Here is part five in my eight part NFL preview. In this article I will predict the seasons of the Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers, and Rams. It should be a much improved season for the division, but don't expect any of the teams to make a play for the Superbowl.
The Seattle Seahawks. Last Season: 10-6. Off-season Grade: C-. Predicted Record: 10-6
The Seahawks are lucky in that they have a fairly easy schedule. The defense will be tough this year. The D-line is stacked with Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Jason Babin, Rocky Bernard, Brandon Mebane, and rookie Lawrence Jackson. The linebackers are pretty good with Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill, and Julian Peterson. The secondary is also decent with Trufant, Babineaux, Grant, and Russell. Needless to say, the defense is pretty good. The offense isn't great, but it should be able to get the team to the playoffs. Julius Jones isn't a great step up from Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris is their best running back and should be the starter. He can get them 4.5 yards per carry where Jones would likely get 3.8. A lot of the teams on their schedule are mediocre at best and the schedule is way too easy for them to not take this division.
The Arizona Cardinals. Last Season: 8-8. Off-season Grade: C. Predicted Record: 5-11
The team's schedule is very difficult, at least for the Cardinals. Every year, the team should improve, but I don't see it happening this year. Edgerrin James isn't good enough to carry the running game to the playoffs, and his performance should be less than stellar this season. The team has potential on their side; they have talented young players all over the field and I can't see this team not making the playoffs soon. They aren't awful anywhere, but they aren't spectacular anywhere either. With some fine tuning they should be competitive within the next two or three seasons. They lost Bryant Johnson but they picked up Early Doucet. I also like the picks of Calais Campbell and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. They should be an interesting team to watch in the next few seasons.
The San Francisco 49ers. Last Season: 5-11. Off-season Grade: B+. Predicted Record: 9-7
The team brought in Mike Martz to coordinate the offense and I like the possibilities with their young maturing players. Look for another big year from Frank Gore and expect Alex Smith to be much better than he was a season ago. Tight end Vernon Davis may finally have an impact on the offense. On defense, they have Patrick Willis, the NFL's leading tackler from a year ago. Don't expect anything different from him or the rest of the defense for that matter. They fail to force turnovers and this could be a problem if the offense doesn't come through. Last season, they had a chance to be good, but injuries bugged them. If they stay fairly healthy, they have a good future and should be productive in 2008.
The St. Louis Rams. Last Season: 3-13. Off-season Grade: B+. Predicted Record: 5-11
The Rams are young and have a lot of talent, but their schedule is stacked. The team is better than the 3-13 team they were a year ago. This is a year devoted to improvement. With Chris Long and Adam Carriker on the D-line, the defense will be awesome in the coming seasons. I really like the possibilities on the line. It should be impossible to run or throw on them once they have gotten going. On offense, Steven Jackson is a stud and will again be great, assuming he stays healthy. The team should be very good on offense and on defense in a few years. They have a really good chance to be more than just a competitor to make the playoffs, but to get to the Superbowl.
So the NFC West isn't bad, but it isn't great either. The only team that hasn't taken large steps toward the future is the Seahawks. The rest of the teams aren't far from being very competitive. In a few years look for a possible reverse finish in the order of the way teams finished last season.
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