Empty the Bench

By Darren Yuvan

With the preseason nearly half over (thank God), ETB contributor Darren Yuvan has been breaking down the league’s outlook division by division. Up next is the NFC West, which just might end up as the worst division in the league. NFC East and NFC South previews will wrap this series up next week; in the meantime, be sure to read about the AFC North, AFC West, AFC East, and AFC South, and NFC North too.

1 – Seattle Seahawks

Despite struggling through an injury-marred 4–12 season last year, Jim Mora’s arrival and a healthy Matt Hasselbeck should help put the Seahawks back in charge of what should be an extremely tight division.

Hasselbeck’s health is the key to this team’s fortunes. If he can stay healthy, they challenge for the division. If he doesn’t, it’ll be another rough year in Seattle.

With Deion Branch and Nate Burleson both at full strength, the addition of star wideout T.J. Houshmandzedah, and tight end John Carlson coming into his own, Hasselbeck will have no shortage of weapons at his disposal in the passing game. The Seahawks should have very little trouble putting points on the board.

Julius Jones returns after an underwhelming year as the starter. He’ll need to really step it up to help relieve the pressure on Seattle’s passing attack. T.J. Duckett also returns as Jones’ backup and a short-yardage battering ram—expect a repeat of his 8 TDs from last season.

The offensive line, which was decimated by injuries last year, is once again struggling to stay healthy. Guard Walter Jones, center Chris Spencer, guard Mansfield Wrotto and tackle Ray Willis have already been dealing with injury issues this August, though none of them—except for maybe Jones’—seem to be serious. But this unit needs to get healthy and get some playing time together. Keeping Hasselbeck on the field will be their top priority.

All four NFC West teams were atrocious on defense last year, and Seattle was particularly bad, especially against the pass, where they ranked dead last in the NFL.

The trade of Julian Peterson for Cory Redding should help the pass defense, as Redding is one of the best inside pass rushers in the league, more than offsetting the loss of the perennial Pro Bowler Peterson.

Veteran Ken Lucas was also brought in to help shore up the coverage units, and they also expect big things out of rookie linebacker Aaron Curry, though Curry is currently dealing with a groin strain that could keep him out of valuable camp and preseason time.

Ultimately, if they can stay healthy, Seattle has the most well-balanced roster in the division, and some fresh head coaching perspective in Mora should have them motivated. Expect them to squeak out the division with a 9 – 7 or 10 – 6 and be the only NFC West team in the postseason.

Darren Yuvan breaks down the rest of the NFC West after the break…

2 – Arizona Cardinals

Can someone get these guys a talisman or a voodoo priest? Unfortunately, that probably won’t even help the curse of the Super Bowl losers, as last year’s Cinderella squad barely hits the .500 mark and watches the postseason at home.

There’s no doubt that despite his age, Kurt Warner is still a great quarterback. He proved it to us beyond a shadow of a doubt last season. But expecting a repeat performance out of the aging vet is a little too much to ask, and even expecting him to remain healthy for a another full season may be unrealistic. If Warner goes down, the Cards will have all kinds of problems.

Matt Leinert has shown absolutely zero sign of becoming a viable NFL starter, and there have even been camp whispers of Leinert falling to the number three quarterback behind journeyman Brian St. Pierre. If either of them are forced into any extensive action, the Cards will sink like a stone to an all-too-familiar position: the bottom of the division.

The Cards still, however, have two of the best weapons in the game in wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and they should both put up numbers regardless of who’s throwing the ball.

The effectiveness of rookie running back Chris “Beanie” Wells is still up in the air until we can see him in some actual action on the field, but expect better things from Wells than what Arizona received last year from the aging Edgerrin James. Tim Hightower should get his share of carries also.

The addition of Bryant McFadden should help a passing defense that was torched way too often last season, though this unit may still underachieve compared to its talent level. Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie are all huge names, but keep in mind that all three were featured in the secondary last year, and they still ranked only 22nd against the pass.

The linebackers are another highly-talented yet underachieving group. With guys like Chike Okeafor, Gerald Hayes, Karlos Dansby, and Clark Haggans filling your starting lineup, one would expect great things, but much like the secondary, these guys were all present for last season’s defensive struggles. Dansby led this group with 4 sacks last year – a number that must be higher if the Cardinals defense is to improve.

Arizona has once again shown some struggles this preseason with it’s defensive cohesion, and despite all that talent, just can’t seem to get on the same page, at one point having 13 men on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And while it’s still just the preseason, and there’s plenty of time to work out the kinks, this doesn’t bode well for a defense many thought might have been ready to finally come into it’s own. Combine that with a slight regression in the offensive fireworks, and you have a disappointing year on the horizon for the Cardinals.