2010 NFC West Preview

Divisional Previews

AFC: AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West
NFC: NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

Head Coach: Mike Singletary (3rd Season)
2009 Record: 8-8

Offense

Scoring: 18th (20.6 PPG)

Passing: 22nd (190.8 YPG)

Rushing: 25th (100.0 YPG)

The San Francisco 49ers offense had quite a few problems going into 2009. The main problem last season was the contract issue with 1st round pick, Micheal Crabtree. This season they are much more optimistic going into Week 1. Alex Smith has progressed nicely the last few years and is starting to look like a number one overall pick. Frank Gore is healthy and his presence makes the Niners one of the better running teams in the NFL, especially with the upgrades to the offensive line they had in the offseason with their two first round picks. Crabtree is ready to become the star he is expected to be, but in order for the offense to be a solid unit, he is going to have to hold up a weak wide receiving group. Vernon Davis will be the other viable option in the lineup and will collect quite a few targets this season. After his huge season last year, he is expected to follow up with another solid season and become a team leader and one of the elite tight ends in the league. The offense is looking to take a huge leap and once again become a top flight offense. Look for big things all around from them in order to help put this team in place for a playoff run.

Defense

Scoring: 4th (17.6 PPG)

Passing: 21st (229.4 YPG)

Rushing: 6th (97.0 YPG)

The 49ers defense showed that they were capable of being one of the best defenses in the NFL last season. Patrick Willis has cemented his place as the top linebacker in the NFL without argument and is able to lead the defense with ease. Having Takeo Spikes, Manny Lawson, and newly acquired Navorro Bowman will be a huge help to Willis and makes for an impressive linebacker core. The defensive line is growing with the linebackers and becoming better and better everyday. Aubrayo Franklin and Justin Smith head up a defensive line that was tied for third in sacks last season. They plan to continue on putting pressure on the quarterback through 2010 and help the secondary make some big plays on some forced bad throws. Although the secondary played well last season, it was the weakest unit of the three lines of defense. Led by Nate Clements, the unit is looking to build on a solid season and show they can hold their own. The 49ers drafted safety Taylor Mays in the draft. He has the potential to be an immediate contributor in his first season. Quite a few people think the Niners can be the top defense in the NFL this upcoming season, and looking at the talent all over the roster, it will be hard to argue against it.

Fantasy sleeper: Alex Smith
Alex Smith has shown some strides to being a competitive quarterback in the NFL. With all the weapons supplied to him this year, 2010 is his chance to show what he can really do. A lot of people had given up on Smith except for Mike Singletary, and this season expect that decision to pay off. Smith should become a top 15 quarterback in fantasy and could possibly breakthrough into the top 10.

Biggest question for the 2010 49ers: Can the offense run smoothly under quarterback Alex Smith?

Season Prediction: 10-6, 1st NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Head Coach: Ken Whisenhunt (4th Season)
2009 Record: 10-6, Division Champs

Offense

Scoring: 11th (23.4 PPG)

Passing: 12th (251.0 YPG)

Rushing: 28th (93.4 YPG)

The Cardinals offense took a huge blow this offseason with the losses of Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin. Losing Warner was a huge loss considering the options at quarterback are bust Matt Leinart or former Cleveland Brown Derek Anderson. Both quarterbacks do not seem to have the ability to run this offense so far, but leaning towards Anderson as the starter seems like the only direction to go for Arizona. The loss of Boldin was also crucial as now they are expecting Steve Breaston to step into a significant role on the offense. Rookie Stephen Williams is having a good preseason and he will help with depth at receiver the receiver position, but overall, a big load rests on Fitzgerald and Breaston. Attempting to take some of the load off those two will be the backfield combination of Chris “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower. Early word is Hightower will start the season as the starter, but Wells is looking to be the premiere back of the offense and become an elite back in the NFL. Expect Wells to have a breakout season in attempts to show the world how he is capable of playing. It will also help that the offensive line will be a stronger unit with the acquisition of Alan Faneca. The offense has a lot of obstacles to overcome with a much different look than the last few years, but expect them progress throughout the season.

Defense

Scoring: 14th (20.3 PPG)

Passing: 23rd (233.7 YPG)

Rushing: 17th (112.8 YPG)

The defense, much like the offense, has had quite a few changes to their personnel. The loss of Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle were huge, but the Cardinals attempted to replace them with veteran players Joey Porter and Kerry Rhodes. Even though Porter is not the leader Dansby was, it still should help the defense stay in stride and hopefully keep this team going. The defensive line was sixth last season when it came to getting to the quarterback, and they are expected to continue to stay strong on the front line. With the addition of Dan Williams and the continued progression of Alan Branch, this defensive line will flourish under the leadership of Darnell Dockett, who just recently signed an extension. The secondary is looking strong and could potentially be the strong point of the defense. Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes could be quite a one-two punch against both the run and the pass. The defense should step up to be the strong point of the team and could potentially help this team make the Wild Card.

Fantasy sleeper: Steve Breaston
Breaston could be one of the breakout fantasy players this season. With Boldin gone, there will be a big opportunity for Breaston to have a spectacular season even with Derek Anderson at quarterback. If your in need of a number three receiver later in the draft, or even a solid bench spot for the bye week, Breaston is your guy.

Biggest question for the 2010 Cardinals: Will the offense be able to move the ball without Kurt Warner at the helm?

