1. San Francisco 49ers
2012 Record: 11-4-1, NFC West Champs, NFC Champs
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh (3rd season San Francisco, 27-9-1 career)
Key Additions: S Eric Reid, RB Marcus Lattimore, QB Colt McCoy, WR Anquan Boldin, DT Glenn Dorsey, CB Nnamdi Asomugha, K Phil Dawson
Key Losses: QB Alex Smith, WR Randy Moss, TE Delanie Walker, NT Isaac Sopoaga, S Dashon Goldson, K David Akers, KR Tedd Ginn Jr.
2013 Outlook: The 49ers were 6-2 and while they had one of the better records in the NFL, it still felt like something was missing. Then QB Alex Smith left a game against St. Louis with a concussion and the Colin Kaepernick era was born. Kaepernick would light up the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in his first ever start and never look back. Despite Smith being ready to play the next week, coach Harbaugh stuck with Kaepernick. He was roundly criticized for benching Smith but he proved to be right, as Kap took the 49ers right to the brink of winning the Super Bowl. This off-season, Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and now the team is completely Kap's. Some people think it is possible that Kap could suffer from a sophomore slump but to me he is way too talented and poised for that to happen. In addition to his excellent run skills, Kap has one of the best arms in football and the 49ers receivers showed instant improvement once he took over. One of those receivers was Michael Crabtree. Unfortunately for the 49ers Crabtree tore his achilles in mini-camps and will miss most of the 2013 season. The team is hopeful he can return by November or December. The trade for WR Anquan Boldin from the Baltimore Ravens looked like a steal before Crabtree was hurt and its importance became even greater with Crabtree's injury. Boldin will be the team's number one receiver going into the season. I would have preferred for Boldin to be the number two option, but in last season's playoffs Boldin shined. He almost single-handedly earned Joe Flacco his gigantic contract, as he muscled his way to tough catch after tough catch. The other receivers include Mario Manningham, who suffered an injury towards the end of last season. It isn't yet known when Manningham will return and the possibility is there that he will be cut from the team. There is some pressure on WR A.J. Jenkins to step up. Last year's first round pick couldn't even get on the field, and the Niners weren't exactly stacked at receiver. They drafted another receiver this year, Quinton Patton. Due to injuries Patton probably has a greater chance of getting playing time in his rookie year then Jenkins did. Gone are Randy Moss and Delanie Walker from the passing game. Moss wasn't anything special but he contributed when needed and seemed to take some pressure off Crabtree. Walker is an average player, that made some nice plays but also dropped the ball too much. The other key player is TE Vernon Davis. Davis and Kap couldn't seem to get on the same page during the regular season last year. However, that all changed once the playoffs started as Davis reverted back to his beast form. The 49ers are loaded at running back, still led by the greatest back in team history, Frank Gore. Year after year I think Gore will finally start to slow down and he continuously proves me wrong. I expect RB LaMichael James to see a lot more playing time this year, as he came on strong towards the end of last season. He isn't likely to play this year, but RB Marcus Lattimore is supremely talented and may prove to be another Gore like steal. Another strength area is offensive line. Joe Staley and Anthony Davis protect the ends, while Alex Boone and Mike Iupati are the power behind the Niners run game. After bringing back all their defensive starters in 2012, the Niners defense will see some new faces in 2013. Gone are Dashon Goldson, Isaac Sopoaga, and Ricky Jean-Francois. Also gone due to injury is CB Chris Culliver. The Niners have brought in beleaguered CB Nnamdi Asomugha and are hoping he can revert back to his Oakland Raiders play. CB Carlos Rodgers had a disappointing 2012 and the Niners have to hope he at least can be half the standout player he was in 2011. The 49ers drafted CB Eric Reid in the first round and will expect him to contribute right away. The defensive ends and linebackers remain a strength. Though he struggled towards the end of the year, Aldon Smith continued to make his presence felt as one of the best defensive players in football. Justin Smith had to battle through injuries but when healthy, there was no doubt the impact he had on a game, especially when it came to play of Aldon. When not beating the crap out of his teammates, my former high school mate Ahmad Brooks joins Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman to give the 49ers the best linebacking corps in football. Willis and Bowman are perennial Pro-Bowlers and no two defensive players may be important to their team. The 49ers have a new kicker, picking up longtime Brown Phil Dawson. Dawson is 38, but was easily the Browns best player the last few seasons. He should provide accuracy to a position that was sorely missing it last year with the struggles of David Akers. The 49ers bring back one of the best punters in football, Andy Lee. Gone from the return game is Ted Ginn Jr., which means that Kyle Williams will be back their terrifying 49ers fans every time the ball is kicked towards him. In two years under Harbaugh the Niners have gone to the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl. The next logical step is to win it and anything less will be a failure. Some teams can't handle expectations, but Harbaugh is a great leader of men, and I think the 49ers will live out their destiny this season.
