2006 NFC West Preview and Predictions
The NFC West is a division that should be a lot more competitive in 2006 than it was in 2005, when, the Seattle Seahawks dominated the uninspiring division in route to the first Super Bowl appearance in the history of its mostly undistinguished franchise.
Having said that, and knowing that Seattle lost in the Super Bowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers, I fully expect the Seahawks to win this division once again and return this season as one of the conference’s most legitimate championship contenders. Here’s my breakdown on the NFC West, a division that may feature only one playoff team.
Seattle Seahawks
Recent history suggests that the Seattle Seahawks will struggle mightily just to make the playoffs this season, but I say that the Seahawks are going to buck that disturbing trend. They should win at least four division games and possibly five or six, setting themselves up for another deep playoff run in the process.
Other than the loss of All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson, who left for team for big money in Minnesota, Seattle returns the majority of their players who helped them reach last season’s Super Bowl, including running back Shawn Alexander and quarterback, Matt Hasslebeck, their two best players. If the Seahawks can overcome the loss of Hutchinson, then they should be right back in the hunt for the NFC title with as good a chance as any team in the conference of winning it all.
Arizona Cardinals
Okay, now all excuses are off for the Cardinals. After acquiring running back Edgerrin James and drafting rookie quarterback, Matt Leinart, the Cards should be a much-improved team than the one that ended last season with a disappointing 5-11 record.
Arizona also has a new stadium and an excitement buzzing around the team that hasn’t been seen since Jim Hart was the Cards’ quarterback three decades in St. Louis. Starting quarterback, Kurt Warner has all the offensive help he needs now with two outstanding wide receivers (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald) and James in the backfield.
The big question to me is whether or not they will be able to stop anyone defensively.
My answer surprisingly is – yes. The Cards have plenty of young defensive talent and they look like they may be ready to put it all together this season.
Head coach Denny Green has been a winner throughout his entire career and if he can’t turn the Cardinals around then maybe no one can. Time will tell, but I expect the Cards to win at least two division games this season and possibly all three home games in route to a record that should be right around 8-8.
St. Louis Rams
I fully expect the Rams to take a step backwards this season as they begin their first season of the Scott Linehan era. The Rams, who were formerly known as “The Greatest Show on Turf” because of their high-powered offense under former offensive coordinator and head coach, Mike Martz, will look to balance their offense more under Linehan and become more of a power team on both sides of the ball.
The Rams made another significant hiring when they hired former New Orleans head coach Jim Haslett to become their defensive coordinator. The may have floundered miserably as a head coach, but he certainly knows defense.
However, I suspect that all of the changes in St. Louis will take some time adjusting to – and I can’t wait to see how classy wide receivers, Isaac Bruce and Torri Holt, react at not being thrown the ball nearly as much, especially if they’re open.
Whatever happens, the Rams are definitely not going to be the team that has lit up NFL defenses for the past half-decade with an aerial attack that deserves to be mentioned with some of the greatest of all-time. Beyond that, I can say that if the Rams win three division games this season they should be very thankful.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have nowhere to go but up. The Niners grabbed an incredible prospect in Maryland tight end Vernon Davis with their first round selection this year and by all accounts, he could turn out to be a legitimate star. Combine Davis with second-year quarterback, Alex Smith, last season’s number one overall selection, not to mention another outstanding tight end in Eric Johnson, and the 49ers could have the beginning foundations of a team that could one day conceivably bounce back into contention sooner than anyone expected.
The Niners also made their best acquisition of all by attaining the services of Norv Turner who will take over as offensive coordinator. Turner may be ill suited to the role of head coach, but everyone knows that Turner is one of the game’s most innovative offensive minds. His hiring alone should help speed up the learning curve of Smith, who struggled tremendously at times last season, throwing only one touchdown and 11 interceptions.
I think the Niners will definitely win two division games and possibly three. However, they still have a long way to go before they are anywhere close to being reminiscent of the fabled 49ers of yesteryear.
