With the NFL division breakdown series in full swing, the next division in focus is the NFC West.
The NFC West is arguably the best division in the NFL, as three teams in that division, the Seahawks, 49ers,and Cardinals, all had ten or more wins last season. The Seahawks led the way, going 13-3 and ultimately becoming Super Bowl 48 champions. This division is loaded with star power and is home to some of the best players in the league. With that being said, here’s an offensive position-by-position breakdown of the NFC West, with “the best” at each position followed by “the rest” in descending order.
NFC West Breakdown
Quarterback
The Best: SEA The Rest: SF, STL, AZ
The Seattle Seahawks signal caller, Russell Wilson, is the best quarterback in the NFC West for a variety of reasons and yes, winning Super Bowl 48 is one of them. Wilson is smart, accurate and a leader on the field. In 2013, Wilson passed for 3,357, rushed for 539 yards and passed for 26 touchdowns while only throwing nine interceptions. He also accumulated back-to-back seasons with a 100-plus quarterback rating, which proves Wilson is one of the most efficient passers in the game. Wilson became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl Era to win 28 games in his first two seasons and he also holds the record for most regular season victories (24), a record that doesn’t seem likely to be broken any time soon. Russell Wilson is the face of the franchise for the Seattle Seahawks and this young man has all of the tools coaches look for in a quarterback.
The 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, is a duel-threat quarterback who makes enough plays with his arm and his legs to keep the 49ers moving offensively while avoiding costly mistakes. Kaepernick isn’t a conventional quarterback, but he’s a very good one and he enjoyed a great season last year while leading his team to the NFC Championship game. With Sam Bradford returning from a torn ACL in 2013, he looks to have a bounce-back season to prove that he is the answer at the quarterback positions for the Rams. He will finally have a legitimate opportunity to display his skills now that the Rams have some offensive talent around him. In, Arizona, no other quarterback in the NFC West came close to Carson Palmer’s 4,274 passing yards in 2013, but his 22 interceptions were the second-most in the entire league. Cutting down on the giveaways will be key for Palmer and Arizona’s postseason aspirations this year.
Running Back:
The Best: SEA The Rest: STL, SF, AZ
Marshawn Lynch rushed for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Seahawks in 2013. Lynch is the type of RB that all NFL teams wish they had, because when you combine his ability to be a workhorse back getting a ton of touches, his ability to bulldoze his way through tacklers to get yards and his ability to break long runs when he does get into the open field, you have the ideal back. Lynch has the most touchdowns in the NFL since the start of the 2011 season with 39 (35 rushing and 4 receiving) and the most 100-yard rushing games in the NFL since 2011 with 19. Its easy to see why he has earned the nickname “Beast Mode”.
The Rams Zac Stacy burst came onto the scene in 2013 where he rushed for 973 yards and emerged as the Rams’ go-to back. The Rams also added a running back very early in the 2014 draft (Round 3) in Tre Mason from Auburn, who led his team to the SEC Championship and the National Title Game. Stacy and Mason will play key roles in the Ram’s success in 2014 as questions linger around Sam Bradford.
In San Francisco, Frank Gore reached the 1,000-yard mark for the seventh time in his career last season. At 31-years-old, Gore continues train hard in the off-season utilizing boxing training to keep up his strength and stamina. His hand speed and strength help him fight off would be tacklers. The 49ers have plenty of depth behind the veteran Gore with running backs Kendall Hunter, Carlos Hyde (a rookie out of Ohio State), LaMichael James’ and Marcus Lattimore all fighting for touches.
The Cardinals have some question at the running back position as Andre Ellington, a rookie who started for the team last year, will look to sustain a quality running game for Arizona in 2014 to help take some of the stress off of Carson Palmer. Ellington has the speed, ability and elusiveness to be a great running back but in a division that has prolific defenses, only time will tell.
Wide Receiver:
The Best: SF The Rest: AZ, SEA, STL
With 49ers star wide out Michael Crabtree out for 11 out of the 16 games last season, Anquan Boldin took the reigns as the number one receiver, catching 85 passes for 1,179 yards and 7 touchdowns. His impact on the field was enormous, especially in the playoffs where he caught 16 of the 27 passes targeted for him, good enough for 227 yards and a touchdown.
The loss of Crabtree last year was felt by the 49ers, who were 7-4 without him, and 5-0 with him in the lineup. In his five weeks in the lineup Crabtree finished the season by setting career highs in YAC (yards after catch) and average yards per reception. His return allowed Boldin to put up big numbers with an added threat on the field, and the team thrived, their only loss in eight games coming in the NFC Title game. The 49ers have also added former Buffalo Bill Stevie Johnson this off-season. With Johnson, who put up three straight 1,000 yard seasons (2010-2012) in the slot, the 49er wide receiving core could be amongst the best in the league this year.