Prediction: 12-4
2. Seattle Seahawks
2012 Record: 11-5, 2nd place NFC West
Head Coach: Pete Carroll (4th season Seattle, 61-58 career)
Key Additions: WR Percy Harvin, DE Cliff Avril, DE Michael Bennett, CB Antoine Winfield, CB Marcus Trufant
Key Losses: QB Matt Flynn, DT Alan Branch, KR Leon Washington
2013 Outlook: The Seahawks were a .500 team eight games into the 2012 season and it looked like another mediocre season under Peter Carroll was inevitable. But then the team, and more specifically QB Russell Wilson caught fire and the Seahawks went 7-1 in the second half of the season. They knocked off the Washington Redskins in the Wild Card Round and then nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round. This has brought very high expectations for Seattle this season, and those were heightened even more when they traded for the dynamic Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, as has been far too often the case for his career, Harvin is injured and will miss most of the season. That means that Wilson will continue to have to make plays with his feet and make the most out of a receiving corps that includes the underwhelming Sidney Rice, Golden Tate, and Doug Baldwin. The Seahawks are hoping that TE Zach Miller can build upon his strong postseason play. Wilson was certainly helped by having one of the best running backs in football behind him, Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is unstoppable if he gets into the open field and that happened a ton last season. The Seahawks line has some standout players, including tackle Russell Okung, and center Matt Unger but the rest of the unit is ho-hum. The Seahawks should be even better defensively this season with the additions of Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett and the return of Chris Clemons. That unit will have to gel quickly as Seattle will be without Bruce Irvin for the first four games as he serves a suspension for using banned substances. The Seahawks best area on the defense is their secondary. Brandon Browner, the way too talkative Richard Sherman, and the recently signed Antoine Winfield make up an impressive trio of corners. Then you add in dangerous safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor and it makes it very hard to pass against the Seahawks. The Seahawks weakness last year was run defense and that was highlighted in the playoff game against the Falcons, where Michael Turner was able to turn back the clock and actually be effective. Special teams is strong behind kicker Steven Hauschka and punter Jon Ryan. A big question mark will be the return game. Gone is Leon Washington, and Harvin was going to be his replacement which would have been an upgrade. Now, who knows who will handle the return duties until Harvin can play. The loss of Harvin is huge but certainly not a death knell. Seattle proved last year they were a strong team when Harvin wasn't around. However, what will hurt them this season is having that bulls eye on them that they didn't have last year. Any time a team has to go into Qwest Field they will be jacked up to try to overcome the Seahawks vaunted 12th man. I also think that Wilson is not going to be able to replicate his 2012 success. The Seahawks are a brash team and while that served them well last season, in a New York Jets kind of a way I believe it will backfire on them this season.
Prediction: 9-7
3. St. Louis Rams
2012 Record: 7-8-1, 3rd place NFC West
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher (2nd season St. Louis, 154-134-1 career)
Key Additions: WR Tavon Austin, TE Jared Cook, OT Jake Long
Key Losses: RB Steven Jackson, WR Danny Amendola, WR Brandon Gibson, S Quintin Mikell
2013 Outlook: The Rams showed definite improvement in 2012 under Jeff Fisher. Most impressive was their ability to give the San Francisco 49ers fits. They tied the NFC champions in San Francisco, and then defeated them in St. Louis. In year two of the Fisher era it is all about trying to take that next step, and overtake the Niners and Seahawks. In order to do that QB Sam Bradford will need to move from mediocre to slightly good to great. Problem is, he still suffers from a lack of weapons. That problem was made greater by the defection of RB Steven Jackson to the the Atlanta Falcons. That leaves the Rams with Daryl Richardson at running back. In other words, all the pressure will be on Bradford to perform. The Rams did try to add some receiving weapons for Bradford but also let his best weapon walk in Danny Amendola. They drafted Tavon Austin out of West Virginia, a speedy, diminutive sized wide receiver. Chris Givens is the other wide receiver you might have possibly heard of. They added TE Jared Cook from Tennessee in free agency. Cook is okay but not a player that any defense will ever have to game plan for. The biggest off-season signing for St. Louis was former Dolphin Jake Long. The signing of Long is designed to bolster Bradford's protection, which should potentially allow Bradford the chance to get the ball downfield deep, something he hasn't successfully done in his career. The rest of the Rams line isn't well known but they did draft former Alabama Crimson Tide Barrett Jones who is probably most known for arguing with AJ McCarron in the National Title game. The Rams best hope for winning games realistically will come from their young up and coming defense. Most know of Chris Long, but another end that had a strong year last season was Robert Quinn who finished the season with 10.5 sacks. The Rams are also strong at corner, with annoying Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins proving able to shut down most team's wide receivers. They have to be very good because the Rams safeties were a sieve. Last season's starters at safety are gone but the Rams don't really know what they have in Darian Stewart, Rodney McLeod, and T.J. McDonald. The linebacking corps is anchored by James Laurinaitis and could be even better with the drafting of Alec Ogletree out of Georgia. Kicker Greg Zuerlein can definitely hit the long field goal but struggles with his accuracy. Punter Johnny Hekker is pretty mediocre and could make things harder on the Rams defense with his inability to pin offenses back. I think the Rams will be competitive, because their defense will keep them in every game. But offensively, I can't see Bradford taking that leap with no real running game and no real weapons yet at receiver. Tavon Austin could turn into a weapon but to expect him to change everything as a rookie is asking too much. It will be another season that falls short of the playoffs in St. Louis.
