Who Will Win the NFC West?

     Every year we predict which division will be the toughest in the NFL, and most of the time we are wrong. In the past it was a trend to say that the AFC North was the toughest in football, and some were even saying the NFC North was the best. Then comes Seattle and St. Louis providing legitimate opponents for the dominant San Francisco 49ers. Although I don't expect either team to unseat the Niners this Fall I do expect it to be a tight race from beginning to finish. Here is how I think things will shake up in the NFC West:

Division Winner - San Francisco 49ers

Na'Voroo Bowman is an animal at LB for the 49ers

Most Dominant Player - NaVorro Bowman

1.  San Francisco 49ers         11-5
2.  St. Louis Rams                 10-6
3.  Arizona Cardinals             7-9
4.  Seattle Seahawks             6-10

     Before you rip into me for putting the Hawks dead last in the NFC West, I caution you that reading this won't sway your opinion. All I ask is that you come back to this webpage in January and respond with whatever comment you desire. But my gut feeling says that Seattle will not make the playoffs this year for many reasons. The 49ers will be consistent with head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm and I expect Colin Kaepernick to be dominant once again. Teams will focus on the read option and Michael Crabtree and little more this season so Vernon Davis will have a big year. If you watched any 49ers games it was clear to see that Crabs was taking the targets that Vernon used to get. It worked perfectly for the offense but now teams will look to take out the team's main deep threat. Look for Aldon Smith to post double digit of sacks and the NaVorro Bowman/Patrick Willis LB tandem to be the best in the league.

     Now, about he argument that St. Louis will finish 2nd in the division. The Rams have a defense that tied for the lead league in sacks last year and I expect that trend to continue. The only reason they won 7 games last year is because their offense was horrific. With the additions of Tavon Austin and Jared Cook, Sam Bradford finally has the pieces to make this offense prolific. I know Steven Jackson was marvelous on 3rd downs last year but the Rams have young talent at he RB position. Jeff Fisher has impressive O-Line that includes Jake Long, Roger Saffold, Barrett Jones and Scott Wells. It doesn't matter who you put behind these hogs at this point...and on the outside they have Chris Givens(speedster) and Brian Quick(size) so there are no more excuses for Bradford moving forward. As long as he stays healthy I expect the Rams to win 10 games this year. Remember, they did finish with the best division record in the NFC West at 3-1-1.

Larry Fitzgerald was ecstatic when Carson Palmer was signed

Out west, the Arizona Cardinals will have a much better year with Carson Palmer at QB. Larry Fitzgerald now has a legitimate NFL starter throwing him the football and this should be a prolific duo. The Cardinals are trying to stay healthy at the RB position by adding Stephan Taylor and Andre Ellington in the draft, but they must be productive. It's not a matter of IF Ryan Williams and Reshard Mendenhall will go down, its a matter of WHEN. One of the questions I have about Arizona is their O-ine, which gave up a ton of sacks last year. I know that Kevin Kolb was responsible for some of the sacks but the protection was awful. Another issue will be the defense, which started strong but finished soft in 2012.  All in all, I expect an improved season for the Cardinals but it will take a few years before Bruce Arians wins a division title


     Last but not least, I have to mention the Seattle Seahawks who will not have the great year that everyone expects. It won't have anything to do with coaching, I just simply so don't believe Russell Wilson can stay healthy in the NFL. He is a great talent when upright, but sooner or later you will have a few "James Harrison" type defenders lay into him. Quarterbacks should be protected in this league but it doesn't hurt to have someone like Cam Newton or Ben Roethlisberger running your offense. Next year Jadeveon Clowney will come to the NFL and he is about to dominate like none other. If Russell Wilson is going to be the poor defenseless QB you have standing in front of Clowney, you can expect your season to end as quick as it started. Percy Harvin is an explosive playmaker but he also has a pretty long list of injuries while playing with the Vikings. Playing against the 49ers is not going to help...But the defense will be good as advertised if they can void 4 game suspensions. What is it with these guys? Brandon Browner was suspended last season for 4 games, Bruce Irvin will miss the first 4 games this season and Richard Sherman SHOULD HAVE been suspended for a positive test for a banned substance(He won his appeal because the urine sample was "mishandled"). Hopefully the Hawks can get over these issues because they bolster a great defense. All in all, expect a down season for Seattle in 2013.