The NFC West has been a rebuilding division for the past few years. With 3 teams undergoing all new head-coaching changes within the past 2-3 seasons, it’s safe to say that this division isn’t the strongest in the league.
However, the West does have a lot of intriguing storylines brewing for fans to watch for in this training camp period especially with all four projected starters face competition from newly acquired talent.
San Francisco 49ers
Dashon Goldson/Taylor Mays
Mays, the fresh 2nd round pick out of Southern Cal, was one of the nation’s best safeties in the 2009 college season. Admired as a heavy hitter with great athleticism, Mays is expected to come into training camp ready to fight for a starting bid against Dashon Goldson.
Goldson, who performed much better down the stretch last season, is set to compete against Mays for the starting Strong Safety position. Goldson, who had a good 2009 season, will look to retain his position against a very fired up Mays. Mike Singletary, head coach of the 49ers, said he wants to give this secondary a sense of attitude.
Goldson plays the run very well but has been caught freelancing in the backfield and out of position. One situation I can very plausibly see is moving Goldson over to Free Safety and gives Mays the Strong Safety position. This would allow Goldson to freelance with less assignment responsibility. Having the 2 of these guys together in the backfield would give Singletary that brutal hitting presence that the 49ers haven’t had since Ronnie Lott.
David Carr/Alex Smith
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This early on might not seem like a position battle. The early communication from the team is that Alex Smith will be stepping under center this year. However, this is also Alex Smith’s make-or-break year.
Carr is a reliable backup. He isn’t going to be a game-changing QB, but he won’t make careless mistakes to put un-needed pressure on the defense. If Alex Smith starts taking a step back in his development in training camp, Singletary will not hesitate to pull him. He wants to put the best product on the field, week in and week out.
I believe Smith will win this out, but he has a lot of pressure riding on his shoulders. He messes up this year, and he can kiss his career with San Francisco goodbye. He made some financial sacrifices in the form of a lower salary to prove he wants to stay in the Bay Area, so he understands he’s on his last leg.
Glen Coffee/Anthony Dixon
Glen Coffee provided that change-up pace to Frank Gore in a very potent San Francisco backfield. With Anthony Dixon brought from Miss. State, this provides an interesting storyline to follow during training camp.
Frank Gore, as impacting as he is, has been hampered by injuries over previous seasons. No one in the Bay Area likes to think about him going down, but they do need to be credibly prepared if it does happen. When Coffee was given the full load, he did average at best. The 9ers used their 6th round pick to bring a larger, more physical presence in Dixon to strengthen the depth of the backfield.
More teams now are starting to use a 1-2-3 punch, instead of just a 1-2 punch. I can see Coffee getting bumped to the 3rd spot if he can’t have a great training camp. Dixon is going to be coming in gunning for his job, and with his physical size and stature, he will be tough to hold down from getting that 2nd spot.
Arizona Cardinals
Matt Leinart/Derek Anderson
This will be another one similar to the Alex Smith QB battle in San Francisco. Early reports from Coach Whisenhunt have Lienart being the unquestioned starter. I will believe that when I see who is under center for Week 1.
If Leinart can’t keep the starting job, Derek Anderson can come in and keep this team afloat. Anderson, who was previously with the Browns for the past few years, had the Browns looking like playoff contenders in 2007. The following year, they had a slump and Anderson lost his starting job.
Both guys will have a stable of receivers that 75% of the league’s QBs wish they had. With Fitzgerald, Breaston, Early Doucet, and rookie receiver Andre Roberts (Citadel), the Cardinals still have a very deep receiving core that can really help in a player’s development. Leinart knows he doesn’t have many chances left, and this is his time to shine.
Tim Hightower/Beanie Wells/LaRod Stephens-Howling
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This will be an interesting race to watch in training camp. Hightower and Wells are both starting capable backs. Wells, the 2nd year Buckeye is a promising runner with good size and better vision. What’s his only flaw? He’s injury prone. This has been something that has followed him since his college days at Ohio State.
Hightower has more experience with the team, and as of right now, has the title of starter. Hightower works well in the flat on screens and dump passes so his value to a greener QB can be more valuable than a thorough runner like wells.
Stephens-Howling is a smaller back, kind of like a Darren Sproles style of runner. His quickness allows him to be a hard target to hit. He’s mainly been responsible for kickoff/punt returns. While he provides great change of pace and 3rd down experience, this position is mainly a fight between Wells and Hightower.
Andre Roberts/Onrea Jones
These 2 are fighting for the 4th spot on the wide receivers list. Onrea Jones has been riding the bench for the past year and has a little more experience in this offense than Andre Roberts does, but I don’t believe that will help Jones case much.
