Warner and Cardinals tops in NFC West
Warner and Cardinals tops in NFC West
They wore Cinderella's slippers right up until the stroke of midnight when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat them 21-10 in the Super Bowl. Now Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals look to return to the postseason and prove their postseason run from a season ago was no fluke. It won't be easy with the Seattle Seahawks out to regain their hold on the AFC West and the ever-improving San Francisco 49ers wanting to return to the playoffs.
Say what you will about the NFC West, but they keep getting into the Super Bowl.
The Arizona Cardinals became the last member of the division to make it to the big game, and they were up 23-20 with 2:37 remaining before the Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5) marched down the field and scored the winning touchdown. Four years earlier, it was the Seattle Seahawks reaching the Promised Land for the first time and experiencing Super Bowl heartbreak in a 21-10 loss to those same Steelers (-4).
The latest betting odds on the futures market have the Cardinals at even money to retain the division crown they took from Seattle after four straight years atop the NFC West. The rebuilding Seahawks are 5-2, tied with the five-time Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. Lagging behind are the St. Louis Rams at 11-2; they haven’t had a winning season since 2003, all the more frustrating with their former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Kurt Warner taking Arizona to the title game.
The Cardinals took their first step toward avoiding the “Super Bowl loser” jinx by signing Warner to a two-year deal after overtures from the 49ers. This is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league, although the Rams discarded him like a hot potato following concussion problems and the concurrent decline in his performance. That decision brings us here today with Arizona on top and St. Louis on bottom.
Since former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart has been unable to remain healthy himself, Warner has gotten a chance to shine in Arizona – where his sack rate of 4.2 percent over the last two seasons is a sigh of relief after the punishment he took with the Rams. Last year’s performance level (30 TDs, 14 INTs, 96.9 passer rating) might come down a bit as Warner enters his age 38 season, but this is a very proud man as well as a highly conditioned athlete and a noted family man off the field. He’ll persevere.
Warner is also in a winning position with a strong football program. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has earned nothing but praise since joining the team in 2007 after six seasons as an assistant to Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. Whisenhunt and his staff have this program firmly on track; the only possible fly in the ointment is the situation with WR Anquan Boldin, who was shopped around the league on draft day but remains a Cardinal at press time.
Every other team is in a state of coaching transition. The Seahawks were riddled with injuries and fell to 4-12 (7-8-1 ATS) to spoil Mike Holmgren’s retirement season. His replacement is Jim Mora, who joined Seattle in 2007 to be Holmgren’s assistant and heir apparent. Other than that, the Seahawks can look forward to the stabilizing effect of getting their top players back in uniform, starting with QB Matt Hasselbeck (28 TDs, 12 INTs, 91.4 passer rating in 2007).
Seattle and San Francisco each have seven regular-season wins up on the board for this year’s over/under. While the ‘Hawks are poised for a bounce-back campaign, the Niners are in their first full year under coach Mike Singletary, who had been Mike Nolan’s assistant since 2005 and took over the top job after Nolan was fired in October. San Francisco went 5-2 (4-2-1 ATS) to end the season and give them momentum for 2009, but this is still a team without a proven quarterback or an offensive line to protect him. The Niners are also on their seventh offensive co-ordinator in seven years: Jimmy Raye II, who will wisely emphasize the ground game.
Rounding out the chaos are the Rams, who hope to get the Whisenhunt Bump with their new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive co-ordinator behind the New York Giants team that won the Super Bowl two years ago. Spagnuolo is part of a complete regime change by new GM Billy Devaney, who proved his draft prowess by taking left tackle Jason Smith with the No. 2 pick in the first round. Marc Bulger might not return all the way to his Pro Bowl numbers (24 TDs, eight INTs, 92.9 passer rating), but at least he’ll be vertical most of the time. The Rams will be back.
