This is another division where I didn’t cover myself in glory. By my own admission it was the one that I struggled with most, but my call of Seattle and Arizona as a wildcard. The Seahawks were appalling, and the 49ers finished strongly to take second but were way short of the playoffs.

Graham did well though, calling the Cards as divisional winners and 49ers as runners up but missing the playoffs. Nice work.

What will happen this year?

Seattle Seahawks

Jim Mora stepped up as head coach at the beginning of last season, and things started going wrong almost immediately. They were unable to make a long-term deal with linebacker Leroy Hill and he and many others – such as Bobby Engrams and Julian Peterson – were lost to free agency or to other clubs. A promising pre-season and a shutout against the Rams in week one set a high mood, but that was to be the only week the ‘Hawks would have a winning record in the season. The eventually limped home to 5-11 on a 4 game losing streak. There were some bright spots, such as tight-end and fantasy football hero John Carlson, but overall it was a season to forget.

Mora was fired shortly after the season end and Pete Carroll has been given another shot at the NFL. There were other changes in the front office and as is the way with a new head coach there were many changes to the rest of the coaching staff. With the 6th and 14th picks in the NFL Draft Russell Okung and Earl Thomas come in to address obvious needs, LenDale White and Kevin Dickerson came in from the Titans.

This is a team that is better set than last season, when there were questions in a number of areas, but there remains a big question mark over Pete Carroll’s NFL credentials. He does have a winning record, but is considered by many to be better suited for the college game in terms of his style and man-management abilities. If he can control the team, earn their respect and get them playing for him then this team could again take the division. That’s a big IF at the moment though.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers finished the season much better than they ended it. After restructuring his contract and then losing the starting role to Shaun Hill, Alex Smith regained the position halfway through the season and got better as he went. Shaun Hill has now left for the Lions and the talk coming out of the Niners camp that Smith more of a leader than ever and the offense is excited to have him. For the first time in a while, the 49ers will have the same offensive coach for more than a single season and that will only server them well. The line has been improved with first round picks Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. Ted Ginn Jr also joined from the Dolphins and will be looking to kick on a promising career that had stalled. Add in Vernon Davis’ growing maturity and production and Frank Gore and you have a unit to be wary of.

Defensively this was a great unit, as you would expect from a Mike Singletary team, and only the Ravens, Cowboys and Jets allowed fewer points. Taylor Mays, one of Pete Carroll’s Trojans and once described as being faster than Chris Johnson, comes in to bolster the secondary. This unit otherwise has seen little change.

There’s definitely a feeling of optimism around San Francisco, and with doubts about the Cardinals and the Rams.. well, the Rams being the Rams they are strong contenders in an admittedly weak division.

We’ll be watching closely as they are the designated home-team for the NFL International Series game in London this year. They’ll take on the Broncos at Wembley Stadium (where Ted Ginn Jr could become the first player to score two TDs at Wembley) in late October.

Arizona Cardinals

The big question in Arizona is can Matt Leinart step up and lead the team. Kurt Warner retired this off-season and I don’t think there’s a single fan in the world who would wish him anything but the best. Leinart was taken with the 10th overall pick of the 2006 Draft, after Vince Young and one pick ahead of Jay Cutler. His maturity has been questioned at times, but it could be that he’ll have learned from the time on the sidelines… it could well pay off in an Aaron Rodgers style way. However he plays, he’ll be doing so without Anquan Boldin as a target. Big Boldin is now plying his trade in Baltimore.

Kerry Rhodes will attempt to help a secondary that was incapable of stopping the ball towards the end of last year. The draft gave them defensive end Dan Williams, who has improved the line straight away but this unit really struggled in the post-season last year, giving up 45 points in successive games and going out. They’ll have to improve on that against the top quarterbacks to do well this season.

I said this last year, but I think it’s more appropriate this… I see them struggling this season and I can’t see them in the post-season at all.

St. Louis Rams

The only way is up for the Rams. Let’s be honest about that.

Everyone saw them taking Sam Bradford in the draft and sure enough they did. He goes straight in as starter and it’ll be great to see him in action, as long as he’s not getting sacked left right and centre. Steven Jackson remains an outright stud out of the backfield and his production in the last few years has been nothing short of stunning but this team has had problems all over the place.

