NFL 2010 Preseason Predictions/NFC West

The Cardinals offense was one of the best in the NFL over the last couple of seasons, but can that success continue without QB Kurt Warner at the helm? Considering QB Matt Leinart hasn't proven he can be a consistent starter and they also lost WR Anquan Boldin(Ravens), things don't look as promising for the Cardinals in 2010. Mike Singletary has done a great job since taking over as head coach of the 49ers, and the Rams may not be a contender yet, but should also be better than they have been, meaning the Cardinals reign as NFC West champs could be coming to an end.

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Saint Louis Rams
4. Seattle Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers

This could be the year the 49ers start to be taken seriously again and become a playoff team. The offense should be better, and although the defense may not be as good as many people expect, they should still be good enough to take the division title away from the Arizona Cardinals.

QB Alex Smith has not lived up to his first round potential yet, but he does seem to be improving. Should Smith fail in his attempt to lead the Niners offense, they also now have David Carr at QB, who may end up being the better choice as the starting QB anyway. RB Frank Gore is still one of the top five RB's in the league, and is a back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield, giving them another passing option on offense. The Niners have also signed ex-Eagle Brian Westbrook to relieve Gore, who should be productive in a part-time role. WR Michael Crabtree will now have a full training camp and should become a reliable number one WR for the Niners and WR Josh Morgan is an under-rated talent who will give them a nice 2nd WR. TE Vernon Davis has become one of the top five TE's in the NFL, and should only continue to present matchup problems for the opposing defense. The addition of rookie T Anthony Davis should also give them an offensive line that will be as good as most teams in the league, meaning the Niners offense should be able to move into the top half of the league and score enough points to win the division.

The defense is led by LB Patrick Willis, who has taken over as the best LB in the NFL and can play the pass as well as he can stop the run. They also have Manny Lawson, who can also play DE, Ahmad Brooks, and Takeo Spikes, giving them a very good LBing crew that will only get better with the addition of rookie Navarro Bowman. They also signed veteran CB William James who can be an effective starter and CB Shawntae Spencer is also an under-rated player at his position. Tarrell Brown and Nate Clements also provide depth, giving them some nice talent for their nickel and dime packages. S Dashon Goldson came on last season to prove that he can play at a high level, while veteran S Michael Lewis just keeps on making plays and will now get help from rookie safety Taylor Mays. The problem with the Niners once they get into the playoffs could be the defensive line. DE Justin Smith is a good starting lineman, but if Travis Laboy, Ray McDonald, or Demetric Evans do not improve, this could be an area of concern. They also have Aubrayo Franklin at NT, but he seems to be a bit over-rated as well. Until the Niners defensive line improves, they will likely not go too far in the playoffs.

With an improved offense and a defense that is good but not great, they should still be able to muster up at least 10 to 11 wins, especially since they play in one of the weakest divisions in football and also have Tampa Bay, Carolina, and the AFC West on their schedule. Don't look now, but it appears as though the Niners will be back on top of the NFC West in 2010. Until they fix their defensive line, however, it is likely that will also make an early exit once they get into the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals

Losing QB Kurt Warner and WR Anquan Boldin will certainly have an impact on the offense, and although WR Steve Breaston may be able to step in and take over for the departed Boldin, it remains to be seen whether Matt Leinart can even be half as effective as the departed Warner. They may also have some problems on defense in 2010, making them an average team that will likely have to watch the playoffs from home in 2010.

QB Matt Leinart could be better than anticipated, and if he is then they might still be able to field a decent offense. RB Chris "Beanie" Wells will take over as the starting RB and showed some signs that he could turn out to be a nice draft pick last season. RB Tim Hightower provides them with an excellent pass catching RB who also has a nose for the end zone, giving them a nice one-two RB combination. WR Larry Fitzgerald remains one of the top five WR's in the game, and WR Steve Breaston has already had a 1,000 yard receiving season as a third WR, so he should prove to be a valuable 2nd WR. 3rd year WR Early Doucet also continues to get better, providing Leinart with some nice targets at WR. Unfortunately, TE Ben Patrick doesn't provide the production that many other TE's in the league provide and also has trouble staying healthy. Leinart will have the luxury of being protected by one of the top offensive lines in the league, however, with the addition of ex-Steeler and Jet G Alan Faneca to a line that already includes G Reggie Wells, T Levi Brown, and C Lyle Sendlein. If Deuce Lutui can make the move to tackle, the running game of the Cardinals may become very tough.

When you have a good offensive line and running backs, it has been proven that having a good defense will be a key to helping you win some games and make the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, teams may be able to throw the ball effectively against them in 2010. The defensive line is blessed with DE Calais Campbell and DT Darnell Dockett, but the key to how good they can be may rest on the shoulders of rookies O'Brien Schofield and Dan Williams. LB Karlos Dansby has departed for Miami, and former Dolphin LB Joey Porter is now in Arizona. They have good depth at LB, with Clark Haggans, Paris Lenon, and Gerald Hayes now joined by rookie Daryl Washington, but they may have some troubles when it comes to the secondary. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has become one of the top CB's in the NFL, but Matt Ware, Michael Adams, or Greg Toler are going to have to excel at the other corner if they are going to have a chance at stopping the opposing teams passing attack. S Adrian Wilson is still one of the top ten safeties in the NFL, and they also added ex-Jet Kerry Rhodes, giving them one of the better safety tandems in the league. However, until they solve their problems at CB and the defensive line improves, they could have trouble against some of the top offenses.

