San Francisco 49ers: 10-11
The 49ers instantly became favorites to win the 2010 NFC West division the minute QB Kurt Warner announced his retirement. San Francisco was 8-8 a year ago and the team appears to have put the final pieces in place to recapture the NFC West.
They upgraded the offensive line with two 1st rounders in the NFL Draft, and last year’s top pick, WR Michael Crabtree, should take a big step forward in year No. 2. TE Vernon Davis had a breakout year in 2009 and RB Frank Gore looks like he’s in line for a monster year.
It’s really up to QB Alex Smith to manage this offense and not screw things up. The 2009 defense was surprisingly stingy and LB Patrick Willis leads a quick, attacking bunch. They should be the best in the division right back.
Arizona Cardinals: 11-5
The Cardinals still possess a lot of talent and are well coached under Ken Whisenthunt, but the retirement of QB Kurt Warner is a huge blow to this offense and team. The responsibilities will now fall to QB Matt Leinart, who, in his limited scope of work, has failed to inspire confidence that he will be able to lead this team. That will be the main question to be answered as the season gets under way.
The running game will be leaned on with RB Beanie Wells and RB Tim Hightower and the great WR Larry Fitzgerald is still on the outside. Defensively, the loss of LB Karlos Dansby is big, but the Cards have drafted well in year’s past and should remain competitive on that side of the ball.
Seattle Seahawks: 14-5
The Seahwaks are not in good hands with Pete Carroll. The guy is an average Xs and Os coach and his style doesn’t relate well to paid professionals (see his time with the New England Patriots and New York Jets). On offense, QB Matt Hasselback has been unable to stay healthy the past few years and for this team to have any sort of chance, he needs to remain upright. But that’s a challenge in and of itself due to the injuries and inexperience along the offensive line.
The defense is stronger in the back seven than upfront, where they’re young and unproven, and they will need much more out of 2nd year Linebacker Aaron Curry in 2010.
St. Louis Rams: 15-1
Steve Spagnuolo’s a heck of a defensive mind, but you still need the players to get the job done. On offense, outside of RB Steven Jackson, there’s really not much to work with, as both the offensive line and receiving corps are young and inexperienced.
The Rams selected QB Sam Bradford with the top pick in the Draft and he will probably see action by Week 6. The defense will improve as the season progresses and the players buy into Spagnuolo’s philosophy, but it’s going to be another long year in St. Louis.
Pro Football 101 Betting Strategy:
The 49ers are the safe football bet. They play a 2nd place schedule and have the luxury of facing the Cardinals, Seahawks and Rams a total of six times this year. At betting odds of 10-11, the return on your money is still nearly 100 percent. The Cardinals have an outside shot if they can turn QB Matt Leinart into a professional QB, so it might be worthwhile to hedge your bet with a smaller amount on them. The Seahawks and Rams have no chance.
Pro Football 101» 2010 Fantasy Football RBs: Risers and Fallers
August 11th, 2010 at 18:28
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[...] He’ll again be playing behind a shaky O-line but now with a rookie a QB (Sam Bradford). The Rams Offense will continuously see eight-and-nine men in the box and Jackson can expect his stats to [...]