Season Prediction: 8-8, 2nd NFC West

Seattle Seahawks

Head Coach: Pete Carroll (1st Season)
2009 Record: 5-11

Offense

Scoring: 25th (17.5 PPG)

Passing: 15th (218.9 YPG)

Rushing: 26th (97.9 YPG)

The Seattle Seahawks are entering this season with a lot of questions surrounding the offense. Just recently, word has come out that the team is looking to cut ties with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, which will be a significant blow to the receiving core. Going into the season with Deion Branch and Mike Williams as the starters is not the ideal situation they were looking to have. Having a healthy Hasselbeck will be a huge plus but without some weapons to throw to, he cannot be expected to have this team running on all cylinders. The running back position will be a healthy competition throughout the season and should help give the offense a spark. Justin Forsett and Julius Jones will be fighting hard for the starting position, but expect Forsett to win the starting job and become a reliable back this season. The offensive line is hoping they found their replacement with Russell Okung in the draft, but even with Okung, the line is very questionable in the middle and it could cause problems in the run game as well as the passing game. The offense will finish pretty low in the offensive rankings after the season is all said and done, so do not expect anything too spectacular from this once explosive unit.

Defense

Scoring: 25th (24.4 PPG)

Passing: 30th (245.4 YPG)

Rushing: 15th (111.0 YPG)

The Seahawks defense was a solid unit two seasons ago, but with Lofa Tatupu going down last season, the defense looked lost with no leadership which directly caused them to be one of the weaker defenses in the league. Now with Tatupu back, expect the defense to step up big yet again and become one of the scarier defenses in the league. The linebackers are the strongest unit with Tatupu, Aaron Curry, and Leroy Hill leading the way. The defensive line is going to need to step up in order for the linebackers to do their job effectively, but ultimately their play could be the X-factor for the performance of the defense. The secondary is going to need solid play from Marcus Trufant. He is going to have to shut down Fitzgerald and Crabtree twice a year in order to keep his team in contention in the division. The team will have quite a bit of work to do to restore the greatness they once had on defense, but if all goes according to plan, they have the ability to attain their goal this season under Pete Carroll.

Fantasy sleeper: Justin Forsett
Forsett showed some potential towards the end of last season averaging around six yards per carry the final three games. Now given a bigger role on the team, expect him to take full advantage of the opportunity and possibly be a surprise fantasy back.

Biggest question for the 2010 Seahawks: Can Lofa Tatupu get this defense back to a top 10 defense?

Season Prediction: 7-9, 3rd NFC West

St. Louis Rams

Head Coach: Steve Spagnuolo (2nd Season)
2009 Record: 1-15

Offense

Scoring: 32nd (10.9 PPG)

Passing: 28th (167.9 YPG)

Rushing: 20th (111.5 YPG)

The St. Louis Rams main goal this offseason was to find a face for the franchise, and they are hoping they found him in Sam Bradford. So far this preseason he has looked like a veteran and is hoping to have a good start to his career this season. The Rams have made quite a few changes elsewhere. Some changes include Bradford’s blindside protection; they drafted Rodger Saffold to grow with Bradford. This preseason there was a key loss to the offense by losing wide receiver Donnie Avery for the season which takes away a significant amount of experience in the receiving core. Brandon Gibson and Mardy Gilyard could very well be the starters and end up proving they deserve valuable playing time. The running back situation is never an issue when you have Steven Jackson in the backfield. Jackson is a top back both running and receiving out of the backfield. He is the one bright spot that is guaranteed to come through time in and time out for this offense. The offense will not be the Greatest Show on Turf that it once was, but they will be looking to show St. Louis they are rebuilding effectively.

Defense

Scoring: 31st (27.2 PPG)

Passing: 25th (235.2 YPG)

Rushing: 27th (137.6 YPG)

The Rams defense might have been able to stop one of the top college teams in the country, but when it comes to the NFL, the defense could not stop anyone, rushing or passing. Ranking lower than 25th in every main defensive category, this defense is going to have to progress with all the young talent they have drafted throughout the last few years. Chris Long is going to have to step up and become the pass rusher he was expected to be in order for the line to get any push at all. The linebackers will be led by second year player James Laurinaitis, who had a very good rookie season and will be looking to build upon it. Barring a sophomore slump, expect him to potentially become a top linebacker in the NFL. By trading for Bobby Carpenter, the Rams have shown they are serious about bringing young talent to the team and eventually become a solid unit. The secondary’s only bright spot is coming back in O.J. Atogwe; he is really the only player worth mentioning in the secondary. The corners are very weak on the team and they will be hard-pressed to stop any of the wide receivers they will be facing throughout the season. Overall, the defense is still very weak but they do have some bright spots in Carpenter, Laurinaitis, Atogwe and Long. There is still a lot of work to be done for this team to become a top team in the league and so far they have taken the appropriate steps to do so.

Fantasy sleeper: Michael Hoomanawanui
Hoomanawanui was a solid pick-up in the draft this season and is quickly becoming one of Bradford’s favorite targets. With the loss of Donnie Avery, he could easily become a fantasy sleeper and help pick up some big scores throughout the year.

Biggest question for the 2010 Rams: Can Sam Bradford recover from his injuries in college and perform at the next level?

Season Prediction: 4-12, 4th NFC West