The NFL season is upon us. We have our first game tomorrow with the World Champs – Philly hosting Atlanta. Today, I’ll preview the final division and tomorrow, I’ll reveal my predictions for every team in the league – record, playoffs, and Super Bowl Champ. The NFC West is made up of the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
Division History
The NFC West is actually more traditional than you would think. Despite some changes in scenery for Los Angeles and Arizona, and a conference switch by Seattle, all these teams have been in the NFL for decades. The division has accounted for 7 Super Bowls (most of which were the old 49ers). Arizona is the only team that has not won a Super Bowl in its history. In recent years, the division was very tough at the top, but it appears it is in flux now.
The oldest team in the division is actually the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have a long history with an official creation according to Wikipedia in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club, and it is called the oldest continuously run sports team in the US. At the start of the 1900s, the team played its games on Racine Avenue on Chicago’s South side and were called the Racine Cardinals then changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals until 1959. Incidentally, the Chicago Cardinals played their games at Comiskey Park (where my Sox play when the Bears played at Wrigley Field). The Cardinals were actually in the NFC East from 1970 until 2001. The Cardinals had a lackluster tenure in St. Louis making the playoffs just 3 times from 1959 until 1987 when they moved to Arizona. First as the Phoenix Cardinals and then to the current Arizona Cardinals, the team has had many ups and downs. However, in recent years, the team had 2 very good teams – one lead by former St. Louis Rams’ QB Kurt Warner who took them within a last second TD of a Super Bowl title in 2008 and played for the NFC Championship in 2015. However, Coach Bruce Arians has now retired, and the team is under new leadership.
The 2nd oldest team in the division is the Los Angeles Rams. Originally chartered as the Cleveland Rams in 1936, the Rams moved to Los Angeles in 1946. The Rams of the late 60s produced the famous “Fearsome Foursome,” but had better success in the 70s including a Super Bowl appearance in 1979 (a loss to the Steelers). Then, in the 80s, they had good teams with Hall of Fame RB, Eric Dickerson, but never got to the big game. The Rams bounced around the LA area, and eventually left LA for St. Louis for the 1995 season. Coach Dick Vermeil took this team to a new level to create the “Greatest Show on Turf” to win the Super Bowl in 1999, but promptly retired. That team did return to the Super Bowl in 2001 only to lose to a young QB named Tom Brady in his first Super Bowl. Since that team, the Rams swooned, and eventually relocated back to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. In 2016, they drafted QB Jared Goff with the 1st overall pick, and in 2017, they hired a new young coach in Sean McVay, who took the offense back to a great level and the playoffs. The Rams are a team on the come.
The San Francisco 49ers were established in 1946. San Francisco really didn’t start to establish themselves until the early 1970s with some playoff appearances. However, things changed fundamentally for this team with the hiring of Hall of Fame Coach Bill Walsh in 1978. Walsh drafted QB Joe Montana, and the rest was history. Walsh was a football wizard who created the scheme we now know as the West Coast Offense. The West Coast Offense was really a response to the menacing pass rushing teams like the Chicago Bears by attacking the field horizontally with short passes based on timing between the QB and WRs. It also involved the RBs in the passing game as much as the WRs. Walsh led the team to 3 Super Bowl titles in 1981, 1984 and 1988, and he also drafted the best WR of all time in Jerry Rice. The Montana to Rice connection and then later the Steve Young to Rice connection lit up NFL defenses. Once Walsh stepped down, the 49ers won another title in 1989 and again in 1994 (with Young). Since the Walsh teams, San Francisco struggled in the early 2000s. Then, another Stanford coach came aboard in 2011 with the hiring of Jim Harbaugh who led the team to another Super Bowl appearance in 2012. Since Harbaugh left the team in 2014, the team has struggled mightily. The team is looking up under yet another new coach in Kyle Shanahan.
The final team in the division is Seattle who was an expansion team in 1974 playing their first season in 1976. The Seahawks actually started in the AFC for many years until realignment in 2001. Seattle was a solid team in the late 1980s under Coach Chuck Knox with Hall of Famer Steve Largent at WR and a tough defense. The 90s were a bit forgettable, but the Seahawks have been a good team since realignment in the NFC. With multiple playoff appearances including a Super Bowl appearance in 2005, the team finally reached the ultimate level under the super energetic Coach Pete Carroll who was tired of winning NCAA titles at USC. Carroll led the Seahawks to back to back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014 winning the title in 2013 and were one play away from back to back titles. Carroll built an incredible defense based on very athletic players in the secondary affectionately called “The Legion of Boom” and the drafting of QB Russell Wilson solidified the offense for those teams. The core of that team is now gone for the most part as Seattle is trying to rebuild on the fly.
Team Previews
Los Angeles Rams – Team Basics: The Rams are coming off a playoff appearance, their first since 2004, under Coach Sean McVay. They loaded up the team with new faces for QB Jared Goff, and it paid off big time. On offense, McVay is one of the most innovative play callers in the league. He uses multiple formations to put pressure on the defense on every play. With one of the league’s best RBs in Todd Gurley, the Rams will score some points again. Defensively, the Rams play a blitzing 3-4 alignment under DC Wade Phillips. Phillips believes in pressure leading to turnovers and will pummel a QB in any game. The Rams have tons of talent on that side of the ball, so it is more a managing of egos over scheme.
The Rams have used the off season to completely revamp themselves for the 2nd straight year. On offense, the Rams said good bye to WR Sammy Watkins (to KC), but they acquired WR Brandin Cooks from New England who may be an upgrade. On defense, they traded DE Robert Quinn to Miami and middle LB Alec Ogletree to the Giants, but made huge acquisitions via trade for All Pro CBs Marcus Peters from Kansas City and Aquib Talib from Denver. In addition, the Rams signed NFL bully, Ndamukong Suh from Miami as a free agent to play along side recently re-signed to a big deal, Aaron Donald. On paper, this is the best team in this division and possibly the conference. They should be very good.
