Division Rivals

[Seahawkfan80]

I was thinking about how to put this out there. So I decided to go all over the place like some do in the main forum. So here goes...

I would like a rival fans opinion on their team to put down how they are progressing this preseason. Rams Fans, Cardassian fans, and SF fans. Reason I ask this is because there are things all over the place and chaos is all over the place on teams. I figured that some of the fans of those teams may have input and thoughts about what they have going on in their realms. The reason I limited it to our division, is because if you dont win the division, you normally dont go to the playoffs. Fire Tempers Steel and if our division gets back to explosive as we were just a few years ago, then the other divisions dont have a chance. Just like when SF went to the overseas bowl in Green Bay and handled them....or whoever it was on the other side of the desert wasteland. Input would be appreciated. I was thinking about separate posts and may end up doing that later during the season. Thanks... :irishdrinkers:

 

[rlkats]

My opinion as a Niners fan.

The team is very young. They have some leadership in key areas but overall extreme youth in very important positions. The position that scares me the most is the RB spot. I’m not sold on McKinnon (yet) but he could be good. The WR core I think is very solid and should only get better. The QB position ( I’m going to get killed) but, needs more games for me to judge if GQ will be great or another Alex Smith. The D line is concerning. We did little to nothing to upgrade our biggest weakness. The pass rush. Overall I expect an 8-8 season. But if the cards fall correctly as the football gods are Niners fans :lol: this team can be very very good. A little better pass rush, better CB play and a solid run game can make this team a ton better. I expect Jimmy to play solid football. I just hope his ego is not bigger than his game. We will see.

 

[Marvin49]

Hrmm....that's interesting rlkats. I have a very different take on our Niners.

I agree with your comment that the team is young and that need help with the pass rush, but I actually think their D-Line right now looks pretty damn good. I think this will be a breakout year for DeFo, Solomon will be improved, and I like what we've seen thus far from Jullian Taylor.

What they need is a true LEO. That to me is the biggest question mark.

The other big need is RG. Maybe that guy is already on the roster in Garnett or Cooper but neither of those guys has had much action in camp due to injuries.

RB? I'm not concerned at all. This is a Shanahan Offense. This is a system that turns damn near anyone into a star. Kyle knows how to pick them and Bobby Turner know how to coach them.

I also have no concern that Jimmy G will be Alex Smith. He's MUCH more of a gunslinger than Alex was. I think he's going to be a great QB but even if he's not he will NOT be an Alex Smith clone. Alex didn't have Jimmy leadership, his release, his poise, his arm, his release, his quick decision making....and did I mention his release.

 

[rlkats]

Hrmm....that's interesting rlkats. I have a very different take on our Niners.

I agree with your comment that the team is young and that need help with the pass rush, but I actually think their D-Line right now looks pretty damn good. I think this will be a breakout year for DeFo, Solomon will be improved, and I like what we've seen thus far from Jullian Taylor.

What they need is a true LEO. That to me is the biggest question mark.

The other big need is RG. Maybe that guy is already on the roster in Garnett or Cooper but neither of those guys has had much action in camp due to injuries.

RB? I'm not concerned at all. This is a Shanahan Offense. This is a system that turns damn near anyone into a star. Kyle knows how to pick them and Bobby Turner know how to coach them.

I also have no concern that Jimmy G will be Alex Smith. He's MUCH more of a gunslinger than Alex was. I think he's going to be a great QB but even if he's not he will NOT be an Alex Smith clone. Alex didn't have Jimmy leadership, his release, his poise, his arm, his release, his quick decision making....and did I mention his release.

Cool, cool. Ya I really hope it plays out as you feel. I will gladly eat my words hahaha.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

Thanks guys. Most appreciated.

 

[Ramfan128]

Rams:

So much hype this offseason I'm sure you guys couldn't escape it, so I'll focus on some of the more subtle things I'm looking for:

Cooks - whether he's better than Watkins or not is debatable, but Watkins didn't join the Rams until August last season - Cooks has been with the Rams for basically the entire offseason. I expect that to pay dividends.

For the passing game in general - I expect big things. Thinking Goff goes for about 35 TDs and 4000 yards - Cooks to play a bigger role than Watkins, and Kupp to continue to develop. McVay was a TE coach back in the day, so I trust him with Gerald Everett and trust that he'll improve.

