NFL SWOT Analysis: NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Strengths – Kurt Warner had his renaissance throwing the ball to Fitz, Boldin and Breaston last year. That passing attack is mostly responsible for their near Super Bowl championship. The rest of the team came together just well enough to allow the passing game to accomplish that near-feat. The 3-4 defense is a great fit for the personnel on the team. Specifically, the defense plays to the strengths of DEs Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell. The DBs came into their own last year. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie-Solomon-Smith-Barney-Booz-Allen-Hamilton made the transition from a small school rookie to a #1 CB without much of a learning curve. With the addition of Bryant McFadden, the DBs are potentially stronger.

Weaknesses – I will probably get a lot of grief for this, but the offensive line is not as good as what we saw in the playoffs. They came together, but I won’t be surprised one bit when they “shine” as the weakness of this team. Mike Gandy is the only lineman that I would have confidence in at this point, and somehow, he was the only one who’s play suffered during the playoffs. Also, as great as the passing attack is, the team lacks a safety valve receiver, and lost both Edgerrin James and J.J. Arrington, their best receivers out of the backfield. There was some hope for Ben Patrick, but his suspension for the early part of the season undermined that progress.

Opportunities – With Beanie Wells nursing an ankle, Tim Hightower gets a gift shot at reclaiming the starting RB role that he failed to impress in late last season. On defense, Alan Branch and Gabe Watson have the size to man the NT position, yet neither has stepped up. Bryan Robinson is not the answer, and at his size should not be standing in either players’ way from claiming the starting NT job.

Threats – Will there be high expectations for a team that barely won the worst division in football (maybe the worst we’ve seen in decades)? This is a mediocre team that got hot in the playoffs. Also, will Boldin’s unhappiness show? This team needs Boldin, as he takes full advantage of the coverage Fitz draws.

Passing/Receiving the Torch – Going out on a limb with this one. Adrian Wilson may be slowly getting ready to share the torch to Antrel Rolle, who made the conversion from CB to FS, and did better than expected. If Rolle continues to rise, Wilson and his contract could potentially come to the forefront.

Position Battle – RB: Beanie Wells vs. Tim Hightower. Both should share time, but the battle will be over who gets more balls handed to them. Hightower came out of the gate on fire last season when working inside the red zone. If Beanie Wells can dominate between the 20s, The cards may have a potent weapon where they lacked one last year.

Rookie Contributors – Beanie Wells will probably get most of the spotlight as a rookie, however don’t sleep on Cory Brown. He is an unheralded rookie out of UConn. He could surprise and get a lot more playing time than most would think.

St. Louis Rams

Strengths – The upgrades on the O-Line should go a long way towards patching things up. Jason Brown will be originating line calls and leading this line for the next few years, at least. Jason Smith was my highest rated OT in the draft, and will be eased in at RT. Despite how bad this team was, it is not short of offensive leaders. Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson and Jason Brown must take this team over, and help those around them excel.

Weaknesses – How does this team expect to stop any receiver with the set of CBs they have? Ronald Bartell is up and down (luckily, he stepped up last year), and Tye Hill gets out-played on most weeks. The Rams have a foursome of highly drafted CB talent. Can they step up? The LB corps is one of the weakest in the league. The team needs James Laurinaitis to step up. The WRs are not ideal. Someone must emerge from that group. Actually 2-3 must emerge for this team to get out of the hole it has dug for itself.

Opportunities – While the outlook for this team is bleak, they are in the weakest division in the league. If a couple of players pick up the slack and the veterans can perform to their standards, this team has a slim chance to surprise. Alex Barron was an athletic lineman, much in the mold of what teams are looking for today at LT. However, he was stuck on the right side with Orlando Pace there. Could Barron realize his full potential on the left side.

Threats – Have the holdovers on the team bought into the “Loser Mentality”? If so, it may be time to clean house completely. The team also needs to send a message to Richie Incognito, for him to tone down his behavior. This was the knock on him in college and it’s haunting him in the NFL. He nearly cost the team their first win, because he lets his temper get out of hand. How long will the team tolerate his behavior? Will it take losing a game because of him? This is the wrong kind of influence to have around young players.

