Around the league:My NFC West projections

July 29, 2012; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke during training camp at the 49ers practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

I believe that the NFC West is a lot tougher than people think right now. I still think the 49ers will win this division but they were shown last year they can be beaten and not just by their own mistakes. This division reminds me a lot of ours whereas, you don’t have to have 12 or 12 wins, you don’t have to dominate, you don’t have to be particularly great offensively or defensively to win this division, you just have to win.

4. The Seattle Seahawks: Every yearSeattle surprises us by beating one or two teams they’re not “supposed” to beat. Just two years ago they made the postseason and made fairly quick work of the then super bowl champions. However, I think this year will be the end of all that. I still think they muster up 7 or 8 wins with Marshawn Lynch, but they’re not ready to win it yet. They took a chance on Matt Flynn who has two very good career starts. Other than that they have Tavaris Jackson who was once returning kicks inMinnesota and the rookie Russell Wilson at quarterback. Once they get a solid starter their chances improve greatly. Until then they’re left with a good defense, a strong, fast, explosive running back, and 8 wins.

3. The Saint Louis Rams: In the offseason this team got Jeff Fisher who, for my money, is one of the top 10 coaches in the league. However, I don’t think a new coach and a few good additions will completely make this team a contender again. I love what Sam Bradford brings as a quarterback and I think quietly, he will have a great year. I think Steven Jackson is past his prime, he’s a good but now often injured back and I think he may be in his final years as a ram. My favorite part of the team is the defense. They added Cortland Finnegan who, say what you want about his antics on the field, is a good cornerback. I’m not comparing him to Deion Sanders, I’m just saying when he was playing you took the antics for what he could do to back it up, I think Cortland Finnegan can back it up. If they improve on the offensive line I think this team is only a year out from really challenging the niners. I think this yearBradford leads the team to maybe 9 wins.

2. The Arizona Cardinals: At first sight you might say, “The Cardinals? They suck.” Which is exactly what I said to be quite honest, but when you look at this team, really look at them, they’re not far out of this thing. If they can get a good starting quarterback out of John Skelton or Kevin Kolb, they might be right on the verge. The defense is very good, and the team is very under the radar. They have no pressure to do anything because quite frankly, no one expects them to do anything. Talent at the running back position, a good secondary, and the best receiving corps in this division will lead the team to a winning record and dare I say it, a wild card birth. Who knows?

1. The San Francisco 49ers: As I told you in the beginning, I still think this team wins the division. We all know about the defense clearly top notch and maybe best in the league right now. Alex Smith added some new weapons and maybe we’ll start to see him fling that ball around a little more. I also like his mobility, I’m not saying he’s a scrambler, but he certainly knows how to keep a play alive. They have the best tight end in the division in Vernon Davis; he’s top 5 in the league. The offensive line is dominant, Frank Gore is a monster, and I can’t think of words to describe the defense, I’ll just say punishing. I like everything about this team; they win the division and a first round bye in the playoffs.

Those are my projections, thanks for reading. Enjoy your night and the game,Green Bayhere we come.

-RRR