Gurley and the OL will experience some regression and/or injuries - so we drafted several OL and John Kelly, a RB from Tennessee. Aside from Kelly, Malcolm Brown is decent and Justin Davis continued to look like an absolute star in the preseason - he looked great last year but literally made himself fumble a few times - we still didn't cut him though.

Defensively - assuming Donald comes on board (and the general consensus amongst Rams fans is that he'll sign after the third preseason game), it'll be fun to watch. Whatever the media thinks, Littleton is an upgrade over Ogletree. Mark Barron played like a stud last year - so I'm very happy with the ILB group. We also drafted a few guys, and one to keep an eye on is Micah Kiser out of Va Tech.

Edge rush is another matter. We drafted Samson Ebukam in the 4th round last year - a physical freak of nature. He got little playing time and is expected to take one of the OLB positions.

While some people are worried about the LB position for the Rams, I'm not - the DBs are so strong that we'll be in the nickel more often than not.

Who lines up at DE consistently in the nickel is something I couldn't begin to answer right now though. With not playing the starters and Donald not being in camp...who knows.

Having said all that, the first preseason game and rumors that the starters might not play in the second preseason game is having me a little worried. I didn't like sitting the starters against the Niners last year and then we played possibly our worst game of the year the following week.

The draft this year was all about depth so not a ton of rookies making noise.

I'm expecting 12-14 wins though and hopefully the super bowl - with this roster, how could you not?

 

[Marvin49]

Rams:

So much hype this offseason I'm sure you guys couldn't escape it, so I'll focus on some of the more subtle things I'm looking for:

Cooks - whether he's better than Watkins or not is debatable, but Watkins didn't join the Rams until August last season - Cooks has been with the Rams for basically the entire offseason. I expect that to pay dividends.

For the passing game in general - I expect big things. Thinking Goff goes for about 35 TDs and 4000 yards - Cooks to play a bigger role than Watkins, and Kupp to continue to develop. McVay was a TE coach back in the day, so I trust him with Gerald Everett and trust that he'll improve.

Gurley and the OL will experience some regression and/or injuries - so we drafted several OL and John Kelly, a RB from Tennessee. Aside from Kelly, Malcolm Brown is decent and Justin Davis continued to look like an absolute star in the preseason - he looked great last year but literally made himself fumble a few times - we still didn't cut him though.

Defensively - assuming Donald comes on board (and the general consensus amongst Rams fans is that he'll sign after the third preseason game), it'll be fun to watch. Whatever the media thinks, Littleton is an upgrade over Ogletree. Mark Barron played like a stud last year - so I'm very happy with the ILB group. We also drafted a few guys, and one to keep an eye on is Micah Kiser out of Va Tech.

Edge rush is another matter. We drafted Samson Ebukam in the 4th round last year - a physical freak of nature. He got little playing time and is expected to take one of the OLB positions.

While some people are worried about the LB position for the Rams, I'm not - the DBs are so strong that we'll be in the nickel more often than not.

Who lines up at DE consistently in the nickel is something I couldn't begin to answer right now though. With not playing the starters and Donald not being in camp...who knows.

Having said all that, the first preseason game and rumors that the starters might not play in the second preseason game is having me a little worried. I didn't like sitting the starters against the Niners last year and then we played possibly our worst game of the year the following week.

The draft this year was all about depth so not a ton of rookies making noise.

I'm expecting 12-14 wins though and hopefully the super bowl - with this roster, how could you not?

I like this thread.

I forgot to make a mention of the 49er Rookies.

Last year was a big surprise. Alot of players made much bigger impacts than I'd anticipated and the guys I really liked (save one) didn't do much. On the plus side last year, late round guys WR Trent Taylor, TE George Kittle and FS Adrian Colbert (5th, 5th, 7th rounds) played MUCH better than I could have expected...Kittle and Colbert in particular. RB Joe Williams has been a dud so far and DE Solomon Thomas has under-performed. Hoping for a big second year. When he's on the field, ILB Reuben Foster is a freakin Monster.

That leads us to THIS draft. Hard to say as most of those guys above hadn't yet really flashed yet (outside of Foster) at this point last year.

What rookies HAVE looked good in camp? WR Pettis really struggled early but its like a switch went on and he started playing very well. McGinchey is a RT so hard to get a read but he was solid in Preseason opener. He got pancaked in interteam practice this morning by JJ Watt, but he's a rookie and that's JJ Watt. Rebounded well but he's a rook whose gonna have moments like that. When I hear stuff like that I'm always reminded of the video of Reggie White completely annihilating Larry Allen in his rookie year.

