NFC West Position by Position Rankings

At the end of the 2010 season with the emergence of Sam Bradford, it appeared that the St. Louis Rams would be the clear cut favorites to grab the NFC West title in 2011. But, the Arizona Cardinals have added Kevin Kolb who they think can be a franchise QB. The San Francisco 49ers have added Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner, and Madieu Williams to their secondary and Braylon Edwards at receiver. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks added big time receivers Sidney Rice and Zach Miller, along with a solid guard in Robert Gallery.

Some teams have clear advantages in a position while at other positions are a push. In those cases, the way the advantage will be determined will be the consistency, injury risk, and potential at those positions.

These rankings won't necessarily determine who is the best team out west, only where each teams strong suit lies. A team may have very good running backs and receivers, but if you don't have a quarterback than the chances of being a winning team take a big tumble.

You can fire away with your criticisms about why your team is better than another, but with that said, I'm going to take a crack at determining the rank of every NFC West team at every offensive and defensive position. 

Quarterback

As we all know, quarterback is the most important position on the field. In the NFC West, it is also filled with a lot of young, unproven players.

San Francisco has the most veteran quarterback with Alex Smith. As we all know though, Smith has had a less than stellar career with the 49ers. You can blame it on the constant revolving door of coaches, but stats are stats. For his career Smith has thrown 51 touchdowns to 53 interceptions; there is no way I can give the top spot to the 49ers.

The last spot in the quarterback rankings goes to the Seattle Seahawks. All signs point to head coach Pete Carroll starting Tavaris Jackson at quarterback. Jackson actually has a positive touchdown to interception ratio at 24-22, but he has never thrown 300 passes in a season. The fact that he has average passing numbers and less experience is why I'm placing him below Alex Smith.

The top spot comes down to the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams.

I'm going to go with Sam Bradford and the Rams on this one. This is where the potential factor comes in to play. We saw more potential to be an elite quarterback out of Bradford last season than we have with Kevin Kolb so far. Also, Bradford threw for more yards, touchdowns, and a higher passer rating in one season than Kolb has in his career.

1. St. Louis Rams

2. Arizona Cardinals

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. Seattle Seahawks 

Running Back

Remember how I said some of these positions were practically pushes? Well this is one of them.

Frank Gore and Steven Jackson are two of the league's best running backs. I'm not going to compare Jackson to Gore because both are such great players. This one comes down to the depth behind them. I'm going to go with the Rams as 1a on this one and the 49ers as 1b. The Rams added a proven third down back in Cadillac Williams this offseason whereas the 49ers are relying on second year man Anthony Dixon to be their number two back.

Coming in third place is the Seattle Seahawks. We all remember that lethal run that Marshawn Lynch had in the playoffs, but other than that moment he has been very inconsistent. Lynch hasn't topped 600 yards rushing in three seasons. We all know what Lynch can do, but until he actually does it he lands the Seahawks at number 3 on the list.

I'm sorry Cardinals fans, but your running back tandem places last. I can't put any kind of grade on Ryan Williams obviously because he hasn't played in a game. But, I can put a grade on Beanie Wells. It's fair to say Wells hasn't lived up to expectations. He could never fully take the job from 5th round pick Tim Hightower, and the Cards coaching staff said a lot about Wells by drafting Ryan Williams.

1a. St. Louis Rams

1b. San Francisco 49ers

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. Arizona Cardinals

Wide Receivers

After countless times looking over each teams' rosters, it appears that this may be the weakest position of every NFC West team.

I had to go with the Cardinals because they have one of the top-five receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald. We saw last year how even when none of the Arizona quarterbacks could find any type of consistency, Fitzgerald still reeled in 60 balls for 1,100 yards and 6 touchdowns. The two guys behind Fitzgerald, Early Doucet and Andre Roberts, have flashed the potential to be number two receivers.

After that, there isn't a whole lot of certainty with any of the teams.

The second best receiving core is the Seattle Seahawks. With the reemergence of Mike Williams, and the addition of Sidney Rice they have a pretty good one, two punch. They'll have a solid third option if Golden Tate develops into the receiver they think he can. If he doesn't, Ben Obamanu did very well when called upon.

Coming in third are the St. Louis Rams. They did add Mike Sims-Walker in free agency and it'll be interesting to see how that plays out, but as of now this is a committee of receivers. The stand out in the group is Danny Amendola who caught 85 passes a season ago. After him, everybody has been very up and down.

The 49er group can't be labeled a group of busts yet, but they are coming awful close. Michael Crabtree has yet to live up to the expectations that come with the number 10 overall pick. Many thought Josh Morgan could be a surprise with the organization, but he's been nothing but average in his three years. The signing of Braylon Edwards should help, but Edwards did struggle in Cleveland after Derek Anderson came back to Earth. Without an average quarterback I don't see him having great success.