Predicted order of finish: 1. Arizona; 2. Seattle; 3. San Francisco; 4. St. Louis
They wore Cinderella's slippers right up until the stroke of midnight when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat them 21-10 in the Super Bowl. Now Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals look to return to the postseason and prove their postseason run from a season ago was no fluke. It won't be easy with the Seattle Seahawks out to regain their hold on the AFC West and the ever-improving San Francisco 49ers wanting to return to the playoffs.
Say what you will about the NFC West, but they keep getting into the Super Bowl.
The Arizona Cardinals became the last member of the division to make it to the big game, and they were up 23-20 with 2:37 remaining before the Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5) marched down the field and scored the winning touchdown. Four years earlier, it was the Seattle Seahawks reaching the Promised Land for the first time and experiencing Super Bowl heartbreak in a 21-10 loss to those same Steelers (-4).
The latest betting odds on the futures market have the Cardinals at even money to retain the division crown they took from Seattle after four straight years atop the NFC West. The rebuilding Seahawks are 5-2, tied with the five-time Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. Lagging behind are the St. Louis Rams at 11-2; they haven’t had a winning season since 2003, all the more frustrating with their former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Kurt Warner taking Arizona to the title game.
The Cardinals took their first step toward avoiding the “Super Bowl loser” jinx by signing Warner to a two-year deal after overtures from the 49ers. This is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league, although the Rams discarded him like a hot potato following concussion problems and the concurrent decline in his performance. That decision brings us here today with Arizona on top and St. Louis on bottom.
Since former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart has been unable to remain healthy himself, Warner has gotten a chance to shine in Arizona – where his sack rate of 4.2 percent over the last two seasons is a sigh of relief after the punishment he took with the Rams. Last year’s performance level (30 TDs, 14 INTs, 96.9 passer rating) might come down a bit as Warner enters his age 38 season, but this is a very proud man as well as a highly conditioned athlete and a noted family man off the field. He’ll persevere.
Warner is also in a winning position with a strong football program. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has earned nothing but praise since joining the team in 2007 after six seasons as an assistant to Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. Whisenhunt and his staff have this program firmly on track; the only possible fly in the ointment is the situation with WR Anquan Boldin, who was shopped around the league on draft day but remains a Cardinal at press time.
Every other team is in a state of coaching transition. The Seahawks were riddled with injuries and fell to 4-12 (7-8-1 ATS) to spoil Mike Holmgren’s retirement season. His replacement is Jim Mora, who joined Seattle in 2007 to be Holmgren’s assistant and heir apparent. Other than that, the Seahawks can look forward to the stabilizing effect of getting their top players back in uniform, starting with QB Matt Hasselbeck (28 TDs, 12 INTs, 91.4 passer rating in 2007).
Seattle and San Francisco each have seven regular-season wins up on the board for this year’s over/under. While the ‘Hawks are poised for a bounce-back campaign, the Niners are in their first full year under coach Mike Singletary, who had been Mike Nolan’s assistant since 2005 and took over the top job after Nolan was fired in October. San Francisco went 5-2 (4-2-1 ATS) to end the season and give them momentum for 2009, but this is still a team without a proven quarterback or an offensive line to protect him. The Niners are also on their seventh offensive co-ordinator in seven years: Jimmy Raye II, who will wisely emphasize the ground game.
Rounding out the chaos are the Rams, who hope to get the Whisenhunt Bump with their new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive co-ordinator behind the New York Giants team that won the Super Bowl two years ago. Spagnuolo is part of a complete regime change by new GM Billy Devaney, who proved his draft prowess by taking left tackle Jason Smith with the No. 2 pick in the first round. Marc Bulger might not return all the way to his Pro Bowl numbers (24 TDs, eight INTs, 92.9 passer rating), but at least he’ll be vertical most of the time. The Rams will be back.
Predicted order of finish: 1. Arizona; 2. Seattle; 3. San Francisco; 4. St. Louis
Many experienced bettors didn't know what they were looking at these last playoffs, and I would like it to continue.
