Big Apple Big-Mouths: NFL Preview- Part I

NFL Preview- Part I

Hellllllllllo again folks, and welcome to the opening ceremonies of the NY Sport Blog NFL preview! It's the eve of my birthday (hint, hint) and we're finally ready for some real, uncut analysis. (Though there's nothing that would need to be 'cut' anyway.) A new division previewed everyday until the start of the regular season. This is sure to make the time fly by, right? Right? Cool. Anywho, we're going under the mantra of 'first is the worst' for this preview. So ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you to the septic tank division of NFL 2010, the NFC West! Come on out, fellas!

1. Seattle Seahawks

Hey, why the hell not? Everybody in the milky way galaxy is picking San Francisco to win this division. And hey, the Niners probably have the most talent across the board. But if there's a division you want to take a gamble on, it's the NFC West. Alex Smith, Matt Hasselbeck, Sam Bradford, Derek Anderson--those are the starting quarterbacks in the division. Do any of those names truly jump off this blog page? Any top-15 quarterback could win this division by four games. Unfortunately, it will probably be more like a competition of who can crap themselves the least.

As far as the offensive skill positions, I like what we have brewing in Seattle (GET IT?!?!?!) Sorry, but that will probably be my last pun as a 22-year-old and wanted to make a big splash with it. In any case, Houshmandzadeh and Branch are quite serviceable wideouts if Hasselbeck can somewhat-regain some of his yesteryear form. Julius Jones isn't the prettiest girl at the prom...but he's no Lori Beth Denberg, either. And Leon Washington can be a steal at running back if his exploded leg heals right.

The defense won't terrify anybody, but youngster Aaron Curry leads a group of underappreciated linebackers. As we observe the other quarterbacks in the division, 'underappreciated' may be all you need to sneak into a playoff spot. After that, it'll be at least a 30-point loss for Seattle in the wild card round. But hey, ya gotta be in it to win it.

Stick it, San Fran. These Seahawks are soaring.

Projected Record: 9-7

2. San Francisco 49ers

As I said before, everyone and their grandmother have this team penciled into the playoffs. It's more by default than anything else (did I mention this division blows?) but nonetheless, everyone is drinking the red and gold Kool Aid. And you can make a solid case for them. First off, they may have the best offensive (Frank Gore) and defensive (Patrick Willis) players in the whole division. Mike Crabtree was a top-10 draft pick and has the ability to play like it. Vernon Davis seemingly has 3 touchdowns in every game down the stretch last season...

But I just don't see it. Looking at the schedule, a 1-4 start to the season looks not only possible, but probable. Will Samurai Mike Singletary stand for that nonsense? Will Alex Smith wilt under some early season jeers? Frank Gore will be a beast this season, but there's not much behind him besides an ever-dizzy Brian Westbrook. Will Gore burn out?

Admittedly, there's a lot of nitpicking in that previous paragraph. It was just a red light for me hearing everyone, everyone, EVERYONE picking the Niners to be the NFC West champs. The west seems to evenly-crappy to be so lopsided. San Fran will show up and impress most weeks, but everyone and their grandmother end up disappointed when they're watching the playoffs from home.

Projected Record: 8-8

3. Arizona Cardinals

Is Kurt Warner the single greatest player in NFL history? No, no he's not. But it may seem that way for Cardinals fans when they watch their 2010 squad. Gone are the dashing good looks, cannon arm, leadership, and crazy Brenda Warner. Arriving are the disastrous duo of Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson. That is, of course, if Leinart is still on the team at the start of the season.

To be fair, it took more than Warner for the team to get to the Super Bowl two years ago and to make their impressive run last year. Along with Gore, Larry Fitzgerald is another special offensive talent the NFC West has to offer. Though big Larry will have to find his way around some triple teams now that Anquan Boldin departed for the Ravens. If the quarterback (let's just guess it's Anderson) can't find Larry or the other receivers, there's not too much in the running game to bail them out. Chris Wells was a bit of a letdown in his rookie season, and Tim Hightower would have definitely been cut by now if his name wasn't Tim Hightower.

Joey Porter and Kerry Rhodes are some serious boom-or-bust guys that were added to the Arizona defense. Never the marquee strength of the team, it will be on this group to bend a little more and break a little less. Because Warner won't be around anymore to sling them out of trouble. After a magical couple of seasons, I'm seeing a real downer for Arizona in 2010.

Projected Record: 6-10

4. St. Louis Rams

I know I said this division was topsy-turvy, but the one consistent for the foreseeable future is the Rams being in the cellar. My oh my are they woeful. The Rams got a nice shot in the arm for their future by taking Sam Bradford first overall in the draft. Let's hope that excitement gets them through what should be a hurtful 2010 for their fan base.

Don't get me wrong...The Rams may have seven or eight Pro Bowl players on the team--it's a shame it'll be in the 2015 Pro Bowl, not 2010. They're young, they'll take their lumps. They'll bank another top-5 pick in next years draft and add a chip that they hope will help with this massive reconstruction project. Oh yeah, Steven Jackson's a beast.

Luckily for St. Louis, there' (hopefully) only way to go after a 1-15 season. So technically it will be a step in the right direction. Or half-step.

Projected Record: 3-13

Thanks a lot for reading, everybody. Damn it feels good to be back in the game. Check back tomorrow, ya' hear? 23-year-old Conor blogging is going to make 22-year-old Conor blogging look like a real dumbass.

(Hint, Hint)