jeff Fisher. While an average of $7M a year for 5 years is nothing to scoff at he definitely could have gotten at least more guaranteed money elsewhere. But, Cook obviously looks up to Fisher and feels comfortable with him, which is exactly what I’d want, as a fan/fantasy owner, out of my young budding star athlete. Because this 6’5 248 pound monster, not only has helped block for a 2,000 yard rusher, but also possesses 4.49 speed. Bradford this season should be an upgrade from Locker a year ago especially with all the new toys he has.

In an odd way, the guy that may benefit the most from the Cook signing is tight end Lance Kendricks. The Rams selected Kendricks in the 2nd round in the 2011 draft with a lot of hype surrounding his freakish athleticism. He has yet to cash in on those abilities though. In his first two seasons he has only totaled 70 catches for 871 yards. While the addition of Cook figures to take away from his time on the field it frees him up a little. There won’t be as much pressure on his shoulders to produce consistently. He will be able to develop a little more and he will benefit from yet another target that spreads the defense out. Cook is certainly the #1 tight end on the team but I actually think Kendricks will have a career year this season in large part thanks to Cook’s arrival.

A few days later came the signing of left tackle Jake Long; uniting the top two picks from the 2008 draft, and providing Sam Bradford with some Pro Bowl caliber protection on his blind side.

Then came the draft where they picked up WR Tavon Austin who may be a rich mans’ Percy Harvin very soon as well as the poor mans Percy Harvin WR Stedman Bailey. Both of whom should come in and produce right away. These guys are both fast and athletic and just make plays. I almost feel bad for Stedman, on any other team he would be talked about much more. But he is going to end up being more of a secret weapon.

They also drafted Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree. This first round pick is going to come in and start immediately as the weakside linebacker. Playing alongside James Laurinaitis and Jo-Lonn Dunbar is going to create one of the best young linebacking groups in the NFL. He fell in the draft because of some off the field issues which basically just handed St. Louis a defensive rookie of the year candidate and a potential stud for years to come.

While the running back core needs to develop, or be replaced, and the secondary isn’t great this Rams team has a very bright future. However this year the schedule is a real bitch (two games against Seattle and SF, as well as games @ Atl, @ Dal, @ Hou, @ Car, @ Ind, vs Chi, and vs NO). While I wouldn’t be shocked if they were a third team representing the NFC West in the playoffs this season, I wouldn't bet on it. But the 2014 NFC West division title? ...maybe.

2. 49ers 12-4 overall, 5-1 in the division (-110 to win the division)

The two-time reigning NFC West champs may be even better this year. While they lost safety Dashon Goldson, they did bring in Nnamdi Asomugha and drafted safety Eric Reid from LSU in the first round, to try and fill that void. While the safety position may be a weak spot in the defense but the rest of the crew is absolutely loaded. They got deeper up front and their linebackers are all studs.

Another offensive move they made this offseason that I loved was drafting Marcus Lattimore. He of course needs to get healthy and with a few really good backs already on the team it gives him a chance to relax and not press himself. I hope he comes back as the stud he was but even a shadow of that would be great. I would assume the 49ers would be working him in as the eventual successor to Frank Gore.

The one big weakness on this team is the receivers. While they traded for Anquan Boldin, and I love me some Anquan Boldin, Mario Manningham is on the PUP list and Michael Crabtree is out until November at the earliest. That leaves them with Kyle Williams, Quinton Patton, Chad Hall and whatever is left in Austin Collie’s body. The ideal situation for a young quarterback with Super Bowl expectations probably isn’t to give him two guys to throw the ball to.

This is why LaMichael James needs to begin to look like he did in Oregon. He needs to be dynamic. They should look to throw him the ball a bit more underneath the defense or on a screen play. If you can, grab him in your fantasy league.

These top two teams are basically a coin flip. They are both so good that their two games this year are absolutely must watch television. Just so you know, they are Week 2 on SNF, and Week 14 which will most likely get flexed to SNF. The 49ers are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year and it’s because of their defense and the dynamic play of Colin Kaepernick. If those two things can be constants then they might end up winning the Lombardi Trophy this year.

1. Seahawks 13-3 overall, 5-1 in the division (Even money to win the division)

How do you improve on a defense that only allowed 15 points per game last season? By retaining nearly everyone while convincing Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, who had 18.5 combined sacks last year, to come in and be backups.

The young offense will be better just by growing a year older as well. They will actually be much better by years end if Percy Harvin can find his way onto the field. While their receiving core isn’t bad they could really use Harvin in the slot alongside Sidney Rice and Golden Tate who seems to be growing into something nice and figures to really explode sometime soon, probably when Harvin comes back. Other than the acquisition of Harvin the offense is virtually the same as it was last year. Second round pick Christine Michael, a running back out of Texas A&M, may get the nod as Marshawn Lynch’s backup and as the change of pace back that should make that team even deeper.

Another newcomer to keep your eye on is WR Chris Harper. This kid is strong. He began his college career with a scholarship to play quarterback at Oregon before being converted to receiver and transferring to Kansas State. Once he began his life as a Wildcat Harper became the favorite target of Colin Klein. As a junior and senior he led the team in receiving and helped some good rushing teams succeed. He was even named to the All Big 12 Second Team his senior year. While Harvin is out he may get some run, and he may impress us all.

Somehow I feel like the Seahawks are underrated this year. They return a better version of the 2012 team that ended up 11-5, just a half game back of the division winning 49ers. A team that allowed roughly 11% less points per game than anyone in the NFL, including SF. One that barely got edged by two points at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. This year they are going to edge the 49ers in the regular season but for both of them, success will only be awarded with a ring.

Best Bets:

Seattle Even money to win the division

Rams 40-1 to win the 2014 Super Bowl

mlz

Monday, September 2, 2013