NFC West

Arizona Cardinals - ( 10-6 ) - Kurt Warner is back after an excellent season. He still has all three targets in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. All had over 1,000 yards last year. Leonard Pope seems to have stepped up is receiving game a bit as well. Pope is not a huge threat but another target is great to have. Tim Hightower and Chris Wells will do the running. Hightower was valuable in short yardage situations last year scoring 10 touchdowns. He also had 34 receptions making him a threat in the passing game. Chris Wells will probably be broken in slowly. He has a history of getting injured. He will be a nice change of pace. Hightower is be the starter. The offensive line finally came together last year. It had been a major problem. All five starters are back. Starting end Antonio Smith is gone so Calias Campbell will get his chance to start in his second season. He has had a solid preseason. The rest of the starters on the line are back including stand out Darnell Dockett. The linebackers are a good unit led by Karlos Dansby. Rookie Cody Brown will try to make an impact rushing the passer but Victor Hobson has made the most of his opportunity this preseason and should start at the other outside linebacker spot. The secondary looks great. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played well as a rookie. Bryant McFadden who played great against the Cards in the Superbowl will get the other corner sport. Left void by the departure of Rod Hood. Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson are excellent safeties. Back to the post season for the Cardinals in this terrible division.

Seattle Seahawks - (7-9) - The success of this teams will be keeping Matt Hasselbeck up right and healthy. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the dominant number one wide receiver they have been looking for. Hasselbeck and Houshmandzadeh have been hooking up for TD's all preseason. John Carlson should take another step forward after an impressive rookie season. Finding guys to fill in the blanks around them will be the big key. Nate Burleson needs to stay healthy. Deion Branch could be a cap casualty and is always hurt. Look for rookie Deon Butler out of Penn State to make an impact this year. Julius Jones will be the feature back. Even with the signing of Edgerin James, who seems to understand the team concept of using multiple backs from what he has been saying to the press. The line is not very impressive. Rookie Max Unger could be a breath of fresh air. They need to find stability at the tackle positions. The defense has some holes. Especially in the secondary. Ken Lucas was brought in to give this team 2 good corners. But Marcas Trufant but he has been pup on the P.U.P list (Physically unable to perform). They are not sure when his back will get better. Deon Grant and Brian Russell are average and below average safeties. The good news is Aaron Curry has been everything they expected in the preseason. Combing with Tatupu and Hill will make this a strong linebacking core. The line looks pretty good. The additions of Cory Redding and Colin Cole will bolster this group. I think if they can find some guys to step up on the offensive line and Josh Wilson and Kelly Jennings can fill in well while Trufant is out, the Seahawks could be a surprise team coming out of the west. I don't think they have enough of a total package to make the playoffs however.

San Francisco 49ers - (7-9) - Shaun Hill is the starting QB. He has a 7-3 record as a starter and is efficient in short yardage passing plays. Michael Crabtree still hasn't signed a contract leaving Issac Bruce, Josh Morgan and Jason Hill as the starters. None of which are dominant players. Can Vernon Davis finally play to his potential is the big question? Frank gore is a tough runner who will need to carry a heavy load for the offense. The line is led by center Eric Heitmann and Left tackle Joe Staley. The rest of the line is a question mark. Marvel Smith needs to stay healthy and play consistent football. Chilo Rachal and Tony Wragge will battle for starting spots. The defense is led by Patrick Willis. Arguably the best linebacker in the NFL. Justin Smith was amazing last season in his first year with he team. Rookie Kentwan Balmer will push for time at the other end. Issaac Sopoaga will probably move to nose. Nate Clements has been a good player for the 49ers after signing a huge contract. Safety Michael Lewis is great in run support. This is a team on the rise. They could make a push for the playoffs with solid offensive line play. a weak division helps.

St. Louis Rams - (5-11) - QB Marc Bulger is starting the season with a fractured pinkie finger in his throwing hand. He also has nobody to throw to. Donny Avery is the top wide reciever on the team and suffered a broken foot during camp. He will be ready to play but at what speed. Steven Jackson could have a monster year. He will need to catch a lot of passes and run the ball. The team has been trying to better the offensive line for a couple years. They signed center Jason Brown and drafted Tackle Jason Smith 2nd overall in April. The defense is switching to a 4-3 from 3-4. Chris Long should benefit from the change at end. James Laurinaitis was selected 34th overall. He isn't the fastest guy on the field but is a sure tackler. The secondary is okay. Led by safety Oshiomogho. He is one of those guys you don't here much about. But he is a star. There are holes all over this team. They will be better than last year. But that's not saying much.