Passing/Receiving the Torch – Looks like the torch may go from the Lions to the Rams as the worst team in 2009. However, San Fran may beat the Rams to the punch.

Position Battle – On a team like this, there should be a lot of open battles. The one that catches my eye is at WR. While Laurent Robinson, Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton are the top 3 WRs on the team, they will battle to see which of those three spots they will occupy. Avery should be the clear cut #1 though.

Rookie Contributors – Jason Smith is behind Adam Goldberg for now at RT, but should see the starting role at some point this season. Laurinaitis could see time at MLB, moving Chris Draft to the strong side. DT Dorell Scott could be a dark horse. The team could use a run stopper up front.



San Francisco 49ers

Strengths – Frank Gore has been outspoken and is finally taking on a leadership role with this club. He may be the only bright spot on offense. On defense, you have Patrick Willis as the type of leader you build an entire defense around. Mike Singletary has his prodigy/protégé. The D-Line may be somewhat of a no-name crew, but they actually have the right pieces to fit their style of the 3-4 defense. In the D-Backfield, they might finally have some decent depth.

Weaknesses – The overall theme of this team is under-achievers. Regardless of who the QB is (Shaun Hill, Alex Smith, Damon Huard, Gio Carmazzi), there is a lot of doubt whether he will be able to lead the team anywhere. Regardless of the QB, he will not have a great set of targets to work with. To make matters worse on offense, Vernon Davis is the biggest tease in football. He was one of the fastest and strongest players coming into the league, and has done nothing but disappoint. While the O-Line is led by an over-achieving center in Eric Heitman, the rest of the line was highly touted coming into the league, and has also disappointed.

Opportunities – This is Mike Singletary’s chance to show that he can whip an under-achieving team into shape. He could build a legacy off of this situation. Those who knew and remember him as a player have no doubt that he has the brass to do it. One player that could use that brass is Manny Lawson. He has all the tools to be a great pass rusher in the 3-4, but still has not lived up to his potential. He’s in the final two years of his tiny rookie contract, and might want to make a case for a renegotiation for the uncapped year. Delanie Walker could prove that he’s the better TE for this offense than Vernon Davis.

Threats – The amount of under-achievers on this team is way too high, and could be cancerous to the team. If they continue on this path, it may be time to do some major house cleaning.

Passing/Receiving the Torch – Tarell Brown is the closest to receiving a torch. He may start getting some sparks from Nate Clements as the #1 CB. He is the type of over-achiever that this team needs.

Position Battle – It’s a 5-man race (when Crabtree decides to join the fray it will be 6). Josh Morgan and Isaac Bruce are penciled in as starters. Brandon Jones is dealing with an injury. Jason Hill is the home run threat who has some length. He has the most potential (outside of Crabtree). Arnaz Battle was once a starter, and hopes to regain that form again.

Rookie Contributor – Michael Crabtree is an idiot. Mark my words, he will lose more money in the long run by holding out of valuable time than he will make by holding out. Grade-A IDIOT. The real rookie gem on this squad might be Glen Coffee. He should win the RB2 role behind Gore, and is poised to surprise. There is a Dark Dark Horse in Ricky Jean-Francois. He played the same 3-4 DE position at LSU, and seems to be fitting in here.



Seattle Seahawks

Strengths – The front seven is probably the brightest spot on this team. The LB corps are every LB coach’s dream. Lofa Tatupu leads the defense from the middle. Leroy Hill played so well last year, the team felt it could move high-priced Julian Peterson, to make room for Aaron Curry. The three together could be dominant. The D-Line has mostly quality no-name talent. If they can tie up the blockers, the LBs can play freely and cause many problems for offenses. Young DEs Lawrence Jackson and Darryl Tapp need to step up for this to be an elite front seven.