The surprises? CB DJ Reed (5th), DE Jullian Taylor (7th), and WR Ritchie James (7th) have all really flashed.

 

[ringless]

Another less than mediocre year for the Cardinals incoming. The offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. Outside of an aging Fitzgerald the WR corps aren't that exciting. The depth at LB is going to show as a big weakness as well. Think they are lucky to win 7 games.

 

[Maulbert]

Another less than mediocre year for the Cardinals incoming. The offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. Outside of an aging Fitzgerald the WR corps aren't that exciting. The depth at LB is going to show as a big weakness as well. Think they are lucky to win 7 games.

Holy crap, a ringless sighting! Please, don't be a stranger! :2thumbs:

 

[Seahawkfan80]

Another less than mediocre year for the Cardinals incoming. The offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. Outside of an aging Fitzgerald the WR corps aren't that exciting. The depth at LB is going to show as a big weakness as well. Think they are lucky to win 7 games.

Thanks Ringless. I am going to our game there. Have a great day.

 

[Ramfan128]

What I find so interesting about the NFC West is that any of the Niners, Seahawks or even the Cardinals could finish in 2nd place IMO.

Niners hype has been heard all offseason - I don't know as well as Niner fans, but I think they still have a few holes on the roster

Seahawks have the best QB in the division and that alone makes them a threat. I also expect their defense to resume top 10 play with a healthy Wagner.

Cardinals are a team I think people are sleeping on. If David Johnson comes back and their OL gives him some room to run, and the QB play is average - and if the defense is average - lots and lots of ifs, but it wouldn't shock me to see them win 7-9 games this year.

 

[Marvin49]

What I find so interesting about the NFC West is that any of the Niners, Seahawks or even the Cardinals could finish in 2nd place IMO.

Niners hype has been heard all offseason - I don't know as well as Niner fans, but I think they still have a few holes on the roster

Seahawks have the best QB in the division and that alone makes them a threat. I also expect their defense to resume top 10 play with a healthy Wagner.

Cardinals are a team I think people are sleeping on. If David Johnson comes back and their OL gives him some room to run, and the QB play is average - and if the defense is average - lots and lots of ifs, but it wouldn't shock me to see them win 7-9 games this year.

I like how the Rams fan ASSUMES the Rams will take the division. Not giving you a hard time as you might very well be right, but the assumption is funny to me. No worries tho.

Rams: On Paper they SHOULD take the division. They were best team in division last year and on paper only got better. Funny thing though...it often doesn't work out the way you expect. Time will tell.

Niners: I agree with you on the hype and the holes. No team in NFL history had ever done what the Niners did last year. No team ever that started 1-10 ever finished the season with more than 3 wins, let alone rip off a 5 game winning streak. Now obviously, the Watsonless Texans and Bears aren't world-beaters, the Titans were reeling, The Jags might have had a bad day, and the Rams didn't play a ton of their starters...but there IS something to be said for the fact that it had NEVER happened before.

So...heres the thing about the holes: You aren't wrong...but its more complicated than that. Some would site CB, WR, or RB as holes, but I'm not sure that's the case. While its true there aren't proven vets at those positions, there are other factors. Sherman is of course coming off injury so that's a question mark. Witherspoon on the other side is in the Sherman mold and played well at the end of the year and has one think Sherman never has...pure speed.

At WR i think the Niners are pretty well stacked actually. No, there is no Julio Jones, but Garcon is a player, Goodwin is playing like a star in his second year in the system, Pettis has shown some potential as has Bourne, and they are really two deep in the slot with Taylor and James.

As for RB? I implicitly trust any decision Kyle Shanahan makes at that position as he and his dad have a strong history of turning guys into stars. the combo of McKinnon, Breida, and now Alfred Morris (if he makes final roster) is fine for me.

Now LEGIT holes with the answer? Hands down...LEO. They have nobody who can consistently get to the passer from outside. RG...they have two former 1st rounders vying for that spot (Josh Garnett and Jonathan Cooper...which would put them in odd position of having FOUR 1st round picks on the line and a second rounder at center) but neither guy has set the world on fire and hasn't practiced much in camp due to injury.