In Arizona, Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd are two very dangerous receiving weapons. With Fitzgerald not coming off another 1000 yard season he has become Mr. Consistent in Arizona, no matter who is under center. Michael Floyd has a ton of talent and seems poised for a breakout season.
With the loss of wide out Golden Tate to the Detroit Lions the Seahawks needed to add new talent in the draft, and took Colorado’s Paul Richardson in the second round and Alabama’s Kevin Norwood in the fourth. The Seahawks main weapons though, are Sydney Rice, Percy Harvin and Doug Baldwin. If Harvin and Rice stay healthy, the Seahawks will have some depth at the receiver position. That’s easier said than done though as they were both plagued with injuries last season. Doug Baldwin showed a lot of talent last season and may have played his way into being the team’s top receiver.
The Rams never really got to make the most of key wide receivers Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Austin Pettis, Chris Givens and Steadman Bailey last year due to the torn ACL suffered by QB Sam Bradford. The Rams never turned into the wide-open, pass-happy team that was expected. Just four games into the season, the Rams scrapped a pass-first scheme that featured three-wide-receiver sets. It was replaced with a run-first offense featuring multiple tight ends. If Sam Bradford stays healthy and is the great pocket passer that many believe he is capable of becoming we’ll finally be able to see how talented these youngsters are.
Tight End:
The Best: SF The Rest: STL, AZ, SEA
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis registered arguably the most prolific season of his career in 2013. With Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, he matched personal bests in touchdowns (13) and yards per reception (16.3) and was within range of his career best total yards despite missing Week 3 with a concussion. Vernon Davis is a big bodied, 6’3” 250 pounds who plays like a wide receiver even though he technically registers as a tight end. He is very fast, reliable, sure-handed, and a great route runner. After coming off of one of his best seasons ever, Davis doesn’t look like he is going to stop anytime soon.
The Rams have a fair mix of tight ends that can both block and receive. Jared Cook and Lance Kendrick will be penciled in as the starters for the Rams. With this pair, what we see is that one man’s strength is another man’s struggle. Cook, who led the team in receiving in 2013 with 671 yards has shown an ability to be lethal as a receiver, however he struggles with the responsibilities of blocking. Lance Kendrick, a second round selection out of Wisconsin in 2011, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has been praised for his blocking skills since his NFL debut; but hasn’t put up big receiving numbers. Kendrick has made adjustments and has more reliable hands than he came into the league with, but will likely never be amongst the best receivers on his team. Overall though the Rams have a good not great tandem at the position, and the Rams seem content with that.
With Anthony McCoy, Luke Wilson and Zach Miller on the Seahawks roster, this may quite possibly be the position that has the most depth on the team. McCoy showed sparks in 2012 of being a solid red zone threat before an Achilles tendon injury took him out for 2013. Zach Miller is solid as both a blocker and pass catcher and the second year Luke Wilson has shown sparks of greatness.
The Cardinals have Rob Housler, an offensive weapon many overlook due to his injury history. They have added John Carlson and Jake Ballard to round out a solid core. This could signal a trend toward more double tight end sets in Bruce Arians’ offense. The need to block is imperative if Carson Palmer is to have any chance at surviving this season.
Offensive Line:
The Best: STL The Rest: SF, AZ, SEA
The Rams are primed to have one of the best offensive lines in the game. Jake Long has the potential, to be a top-10 tackle in the game and he’s now going to be paired with Greg Robinson, the consensus top offensive lineman in the draft this year. The Rams also have solid veteran Scott Wells at center, the surprisingly effective guard Rodger Saffold on his right and Joe Barksdale, coming off of a strong 2013 campaign, at the right tackle spot. This group will be key for the Ramsa as their ability to protect Sam Bradford and allow him the necessary time to make the proper throws to their plethora of young wide outs could make all the difference in this offense. The line will also need to create holes to allow for their running backs to do their thing. If this offensive line stays healthy, the Rams could make a run at possible NFC wild card spot.
In San Francisco, All-Pro left tackle, Joe Staley, is highly athletic and effective as both a pass protector and run blocker. Staley is paired with the punishing Mike Iupati, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2012 All-Pro guard. This combination of the gives the 49ers one of the best left sides in football. Staley & Iupati are just a few of the big names the 49ers have on their offensive line to protect Kaepernick. Overall, it’s an extremely strong group that should continue to dominate in 2014.
The Cardinals’ offensive line wasn’t their strong suit in 2013 (ok, they were bad) and may not be much better in 2014, but I think there is a distinct potential there for a huge jump in effectiveness. Arizona could really surprise some people with, Veldheer, Cooper, Sendlein, Watford and Massie as their starting offensive line. It’s going to be interesting to if these players are able to protect an interception prone Carson Palmer and provide holes for a running back position that has questions.
Lastly, with all of the upside the Seahawks have, their offensive line is weak. An offensive line that featured one Pro Bowl starter at left tackle and a first-team All-Pro at center in 2012, struggled to produce any sort of consistency at any position in 2013.
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