Weaknesses – Can this team really survive with Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett as the feature backs? The middle of the O-Line hasn’t looked good and only makes it tougher on the running game. The CBs must step up this year. Kelly Jennings is in danger of being cut or traded for next to nothing if he doesn’t turn things around. Marcus Trufant and Ken Lucas team up again, but they were probably a better tandem when they were younger. The young talent at CB is not the kind that you put out there as a starter. Josh Wilson is too small to be an every down CB.

Opportunities – The surprise this team might have up its sleeve is the passing game. After putting 47 WRs on IR last year, theyhave a healthy bunch with the additions of T.J. Houshamazilla…WhosYoMama…Houshmandzadeh and rookie Deon Butler. John Carlson could be a pro-bowl caliber TE, though it doesn’t help that Tony Gonzalez is in the NFC now.

Threats – Does Matt Hasselbeck have it anymore? I quietly had them in the QB derby on draft day, knowing they could take Sanchez and put him in the perfect situation to sit for a year behind Hasselbeck for at least the start of this season.

Passing/Receiving the Torch – Walter Jones might be passing the LT torch to Sean Locklear soon. If Jones gets hurt or falters, Locklear will take the position and not give it back. This will also open the door at RT for Ray Willis.

Position Battle – WR3: Deion vs. Deon. Branch vs. Butler. Look for the veteran to have the early lead, but the rookie will push.

Rookie Contributor – Aaron Curry is the obvious stud rookie on this team. In many eyes, he was the class of the 2009 draft. He should do a lot for this club. Penn State burner, WR Deon Butler, is hard to keep up with on the field and has a little Bobby Engram to him. Utility lineman Max Unger could find his way into the RG mix with Mansfield Wrotto when Ray Willis moves to RT.

Tuesday FourCast: Week 11

This was a week of some crazy storylines in the NFL. Now while Scott Green’s horrendous call causing a $66 million swing in betting on the Steelers/Bolts game doesn’t quite match up to a worm-eating freak who carries a clock, this weekend still brought back my childhood (and subsequently, college-hood) memories of that great non-sport: Professional Wrestling.

1. Do You Smell What the Rock is Cooking?

The Sunday Night Football game on NBC brought us a crappy performance by the Cowpokes matched by an even crappier performance by the Portises, er, Redskins. For much of the first half of this yawn-fest, the Skins led 7-0. But Dallas , arguably, caught a break on what appeared to be a fantastic punt by Ryan Plackemeier. The ball nestled at the 1-yard line, and did not appear to be moving from that spot. Yet, out of nowhere, Rock Cartwright bolted onto the scene to down the ball. Unfortunately for the Redskins, the Rock’s overzealousness caused his “roody poo, candy ass” to be in contact with the goal line at the moment he downed the football, resulting in a touchback. Could Dallas have scored the equalizing TD on a 99-yard drive instead of an 80-yard drive? Possibly, but starting out of your own endzone is always a daunting task.

2. The Mega Powers

You know how the classic tag team match goes in pro wrestling. The match starts off fairly even, or possibly in favor of the good guys … but then the heels take control. The good guys start to get pummeled a little bit. For a few quarters of the Titans and Jags game on Sunday, Titans fans saw this playing out. The Jaguars were beating the undefeated Titans 14-3 at half time thanks to 2 MJD touchdowns. It looked as though the Jaguars had figured out that vaunted Tennessee defense. But Jack Del Rio’s boys forgot one thing … like true champions, Jeff Fisher and Kerry Collins say their prayers, eat their vitamins, and kick some ass! Collins came out after the break and threw 3 touchdown passes, and the Tennessee D stepped up, helping guide this season’s mega powers to a 24-14 win and a 10-0 record.