Seahawks: Again, as I said of the Rams ON PAPER it seems they'd be up for a big decline losing half if not possibly 3/4 of the Legion of Boom (and in reality possibly the best three members of the Legion)...but again, things don't always work out the way you expect. I'd be surprised if Seattle fell off a cliff. They still have Wilson, they finally have a LT to protect him, and I really like Rashaad Penny. I was kinda shocked to see him go in round 1, but I REALLY liked him coming out and was a guy I'd hoped the Niners might take a look at. They also still have Clark up front and Wagner behind him, so I think the Seahawks remain in contention for division crown.

Cardinals: I have to be honest, with so much change I've really kinda not paid too much attention to the Cards this offseason. I'm not a fan of Bradford but he's played well when he's healthy. It will be interesting to see how Rosen develops. Alot will be on the surgically repaired knee of David Johnson.

 

[Ramfan128]

What I find so interesting about the NFC West is that any of the Niners, Seahawks or even the Cardinals could finish in 2nd place IMO.

Niners hype has been heard all offseason - I don't know as well as Niner fans, but I think they still have a few holes on the roster

Seahawks have the best QB in the division and that alone makes them a threat. I also expect their defense to resume top 10 play with a healthy Wagner.

Cardinals are a team I think people are sleeping on. If David Johnson comes back and their OL gives him some room to run, and the QB play is average - and if the defense is average - lots and lots of ifs, but it wouldn't shock me to see them win 7-9 games this year.

I like how the Rams fan ASSUMES the Rams will take the division. Not giving you a hard time as you might very well be right, but the assumption is funny to me. No worries tho.

Rams: On Paper they SHOULD take the division. They were best team in division last year and on paper only got better. Funny thing though...it often doesn't work out the way you expect. Time will tell.

Niners: I agree with you on the hype and the holes. No team in NFL history had ever done what the Niners did last year. No team ever that started 1-10 ever finished the season with more than 3 wins, let alone rip off a 5 game winning streak. Now obviously, the Watsonless Texans and Bears aren't world-beaters, the Titans were reeling, The Jags might have had a bad day, and the Rams didn't play a ton of their starters...but there IS something to be said for the fact that it had NEVER happened before.

So...heres the thing about the holes: You aren't wrong...but its more complicated than that. Some would site CB, WR, or RB as holes, but I'm not sure that's the case. While its true there aren't proven vets at those positions, there are other factors. Sherman is of course coming off injury so that's a question mark. Witherspoon on the other side is in the Sherman mold and played well at the end of the year and has one think Sherman never has...pure speed.

At WR i think the Niners are pretty well stacked actually. No, there is no Julio Jones, but Garcon is a player, Goodwin is playing like a star in his second year in the system, Pettis has shown some potential as has Bourne, and they are really two deep in the slot with Taylor and James.

As for RB? I implicitly trust any decision Kyle Shanahan makes at that position as he and his dad have a strong history of turning guys into stars. the combo of McKinnon, Breida, and now Alfred Morris (if he makes final roster) is fine for me.

Now LEGIT holes with the answer? Hands down...LEO. They have nobody who can consistently get to the passer from outside. RG...they have two former 1st rounders vying for that spot (Josh Garnett and Jonathan Cooper...which would put them in odd position of having FOUR 1st round picks on the line and a second rounder at center) but neither guy has set the world on fire and hasn't practiced much in camp due to injury.

Seahawks: Again, as I said of the Rams ON PAPER it seems they'd be up for a big decline losing half if not possibly 3/4 of the Legion of Boom (and in reality possibly the best three members of the Legion)...but again, things don't always work out the way you expect. I'd be surprised if Seattle fell off a cliff. They still have Wilson, they finally have a LT to protect him, and I really like Rashaad Penny. I was kinda shocked to see him go in round 1, but I REALLY liked him coming out and was a guy I'd hoped the Niners might take a look at. They also still have Clark up front and Wagner behind him, so I think the Seahawks remain in contention for division crown.

Cardinals: I have to be honest, with so much change I've really kinda not paid too much attention to the Cards this offseason. I'm not a fan of Bradford but he's played well when he's healthy. It will be interesting to see how Rosen develops. Alot will be on the surgically repaired knee of David Johnson.

I tried to not make it sound like I was being cocky - I legitimately think the Niners/Seahawks/Cardinals could place in any order in the NFC West - although I give the Seahawks a big time advantage over the other two. I'm betting you would predict the Rams to win the West - and I would be willing to bet most fans on this site would do the same.

