With less than two weeks before the NFL gets set to take center-stage by kicking off the 2011-2012 season, it's time to take a look at the reshaping of the NFC Western division and the teams that have been remodeled.
Starting with the defending division champion Seattle Seahawks: With quarterback Matt Hasselbeck no longer part of the equation, the Emerald City appears to be ready for the start of a new era at the game's most important position. Hasselbeck who served 10 seasons under center in Seattle where he led them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2005 in which they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, will now take snaps in Tennessee as the Seahawks prepare to give the reigns of the starting quarterback position to Tavaris Jackson. Although the acquisition of Jackson doesn't appear to be much of an upgrade, head coach Pete Carroll is hoping to groom T-Jack who's spent four years in Minnesota primarily as a back-up, into the successful QB many touted him to be coming out of college.
However, the most significant acquisition this offseason for the Seahawks is that of wide-receiver Sidney Rice who saw a breakout season in 2009 with the Vikings which resulted in a trip to Hawaii for the Pro-Bowl. Having missed most of the 2010 season due to hip surgery, Rice automatically becomes the number one receiver on Seattle's depth-chart. Complimenting Rice on offense will be another key offseason signing in former Raiders tight-end Zach Miller who signed a 5-year, $34 Million deal after being selected to his first Pro-Bowl last season in Oakland.
Next is the St. Louis Rams who despite finishing at 7-9 in 2010 similar to Seattle, made a tremendous leap forward following a 1-15 season in 2009, thanks in large part to the rapid development of QB Sam Bradford. In the midst of what seems to be a rebuilding stage for St. Louis, the Rams didn't make a whole lot of noise this offseason, but did address their need in the wide-receiving corps. With the addition of free-agent Mike Sims-Walker in the mix, the Rams now give their promising young QB and reigning Rookie of the Year a decent target to throw to in the WR department. And with a running game like St. Louis' supported by running back Steven Jackson, that may be all they need on offense.
Then there's the Arizona Cardinals who compared to their division foes, were given the biggest makeover this offseason. After the retirement of Kurt Warner left the Cardinals offense in shambles, the team was left with one of the worst situations at the quarterback position in all of football last season which saw starts from Derrek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton. Following a last-place finish in 2010, the Cardinals are hoping to have finally found their man in Kevin Kolb. With the resurgence of Mike Vick in Philly last year who won over the starting job and nearly took home MVP honors, the Eagles decided to get something out of their talented back-up instead of letting him rot on the bench. However, Kolb wouldn't come cheap as Arizona sent one of the league's best cornerbacks in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie along with a 2nd round draft pick to Philly in exchange for their guy.
If things don't click right away for the Cardinals in their first season with Kolb at the helm, they're almost bound to click between the tandem of Kolb and WR Larry Fitzgerald who can easily become one of the more lethal one-two punches in the division for many years to come considering the contract extension the Cardinals recently rewarded their 5-time Pro Bowl wide-out with. Regarded by some as the best wide-receiver in the NFL, Arizona invested $120 Million into the 27 year old Fitzgerald which will keep him in the desert until the 2018 season. The only other signing the Cards have made worth mention is veteran tight-end Todd Heap.
Finally there's the San Francisco 49ers who many predicted to not only win the division with ease last season, but also be a potential Super Bowl candidate. However, the 49ers would get off to a rather sluggish start as they went into Week 6 seeking their first win of the season. Among the worst passing teams in the league last season, the 49ers hope to improve on their air attack with the signing of WR Braylon Edwards. Since setting franchise records in 2007 while a member of the Cleveland Browns including 16 touchdowns and 1,289 receiving yards, Edwards hasn't been nearly as explosive, but he did manage to compile over 900 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns on a run-oriented Jets team last season. The 49ers do have some talented targets in Pro-Bowl tight-end Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree who is yet to make a splash at the pro level, the only issue has been who they have throwing to them.
With the contract of former number one overall pick Alex Smith coming to an end after last season, the 49ers were thought to be in line for a change. Instead, San Francisco's newly hired head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to give Smith another shot, hoping he can work his magic and convert him from bust to boom. Although the 49ers took a quarterback in the draft (Colin Kaepernick), the rookie won't appear to be called upon until the future unless an injury occurs or the offense struggles once again. Though San Francisco's QB position is in desperate need of revamping, their biggest question mark lies at the running-back position as the Niners are hoping to get a full season out of their Pro-Bowl RB Frank Gore. Gore of coarse unhappy regarding the current contract negotiations he and the 49ers front-office have had so far, is entering his seventh season with the team and the final year on his contract.
Currently 2,200 yards shy of becoming the franchises all-time leading rusher (Joe Perry), Gore is four years removed from compiling 1,695 yards to lead the NFC in rushing. Having been one of the game's most consistent backs since his breakout year in '06, Gore saw his 2010 campaign end early and on a rather sour note as he was sidelined for the remainder of the year after a hip injury in Week 12, eventually spelling doom for any chance of a playoff berth. For what it's worth, the 49ers also landed one of the most successful kickers in NFL history this offseason by signing 5-time Pro-Bowler and longtime kicker of the Philadelphia Eagles -- David Akers.
Though the Cardinals appear to be the front-runners to win the division given the adjustments they've made at Quarterback, I still believe the division is open and could be won by anyone considering no one team stands out both offensively and defensively. Optimistically speaking I would love to see the 49ers take the division, but as long as Alex Smith's around, I don't see it happening unless they get a 2009-like performance out of the defense which went from one of the best two seasons ago, to one of the worsts in 2010.
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