Jeff: NFC West

Heyo! Here we go with my 2nd annual NFL preview...well ok more like the 1st annual, since I only got halfway through last year. The goal here is to post one division a week, and the theme this year will be what needs to go right for a team to succeed- and it's assumed a team has to stay healthy. But BESIDES health, what has to go right?

Also, I'm probably "too old" to still be playing video games, but I still do, as do some of my buddies (most of whom are married with real jobs). For us, the upcoming August release of Madden Football 2007 (for PS2 or XBox Live) is one of the most anticipated ever because of an incredible rookie class, and cool stuff like "lead blocking control", new & improved mini-camp drills (which you'll be able to do IN SEASON for things like injury rehab!! No news on whether they'll have facial rehab in case, you know, your starting Qb rides a motorcycle without a helmet and goes head-first into a windshield), and so much more! Oh, and my new favorite two word phrase: "highlight stick". So in anticipation, I'm providing a player from each time that I'm excited to try out and/or trade for when Madden comes out. As Vince Vaughn would say in The Breakup..."it's not me, it's the little digital guys with big hearts!" (I know it got bad reviews, but trust me, if you like Vince it's worth it just for the Madden video game scene. I promise. And also for "Band of Brothers...you should rent it sometime!")

Ok, I'm starting with this division because it's where my Super Sleeper Upset Special for 2006 resides. In order to qualify for the SSUS you have to be a team who missed the playoffs last year, that had a good offseason and draft, and has a weaker schedule because of last year's poor performance. Oh, and it has to be a team nobody's talking about, which means not Miami, Baltimore, or San Diego-which is German for a whale's... nevermind.

4. San Francisco 49ers
We get surprises every year, but this will not be one of them- well unless you count a surprise as the 9ers winning more than 3 or 4 games. Drafting Alex Smith last year was a mistake (Browns fans should be happy I'm not running the 9ers because I would have said "screw it!" to the stupid theory that you don't take a wideout #1. Braylon Edwards was the right choice), and Trent Dilfer will give them a better chance to win. That said it doesn't matter much because there's no weapons in this offense outside of rookie tight end Vernon Davis. Yes I'm aware they picked up Antonio Bryant but there's a reason he's on his 3rd team already. Manny Lawson was a solid pick, but otherwise the defense bores me.
WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT:
Davis needs to perform like his digital self in Madden on starter level which would mean catching 20 passes a game for like 10 TD's. Still, short of the players from the other 31 teams contracting the avian bird flu, Alex Smith becoming the next Joe Montana, and Manny Lawson turning into Charles Haley the Niners there really can't be enough go right for the Niners to win more than a couple of games this year.
MOST INTRIGUING MADDEN PLAYER: Vernon Davis, TE
If he's not at least 90 speed I'm taking the game back...ok no I'm not, but he'd better be at least 90 speed. He'll be the 2nd most traded for player in the whole damn game. And if you can't guess who #1 is, well, ask Texans fans who they'll be trading for because their team inexplicably didn't draft him.

3. Arizona Cardinals:
This would not be my SSUS. Yes Edgerrin James will be a major upgrade at tailback, and the receiving duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Bolden is now the league's best, but the Cards did nothing to upgrade their biggest weakness: the O-line. Defensively Arizona's on the right track, but they'll be average at best, which is not good enough to help them compete for the division title.
WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT:
Kurt Warner HAS to stay healthy, and considering he hasn't started 16 games since 2001 (and has only played in 29 of a possible 64 in the 4 seasons since then) the chances of that happening are slim to none. Look, I like Matt Leinart, and I think he'll make a good pro, but he's not going to set the league afire in his first year no matter how good Bolden, Fitz and Edge are. With that O-line and defense, it'll be another non-playoff year if Leinart has to play major minutes this year.
MOST INTRIGUING MADDEN PLAYER: Larry Fitzgerald, WR
There'll be plenty of people interested in Leinart because you can make rookie QB's into MVP's the first season (I'm not sure how you get around this. The passing cone was impossible and I don't know anyone who uses it), but I still like Fitz. Could EA go ahead and make his catching 110 on a 99 point scale? Larry Davis is another favorite because he could be close to 500 pounds by the time training camp starts.

2. Seattle Seahawks:
Hey Seahawks fans: STOP CRYING! And I'm not even talking about the officiating in the Super Bowl. You got screwed! We get it. It happens. I'm talking about the whining about how the Minnesota Vikings cheated your team out of All-pro guard Steve Hutchinson with dirty contract negotiations. Just stop! If your team hadn't have been so cheap and would have slapped the franchise tag on him instead of the transition (it would have cost them roughly $600k a year more to do so), you wouldn't have lost him. But you did. And giving the same kind of contract to Nate Burleson was cute but really, who would you rather have? Burleson or the best guard in football AND a 3rd round pick? Your java's a little too strong or you've been listening to the new Pearl Jam a little too loud (not that there's anything wrong with that) if you even have to think about that one.
WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT:
Well actually let's look at what's gone wrong...and it starts with that Super Bowl loss. The last team to lose a Super Bowl and even make the playoffs the following season were the 2001 Tennesee Titans, so your loss in the Big Game is one strike against you. We mentioned losing Hutchinson, who you're not going to replace, so that's 2. The third? Well, since we're talking about Madden today let's not forgot the Madden Curse, and this year's coverboy Shaun Alexander. That's three strikes against you going back to the playoffs, so a LOT is going to have to go right to overcome it.
MOST INTRIGUING MADDEN PLAYER: Seneca Wallace, QB/WR
He's always fast, and if they have the drill where you can improve accuracy he can turn into a decent QB.

1. St Louis Rams:
Ladies and gentlemen: your 2006 Super Sleeper Upset Special!! And it's ok if you want to steal this as your own idea and tell all your friends and then look like a genius when the Rams win the division, get a first round bye, and make some noise in the playoffs. Really it's ok. We both know where you got the idea. Tailback Steven Jackson will become a household name as new coach Scott Linehan understands that when Jackson gets 20+ touches a game, the team wins (the three times it actually happened last year the Rams were 3-0 and Jackson averaged almost 129 on the ground on 23 carries for an avg of 5.6 per carry). THe line is solid, and they have more weapons than Saddam was rumored to have, including Marc Bulger at QB, Torry Holt and a slew of receiving options, including 2 intriguing rookie tights ends. The secondary is a weakspot, but the D-line should be improved and the signing of LB Will Witherspoon from Carolina will prove to be one of the best of the offseason.
WHAT NEEDS TO GO RIGHT: The schedule already has gone right. 6 win seasons are never fun, but you're at least rewarded with a weaker schedule (including the Niners and Cards twice, and the Packers, Lions, and Raiders thrown in for good measure), getting 3 of their 4 toughest games at home (Broncos, Bears, Chiefs). Besides that they have to get improvement from their defensive backs (the sooner 1st rd pick Tye Hill is ready to start, the better), and the offense needs to adjust to not having to throw 744 times a game (the Rams were 4th in the NFL in pass attempts with 599) and start running the damn ball more with the 230lb Jackson (Rams had the 4th least rushing attempts at 380).
M.I.M.P.: Tye Hill, CB
I don't know about you, but I LOVE fast cornerbacks, and Hill was timed as the fastest in the draft. I'm thinking about 97-98 speed with mid 90's acceleration sounds about right.