 

[Popeyejones]

What I find so interesting about the NFC West is that any of the Niners, Seahawks or even the Cardinals could finish in 2nd place IMO.

I like how the Rams fan ASSUMES the Rams will take the division. Not giving you a hard time as you might very well be right, but the assumption is funny to me. No worries tho.

TBF I'd be suspicious of any fan of any of the NFC West teams who wasn't at this point operating under the assumption that it's the Rams division to lose.

As people here have caught onto, I'm not just a killjoy about the Seahawks, but am more generally a killjoy, and even about my own team too.

Stuff about the 9ers that hasn't been mentioned yet:

* As the 9ers are just entering year 2 of a complete rebuild, while there's some promise on the team for sure, they're incredibly thin at practically every position when it comes to depth. There some promise at non-starting positions at a couple positions, but entirely rebuilt teams just don't have any useful depth this soon into a rebuild. So, while I can be somewhat excited about the starting lineup in a number of places, behind those starters the (save for maybe two or three positions at most) the cupboards are really, really bare. I don't think the 9ers will be the first team in NFL history to make it through the season with all 22 starters intact, so that has to be factored in.

**If you go up and down the roster the bulk of the 9ers talent that's getting people excited is coming from half a season or less of good play. That's not just JGQ's half season either. The problem is that 6-8 games just isn't a large enough sample size to know if a player will ultimately be worth a damn. 9ers fans want to tell themselves that everyone is going to be as good as they appeared to be for their six to eight starting games last year, but that's just practically impossible. What that means is that we should expect half of Garoppolo, Goodwin, Taylor, Kittle, Tomlinson, Breida, Foster, Witherspoon, Colbert, Tartt, and Williams to maybe end up being fool's gold. Then you factor in the wildcards of FAs (McKinnon, Richburg, Cooper), older players coming back from season ending injuries (Sherman, Garcon), older guys that are going to slow down soon if not now (Staley), and players people assume might get better but might not get better (Thomas), and we're really talking 18 of 22 starters who are question marks.

So, an optimist can look at that and get really excited that 19 of 22 starters have a ton of potential (these 18 plus Buckner), whereas a pessimist can look at the same list and say that the 9ers have one proven and solid piece (Buckner), three scrubs, and 18 question marks that could go either way.


Long story short, if everything breaks the right way and continues to break the right way I think the 9ers are still a year or two off from truly competing.

 

[Ramfan128]

I'll add another take on the Rams roster, because sometimes the headlines are taken up by the bigger name players:

Goff - above average, looking for improvement
Gurley - superstar
Cooks - all star caliber player
Woods - above average
Kupp - above average, on track to be an all star
Higbee/Everett - below average to average - but McVay was a TE coach and Everett was his first draft pick as HC
Whitworth - all star caliber player
Saffold - all star caliber player
Sullivan - above average last year, expecting regression
Brown - suspended two games - likely replaced by Austin Blythe who is a solid back up center - average player
Havenstein - average to above average player

Weak link on offense: TE? I put a question mark because again, Everett was a high 2nd round pick and McVay is a former TE coach who has shown to be one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. Past that, we had Sullivan play above expectations last year - but Brown and Hav were 2nd and 3rd round picks who had some talent. I expect Sullivan to regress a bit, but our best backup offensive lineman is Blythe, who plays C and played for Sullivan a few games last year, and played well. We also drafted two offensive linemen with our first two picks (3rd and 4th rounds), so I wager McVay and Snead are expecting some worse injury luck with the OL, which is smart.

What could go terribly wrong? The OL. Despite the efforts to beef up the depth, the Rams got a combination of injury luck and performance luck that is unlikely to be repeated. Whitworth is also old and could regress at any time - but I didn't include that in the above because he played so well last year.

What fans may not know: Saffold is one of the best guards in the NFL; Kupp is going to be a monster (quite a few Seahawk fans do know this because he played at Eastern Washington)



Brockers - above average
Suh - all star caliber player
Donald - superstar
Ebukam - unknown but has potential
Barron - above average player to all star caliber player
Littleton - average - with potential - Littleton just makes plays - he blocked several punts and got a sack and interception in his first start last season
Longacre - below average - back injury last season - my guess is that this second OLB position is taken over by a rookie at some point and in general, not used much when the Rams go to the nickel, which they will quite a bit
Peters - all star caliber player
Talib - all star caliber player
Joyner - all star caliber player
Johnson III - above average player, on track to be an all star (he's the one that picked off Russell Wilson in LA last year)

Robey-Coleman - one of the best slot corners in the NFL


As you can see, the defense is loaded - and at CB and DL we have depth. Troy Hill is a guy that started once Kayvon Webster went down and played very well at CB.

