The NFC West Is Now The NFL’s Best

Since the 2010 NFL season only the Seahawks have retained their head coach in the NFC West as there has been a major culture shift in the division. As far as teams go from the NFC West, this season only the Rams are currently not ranked in the top 10 in the NFL for total defense. Arizona is sixth, the 49ers are third, and the Seahawks are currently the top dog in the NFL. This was highlighted by last week’s defensive battle between the Cardinals and Seahawks which saw Arizona win 17-10.

The Niners hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach in 2011 and he has restored the team’s winning tradition. From 1981-2002 the Niners were the beacon of consistency in the NFL as they made the playoffs 18 times in that span which included five Super Bowl Championships. In each of his three seasons with the 49ers, Harbaugh has led the team to the postseason and they are once again a legitimate candidate to win the Super Bowl. Harbaugh has learned from some of the best minds in football. Harbaugh’s father Jack was a former college football head coach. Harbaugh then attended the University of Michigan where he was under the guidance of legendary Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler. Harbaugh then enjoyed a 14-year NFL playing career as a quarterback. Half of his tenure in the NFL as a player was spent with the Chicago Bears where he played under head coach Mike Ditka. Harbaugh has taken all of the lessons that these men have taught him and he has parlayed it into what you see right now with the Niners. Harbaugh has a 49ers team that is reminiscent of Schembechler’s teams at Michigan and Ditka’s teams with the Bears. The 49ers are physical on both sides of the football and if you’re going to defeat them then you better pack a lunch because it is going to be a long day.

When the St. Louis Rams hired Jeff Fisher as their head coach in 2012, he brought a 142-120 record that he compiled in 17 seasons as the head coach of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. Fisher’s highlight of his time with the Titans was when he led the team to the Super Bowl during the 1999 NFL season. Fisher’s teams have always been known to be tough teams that will give you everything that you can handle for 60 minutes.

In 2011 the Rams lost nine games by double figures. In Fisher’s two seasons in St. Louis, the Rams have lost a combined 10 games by double figures. It may not sound like much, but Fisher is building a team reminiscent of what he had with the Titans. From 1995-1998 the then Oilers were 31-33 as they were on the brink of breaking through in the tough AFC Central. After going 2-14 in 2011, the Rams went 7-8-1 last season while they are currently 7-8 this season.

After making the playoffs in consecutive years in 2008 and 2009, the Cards appeared to be building something, but things quickly fell apart. By 2012, Arizona was back to its usual tricks as they finished the season with a record of 5-11. Ken Whisenhunt was fired as Cardinals head coach and for 2013 he was replaced by Bruce Arians. Arians was a former assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers as he was a part of two Super Bowl Champions there. Arians was the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. During the absence of Colts head coach Chuck Pagano who was undergoing treatment for leukemia, Arians guided the team to a record of 11-5 and a playoff berth while earning the NFL’s Coach of the Year honors in the process.

Another thing that sets the NFC West apart from the other divisions in the NFL is that it is home to some of the best athletes in the game of football. When Pete Carroll took over the Seahawks in 2010 he completely overhauled the roster through drafting a trading. Prior to joining the Seahawks, Carroll was the head football coach at the University of Southern California and he has brought some of those same philosophies to the NFL. Carroll has brought some players that he coached against in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12 Conference) to the Seahawks.

The Seahawks have a real Pac-12 feel currently on their active roster as there are currently 11 players on the Seahawks roster from Pac-12 schools led by running back Marshawn Lynch from California and cornerback Richard Sherman from Stanford.

Like the 49ers, the Seahawks have a power running game as they are currently fourth in the NFL in rushing. Lynch has 1,160 rushing yards to go along with the pain that he delivers to opponents which is why he has garnered the nickname “Beast Mode”. Carroll and the Seahawks found in a diamond in the rough in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft when they selected quarterback Russell Wilson. At 5’11”, 204 lbs., Wilson may not appear to be an imposing figure on the field, but he is still extremely lethal. Wilson’s 1,029 career rushing yards have allowed him to build a reputation as a scrambler, but he is more of a pocket passer that only takes off when needed. At 25-years of age Wilson plays beyond his years. Wilson is a leader and he is extremely careful with the football as he has only thrown 19 career interceptions while connecting on 51 touchdown passes. As for Sherman he has never met a camera that he did not like. The Seahawks drafted Sherman in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft and he has quickly ascended as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Although he is bit of a trash talker, Sherman backs it up. In three seasons Sherman has already recorded 20 interceptions and he just earned his first Pro Bowl selection.

The Niners were a few yards away from winning their sixth Super Bowl Championship in franchise history last February. In recent NFL history the loser of the Super Bowl has had trouble getting back to playoffs as they have suffered from numerous defections via free agency and an overall hangover. Since 2000 the loser of the Super Bowl has not qualified for the playoffs in the following season seven times. But this 49ers team actually has gotten better from their Super Bowl 47 loss. After torching San Francisco in last season’s Super Bowl as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, wide receiver Anquan Boldin was traded to the 49ers and he has become the go-to guy for Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick. On the season Boldin has 76 receptions for 1,030 receiving yards and he has brought a defensive mentality to the offensive side of the ball in San Francisco.

The 49ers defense has been lights out all season as they have only allowed four opponents to score more than 20 points this season against them. The Niners have two of the best linebackers in the game in Navarro Bowman and Patrick Willis. Both Willis and Bowman can cover from sideline to sidel
ine while they are also two of the best tacklers in the NFL.

The Cardinals turned some heads at the 2011 NFL Draft when the selected LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson with the fifth overall pick while they also had glaring needs at other positions. Since Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders retired from the NFL in 2005 people have been looking for the heir apparent to him. The term “shutdown corner” and the “next Deion” have been thrown around too much, but it fits for Peterson. In three seasons Peterson is already a three-time Pro Bowl selection that can do it all on the gridiron. In his rookie season Peterson returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown. Peterson’s athleticism has found him sometimes lining up on offense for the Cardinals at running back and wide receiver. Peterson has done all of this while being a darn good cornerback who has 12 career interceptions.

The Rams remind me of a a street fighter because they are going to scrap, claw, and do whatever it takes in order to get a victory. St. Louis started the season with a record of 3-6 and things appeared to be spiraling out of control when Rams starting quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season due to an ACL injury that he suffered in Week 7. But through Fisher’s guidance this team has not gone away.

The Rams used their 2011 first-round pick on defensive end Robert Quinn. In each of his three seasons in the NFL, Quinn has improved his play. This season Quinn is leading the NFL in sacks with 18 and he is a logical candidate to be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. As a team the Rams have 49 sacks on the season which is third in the NFL as they do not allow quarterbacks to breath.

As a division each team in the NFC West will finish with a winning record at home and that is the only division in the NFL that can say that in 2013. The Niners and Seahawks have already qualified for the playoffs and the Cardinals would love to join them. No division in the NFL has sent three teams to the playoffs since 2011 when the AFC North did it. The last division to have two teams meet in the conference championship game was the AFC North in 2008. The NFC West is home to some slug fests and we could be in store for another dose come January and the NFL Playoffs if these teams happen to collide.

Source: Pro-football-reference.com