Prediction: 7-9
4. Arizona Cardinals
2012 Record: 5-11, last place NFC West
Head Coach: Bruce Arians (1st season Arizona, 9-3 career)
Key Additions: G Jonathan Cooper, QB Carson Palmer, RB Stepfan Taylor, RB Rashard Mendenhall, DE Frostee Rucker, DE/OLB Quentin Groves, LB Lorenzo Alexander, ILB Karlos Dansby, CB Javier Arenas, S Yeremiah Bell, S Tyrann Mathieu
Key Losses: QB Kevin Kolb, QB John Skelton, RB Beanie Wells, RB LaRod Stephens-Howlings, WR Early Doucet, ILB Stewart Bradley, CB Greg Toler, CB William Gay, CB Michael Adams, S Adrian Wilson, S Kerry Rhodes
2013 Outlook: The Cardinals might have the most upheaval of any team in the 2013 off-season. Gone is the head coach (Whisenhunt), the leading passer (Kevin Kolb) and the leading rusher (LaRod Stephens-Howling). Replacing them are Bruce Arians, Carson Palmer, and Rashard Mendenhall. After dropping 11 of their final 12 games it is easy to see why sweeping changes were necessary. Palmer failed miserably in Oakland but he has to be better than the poo poo platter of Kolb, John Skelton and Brian Hoyer that the Cardinals put on the field last season. Honestly, Kolb wasn't that bad and actually led the team to a 4-0 start, but once he went down the Cardinals couldn't recover. Stephens-Howling and Beanie Wells were allowed to leave as the Cardinals rushing attack averaged a pathetic 3.4 yards per carry. Rashard Mendenhall was cast aside by the Steelers and the Cardinals are hoping he will play with a chip on his shoulder and be the Mendenhall that beat them in a Super Bowl a few years back. Behind him are Ryan Williams, who can't stay healthy, and new draft pick out of Stanford Stepfan Taylor. Palmer will have some weapons to throw to. One of those weapons is one of the best receivers in the game, Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald showed last season that no matter how talented a receiver you are, you still have to have a quarterback that is capable of getting you the ball. With Palmer, he should go back to having good numbers. Michael Floyd showed some promise as a rookie last season, and could be in line for a breakout season. WR Andre Roberts quietly had a strong season last year, so the Cardinals have three strong options at receiver. You've probably never heard of TE Rob Housler but he did have 45 catches last season, which is respectable. The area that may cause the Cardinals to implode yet again, is their horrific offensive line. They allowed 58 sacks last season and also couldn't get any push on the line, which killed any chance of the run game succeeding. That is the reason they took guard Jonathan Cooper with the seventh pick in the draft. They are also hoping that the return of Levi Brown from injury can help to solidify the line. Palmer is like a statue back there, so if he doesn't get protection things will get very ugly. The Cardinals have some talent defensively, they just have to stay healthy. Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell are two dangerous ends when healthy, and were making life miserable for quarterbacks in the first four games of 2012. They hope to have upgraded their linebacking corps with the signing of former Redskin Lorenzo Alexander. They also brought back Karlos Dansby, who in his three seasons in Miami, never really seemed to gel with the Dolphins. The secondary is anchored by Patrick Peterson, and he will be joined back there by fellow LSU Tiger Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu could become the starter quickly as the Cardinals have new starters at safety this season. CB Javier Arenas was picked up from Kansas City to help bolster their coverage with Peterson. Kicker Jay Feely had one of his best seasons last year, and Dave Zastudil was a top 5 punter. They still have Peterson back there to return kicks and although he didn't score last season, that may prove to his benefit as teams might have a false sense of confidence in kicking to him. The Cardinals made a lot of changes but I feel like they picked up a lot of pieces that are either mediocre or not ready to contribute. Plus, while coach Arians got some experience last season stepping in for Chuck Pagano, expectations will be much different now that he is the full time head coach. Add that to being in a tough division and it should be another sub .500 season in Arizona.
Prediction: 6-10
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