I personally scouted Andre Roberts and saw film of his time at Citadel. His size and hands make him a very good slot receiver, plus his ability to return kicks makes him even more valuable. I can see him fitting well in Arizona’s passing scheme.
Not to discredit Onrea as I’ve not seen nearly as much on him as I have on Roberts, I just have more faith in what I’ve personally seen in Roberts to know that if someone goes down in Arizona, he’ll get the nod to take the field. It can only help them once he gets on the field.
Seattle Seahawks
Golden Tate/Deion Butler
With T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Deion Branch in the wings, who is going to round out the ‘Hawks receiving core? Tate was drafted in the 2nd round as someone who is going to make an immediate impact on Pete Carroll’s new look team.
Deion Butler has been taking a lot of the reps with the first team this offseason, even more so since Housh and Deion Branch have been nursing injuries early. Comparing the two receivers both can be great on the inside and impact players early.
I would have to say Butler is going to get the starting nod due to his early hustle over Tate. He’s been showing off a lot in camp to make a lasting impression with new head coach Pete Carroll. He’s trying to bring this franchise back to what it was in 2005, and getting the receiver core back intact is one of the first steps.
Leon Washington/Julius Jones
Jones was the primary back last year, and didn’t have too much to brag about. Leon Washington, coming off a gruesome injury that ending a potentially promising 2009 campaign with the Jets looks to get back to his prior form.
Leon was a game changing back, his speed was hard to keep up with and his abilities in the return game make him a very valuable asset to a struggling Seahawks squad. Jones will need to really have a strong offseason to fight off Washington.
I can see Carroll using them in tandems, but I would put my money on Washington getting the bulk of the carries, assuming he gets back to his prior form. That injury does have many people concerned but I believe Leon can get it back. I know some will ask “What about Justin Forsett?” I know he did well last year, but I can’t see them moving him above either of the 2 guys listed above.
Charlie Whitehurst/ Matt Hasselbeck
I think the whole world can see the writing on the wall. Hasselbeck’s days are coming to an end in Seattle. When Carroll came in, one of his first moves was going hard after Charlie Whitehurst. He gave up a considerable set of draft picks to get him from San Diego.
Hasselbeck’s best days are behind him. He was a premier QB in the mid 2000’s, but age is something no one can avoid. Once he starting suffering from lingering back injuries, it started counting down his final days until a suitable replacement was brought in.
I believe Hasselbeck will still have a starting job this year, but watch by week 3 or 4. If he starts to struggle, that 12th Man that Seattle is so famous for will make the chants for Whitehurst be heard clear through to Oregon.
St. Louis Rams
A.J. Feeley/Sam Bradford
This will be a very telling move, depending on which way Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo goes. If you see rookie Sam Bradford on the field this season, then I can say safely that he’s being pressured by the higher ups to get the guys on the field to sell tickets.
If you see A.J. Feeley on the field (which I hope they do, I actually have a lot of hope in Bradford), then they are grooming Bradford for next season. This team has more needs around the field than available money and draft picks so it’s going to take some time to get them to contending status again.
I would hope that Spags does the right thing, and has A.J. Feeley on the field this season. He’s named Feeley the starter as of training camp, so hopefully that maintains through the season. They need protection help right now in the offensive line, so I wouldn’t risk putting my new multi-million dollar QB of the future on the field to get killed against stronger NFL talent.
Laurent Robinson/Mardy Gilyard/Brandon Gibson
Outside of Donnie Avery, who else will be catching passes in the Midwest? Robinson went down last season with injuries, so Gibson stepped in and did “ok”. I won’t say anything was game changing, since really the only thing that changed in St Louis was the channel on people’s TVs.
Mardy Gilyard had a great career with Cincinnati, but will that translate to the NFL? The good news: He’s in a fully rebuilding division, so they might have a fighting chance. His talent in the return game can translate to a slot receiver due to his speed. I’ll be interested to see how he performs in camp.
Ultimately, I have to believe Robinson gets the #2 spot, with Gilyard claiming the #3. Mardy’s speed is something this team needs. They are desperate to put any type of points on the board, so any advantage St Louis can take, go for it.
Adam Goldberg/Rodger Saffold
This Right Tackle position is wide open. This offensive line is under construction after getting rid of 3 of the 5 starters from last season. As always in football, it’s the “Next Man Up” philosophy so these 2 will most likely battle for the starting spot on the strong side.
Saffold is projected to be the early starter, assuming no injuries and he plays well in camp. Spags is going to do his best to build a good protection unit. The sooner he has a stable offensive line, the sooner the development of QB Sam Bradford can begin.
Watch to see Saffold take his shot with it being his position to lose. Unless injury or just total disregard for the position comes up, you should expect to see him opening week 1 on the right side.
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