1. Arizona Cardinals

2. Seattle Seahawks

3. St. Louis Rams

4. San Francisco 49ers 

Tight Ends

The two teams competing for the top spot at tight end are the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers have one of the premier tight ends in the league in Vernon Davis. When his critics labeled him as only a receiving tight end, he improved his blocking to the point where he is very reliable. He was once labeled as immature by many after he was kicked off of the field by Mike Singletary, but he responded by becoming the leader of the offense. Davis is the type of guy every coach would love to have.

However, the Seahawks get the nod because they have two very good tight ends. Zach Miller, who is arguably a top 5 tight end also, was added in a position where they were already strong with John Carlson. Carlson's stats may not be gaudy, but he was always there whenever Hasselbeck needed him.

The Cardinals edge the Rams in this category because of the addition of Todd Heap. Heap, despite his injuries, was always a consistent target for whichever Raven quarterback was playing. The Rams drafted Lance Kendricks in round two of the NFL draft, but only time will tell how good he will be.

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. St. Louis Rams

Offensive Line

I was stuck between two teams for who had the better overall offensive line, but in the end I had to go with the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco has two studs on their offensive front along with a guy who has shown potential. Joe Staley is one of the best left tackles in the NFL. It's tough to imagine how Alex Smith would fare without him. On the right side, they have Anthony Davis, a first round pick a season ago, who projects as their future right tackle. Mike Iupati anchors the interior of the line that includes Chilo Rachal and Jonathan Goodwin. Iupati showed in his first season that he will be a beast of a guard for years to come.

Second place goes to the Rams. They have two young bookend tackles in Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold that protect Bradford from the outside rush. They solidified the interior of their line in free agency by adding Harvey Dahl. Dahl should help Steven Jackson run off tackle on the right side. The other starters inside are Pro bowl center Jason Brown and left guard Jacob Bell.

Seattle has their future left tackle in Russell Okung. He struggled at times his rookie season, but all in all things project well for him. They hope they can say the same for their first round pick James Carpenter. On the inside, the addition of Robert Gallery will really pay off when they decide to run the ball. The other projected starters are Max Unger at center, and third round pick John Moffit at guard.

The Cardinals could use a lot of work on their line. Their starting guard Duece Latui came to training camp overweight. Their other starting guard, Alan Faneca, retired at the end of last season. Levi Brown is an average left tackle, and their starting right tackle, Jeremy Bridges, is also average.

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. St. Louis Rams

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. Arizona Cardinals 

Defensive Line

The number one D-line ranking could've gone to three different teams in my view. Any of the teams could be switched around according to whatever your perspective is. The top three teams all have holes in their lines.

I went with the 49ers because it seems like every season they have a brick wall of a line. Last season, the 49ers were sixth in run defense. I know they lost Aubrayo Franklin in free agency, but they still have solid pass rusher in Justin Smith, and a beast in Isaac Sopoaga. The 49ers line could fall to the bottom of the barrel if they can't find a decent replacement for Franklin.

St. Louis' front four could rank 1st among NFC West teams. They have a very good pass rusher in Chris Long, and two seasoned veterans in James Hall and Fred Robbins. Not to mention the fact that they added another very good pass rusher in Robert Quinn. A big question for them is how well free agent pickup Justin Bannan performs.

The Cards can raise their ranking with the continued improvement of Calais Campbell. While Campbell's stats won't wow you, he makes an impact on every play because of his height at 6'8". He seems like he may be coming along. They also have a proven vet on the other end in Darnell Dockett, who does more than hold his own. Their question mark though is how well second year man Dan Williams will play in his starting role.

The Seahawks have a double digit sack artist in Chris Clemons. A brick wall inside with Brandon Mebane and Colin Cole. So why do they land in last? They start a guy by the name of Kentwan Balmer who has done nothing in three seasons to deserve to start. They finished better than the Cardinals in run defense, but that's mainly because the Cardinals D was set up in terrible situations.

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. St. Louis Rams

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. Seattle Seahawks 

Linebackers

The linebacker position is one where no NFC West team is really great.

I wouldn't say that as a whole the 49er linebacking core is great, but when you have a guy like Patrick Willis, he can make up for a lot of things. Willis is without question one of the top five middle linebackers in the NFL. 49er fans will hope that NaVorro Bowman can step up next to Willis in his second season, and that rookie Aldon Smith can make plays at outside linebacker. The other OLB spot is filled by Ahmad Brooks who has been decent in that role.

The Rams come in second because they have an emerging star in the middle in James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis has totaled 110 plus tackles in his first two seasons in the league. Next to him is former Houston Texan Zac Diles. Diles' production has increased every season and he should fit well in the Rams' scheme. The final outside spot will likely be filled by a rotation of Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora.

Paris Lenon will be the leader of the Arizona Cardinals linebacking core this season. The veteran is really starting to get up there in age at 33, but he still managed to post career bests in 2010. They need Daryl Washington to continue his improvement if they want to move higher in the rankings. On the outside they will play Clark Haggans and O'Brien Schofield.

