NFC West Arms Race

After splitting the season series in 2012 as well as beef up their rivalry, the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have yet to stop competing against one another as both teams have made this off-season an arms race. With the NFC West expected to be a dogfight between the two, both organizations have gotten off to an early start in preparation of claiming the division title in 2013 by adding weapons to their roster. Making the first splash of the off-season was the Seahawks, acquiring wide-receiver and kick return specialist Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings. Hours after learning that Seattle had bulked up their receiving corps, the 49ers made a deal of their own, answering their biggest threat to overtake them in the division with the addition of wide-out Anquan Boldin who last month helped the Baltimore Ravens defeat his new team in Super Bowl XLVII and figures to be a one-year rental at the wide-out position.

San Francisco showed no ill-will towards Boldin putting a dent in the franchise's perfect Super Bowl record, sending a sixth-round pick in next month's draft to Baltimore in exchange for the 3-time Pro-Bowler who is in the final year of his contract. With the 49ers getting a seasoned veteran receiver for what many considered to be a bargain, the Seahawks were forced to give up a little more in return for Harvin who not only brings a little more to the table offensively, but also comes with some baggage as he bumped heads with Vikings personnel on a number of occasions. Not to mention an injury history that has haunted him for much of his young career including a season-ending ankle injury suffered during week 9 this past year. But when healthy, Harvin, a former Rookie of the Year can be the deep threat that Seattle lacked last season as well as one of the most dangerous men on special-teams in the game today. After all, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is somewhat of a wizard when taking on players with a troubled past and developing them into play-makers. And though Harvin may be the better player out of the two now with Boldin's better days in the league behind him, Boldin will help his new team just as much if not more than Harvin will.

With 10 years of NFL experience under his belt, the 32 year old Boldin will replace the four year elder Randy Moss and will be the guiding light and mentor to his fellow 49er wide-outs as Mario Manningham, Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams and A.J. Jenkins are all under the age of 27. And in case they're in need of some tips, who better to learn from than a man that was credited by former Ravens teammates Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones for making them better receivers. And while Harvin and Boldin are the two biggest names acquired by either team this off-season, they aren't the only ones. Seattle also made an effort to bolster their defensive line with the signings of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, an area in which their NFC West counterparts have excelled in. The one area the 49ers are vulnerable at however, is their secondary. With the cornerback position being an issue as seen in the NFC Championship game as well as in the Super Bowl where Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco picked the 49ers apart through the air, we can expect to see some improvement.

And with a stockpile of picks (15 in all) in next month's draft, don't be surprised if coach Jim Harbaugh targets a corner or a safety early on to fill in for the departed Dashon Goldson who recently agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5 years, $41 Million). There's also the possibility of trading for the Jets' Darrelle Revis or signing free-agent Nnamdi Asomugha who's looking to bounce back from two mediocre years in Philadelphia. And a return to the bay area might be just what he needs to regain that form that helped Asomugha make three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl while with the Raiders, making him one of the most coveted players in free-agency just two years ago. But the closer we get to April's NFL Draft, the likeliness of acquiring one of the aforementioned corners decreases. The 49ers did sign former St. Louis Rams defensive-back Craig Dahl to a three-year deal but that doesn't quite solve their issue. Other notable 49er acquisitions this off-season include former fifth overall pick in 2009 -- defensive-tackle Glenn Dorsey and kicker Phil Dawson who in his 15th NFL season last year was named to his first ever Pro-Bowl with the Cleveland Browns, hopefully solving San Francisco's nightmare kicking situation caused by David Akers last year. 

What was once considered to be the weakest division in all of sports as recent as a couple years ago has suddenly transformed into one of the most competitive divisions in all of football. The St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals are quite on the same radar as Seattle and San Francisco are, but even they can put up a fight and win a game on any given Sunday. And though the rivalry between the 49ers and Seahawks has always been one to keep an eye on, it wasn't until just recently that it evolved into one of the game's best. Even the coaches have some history and bad blood between one another dating back to when they both held clipboards at the collegiate level in the Pac10. And with a nucleus of young talent on both sides of the ball including at the quarterback position with two young studs in Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson at the helm, we should be in store for some entertainment for many years to come.


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