St. Louis Rams
Taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft is always a boom or bust prospect, yet the St. Louis Rams appear to have hit the jackpot with last year’s number one overall selection Sam Bradford. The Rams go as far as Bradford takes them this season, which I predict is straight through the heart of the NFC West and all the way to the playoffs.
Coming off a spectacular rookie campaign in which he accounted for every single Rams pass attempt, completing 60% of them for 3512 yards and 18 touchdowns, Bradford enters his sophomore season having to learn his second NFL playbook under new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Based on the results of that system in New England and Denver—Tom Brady’s record breaking 2007, Matt Cassel’s 11-5 2008, Kyle Orton’s 3700-yard-per-season average, Orton even could have surpassed 4000 yards last year had Tim Tebow not gotten in the way—assuming he gets it down, Bradford should flourish.
Joining Bradford on offense is the long-time Ram stalwart and top-10 running back Stephen Jackson. An absolute workhorse for so many years, the 28-year-old Jackson has yet to show any signs of slowing.
On the outside Bradford made a pretty motley crew look like superstars last year. Mark Clayton was their big play threat who got injured mid-season and was missed sorely down the stretch. Danny Amendola looked like Bradford’s Wes Welker. 2009 standout Donnie Avery missed a lot of time last year and he should be back healthy ready to make an impact. Young bucks Mardy Gilyard and Austin Pettis will look to make their marks, and free agent signee Mike Sims-Walker brings the elements of size and physicality to the rest of this smallish group.
Take this with a grain of salt, but rookie tight end Lance Kendricks has played very well in the preseason. Kendricks can fill the athletic tight end role, a position Bradford astutely utilized in college throwing to Jermaine Gresham.
Another of the Rams’ offseason acquisitions, former Falcon Harvey Dahl, will join an already astute offensive line that features center Jason Brown, tackles Roger Saffold and Jason Brown, and guard Jacob Bell. That all should shape up to be quite a unit for a long time.
After the departure of Oshiomogho Atogwe, the defense is left without many stars, though that’s not to say this isn’t a sound group. Chris Long has improved each year in the league and is one of this defense’s young leaders, the other being Steve Spagnuolo’s on-field counterpart, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Opposite Long, the 33-year-old James Hall racked up 10.5 sacks last year, making a scary pair of defensive ends. A nice addition at safety, Quintin Mikell adequately replaces Atogwe, but overall the secondary lacks playmakers.
Biggest Strengths: Having Sam Bradford, the best quarterback in the division.
Biggest Weaknesses: The Rams are a young team that lacks experience, and they could use more talent in the secondary.
Eric’s Prediction: 9-7, First in NFC West
Adam’s Prediction: 7-9, Second in NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
I’m a little higher on Kevin Kolb than Adam is, but both of us agree, the Arizona Cardinals gave up a lot to get him, so he’d better be worth it. Yet, I also argue that judging Arizona’s quarterback situation last year, there’s no way bringing in Kolb would not be a monumental improvement.
Kolb has not shown a lot in limited action—only seventeen games played and seven games started—but there have been glimpses of that ever-tantalizing “potential.” Of his seven starts, Kolb posted 100+ passer ratings in three of them. The other four were a blowout in which he was forced to attempt 51 passes and ended up throwing three interceptions (his first career start), a game he plain got knocked out of, one stinker, and a meaningless Week 17 game in which none of the regulars played.
Although Arizona possesses limited options on offense, the ones that are there are pretty good. After his spectacular 2009 playoff run, many people believed Larry Fitzgerald to be the best wideout in football. Even with Kurt Warner no longer chucking bombs last season, Fitzgerald still caught 90 passes for 1137 yards. Losing Steve Breaston hurts this offense; either Andre Roberts or Early Doucet needs to catch on as the second receiving threat. Todd Heap brings a tremendous set of hands to the tight end position, but staying healthy is never an easy task for “The Stormin’ Mormon.”
With Tim Hightower now in Washington and second-round draft pick Ryan Williams done for the year, the starting running back slot belongs solely to Beanie Wells. A rebound after a sub-par sophomore season would greatly help this offense, but that could be a tough assignment considering the Cardinals’ lackluster offensive line.
Arizona runs a hybrid 3-4 defense, and up front Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell create lots of havoc both inside and outside. The problem for Arizona: I don’t see much else behind them though. Joey Porter is well past his prime, and though still a good player, so is safety Adrian Wilson. In drafting Patrick Peterson the Cards got one of the top talents in the draft, but even so, relying on a rookie cornerback is typically a terrifying prospect.
