NFL Preview Part 8: NFC West

And the last division....

1. Seattle Seahawks (10-6) - Seattle is really the only relevant team, IMO, in this division....the loss of Shaun Alexander won't really be felt as he was wildly ineffective last season....Matt Hasselbeck continues to fly under the radar, but is a consistently viable top 10 QB option in this league yearly...the WR corps is currently decimated by injuries, but when healthy the Engram/Branch/Burleson trio is very solid....the running game is questionable...but they won the division without any sort of options last year...and they'll do it again if necessary....the defense is very good (my target D/ST in fantasy leagues btw) led by Patrick Kerney and Lofa Tatupu...the unit is balanced, and there's really no weakness....the LB unit is very underrated as Leroy Hill and Julian Peterson are much better than anyone really gives them credit for....
2. Arizona Cardinals (8-8) - Well, Arizona definitely has talent to work with....so many Top-10 draft picks on this roster it's scary....Kurt Warner gets the nod under center and will work with a top-flight WR combo with Boldin and Fitzgerald....the running game is very suspect as I think Edge has already seen his best days, and will soon be out of a job....but the offense has never really been the issue here...There is all kinds of talent on defense with Karlos Dansby, Bertrand Berry, Adrian Wilson, and the like....but they've yet to put it together when it counts....I'll say they are respectable this year...but not enough to overtake Seattle....
3. St. Louis Rams (6-10) - I think they'll be much better as last year was decimated by injuries....Steven Jackson is back healthy and should go for near 2,000 total yards if they'll throw him the ball out of the backfield....Marc Bulger is literally incapable of being healthy, but if they get 12 games out of him, they'll probably take it....Torry Holt is back and still a top-flight guy, but Drew Bennett is a step-down from their usual #2 option....O-Line play is the key here, and although health is the big factory, Orlando Pace and Alex Barron could form a very good tackle combo...newcomer Chris Long should help the defensive unit...but there are some holes especially in the linebacking corps...I think they'll be in a big hole early...potentially starting 2-5 or 1-6 after a brutal 7 game stretch to start the year including 5 playoff teams from last year including both Super Bowl teams from last year
4. San Francisco 49ers (4-12) - I haven't seen anyone rate them as low as I will...but I just don't see it...JT O'Sullivan? Bryant Johnson and a near-40 Isaac Bruce? Yikes....Yes, I know Frank Gore is there, but he's never reached 10 TDs and is an injury risk....same goes for Vernon Davis, who everyone thinks is about to make the leap...but has never been a consistent option outside of his freak-ish athletic stats....the D has some stars in Patrick Willis (maybe the best LB in football these days), Manny Lawson, and highly-paid Nate Clements...but as a unit...subpar is the word I'd use....In short, I just don't think this is the best team on the field most weeks....and the schedule is not easy....