3. The Power of the Warrior!!!

Sometimes people will say something that will leave you scratching your head. That “something” could be a crazy white man, hopped up on steroids with paint on his face, saying “Dig your claws into my organs!! Stretch into my tendons!! Bury your angers into my bones, for the power of the Warrior will always prevaiilllll!!!” Or, it could be a 10-year veteran NFL quarterback saying that he didn’t know the NFL rulebook allowed for ties. Yes, I know a more renowned blog (*cough*PFT*cough*) has already beaten Donovan McNabb’s gaffe into submission … but I can’t let this go. It’s inexcusable for a veteran QB who has been to multiple Pro Bowls, to the Super Bowl, and eaten thousands of cans of Chunky’s Chicken Noodle Soup to be that dense as to the rules and regulations of his profession. Perhaps years of hearing nothing other than “throw the screen pass” from Andy Reid have had the same affect on McNabb’s brain than the ‘roids had on the Warrior’s grape-nuts.

4. This is Where the Power Lies ... Brotherrrrrrr!!!

Okay, okay. So the '49ers and Cardinals are not powerful groups (especially the '49ers), nor do they represent evil (except for the Bidwell's wallet). However, for thousands of Rams fans from the glory years of the late 1990's and early 2000's, three of the greatest heroes were Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce and Mike Martz. They were three of the integral parts of the "Greatest Show on Turf." Now, in two of the past three weeks, these three have faced their former team, and have shattered the hearts of their ex-fans. In week 9, Kurt Warner took his Cards into St. Louis and dismantled his ex-team in front of the same fans who cheered him to two MVP awards. This past weekend, Bruce and Martz thrashed their ex-team ... at least they had the decency to do it in San Francisco. This trend of former beloved players returning to face against their old teams and old fans is nothing new ... but for that 16 year old kid, who 7 years ago screamed from the stands wearing a blue and gold #80 jersey, it will always hard to be difficult to cheer against his former idol ... even if that player is now on the dark side.

Tuesday FourCast: Week 6

Paymon called it last week with his code orange games. Things definitely went awry, especially for one division. We saw some mighty teams fall in what should have been easy matchups. And with that, we start the mid-section of the season.


#1. Take That Vegas

At one point last week, the Redskins were 14.5 point favorites over the Rams. Let's not forget, this is the NFL, which means "No Funds League" if you use Vegas odds when betting on games. Coming off big wins against the Cowboys and Eagles on the road, the Redskins lay an egg at home against the hapless Rams. Being a long time fan of the Skins, I can tell you that this is normal. I told people in my office last week that this is a game the Skins always lose and had several of them remind me on Monday about that revelation. A few things I take away from this game. Josh Brown is one of the best free agent acquisitions the Rams have had for a while. The Redskins came down to earth as soon as they had a few turnovers. Vinny Cerrato should publicly apologize for forcing the team to keep Durant Brooks as their punter, since he wasted a draft pick on Brooks. Offensive linemen should bat down passes instead of thinking they are Jerry Rice. And, Richie Incognito should be a professional wrestler and not in the NFL.


#2. Gun-Slinging (Sorta) in the Wild West

How important is special teams play to a football team? Just ask the Cardinals who pulled a minor shocker at home against the Dallas Cowboys. There is no need to look further than the Cardinals' opening play and their closing play of the game. J.J. Arrington started things off with the proverbial punch in the nose, with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Later, Sean Morey and Monty Beisel combined to block a punt and claim the ball in the end zone for a TD in overtime to seal the victory. These two plays served as the end-caps for a game overstocked with turnovers and ugly play. Another observation I had refers to what T.O. cried about in a previous press conference. He wanted the damn ball. But, in three of the last four games, he has 8 catches for 120 yards and 1 TD. Marion Barber had 11 for 128 and a TD in this game alone. Note to T.O.: Get open, and you'll get the damn ball...and cozy up to Brad Johnson too.


#3. Is LT Finally Going to Shut Up???

