A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: NFC West Edition

Phew, we've come to the end of our whirlwind inaugural blog series for the 2012 NFL season.  Without further ado, here is a reason to love and hate every team in the NFC West this season:

Arizona Cardinals

Love - Larry Fitzgerald Is the Eternal Love of Scottsdale

In Arizona, three things are certain: death, taxes and Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald.  He performs at a high level as consistently as anyone else in the league, even if QB Kevin Kolb still looks like a dolt in comparison for some reason.  Now Fitz has an excellent opportunity to mold rookie Michael Floyd in his image and mask the weaknesses under center.

Hate - Swiss Cheese in the O-Line

Though the real problem for the Cardinals may be the kiddie-pool depth at quarterback this year, the offensive line certainly hasn't helped.  It took only the blink of an eye for Kevin Kolb's season to end early last year, and the Cards are second only to the Rams in sacks allowed last year.  Do you think it's a coincidence that both of these teams have to face the 49ers twice a year?  Add to that a number of other solid defensive teams/pass rushers on the Cardinals' schedule in 2012 (Eagles, Bills, Vikings, Lions and Bears, oh my!) and they are in real trouble.

San Francisco 49ers

Love - A Perfectly Intact, Elite Defense

Sometimes lightning strikes twice, especially if you're able to return all 11 of your most-excellent defensive starters for 2012.  West coast offense be damned, the new 49ers have proven themselves more than worthy contenders with an old-school smashmouth brand of football and a coach who keeps the motivational fire burning bright.  And they're probably hungry for vengeance after some unfortunate special teams snafus that dashed their chances late in the NFC Championship last year.

Hate - Still Having to Rationalize Alex Smith's Existence

Here's the thing about that NFC Championship game against the Giants in January: the 49ers never really were winning the game on offense.  Alex Smith achieved a paltry 46% completion rate, and the team converted only 1 of 13 third downs compared to the Giants' 7 conversions.  Yes, Alex Smith mostly managed games and avoided costly turnovers in 2011, but if other teams' defenses weren't catching his passes, neither were the 49ers receivers. Repeat after me: "in spite of, in spite of, in spite of" Alex Smith.  Now that he's got a hefty long term deal with the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kevin Kolb, don't be surprised if this middling QB slips further into the clutches of mediocrity in 2012.

St. Louis Rams

Love - Jeff Fisher's Return to the NFL Coaching Scene

Not to knock current Titans' head coach Mike Munchak, but Bud Adams was an absolute moron to let Jeff Fisher go a year ago.  Good thing the Rams still have respect for the man who was just a yard shy of forcing them into overtime in Super Bowl XXIV.  It'd make for great sports drama if Jeff Fisher can do for St. Louis what Jim Harbaugh did for San Francisco and turn the Rams' raw talent into winning consistency.  He certainly deserves the opportunity.

Hate - Turnaround Does Not a Winner Make... Yet

I'm still skeptical about any Cinderella stories in St. Louis though, at least for now.  Sam Bradford really needs to step it up and rediscover his momentum ASAP.  And while the Rams have obtained some great prospects on the defensive side of the ball in free agency and the draft, there's that elephant in the room: a gaping hole at Defensive Coordinator.  How will this brand new coaching staff allocate its limited time and energy with all of the young Rams' developmental needs when the NFL's own Darth Vader emeritus (and current Rams DC) Gregg Williams is suspended from the league indefinitely due to the NOLA Bountygate?


Seattle Seahawks

Love - More Beast Mode

A star was born in the Emerald City in 2010 when the undermost of underdog Seahawks--the only team in NFL history to enter the playoffs with a losing record--stunned the reigning Saints in the wild card round.  The icing on the cake was Marshawn Lynch who showed us the very definition of beast mode by taking down Saints defender after defender on a very memorable TD run.  Lynch continues to impress and will provide much-needed consistency and resilience to a team with many question marks remaining in the offense.

Hate -  Pete Carroll's Commitment Phobia at QB

Yes, the Seahawks nabbed former Packers backup QB Matt Flynn during the offseason to the tune of $26 million, but is it just me or is Pete Carroll curbing his enthusiasm over Flynn a little too much for comfort?  A bit of competition for starter status can be healthy, but Carroll is continuing to let Matt Flynn, middle-round draftee Russell Wilson, and Tavaris Jackson duke it out under center well into July at this point.  The Seahawks need look only at the 2011 Jaguars to know that the sooner they commit to a starter QB, the better their chances for growth and stability will be this year.


That's all for my  inaugural series for the 2012 NFL season.  Next up, way-too-early predictions for each team's win-loss record and playoff chances, which should eventually give us some good comedic material in February.