I have really no choice but to place the Seahawks last. They just lost their defensive leader in the middle, Lofa Tatupu. Tatupu was the heart and sole of a defense that tended to struggle at times. Aaron Curry is going to have to prove his worth if the Seahawks defense is going to improve. David Hawthorne could be in for another very good season as he will have to become a real leader on that squad.

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. St. Louis Rams

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. Seattle Seahawks

Cornerbacks

One of the youngest positions for every team out west is cornerback. No team has a real lockdown corner on their team, but they all have guys that can get the job done.

The Rams' starting tandem of Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher is by no means sexy, but they get the job done. Bradley Fletcher made huge strides a season ago making four interceptions and deflecting ten passes. He showed that the starting corner spot will be his while he's in town. Bartell didn't record an interception last season (even though you'd think he'd catch the one pictured), he did add 11 deflections.

The addition of Carlos Rodgers gives the 49ers the most veteran group at cornerback. They are projected to start Rogers alongside Shawnte Spencer. The tandem combined for five interceptions a season ago. They could have the top spot over the Rams if Rodgers steps in right away and is able to produce like he did in Washington. If he struggles to get used to the 49ers defense, than that could spell problems.

Arizona could very well be at the top of this list fast. They made a great move to add veteran Richard Marshall, who is consistently around three interceptions a year. Their first round selection Patrick Peterson has the makings of the next great cornerback. If Peterson reaches his potential sooner rather than later, the Cards will definitely have a strong hold on the top spot.

The Seahawks main man, Marcus Trufant, is really beginning to get up there in age. He will be 31 in December, and we are starting to see a decline in his numbers. He has only four interceptions in the past three seasons. Their other starting corner, Kelly Jennings, has failed to meet expectations. He has just two interceptions in five years, and has done little to justify his starting spot.

1. St. Louis Rams

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. Seattle Seahawks

Safeties

You know what you are going to get out of Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes more so than any other pair of safeties.

The Cardinals duo at safety is clearly the best because of what Wilson and Rhodes have done so far in their careers. They complement each others styles so well. Adrian Wilson is the guy who will step up in the box and stop the run or short pass. While on the other hand, Kerry Rhodes is patrolling the deep part of the field waiting to take advantage of a poor throw.

I was actually about to publish this and had the 49ers last because of Taylor Mays. The recent signing of Donte Whitner has sprung trade rumors on Mays. Despite his issues, Whitner is a very solid player. He racked up 140 tackles last season. Put him with newly signed Madieu Williams and the 49ers have two solid safeties.

Seattle has a very strong duo in the defensive backfield as well. Jordan Babineaux has shown that he can be a very effective strong safety because of his ability to finish tackles. They drafted their future at the free safety slot a season ago in Earl Thomas who showed that he will be a very talented player. He intercepted five balls last season, third among rookies.

The Rams have an average group of safeties with the addition of Quintin Mikell. Mikell has been more of a run stopper than a coverage safety in his career. James Butler could get the starting job opposite of him for that reason. Butler is more of a coverage type of guy than Craig Dahl is.

1. Arizona Cardinals

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. St. Louis Rams 

Special Teams

Olindo Mare is a good kicker and Jon Ryan is a good punter, but in the end you've got to give it up to Leon Washington.

Washington is the reason the Seahawks place atop the special teams rankings. He ran back three kicks for touchdowns, which tied for a league high. He also finished third in total return yards, and had an 84 yard punt return that could've been another touchdown.

The Cardinals have two very good special team players in punter Ben Graham and return man LaRod Stephens-Howling. Stephens-Howling finished first among all NFL return men in kick return yards, and he took two in for scores. He ranks below Washington because he didn't return punts.

St. Louis has one of the best kickers in Josh Brown and punters in Donnie Jones. Danny Amendola did a very good job in the return game as well. He placed 11th in kick return yards and 2nd in punt return yards.

The 49ers place last on this list despite the efforts of Ted Ginn Jr.. Ginn finished 11th in total punt return yards with a touchdown and was 17th in kick return yards. Andy Lee is also a very good punter.

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. Arizona Cardinals

3. St. Louis Rams

4. San Francisco 49ers  

Overview

Like I said in the first slide, these rankings don't necessarily determine how good each team will fare in the NFC West.

I'm sure you Cardinals' and Seahawks' fans are shaking your heads at the screen right now. Talent doesn't always result in wins. In the end, what the players are doing right now will determine a lot more how they fare. Training camps and preseason games are where teams are going to build their chemestry.

I'm sure that even some Seahawks fans would admit that the most talented team a season ago was the 49ers. But, how did that work out? The Seahawks finished first and the 49ers third.

So for you Cardinals fans and Seahawks fans that are still reading at this point, there is hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and remember that any thing can happen on any given Sunday.