The only true weaknesses right now on the roster are TE and OLB - TE has some young ascending players; OLB has some young guys with potential and likely won't be on the field much.

And obviously the Rams had the best kicker/punter combo in the NFL last year - Zuerlein has gotten good reviews in camp coming off his back injury.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Why even play the games, the Rams are going 16-0 and winning the whole thing I guess :stirthepot:

 

[Marvin49]

What I find so interesting about the NFC West is that any of the Niners, Seahawks or even the Cardinals could finish in 2nd place IMO.

Niners hype has been heard all offseason - I don't know as well as Niner fans, but I think they still have a few holes on the roster

Seahawks have the best QB in the division and that alone makes them a threat. I also expect their defense to resume top 10 play with a healthy Wagner.

Cardinals are a team I think people are sleeping on. If David Johnson comes back and their OL gives him some room to run, and the QB play is average - and if the defense is average - lots and lots of ifs, but it wouldn't shock me to see them win 7-9 games this year.

I like how the Rams fan ASSUMES the Rams will take the division. Not giving you a hard time as you might very well be right, but the assumption is funny to me. No worries tho.

Rams: On Paper they SHOULD take the division. They were best team in division last year and on paper only got better. Funny thing though...it often doesn't work out the way you expect. Time will tell.

Niners: I agree with you on the hype and the holes. No team in NFL history had ever done what the Niners did last year. No team ever that started 1-10 ever finished the season with more than 3 wins, let alone rip off a 5 game winning streak. Now obviously, the Watsonless Texans and Bears aren't world-beaters, the Titans were reeling, The Jags might have had a bad day, and the Rams didn't play a ton of their starters...but there IS something to be said for the fact that it had NEVER happened before.

So...heres the thing about the holes: You aren't wrong...but its more complicated than that. Some would site CB, WR, or RB as holes, but I'm not sure that's the case. While its true there aren't proven vets at those positions, there are other factors. Sherman is of course coming off injury so that's a question mark. Witherspoon on the other side is in the Sherman mold and played well at the end of the year and has one think Sherman never has...pure speed.

At WR i think the Niners are pretty well stacked actually. No, there is no Julio Jones, but Garcon is a player, Goodwin is playing like a star in his second year in the system, Pettis has shown some potential as has Bourne, and they are really two deep in the slot with Taylor and James.

As for RB? I implicitly trust any decision Kyle Shanahan makes at that position as he and his dad have a strong history of turning guys into stars. the combo of McKinnon, Breida, and now Alfred Morris (if he makes final roster) is fine for me.

Now LEGIT holes with the answer? Hands down...LEO. They have nobody who can consistently get to the passer from outside. RG...they have two former 1st rounders vying for that spot (Josh Garnett and Jonathan Cooper...which would put them in odd position of having FOUR 1st round picks on the line and a second rounder at center) but neither guy has set the world on fire and hasn't practiced much in camp due to injury.

Seahawks: Again, as I said of the Rams ON PAPER it seems they'd be up for a big decline losing half if not possibly 3/4 of the Legion of Boom (and in reality possibly the best three members of the Legion)...but again, things don't always work out the way you expect. I'd be surprised if Seattle fell off a cliff. They still have Wilson, they finally have a LT to protect him, and I really like Rashaad Penny. I was kinda shocked to see him go in round 1, but I REALLY liked him coming out and was a guy I'd hoped the Niners might take a look at. They also still have Clark up front and Wagner behind him, so I think the Seahawks remain in contention for division crown.

Cardinals: I have to be honest, with so much change I've really kinda not paid too much attention to the Cards this offseason. I'm not a fan of Bradford but he's played well when he's healthy. It will be interesting to see how Rosen develops. Alot will be on the surgically repaired knee of David Johnson.

I tried to not make it sound like I was being cocky - I legitimately think the Niners/Seahawks/Cardinals could place in any order in the NFC West - although I give the Seahawks a big time advantage over the other two. I'm betting you would predict the Rams to win the West - and I would be willing to bet most fans on this site would do the same.