Coach Spagnuolo has said he was pleased with the effort shown last season and I can’t say that I ever saw the Rams quit in what must have been difficult times. Beyond that though… I’m going to watch the pre-season develop but I can’t look to anyone else to come in 4th here.

Predictions (made 27th May 2010)

Thumbnail Credit: Alfred Benway

Victory may have come at a cost though, with Troy Polamalu suffering a sprain to his left MCL. Scans are still underway, but he could miss up to 6 weeks. We’ll keep you posted. Before he left, he’d been playing an amazing game. Between closing on Chris Johnson to take him down for a loss to a one-handed interception he was all over the place making plays. If he is out for any serious time, he’ll be missed but the Steelers still have a solid defensive unit.

Oakland Raiders
With Richard Seymour still not showing up in Oakland, they’ve taken William Joseph back on the books. Joseph had been released to create space for Seymour earlier this week. With just a few days until their game with the visiting Chargers, even if he did show up now it’s not known how much of a difference he’d make, or indeed how well he’d be received by him team-mates. Perhaps he thinks the whole deal is a bad dream, and he’s trying to sleep it off? Whatever is the case, he doesn’t seem to be handling the move in the right way. With neither the Pats or Raiders commenting, we assume that it’s haggling of some kind and hope that nothing has happened to him.

Interestingly, Coach Tom Cable let Joseph know that he might still be needed when the DT was released.

“The day they let me go, they released me, coach Cable said, ‘Don’t go nowhere’, I was just around, sticking around, seeing what was going to happen.”

Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but whatever reason Cable thought “Don’t go nowhere” was worth saying last sunday.

Arizona Cardinals
Receiver Anquan Boldin sat out practice yesterday with a sore hamstring and may not be good to go on Sunday against divisional rivals the 49ers.

Whilst he’ll be missed, if there’s one team spoiled at receiver it’s the Cardinals. Don’t expect the gameplan to change either way.

These are based on what we’ve been watching, what we’ve been following, some blind faith and our guts. These are are our predictions for the 12 post-season teams of the 2009 season.

This topic and tables will be locked and not edited once it is published. It will then be used for mocking, gloating, fighting (and probably crying) throughout the course of the season. We’ll come back to this every few weeks to carry out at least one of the above acts.

Andrew’s Predictions

NFC
If you’ve been following my First and Second look articles, then there shouldn’t be any surprises here.

In the NFC, I have the Giants topping the east. I’m hoping that the Redskins can surprise me here and edge a playoff spot, but I don’t really see it. In the west, I’m calling Seattle after a lot of deliberation. I’m also giving a wildcard spot to the Arizona Cardinals, in one of the divisions I’ve struggled with the most. The North is just as bad, I’m going with Green Bay. I’d really have liked longer to make a call on the Vikings’ prospects but here we are…

Finally from one of the hardest to one of the easiest: The Panthers to win in the south.

The final NFC wildcard is very tricky. It’s between the Falcons and the Eagles and as much as I hate to go against the Falcons, I can’t see the NFC East not sending at least two teams. So I’m going with the Eagles.

AFC
Things are easier in the AFC. A little bit, anyway – I see all four divisions as two-horse races

The Pats to take win the AFC East. I’m taking a gamble here (of a sort) that Brady is back to something like his best, but I’m confident with it. I see the Titans edging out the Colts in the south, though I’m putting the Colts in the wildcard mix and they can never be counted out.

The north will see the Ravens as winners, beating the Steelers into second – this will be a close division though. Finally the west will crown the Chargers, because… well, because there’s really no-one else there who can mount a serious challenge.

The wildcard spot is a three-way battle (sorry Denver) between the Steelers, Dolphins and Colts. Like last year, I see a valiant AFC East team being left out – the Steelers and the Colts going into the post-season. I’m sorry Graham, I don’t see the Dolphins there… but at least the ‘Skins won’t be there either!
I wish there was room for the Texans, but I don’t see it this year.

Graham on Andrew’s Predictions…
Not much to disagree with here (other than the Dolphins not making the play offs). I have gone with some different choices, but it is difficult to predict at this early stage.  It will be interesting to see what our readers think, I am sure there are a few who could beat us hands down.

