Category Archives: NFC West
Next in line: 5 teams Los Angeles should court next
Yesterday it was announced that the Minnesota Vikings are staying in Minnesota for good. The Minnesota Legislator passed a Bill toward a new stadium and Vikings fans can now rejoice and celebrate the biggest win in Franchise history.
Did the 49ers run a ‘bounty system’ during the 2011 season?
Everyone knows that the San Francisco 49ers are a tough physical football team but did part of that toughness include some form of a bounty system in which opposing player’s injuries were targeted last season?
According to NFL.com, in a recent interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hinted that he thought something was going on in their game against the 49ers last season.
” But I think when we played San Fran, I felt like there were some things going on, some extra … Now, obviously, I did have the ankle and I was playing, so there was kind of a bulls-eye on there anyway. But for the most part, guys play tough and you go into a game expecting it. I expect to be tougher than them.”
Kurt Warner: Past NFL greats
As a St. Louis Rams fan I was used to mediocrity in the eighties and nineties. I was used to ending up behind the San Francisco 49ers in the division.
The Rams acquisition of free agent, Trent Green, in 1998 changed the fate of the franchise. Joined with incredibly fast receivers combined with a QB that was reported to be top shelf left the Rams confidently marching into the 1999 season.
The third week of the preseason, in a game against the San Diego Chargers, Green had his ACL ripped – done for the season. Head coach Dick Vermeil sent Kurt Eugene Warner on to the field.
Why Russell Wilson is a win-win for the Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are now set at the quarterback position when they picked up Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson in the 3rd round of this years NFL draft. The hawks will go into the 2012 NFL season with quarterbacks Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, and Russell Wilson, while they will most likely drop Josh Portis.
NFL take two: What happens when the cheering stops?
I am no longer an NFL player, now what do I do with my life? No more practices, no more sitting on the training table nursing this injury or that injury. No more sitting in the film room watching film of this week’s opponent. Running out of the tunnels to thousands of cheering fans is no more. I only hear the cheers in my head. There are those former players that handle it well, and then there are the ones that do not handle being “Normal” after their careers in the limelight are no more.
5 reasons the 49ers could win it all in 2012
The San Francisco 49ers were a few plays away from going to the Super Bowl last season. Through an impenetrable defense, a physical ground game and the dependable play of Alex Smith, the Niners shocked the NFL going 13-3 during the regular season before falling short in the NFC title game to a more offensively capable New York Giants team. With the 2012 NFL season still months away, the 49ers have made some tremendous offseason strides to help ensure that they won’t fall short if the opportunity presents itself again; and it will. Here are five reasons San Francisco could win it all in 2012.
2012 NFL Draft: Grading the first round
1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck – QB, Stanford
Buffalo is still trying to replace Jim Kelly, Miami is still trying to replace Dan Marino, Cleveland has needed a Quarterback forever, yet somehow the Colts get fortunate enough to go from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck without the down time that teams usually go through after losing a Hall of Fame Quarterback. Grade: A+
2. Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III – QB, Baylor
The Redskins traded their second-round pick and three first-round picks (2012, 2013 and 2014) to move up four spots. Many may think that maybe too much but it’s not when your in a quarterback driven league. The Redskins will be a playoff contender thanks to this move and will surprise people this season because of it, the Quarterback carousel in Washington is over and now the challenge becomes, can Griffin survive the NFC East? Grade: A+
St. Louis Rams will fill needs by selecting Blackmon and Worthy
If the St. Louis Rams plan on contending in the NFC West they must surround Sam Bradford with talent and there is no better wide receiver than Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon.
The Rams have a huge need at wide receiver. Last season they desperately brought Brandon Lloyd in for fourth round pick but he quickly left and signed with the Patriots this off season.
Some members of the media may want to say Blackmon isn’t the total package and isn’t on the same level as a marquee player such as Calvin Johnson, but I beg to differ.
I believe Blackmon is one of the best players in the 2012 NFL draft and by adding a dynamic wide out like him the Rams could have a solid one-two punch along with running back Steven Jackson.
After the Rams lock up Blackmon another need is defensive tackle and there are plenty to choose from.
2012 NFL draft: Seahawks could land a star in Luke Kuechly
The Seattle Seahawks have had a successful off season with some key free agent signings including quarterback Matt Flynn.
Look for the Seahawks to continue to build for the future during the 2012 NFL draft as they will jump on LB, Luke Kuechly early.
The Seahawks are in desperate need for an inside linebacker and nothing sounds better than the top inside linebacker in the 2012 NFL draft.
Luke Kuechly of Boston College led the nation with 191 tackles during the 2011 season, averaging almost 16 tackles per game. The team finished with a 4-8 record and was only two tackles short of breaking the single-season tackle record. He did however break the single season tackles-per-game record with 15.9 (previously held by Rick Sherrod with a 15.6 average over a 10-game season).
Kuechly was only 13 tackles short of the NCAA record for a career with 532 and was the recipient of the 2011 Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
3 key games the Seahawks need to win in 2012
If the Seattle Seahawks are to make a legitimate run at the NFC West title there are three games they must win this year. The Hawks are in Primetime twice this year, a Week 3 Monday night game against the Green Bay Packers in Seattle and a Week 7 Thursday night game against the 49ers in San Francisco, both of which are games the Seahawks need to win. The other key game is a Week 14 game against the Arizona Cardinals in Seattle.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the San Francisco 49ers
Swap head coaches and suddenly your in the playoffs? That was the case for the San Francisco 49ers as Jim Harbaugh ended the streak of eight consecutive non-winning seasons.
The 49ers ended the regular season with a 13-3 record, their best since 1997 and earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
A rejuvenated Alex Smith and a standout defense led by Patrick Willis had the 49ers inches away from a Super Bowl berth.
As they move forward towards the 2012 NFL draft most positions seem to be set. Eight consecutive years of early draft picks can do that to a team.
Look for the 49ers to grab a player that can make a difference on third down. Despite their success the 49ers were 31st in the league in third down conversion percentage in the regular season (29.1) and even worse in the playoffs (17.9).
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the St. Louis Rams
By trading back the St. Louis Rams have a chance to have one of the strongest drafts in team history, but they can’t afford to miss.
The level of confidence they have shown in quarterback Sam Bradford after a sub par, injury filled 2011 season is somewhat questionable. Especially when Robert Griffin and Andrew Luck were there for the taking.
The Rams must find a way to compliment Steven Jackson and become more explosive on offense. There is no better way to do that than to add Justin Blackmon who is possibly the best wide receiver in the draft.