I could see it before the game even started. A pouty LaDainian Tomlinson boo-hooing over a loss to the Patriots, claiming, "They cheated!!! Belichick is a bad bad person!!!" (Queue crying baby sound effect). It was nice seeing them pound the Brady-less Patriots like a team that's missing their All-Pro QB. Ok, that sounded redundant, but I'm sure you all know what I mean. Phillip Rivers got his groove on throwing to his over-sized receivers. The smaller Patriot DBs showed their weakness. Matt Cassel showed us why he's never been a starting QB. I think this is just further proof that since Tom Brady went down, the AFC is anybody's game.


#4. The New York Football...Midgets???

Not quite, but what are we to think? Did the Browns come to life, or did the Giants finally come back to earth? Derek Anderson spent the last few weeks barely holding Brady Quinn off from the starting QB job. Last night, Anderson restated his case as the outright starter in Cleveland. Eli Manning threw three picks (one of them a Pick-Six) to a set of Browns DBs that the average fan couldn't name a single member. Amazingly, sans the "Soulja", the Browns looked a lot like the team that went 10-6 last season. Braylon Edwards shook off some of that dust to give Anderson a hand, and once again looked like he's the next big thing at WR. Furthermore, the Giants lost their first road game since week 1 last season. If I was to point out a trend for this week, it's that three quarters of the NFC East needs to pick themselves up after some shocking losses and once again prove that they are the best division in the league.

Quick Hits From Week 6

In lieu of the running blog that we at PHSports have done throughout most of the season, I wanted to offer some quick hits from a most interesting Week 6. As noted in this past Tuesday's edition of the FourCast, awkward games are this season's calling card.

• In the early set of games, the Washington Redskins lost three fumbles (all three in field goal range resulting in a potential 16-point swing) and gave away a game against the St. Louis Rams at the death. The Redskins outgained the Rams by over 150 yards. Maybe the Rams knew what they were doing when they made Donnie Avery the first WR taken in the draft and gave silly money to a kicker.

• In the game that would not end, Dallas forced overtime at Arizona and had seemingly stolen the momentum ... only to lose on a blocked punt. Despite another sloppy game from Dallas, their fourth in six games, many will decide to point fingers at the special teams who bookended the game with touchdowns surrendered.

• Indianapolis has resurrected its season and Marvin Harrison answered my question earlier today about whether he was done. He's not. Just ask Chris McAllister. The Colts may have longer term issues with the health of Joseph Addai hanging in the balance, but the timing which is so crucial to Indy's engine was functioning per usual.

• As expected, Jacksonville hit Denver in the mouth and won. Let's see if the Jags can do the unthinkable and aim for consistency.

• Perhaps we have been underrating the NFC South. Just ask the Chicago Bears who are 0-3 against the division. Three teams have 4 wins and New Orleans is in last with three wins. Also, paging the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan is no game manager. He's a winner.

• Philadelphia salvaged a fourth-quarter comeback against San Francisco. It's amazing how Correll Buckhalter's numbers can mirror that of Brian Westbrook's when he gets similar touches. Am I saying Buckhalter is as good as Westbrook? Not a chance. But I am saying that Buck can start in this league for at least 10 teams and it's no coincidence that his lack of touches correlate with losses to divisional foes. Also, I'm starting to think that Donovan McNabb is more comfortable without Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis. The team is 3-1 when neither have played, and the only loss was the shootout in Dallas.

Can Koren Make Good in Seattle?

Yesterday afternoon, speculation quickened about Koren Robinson's unexpected return as two more Seattle WRs (Logan Payne and Seneca Wallace) succumbed to injuries on Sunday.

By the evening, the much-maligned Robinson signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks (also trading for Keary Colbert). Never short on talent, Robinson was selected by Seattle with the 9th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. In his second season, he caught 78 passes equaling 1240 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, Robinson's maturity never matched his ability to make plays on the field, and has numerous brushes with the law.

Though Robinson has seemingly turned the corner in his personal life, can he compete at a high level? We will find out quickly as Robinson will have a great opportunity to put up numbers against the St. Louis Rams (prior to the Seahawks' Week 4 bye), who surrender a league-worst 327.5 ypg in the air.