San Francisco 49ers
This is the team that took everyone by surprise last year. Though they won’t sneak up on anyone this year, they won’t lose a step, especially in a division that is notoriously weak. Harbarugh did what no other coach has been able to do – understand Alex Smith. That made all the difference. Great teams are the ones that understand their strengths and use them to their advantage. The 49ers wrote the book on this last year. Now with the addition of Randy Moss, they have a proven big play receiver besides Vernon Davis. All of the defensive starters return—an unheard of phenomenon in today’s age of free agency. With Patrick Willis in the center, leading this unit, look for them to continue their dominance.
Arizona Cardinals
I’m putting the Cardinals above the Seahawks here because of their schedule. I also believe they’re a huge sleeper team. John Skelton will be the quarterback here—he has earned it. He has Larry Fitzgerald and Todd Heap to throw to, as well as Beanie Wells (RB), who has continued to develop. The defense was middle of the pack—literally, they were ranked 18th. But that doesn’t mean they lack for talent. Darnell Docket, Patrick Peterson, Adrian Wilson, William Gay and Calais Campbell are the heart of this defense. They needed a year to adjust to the 3-4, but should be more confident now. They’re my sleeper pick for the playoffs. Playoffs?!?!
Seattle Seahawks
I have never been sold on Pete Carroll and his methods. I don’t like Russell Wilson, even though he is from Wisconsin, as a rookie starting quarterback, especially over Matt Flynn. We’ll see if he doesn’t get benched for Flynn at some point. This team lacks a big receiver. Yes, they have Sidney Rice, but he hasn’t had a big year since he played with Brett Favre. Marshawn Lynch is a beast but he can’t carry this team through this schedule by himself. The defense is stronger than most people think (ranked 9th last year), but can’t hold up against Green Bay, Carolina, New England, Detroit, Chicago and San Francisco (twice). They’ve got an exceptional pair of CBs but that’s about it on the defensive side.
St. Louis Rams
The poor Rams. Sam Bradford needs to develop, or finish developing. He just kind of stalled last year. Steven Jackson is once again back to help and truly be the offense. They’ve added Steve Smith and tried to bolster the offensive line. They’ve also revamped the defense by adding six new starters, Michael Brockers, Kendall Langford, Mario Haggan, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins. With Jeff Fisher at the helm now, you never know. My prediction is that in TWO years, the Rams might contend seriously for a division title again. But Fisher was thrown for a little bit of a loop when he lost his defensive coordinator in Greg Williams. But Fisher knows how to turn around bad teams—give him time, he’ll get there with these guys too.
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