Steve Young thinks Matt Hasselbeck could possibly land with the San Francisco 49ers.  I, for one, would embrace such a move if made.  Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area pointed out, Young has ties to Hasselbeck’s agent, David Dunn.  Dunn could be influencing Hasselbeck in the 49ers direction.  This could also be a ruse in order to completely mess with Seattle.

If Hasselbeck signs, the 49ers would get a veteran quarterback who knows the NFC West well and has plenty of big game experience.  Sure he’s not the same as he was five years ago, but he still represents an improvement over Alex Smith and is a much better mentor for Colin Kaepernick.  Hasselbeck is also very familiar with the West Coast offense and would be able to make the transition to Harbaugh’s offense quicker than Smith.  Hasselbeck also has close ties to one of the 49ers’ new coaches, Bobby Engram, from their years playing together with Seattle.

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Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have reined atop of the NFC West the last two years however that was with Kurt Warner under center.  With Warner retired and Matt Leinart now the starting quarterback the offensive side of the football has been downgraded.  Throw-in the trade of WR Anquan Boldin the Cardinals do not look as strong as recent years.  With their first pick in the draft the Cardinals went with defensive lineman Dan Williams who will be a great D-lineman and most likely torment the Niners for years.  Even with the pick the Cardinals lost DB Antrel Rolle and LB Karlos Dansby to free agency which weakened the D but made up for it somewhat by trading for DB Kerry Rhodes.  Overall the Cardinals did not do enough to make up for the lost of some key players and with Leinart unproven and entering his first season as the full-time starter the Cardinals are not the favorites going into the season.

Seattle Seahawks

New head coach Pete Carroll had a great first-round in the NFL draft.  They did have the sixth and fourteenth picks in the draft so you really can’t go wrong with any player drafted unless you are the Oakland Raiders.  The Seahawks drafted the best offensive tackle in the draft, Russell Okung, and selected the best safety Earl Thomas.  A trade for RB LenDale White also helps with the offense but the Seahawks still have Matt Hasselbeck as their quarterback who has the skills to win games and lead his team to the division title but his body is aging, he is 34, and has been unable to hold up through a full season the last two seasons missing 9 games to injuries.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams were the most talked about team during the draft because they had the number one pick.  Some say that is a blessing, some say it is not especially when you need a quarterback. However even with the selection of QB Sam Bradford the Rams will not be contending anytime soon.  They did well in the second round by selecting offensive tackle Rodger Saffold but he and Bradford are not going to turn the Rams into winners next season.  Unless your name is Steven Jackson there is not much to be excited about on the team.  Bradford will most likely start at the beginning of the season because the options for the Rams at quarterback are short and will most likely be handing off to Jackson on a majority of plays.

NFC West power structure:

1. San Francisco 49ers: Not being a homer here but the 49ers are currently the team most equip to win the division.   They have an on-the-rise defense that pound the opponents offense and an upgraded offensive line to protect QB Alex Smith and RB Frank Gore.  The key for the 49ers is Smith and how well he plays.  He is surround by talent so there are no excuses this season.
2. Seattle Seahawks: The potential is there for the Seahawks and they know how to win the division.  They do however have Pete Carroll in his first year as the Seahawks coach but that may not be a bad thing for the team.  The passion he brings might translate onto the field with the players.  The key to the Seahawks winning the division is Hasselbeck’s health.  If Hasselbeck goes down during the season so will the Seahawks in the NFC West.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Too many key players from the last two seasons are now gone who helped the Cardinals win two straight division titles.  The 49ers do not fear the Cardinals beating them twice last season and with Leinart as your quarterback the chances of winning the division are not great.
4. St. Louis Rams: The Rams are still the Lams even with Bradford.  Bradford will not develop overnight which basically means the Rams have the same looking team as last year that finished 1-15.