NFC West
Arizona Cardinals 9-7
Seattle Seahawks 7-9
St. Louis Rams 5-11
San Francisco ***** 4-10
And the Winner is...
Arizona, I'd like to introduce you to the playoffs ... playoffs, this is Arizona. As hard to believe as it is, the Cardinals should finally get back to the postseason in 2005. The NFC West is to the NFL as PBS is to cable; undeniably a part of it, but no one really wants to watch. As such, the Cardinals are the hot-riser while the others are either stuck in neutral or barreling recklessly toward the edge of a cliff in reverse.
The Seahawks have officially missed their window as they look to rework a disappointing defensive unit. The Rams are a tired bunch, who may well put on a show or two but will ultimately fall victim to terrible coaching decisions and a confused, haphazard defensive scheme. I won't say much more about the *****, other than to say that they will be on the way up in a year or two with Mike Nolan now running the show, but as for now, not so much.
What Were They Thinking?
I could fill a filing cabinet with stories about St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz here. Chris Chandler, coach's challenges, missed timeout calls, fourth-down conversion attempts — the decision's have mostly been quite mind-numbing. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't use this space to question the benching of future Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk. I fully understand that Marshall is a realist and knows that his days are numbered. I am equally aware of the talent young
Steven Jackson possesses.
Faulk, as a team player, will likely take the party line and reiterate whenever a microphone is in his face that he just wants to do what is best for the team, but if you know anything about Faulk, you quickly will realize that this is a huge mistake for the chemistry of that team. Almost certainly, Faulk will be motivated to give his all and should perform to the top of his ability. This is good. But what isn't good is the dissension a move like this creates. An "old guard" and "new guard" will develop within the locker room, some of whom question Faulk's role, others who maintain that a talent such as Jackson should be used as often as possible.
All the while, Martz will be calling far too many passing plays. The sad thing is this all could have been avoided if Martz just would have not opened his rather substantial pie hole in early May and would have made a similar announcement
after training camps began. As innocuous as that premature announcement may have seemed, you can quote me come November — this is the beginning of the end in St. Louis. I'm talking unmitigated disaster here.
Surprise, Surprise
Seattle is a franchise in transition. As solid a job as they did in the offseason in terms of player retention, at least one onlooker (yours truly) sees a team that is running in place. QB Matt Hasselbeck may be putting up some very nice statistics, but he isn't winning games for the Seahawks. Shaun Alexander is miserable in the northwest, doesn't respect his coach, and is a three-game losing streak away from talking his way into pariah status in Seattle. The receiving corps seemingly gets thinner and thinner each year. While many still maintain that this team is ready to take the next step in their progression into the game's elite, I just don't see it that way.
Playoff Picture
Division winners: Philadelphia, Minnesota, Atlanta, Arizona
Wildcard entrants: Carolina, Dallas
Round 1: Minnesota over Carolina, Dallas over Arizona
Round 2: Atlanta over Dallas, Philadelphia over Minnesota
NFC Championship Game: Atlanta over Philadelphia
Super Bowl: Atlanta over Cincinnati
It's as easy as that. Atlanta takes the title away from Philadelphia and then handles Cincinnati in Super Bowl XL to bring Michael Vick his first NFL title. Questions and comments are welcomed, except from you bitter Cowboy fans, because y'all just don't make any sense. As for the rest of you, fire away!
I'm not one to make a bold prediction and then bury it under some stack of articles in hopes of it just fading into cyberspace. What's written here is binding as far as accountability goes. As a journalist, I have a certain standard to live up to and intend to stand firmly behind my printed words.
Unless, of course, I'm wrong. But that's why pencils have erasers.
Linear Mode