Prediction: LA Rams will win the NFC West and they will play for the Super Bowl this year.
San Francisco 49ers – Team Basics: The 49ers are bouncing back in a big way. Last season, they made the move to acquire QB Jimmy Garappolo via trade, and he finished the season strong. On offense, Coach Kyle Shanahan likes to run the ball to set up the pass. They will use Garapolo’s accuracy to dissect a defense when they need to, but the various running formations employed make for a balanced offense. On defense, San Francisco plays a base 4-3 with solid rush ends. All those years at the bottom of the league have afforded the team a lot of talent on the defense via the Draft. This year may be the time when it clicks.
The 49ers tried to solidify their past moves. On offense, the team let RB Carlos Hyde go to Cleveland only to be replaced by Minnesota back up, Jerrick McKinnon. Unfortunately, McKinnon tore his ACL over the weekend and will have to do a committee with veteran Matt Breida and recently signed Alfred Morris. The front office tried to help Garappolo with a top OT in the draft, Mike McGlinchey from Notre Dame. On defense, the young core remains intact. The 49ers did add CB Richard Sherman who was released by Seattle. San Francisco will be competitive for sure, but how many games can they win in the very competitive NFC.
Prediction: SF 49ers will finish 2nd in the NFC West but just miss the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks – Team Basics: The Seahawks have been at the top of this division for years, but they are in complete transition. On offense, long time OC, Darrell Bevell is out with Brian Shottenheimer stepping in. Shottenheimer is known for running the ball a lot, but the deficiencies on the Seattle O-line may limit that. QB Russell Wilson has been running for his life for 2 straight years to great numbers but not as many wins. Hopefully, the new scheme can be more balanced and protect Wilson better than the old offense. On defense, the once vaunted unit has almost completely turned over. The base 4-3 is predicated on great edge rushers and solid zone coverage CBs. We will see if this new group can live up to the past.
The Seahawks have made wholesale changes. On offense, Seattle let TE Jimmy Graham go to Green Bay (that’s a lot of TDs gone), WR Paul Richardson to Washington, but they did take a chance on WR Brandon Marshall in the twilight of his career and WR Jaron Brown from Arizona (who will start). On the O-line, they brought in DJ Fluker from the Giants and Duane Brown from Houston to help Wilson. The Seahawks drafted RB Rashaad Penny from San Diego State to help the running game in the 1st round, but he will not be the starter Week 1. On defense, the Legion of Boom is basically gone. The Seahawks released CB Richard Sherman, CB Jeremy Lane and DE Cliff Avril, traded DE Michael Bennett to the Eagles, put S Cam Chancellor on IR for the year, and S Earl Thomas is still holding out. They did bring in Barkevious Mingo at DE to replenish the pass rush, but mainly will play their younger players. On defense, they drafted the feel good story of the Draft in Shaquem Griffin (the one handed LB) out of Central Florida and brother to starting CB Shaquill Griffin. DE Rasheem Green was drafted in the 3rd round out of USC to give some depth to the depleted pass rusher group. I don’t see the Seahawks competing like in past years. I’m sure Wilson will win some games for them, but there is too much talent in their division and in the NFC to see them getting in.
Prediction: Seattle finishes 3rd in the NFC West and misses the playoffs again.
Arizona Cardinals – Team Basics: The Cardinals have new leadership this year. With the Bruce Arians retirement, the Cardinals look to new man, Steve Wilks, former DC in Carolina to take the team forward. On offense, Wilkes hired OC Mike McCoy who was the head coach in San Diego most recently. McCoy likes to chuck the ball downfield a lot, but he will mix in the run to keep the defense off balance. Of course, his best years were with Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers at the helm, so the talent gap with his current group is pretty large. On defense, the Cardinals hired Al Holcomb who worked as LB coach under Wilks in Carolina. Carolina played a classic 4-3 front with Tampa 2 principles behind. Now, Carolina had superior LBs to run the defense, so I’m not sure the Cardinals can do the same. However, Wilks is known for strong front 4 pressure with varied blitzes to force turnovers. The coverage people in zone including the deep middle from the Middle LB. It may take some time to get the personnel to match that scheme.
Arizona is in a rebuild for the most part. On offense, Carson Palmer retired after being the guy for several years, released RB Adrian Peterson, let WRs Jaron Brown and John Brown go for a lot of turnover. The Cardinals will get star RB David Johnson back who missed 15 games last year. They signed 2 veteran QBs in Sam Bradford from Minnesota and Mike Glennon from Chicago, as well as using their 1st round pick to take Josh Rosen, QB from UCLA. The Cardinals signed back up WR Brice Butler from Dallas, drafted WR Christian Kirk from Texas A&M in the 2nd round, Center Mason Cole from Michigan in the 3rd round who should start. On defense, Arizona released S Tyrann Mathieu (the Honey Badger) who went to Houston and will elevate Buddha Baker to start in his place. The Cardinals also traded for Jamar Taylor at CB. So, the defense should still be a solid group. However, the offense remains to be an issue. Johnson returning helps, but the QB position is still up in the air. I think the Cardinals will struggle.
Prediction: Cardinals will finish last in the division.
So, with that, we have reviewed all 8 NFL Divisions. Take a look at all the divisions from past posts if you missed any. Again, tomorrow, I’ll make my season long record predictions, playoffs and Super Bowl.
Tomorrow we get the season started.
Wegs