NFC West is Predictable, Yet Big Surprises May Lie Ahead
Dan Mohrmann
The Seattle Seahawks are going to win the NFC West. There’s no argument that can be made for any other team to even try and dethrone the NFC Champs from the division. Looking past the almost garneted division winners, the finish of the rest of the teams is going to be a shock to almost the entire football world.
What has to be remembered is that the NFC West was the worst division in football, so what might come out may not be a surprise to some people. Look for the Arizona Cardinals to hang tough and finish second in the division. The Cardinals have been the joke of the NFL for as long as most people can remember, but their rebuilding process has been one that will eventually lead to a solid football team.
The start of the process was the drafting of wide-receiver Larry Fitzgerald. In his short career, Fitzgerald has already become the go-to receiver on the team. The Cardinals have struggled, even with Fitzgerald, but their future was determined during the 2006 off-season. The signing of Edgerrin James and the drafting of quarterback Matt Leinart have made the Cardinals a team that will be a legitimate force in the next three years. But for now, the young team that they are will finish second place in the division with a potential wild card birth. If they don’t make the playoffs in 2006, they will in 2007.
Look for the St. Louis Rams to finish third in the division. Although the team has some great talent in quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson, the team has little direction, which was shown after the firing of Head Coach Mike Martz. The team might show improvement over the next few years with potential breakout draft picks such as tight end Joe Klopfenstein. However, with little improvement in the off-season, the Rams will not their 6-10 record.
The road ends with San Francisco. The 49ers have not done anything to improve their situation in the last three years. Alex Smith has not been the answer that the Niners have wanted, and they have done nothing to improve the team through free agency. San Francisco fans are in for a long period of pain when it comes to football. The team is not good and the front office has shown no commitment to make the team worth while. Look for the Niners to finish in a distant last, winning no more than six games in 2006.
The Seahawks all but have the division locked up, barring something catastrophic happening during the season. Shaun Alexander might be the best running back in football, and has the ability to throw a team on his back and carry them to victory.
While the NFC West might remain the worst division in football, the Cardinals and Rams have the potential to get better while the Seahawks will remain a solid football club. Look for the entire outlook in the division to change in the next two years, but until then Seattle is on top, even though Arizona is not far behind.