NFC West Quarterbacks Key to 2011 Improvement
By Scott Allen
All four teams in the NFC West must get busy in the off season to make this a much better division. The problem is, that may not happen for a couple of seasons. The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks probably have the most work to do, especially since both teams could be looking for quarterbacks next season. The St. Louis Rams are set there. The San Francisco 49'ers also need help at quarterback, but are solid on defense and in the running game. They have a lot of work to do, but possibly not as much. It's a quarterback driven league, so let's look at what each team looks like at the position.
Cardinals - we are all painfully aware what the loss of Kurt Warner meant. Matt Leinart never lived up to expectations. Derek Anderson could never repeat his 2007 Pro Bowl season success. Max Hall was a bust. The jury is out on John Skelton and it could be a while before he is fully prepared to be an NFL starting quarterback. Look for the Cards to hit the free agent market and the 2011 NFL Draft for help.
Rams - Sam Bradford is the man. He exceeded expectations in 2010, even as the number one pick in the draft. Look for him to be in a Rams uniform for quite awhile. Imagine what he learned this season and takes that to 2011. The Rams could be the favorite to win the division.
49'ers - they need to finally realize the Alex Smith experiment is over. Cut your losses and move on. Troy Smith might be a good backup, but he is not ready to be a full time starter. Time to find a free-agent not named Dave Carr and also look to the draft.
Seahawks - Matt Hasselbeck is done. After being benched this week in favor of Charlie Whitehurst, he may have fallen out of favor with head coach Pete Carroll. Seahawks making appearances in the same spots as Cards and Niners scouts.