What to expect is a butt whopping! I’m sorry St. Louis Ram fans but the San Francisco 49ers are coming off a lost and have had ten days to rest and prepare. They need to take the bad taste of defeat out of their mouths against an opponent and the Rams drew the short end of the straw. The question now is how the Niners are going to defeat the Rams. In recent games the Niners have favored the pass, but I believe the Niners will go back to playing power football and run the ball over and over again. RB Frank Gore should be well rested and eager to become the 49ers all time rushing leader. Expect Frank to break the record in the first quarter. It will be a very special moment for Frank, especially since he will be breaking the record in Candle Stick Park. (more…)

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.

With former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford getting compared to the likes of Troy Aikman and Carson Palmer the 49ers visited him on his pro day and were impressed along with all the other NFL coaches and scouts in attendance.  If the 49ers want a chance at landing Bradford they would have to trade up to the first pick and would have to trade at the very least their 13th and 17th picks and neither throw in a starting player or a second or third round pick in this year’s draft and next.  With the Rams having the number one pick in this year’s draft and with their huge holes everywhere on the team they might be inclined to take offers for their first slot.  It is very rare that teams ever trade within divisions especially when they involve the first pick of the draft and the potential of having that pick, maybe Bradford, haunt your team for years to come.  With McNabb’s recent trade we have been shown that anything is possible in the NFL.  Again, the same reasons for not taking McNabb apply to Bradford, the 49ers have something building with Smith.  I think it would be crazy for the 49ers to make such a move but then again we have had the general manager fired a month before the draft and with a new de-facto GM Trent Baalke he just might make the type of splash that will garner attention no matter how unwise the move.

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