[table id=11 /]

Graham’s Predictions

NFC
In the East I can see the Dallas Cowboys being bouyed by their new home and looking for a good season to overcome the tragic events at their practice facility. Can they beat the NY Giants in the NFC East? Well I don’t think so, but I do see them taking one of the wildcard spots.

Heading to the North I am going with the Green Bay Packers.  I also think the arrival of Jay Cutler at the Bears will bring some improvement, but not enough for a wildcard.

In the south I have to agree with Andrew on the Panthers.  I am hoping for a good season from Tampa Bay though as I am hoping for a great game at Wembley Stadium this year.  It is a Bucs’ home game so – sorry Pats fans – I will be supporting them.

Finally to the NFC West.  I am going with Arizona.  I am looking for some 49ers improvement this season and was tempted to pick them as my second wildcard, but I think it will be out of reach this time.

With the above in mind, my second wildcard pick goes to the Atlanta Falcons.

AFC
Starting in the East, I am going to upset Pats fans again here.  I would agree that Tom Brady is the best, but he is not Superman.  A year off will leave him hungry but maybe a bit rusty.  Miami will be looking to build on last years amazing improvement and now have a team strong enough to do even more damage.  Yes they have a tough schedule, but I still see them taking the AFC East again with the Pats in a wildcard spot.

In the North I am also going with the Ravens. I also think the South will be as Andrew predicted with the Titans winning and the Colts taking the second wildcard.

In the West the Raiders should storm it… only joking. Sadly I can see the Raiders taking the Lions’ place as also-rans this season, things seem far from settled in Oakland.  The Chargers should wrap the West up without too much trouble.

Andrew on Graham’s Predictions…
I think you’re letting your heart rule your head re: Miami and I think the Steelers won’t make the mistakes of a few years ago and will be in the post-season in some way.

I’m glad you’ve picked Atlanta though. I only just left them out

I have Dallas battling the Washington for 3rd place in the NFC East too, so I’m not sure about that. Otherwise it’s hard to argue with your picks. Like you said: I bet there are readers who could beat us. They should be writing these articles!

[table id=12 /]

In the QB battles…

Matthew Stafford struggled against Cleveland, being out-performed by Daunte Culpepper and also by Drew Stanton. On the other side of the field, Derek Anderson was given more attempts and moved the ball well but threw an interception. Brady Quinn only had a handful of attempts, so it’s hard to judge him.

So Culpepper moves in front in Detroit, but probably still too early to call in Cleveland yet.

The Indianapolis Colts did well against an under-strength Eagles. The question of how they’d adjust to the coaching changes seems to be being answered with “Just fine, thanks.”

Matt Cassel looked like a starter again against the Vikings, but most people were watching for another new QB: Brett Favre didn’t play much, but just seeing him in purple was strange. Tarvaris Jackson had a great game, and with rumours circulating that he could be released he reminded everyone out there that sometimes, he’s a decent option.

Elsewhere…

Miami looked good all around against the Carolina Panthers too. Our favourites Ronnie Brown and DeAngelo Williams both did well.

San Diego looked very good against the Cardinals, besting them on both sides of the ball. Of course it’s hard to read too much into these games, but our predictions looked true from this game. The same could apply to the Seahawks who also looked very nice against the Broncos. Kyle Orton looked better – a lot better – than he did last week. So did Jay Cutler in his Soldier Field debut.

The Redskins looked better, but still not great. The 17-13 win over the Steelers papers over the cracks a bit but still… no panic yet.

Chad Ochocinco is the star this week. The frankly bonkers receiver performed some kicking duties this week against the Patriots. He converted a PAT, and also kick-off that went at least a par distance. Watch it at nfl.com.

It’s great to see him enjoying himself.

(Take a look at the First Look… to refresh your memory of our initial thoughts)

After some half-hearted flirting with other teams, Kurt Warner is back. Of course, he was never going anywhere and he played it straight, as is his way. It’ll be interesting to see if Leinart gets a shot this season, either through injury or bad showings from Warner. He’s shown flashes during his cameos, and will one day – he hopes – need to lead the team.
If Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin can be kept on the field at the same time, then with Breaston the receiving threat this team offers is a real as anywhere else in the league.

A healthy Steven Jackson is critical to the Rams

I talked about the Seahawks in my article about the soon-to-start Training Camps, where I admit that I was a little optimistic about their chances. I still fancy them, but think that it’s going to be a lot closer than I said before.