No worries. You'd be correct....if I had to make a bet I'd bet on the Rams, but the way it was worded just struck me as funny. You didn't even mention the Rams because it was a forgone conclusion. I wasn't intending to bust you on it...just thought it was funny.



Peace.

 

[Marvin49]

What I find so interesting about the NFC West is that any of the Niners, Seahawks or even the Cardinals could finish in 2nd place IMO.

I like how the Rams fan ASSUMES the Rams will take the division. Not giving you a hard time as you might very well be right, but the assumption is funny to me. No worries tho.

TBF I'd be suspicious of any fan of any of the NFC West teams who wasn't at this point operating under the assumption that it's the Rams division to lose.

As people here have caught onto, I'm not just a killjoy about the Seahawks, but am more generally a killjoy, and even about my own team too.

Stuff about the 9ers that hasn't been mentioned yet:

* As the 9ers are just entering year 2 of a complete rebuild, while there's some promise on the team for sure, they're incredibly thin at practically every position when it comes to depth. There some promise at non-starting positions at a couple positions, but entirely rebuilt teams just don't have any useful depth this soon into a rebuild. So, while I can be somewhat excited about the starting lineup in a number of places, behind those starters the (save for maybe two or three positions at most) the cupboards are really, really bare. I don't think the 9ers will be the first team in NFL history to make it through the season with all 22 starters intact, so that has to be factored in.

**If you go up and down the roster the bulk of the 9ers talent that's getting people excited is coming from half a season or less of good play. That's not just JGQ's half season either. The problem is that 6-8 games just isn't a large enough sample size to know if a player will ultimately be worth a damn. 9ers fans want to tell themselves that everyone is going to be as good as they appeared to be for their six to eight starting games last year, but that's just practically impossible. What that means is that we should expect half of Garoppolo, Goodwin, Taylor, Kittle, Tomlinson, Breida, Foster, Witherspoon, Colbert, Tartt, and Williams to maybe end up being fool's gold. Then you factor in the wildcards of FAs (McKinnon, Richburg, Cooper), older players coming back from season ending injuries (Sherman, Garcon), older guys that are going to slow down soon if not now (Staley), and players people assume might get better but might not get better (Thomas), and we're really talking 18 of 22 starters who are question marks.

So, an optimist can look at that and get really excited that 19 of 22 starters have a ton of potential (these 18 plus Buckner), whereas a pessimist can look at the same list and say that the 9ers have one proven and solid piece (Buckner), three scrubs, and 18 question marks that could go either way.


Long story short, if everything breaks the right way and continues to break the right way I think the 9ers are still a year or two off from truly competing.

All fair.

The 49ers have a TON of players of whom at this point are unproven, but promising.

 

[adeltaY]

Couple non-Seahawks points.

1. When's the last time the Cards didn't have a great defense? 2012? I don't expect them to fall out of the top 10 (they were 4th in defensive DVOA last year)

2. Whitworth already showed signs of decline last season. He gave up two sacks Frank Clark alone and he previously had the highest pass blocking efficiency of any tackle for YEARS when he played for the Bengals. In fact, he gave up six sacks on the season, the most he has since 2006. That's something to watch this season. If I had to guess, I'd say this is his last year with the Rams as I think they can release him with close to no cap repercussions.

 

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RAMS (11-5)

The Rams are going to have some serious turnover on their O-Line next off-season. The honeymoon of being the surprise team is over. It's going to be tough sledding from here on out for them. They have the talent to do it this year, but could definitely see them having some troubles in the not too distant future.

If Whitworth gets hurt or declines a lot this year. Which isn't out of the question at 36 yrs of age (37 in December). It could lead to a ripple effect of problems for the team. I am looking forward to this season to watch how it plays out.

SEAHAWKS (10-6)

The new OC & O-Line Coach have completely revamped Seattle's stale attack. Division opponents are going to have a harder time preparing for the Seahawks Offense than in season's past.

Pete is pretty good at building defenses, so when that happens again they will be Super Bowl contenders again. For now they must settle for being playoff contenders.

49ERS (9-7)

Shanahan is the best play caller in the sport. Jimmy is going to be great. My questions for the 9ers reside strictly on defense. I don't have a lot faith they can build a championship defense at this juncture. They will have to outscore teams.

CARDINALS (7-9)
A team in transition. Josh Rosen must pan out for them or they are going to be cellar dwellers for years to come.


Overall the NFC WEST is slowly but surely forming back into the strongest division in the NFL like it was a few years ago.