The Cardinals probably won't be horrible, but getting to .500 this season may be tough. They don't play a very tough schedule, but they just don't have the defense to carry them to the playoffs in 2010.

Saint Louis Rams

Don't look now, but the Rams may just be able to challenge the Cardinals for 2nd place in the division in 2010. It may be hard to believe, but the Rams may actually have the best defense in the division right now, which will help them win some games even with a rookie starting at QB.

QB Sam Bradford is expected to be the QB of the future, and in Saint Louis the future starts now. While I wouldn't expect rookie of the year type numbers from Bradford in his first season, he should certainly be better than A.J.Feeley or Kevin Null. The Rams also drafted OL Rodger Saffold, and if last years pick, T Jason Smith, can stay healthy, their offensive line should be just as good as most teams in the league. RB Steven Jackson is one of the NFL's best, and is a player that can carry the offense on his shoulders. Kenneth Darby has also proven to be a reliable backup and FB/TE Daniel Fells has been a surprise as well. WR Donnie Avery will likely be their number one WR again, but 2nd WR Brandon Gibson continues to improve and may become just as good as Avery. WR/PR Danny Amendola is a nice 3rd or 4th WR and rookie Mardy Gilyard should provide some kind of production as well, giving Bradford the ability to spread the ball around and take some of the focus off of Steven Jackson. While this is still far from a championship offense, the Rams have improved and should be able to score enough points to stay in many games.

The defense has also improved and may be one or two players away from forming a dominating defense. DE Chris Long continues to improve and should be a pretty good DE now that he is in his 3rd year. DT Clifton Ryan is an under-rated talent and if the Rams can add another defensive lineman and LB next season, they may be trouble for the opposing offense. 2nd year LB James Laurinaitis is the best LB in the division next to Patrick Willis and rookie Josh Hull should also prove to be a very good NFL starter. Mr. Irrelevant from the 2008 draft, LB David Vobora, has proven that he belongs in the NFL and Larry Grant, Na'il Diggs, and Bobby Carpenter also give them depth at the LB position. The problem with the Rams recently has been their secondary, but with the addition of rookie CB Jerome Murphy and 2nd year CB Bradley Fletcher to a steady and productive Ronald Bartell, they should be better here as well. They are also deep at safety, with O.J. Atogwe, James Butler, Craig Dahl, and ex-Bear Kevin Payne all providing talent in the secondary. While the Rams may still need to add a couple of pieces to the puzzle, they should have enough to at least be competitive and stay in most games.

With an easy schedule and a weak division, don't be surprised if the Rams end up with 6 or 7 wins this season and challenge the Cards for 2nd place in the division. While they are still a few players away from being considered a playoff team, things are getting better in Saint Louis and they should have their fans looking forward to the future.

Seattle Seahawks

To put it bluntly, the Seahawks are a mess, and it may take them some time to once again become a contender in the NFC West. The defense needs a lot of help, and they may have trouble stopping the run as well as defending the pass.

The offense doesn't look all that bad, but they may find themselves playing from behind a lot, which could lead to trouble if they are forced to throw the ball more than they would like. QB Matt Hasselbeck has struggled to stay healthy recently, and is not the QB that he once used to be. RB Justin Forsett is an emerging talent who should flourish as the number one back. RB's Julius Jones and ex-Jet Leon Washington should provide good depth, and should be able to provide a decent running attack behind an offensive line that now includes rookie T Russell Okung and former Bronco G Ben Hamilton. They also have WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh as their go to guy and rookie WR Golden Tate should provide help in the passing game along with WR Deion Branch. TE John Carlson is also among the top 15 TE's in the league, so a lot of their success could depend on the play of QB Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck has proven to be very inconsistent lately, and if he doesn't perform like his old self the offense will likely be very average. Should he get hurt, things could get ugly with either J.P. Losman or Charlie Whitehurst under center.

While the defense had some holes to begin with, they recently traded their best defensive lineman, DE Lawrence Jackson, to the Lions, thrusting rookie DE E.J.Wilson into an increased role, and acquired DL Kentwan Balmer from the 49ers. While Brandon Mebane may be a better than average DT, the prospects of Balmer and Nick Reed starting at DE isn't going to strike a lot of fear into opposing offenses. They have some talent at LB now that Lofa Tatupu is returning from being injured and LB Aaron Curry will be in his second year, but their best LB may be the surprise of 2009, David Hawthorne. Hawthorne was monstrous last year filling in for Tatupu, recording 117 tackles along with 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 INT's. They also have LB Leroy Hill, who is suspended for the first game of the season, but gives them depth along with rookie LB Dexter Davis and LB Will Herring. CB's Marcus Trufant and Josh Wilson are a nice pair of corners, but their lack of depth at the position could cause problems in sub packages. S Jordan Babineaux is one of the lesser known talents in the league, and will get help from rookie S Earl Thomas. Rookie Kam Chancellor and veteran Lawyer Milloy provide depth, but their lack of depth at CB and the lack of production on the defensive line could spell doom for the Seahawks in 2010.

A lot will depend on the play of Hasselbeck and the defense in 2010, which may not produce great results for the once mighty Seahawks. Until they can solve their problems on the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks likely won't provide much competition for many teams this season, resulting in a dismal season that could result in one to three wins and a chance at the first pick in the 2011 draft.