San Francisco have still got to sort out their quarterback situation, and that sort of uncertainty for any teams pulls the rankings down a little bit. We also have to remember that this is a unit that came on very strongly over the second half of the season, going 5-3 where they were only 2-6 in the first half.
Rookie Glen Coffee will be in place to spell Frank Gore, giving them a Smash and Smash approach to running the ball. Explosive receiver Michael Crabtree will be a real deep threat once they get him playing, and is one reason I see the battle between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith going Smith’s way.

Summary
This is becoming a three-way battle at the top with Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco competing for the division. Ask me tomorrow, and I’ll probably say something different. But today I’m leaving it as it is. I am very close to moving the 49ers into 2nd, but without a named QB I hesitate.
I’m also pretty close to moving the Cards above the Seahawks, but haven’t seen enough from them yet.
So it’s no changes.
[table id=4 /]

We can’t vouch that these will be the best players in absolute terms, have the biggest fantasy upside or even be any good (though they might be)… but they’re players that we like to watch.

Sharing some love away from the Ends, today’s player is Darnell Dockett.

Dockett came to football fairly late, and wasn’t great to start with. Though athletic, he didn’t understand the game – once gaving up a safety after running the wrong way with a fumble – and struggled to get into a three-point stance. But he stuck with it, encouraged by his uncle and trying to stay out of trouble as in his own words, he was a “delinquent”.

Dockett celebrates one of his three Superbowl sacks

Despite a promising college career, Dockett was suspended for the Sugar Bowl for an “incident” at a mall. Acts like that, and Steve Spurrier‘s assertion that he was playing to deliberately hurt other players made his stock fall heading into the 2004 Draft. It was the third round before his name was called, and Dockett was heading to Arizona.

Dockett was a starter immediately, and apart from one game in 2004 has started every game in an impressive streak over five season. Not just being there, but making crucial plays – interceptions and sacks – when they are really needed. He was an important contributor in the post-season run of 2008 that took the Cards to the Superbowl, sacking Roethlisberger three times to tie a Superbowl record.

All of this in itself is impressive. But even moreso when you remember that aged 13 he walked into his home to find his mother shot dead. Four months later he lost his father to cancer. Moving from his grandmother’s before living with his uncle, this was a kid who experienced two extremely traumatic experiences in a very short period of time.

But he’s overcome that, to find success on the field and I hope happiness and peace too.

Previous favourite DLs:
Renaldo Wynn
Will Smith
Mario Williams

The Arizona Cardinals were truly the Cinderalla of last season, and to put it bluntly, those stories don’t repeat. I don’t see them making 9-7 again, and I think they’ll fall behind Seattle in division and probably miss the playoffs. I hope this isn’t the case, but I just think too many things went right last year (or wrong for divisional competition) for them to win out and coast into the playoffs again.

The St. Louis Rams had a terrible year last year, plunging to 2-14. The only reason, I’m sure, they didn’t join the Lions was the coach-change mid-season that immediately gave them two victories agains the NFC East. (at Washington, ggrrr… and against the Cowboys). They should be better all around this year, though they’ve turned over a fair few important players. Defensively this year, with Spagnuolo as the head coach, you would expect more. But more than 2-14 isn’t really saying much… I still don’t see them making a serious dent in this division, other than perhaps a spoiler or two here and there.

The Seattle Seahawks came off a good run of divisional titles and basically fell apart. But there were a lot of reasons for that, and they weren’t blown away that much by the opposition. This year, they’re settled (in terms of coaches) and improved (in terms of players). Everyone’s looking for the ‘turnaround team’ and I think it could well be the Seahawks this year. And unlike 4 of the 5 previous seasons, I think they’ll have earned their place in the post-season.

The San Fancisco 49ers had a good second half of the season and will be looking to carry that onwards to upwards. However, they’re currently not commited to a quarterback and will have Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, Damon Huard and Nate Davis competing to be the starter. Smith has restructured his contract and taken a cut to stay in San Francisco and I’d like to see him make it, but Hill was steady last year and Huard will surely fall into the number three spot.
They’re a difficult team to predict, and I could see them pipping the Cardinals to runner-up, but I don’t see this division sending two teams into the post-season.

[table id=4 /]