NFC West should again be the class of the NFL/PD

NFC West should again be the class of the NFL
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/nfc-west-should-again-be-the-class-of-the-nfl/article_38b3da8d-2ddd-5543-bb50-fc04f6f17c87.html

In World Cup soccer, it’s known as the group of death. In the NFL, it is the NFC West.

The Rams’ division is the toughest in the NFL and arguably in all of pro sports. A year ago, the NFC West won 42 games, five more than the runner-up, the AFC West (37). In addition to the Rams, the West features the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (13-3) as well as the San Francisco 49ers (12-4), a team that has reached the NFC title game in three consecutive seasons.

And then there’s the Arizona Cardinals, who went from 5-11 to 10-6 and somehow managed to miss out on a playoff berth.

With two games against each West foe and an overall schedule ranked as third-toughest in the league, it’s safe to say the Rams, who’ve gone 7-8-1 and 7-9 over the last two seasons, have their work cut out again this season.

“The goal is to consistently compete for division titles because that’s the easiest way into the tournament,’’ Rams general manager Les Snead told a group of media members just before the start of training camp. “We’re not where we want to be — internally and externally, the standards must be higher — but we’re definitely progressing.”

For the third consecutive season under the direction of Snead and coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams open the season as the NFL’s youngest team.

“We’re still young, but now we’re young with experience,’’ Snead stressed. “We have guys who’ve been with us and getting playing time on the field for at least a couple of seasons. We’ve beaten all the teams in the division during the last two seasons, and we’ve done it with the guys on this team.

“Each week, when we arrive on Monday, we expect to compete and we expect to win.’’

There’s no question that losing quarterback Sam Bradford to another season-ending knee injury was a major blow. But Snead remains optimistic.

“Last year, after we started to focus on the ground game, everybody knew what we were going to do and we were still able to move the ball,’’ Snead said. “We were able to develop a little bit of an identity — be physical, run the ball, play good defense — and once you have an identity, it’s something you can go back to when things get tough.

“Hopefully with (defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams, we can continue to add to that identity. I think he can be a difference-maker.’’

Let’s take a quick look at the competition in the NFC West:

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Can the Seahawks avoid the Super Bowl hangover? History clearly isn’t on their side. The two previous champions, Baltimore in 2012 and the New York Giants in 2011, failed to qualify for the playoffs the following season, and not since 2006 has a defending Super Bowl champion followed up with a playoff win in the next season.

But the Seahawks, who’ve been to the postseason in eight of the last 11 seasons, once again seem to be the team to beat. They return 17 starters, and coach Pete Carroll started preaching against complacency shortly after the confetti hit the ground at MetLife Stadium last February. In Thursday’s opener, Seattle was in playoff form, pounding Green Bay 36-16.

Defensively, the “Legion of Boom’’ secondary led by Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor sets an aggressive tone. The offense features an improving Russell Wilson at quarterback and hard-running and reliable Marshawn Lynch at tailback. The healthy return of versatile Percy Harvin at receiver could help keep the Seahawks on top.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

San Francisco suffered through eight consecutive non-winning seasons before Jim Harbaugh took over in 2011. Since then, the 49ers have gone 36-11-1 and made three straight NFC title-game appearances. But they lost a heart-breaker to Baltimore in the Super Bowl to close out the 2012 season and lost the NFC championship to the New York Giants in 2011 and to the Seattle Seahawks last year. Both opponents went on to win Super Bowls.

It’s been a trying offseason in San Francisco. First, there was a rumored deal that would’ve sent Harbaugh to Cleveland. Recently, former Mizzou standout Aldon Smith was suspended nine games for violating the league’s personal-conduct and substance-abuse policies, and then defensive tackle Ray McDonald was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic abuse. On top of that, stud linebacker NaVorro Bowman (ACL) and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey (biceps) will miss time at the outset of the season with injuries.

Still, San Francisco, which begins play in $1.2 billion Levi’s Stadium this fall, has plenty of talent. QB Colin Kaepernick signed a big contract and joins RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis, WR Michael Crabtree and WR Anquan Boldin as key players in an offense that also picked up wideout Stevie Johnson in a trade with Buffalo. Defensive leaders are tackle Justin Smith (Missouri), linebacker Patrick Willis and safety Eric Reid.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

In a season where nearly everything fell the Cardinals’ way, a 3-4 start cost them a playoff spot and made them just one of 10 teams to miss the playoffs with 10 or more wins since the league went to six playoff teams in 1990.

Arizona, which won just one of its final 12 games in 2012, enjoyed a major turnaround last year under the direction of popular Bruce Arians, winning seven of nine games down the stretch. Veteran quarterback Carson Palmer was solid and should be even better after a year of working alongside running back Andre Ellington and receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. Rookie speedster John Brown is another deep threat to watch.

Ranked sixth in the league, the Arizona defense set the tone and still features some standout players such as CB Patrick Peterson, DE Calais Campbell and CB Antonio Cromartie. But this year, the offense will need to step up as the Cardinals deal with the loss of defensive leaders Karlos Dansby (free agent to Cleveland), Darnell Dockett (knee surgery) and Daryl Washington (suspension for substance abuse).