Biggest Strengths: Having a weapon like Larry Fitzgerald makes everyone’s job easier.
Biggest Weaknesses: The most important position on the field is filled by a complete unknown, Kevin Kolb.
Eric’s Prediction: 8-8, Second in NFC West
Adam’s Prediction: 7-9, Third in NFC West
San Francisco 49ers
With an exciting, new head coach, much optimism runs through the hearts of 49er faithful. Jim Harbaugh was the most sought after head coach this offseason, and he comes to a team with offensive deficiencies that hasn’t had a winning record since 2002, the San Francisco 49ers.
And when I mention “offensive deficiencies,” that conversation begins and ends with Alex Smith. The 49ers refuse to let former number one overall pick fall into a “bust” label; they keep giving him chances. There have been moments where Smith takes one’s breath away and makes that number one selection seem worth it, but in equal measure are the moments that just make one sigh, or worse.
If San Francisco struggles this season, it’s all on Smith’s shoulders. The skill positions are set with as good a supporting cast as there is in football. Frank Gore is still running strong even after reaching the age of 28 and leading his team in rushing for the past six-straight seasons. Regarded as the top talent in his draft, Michael Crabtree, though injured and may miss some time, is currently entering his third year in the league, the year where many wide receivers blossom and put up monster numbers. To complement Crabtree the Niners brought in ex-Jet Braylon Edwards, who might have trouble catching the ball but whose athleticism is a definite plus. Then over the middle they have the most complete tight end in football, Vernon Davis. A sick athlete that catches passes and drives guys into the dirt in the blocking game, Davis does it all.
Plus, breathing down Smith's neck is the rookie second-round pick, Colin Kaepernick. Either Kaepernick will push Smith to get better, or Kaepernick's mere presence will topple Smith's fragile psyche like a house of cards.
Quarterback guru Harbaugh has to be itching to groom Kaepernick—big arm, mobile, yet unpolished—into San Fran's quarterback of the future. Yet the problem is that he might have to be the quarterback right now.
Joe Staley and Mike Iupati make up one heck of a left side to the offensive line; on the other San Francisco is still looking for the right mix. Anthony Davis had a terrible rookie season and must rebound. The 49ers also need to replace center David Baas, who departed via free agency.
After San Francisco’s 8-8 2009 season, the defense really looked like it was going to be great. Led on the sidelines by Mike Singletary and on the field by Patrick Willis, they were supposed to be a force to be reckoned with. Yet last year did not fulfill that promise. Partly because that unit was a little overrated and another part because the offense was so terrible the defense never got off the field, the 2010 defense was a disappointment.
You can’t blame anything on Willis though. Our choice for the best defensive player in the game, Willis is a terror on the field, but he needs help. The secondary looks like it could be a good unit with Carlos Rogers coming in to play at one corner and a dynamic pair of safeties in Dashon Goldson and free agent signee Donte Whitner. Backing them up will be Madieu Williams and Taylor Mays, two guys I'd like to see more out of than what they've shown. First-round pick Aldon Smith must be good right away if the Niners hope to generate pass rush, but for a raw rookie, that seems like a stretch.
All told, this will be the year of Jim Harbaugh. Can he change the culture of losing? Can he change Alex Smith? Those are the tasks that lay ahead.
Biggest Strengths: There is undeniable talent at the skill positions.
Biggest Weaknesses: Alex Smith.
Eric’s Prediction: 8-8, Third in NFC West
Adam’s Prediction: 8-8, First in NFC West
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks can be summed up by its quarterback situation: either Charlie Whitehurst or Tarvaris Jackson.
I feel like I should stop there, but I’ll go on.
Outside of Russell Okung and to a lesser extent Robert Gallery, the offensive line is a pretty ugly unit. Ditto for the running back group. They have Marshawn Lynch, who wasn’t good enough hold down a starting gig in Buffalo; Leon Washington, who’s best as a kick returner; and scatback/wannabe R&B star Justin Forsett. Their fullback, Michael Robinson, was a college quarterback, because when I think about what I want from a lead blocker, I think of a quarterback.
Zach Miller at tight end and wide receiver Sidney Rice are really nice targets to bring in, but who can get them the ball?
On defense they have Aaron Curry, who was one of the top talents in his draft but who is still trying to figure out the NFL game, and no one else I care to mention.
Last year’s playoff win be damned, our expectations are extremely low for the Seahawks. This could be a long year.
Biggest Strengths: Uh… the 12th man?
Biggest Weaknesses: The roster.
Eric’s Prediction: 4-12, Fourth in NFC West
Adam’s Prediction: 3-13, Fourth in NFC West
--from @jeuneski
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