2007 Sports As Life NFL Preview - NFC West

As promised, today we start the 2007 Sports As Life NFL Preview. I do not claim to be a professional handicapper or prognosticator, so in 4 months you can't hold me responsible for how terrible these previews turn out. To paraphrase the immortal words of Dave Letterman, "To those at home, please no wagering."

So as I said yesterday we're going to start with the NFC this week and the AFC next week. Today we're going to break down the NFC West and then move across the U.S, ending with the NFC East.

And away we go...


Arizona Cardinals

With as much offensive potential as Arizona has, it's hard to imagine that they won't improve on last year's 5-11 finish (at least a little). They have one of the top wide receiver tandems in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Plus they also have running back Edgerrin James who couldn't possibly be any worse than he was last year - as a Fantasy owner who had James on his team, trust me on this one. There are 2 schools of thought on quarterback Matt Leinart - you either hate him or you want to be impregnated by him. Regardless of what Leinart camp you're in, he's entering his second year and should improve on last year's 11 passing TDs. Oh and did I mention Dennis Green is no longer the head coach? That should be good for a couple extra wins right there - although I will miss his post game tirades. However, as they say - it is defence that wins games, and aside from Chike Okeafor I can't name a single person on Arizona's defence. And I read something yesterday that said Okeafor is possibly out for the year - however, I can't remember where I saw that and I can't confirm it anywhere. With all of this said, bear in mind that Arizona has the easiest schedule in the league as well.

2007 Prediction: 6-10. I really wanted to put them at 7-9 but looking at their schedule I don't know if I see them getting more than 6 wins.


St. Louis Rams

The Greatest Show on Turf is a distant memory now. The Rams have finally learned that you have to run the ball to be successful - and with Steven Jackson as your running back why wouldn't you. He is going to be the #2 overall selection in a lot of Fantasy drafts this month - after a ridiculous year last year. Of course I owned him 2 years ago when Mike Martz was still in charge and they refused to give Jackson the ball - no, I'm not bitter. Even though the Rams are more balanced now than they were 6 or 7 years ago, they still have a pretty good aerial attack. Torry Holt is still a top 10 wide receiver and even though Isaac Bruce is older than some mountain ranges, he still had over 1,000 yards receiving last year. The additions of Drew Bennett at wide receiver and Randy McMichael at tight end don't do anything to hurt the passing attack either. Like the Cardinals, however, the Rams' problems lie on the defensive side of the ball. Leonard Little is a monster pass rusher but the Rams have serious issues stopping the run. If they don't get above 30th against the run -which they were last year - it will be what does them in this year. The Rams do have a pretty easy schedule as well, which is going to help their record this year.

2007 Prediction: 10-6. If left tackle Orlando Pace hadn't gotten hurt halfway through the season last year, the Rams would have gotten at least 10 wins. I don't think it's a stretch for them to get back there this year.


San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers seem to be the trendy sleeper team that many people are picking to win the division this year. While I think there's going to be some improvement this year, I'm still not 100% sold on them. Running back Frank Gore was a monster last year but is too injury-prone for me to bet the house on him. Already this year he's broken his hand - in the first non-contact drill of training camp keep in mind - but is apparently going to be ready for the regular season. Their star tight end, Vernon Davis, only played in 10 games last year due to injury and their #1 wide receiver, Darrell Jackson, is always busy dropping balls when he's not busy being injured. Oh and did I mention that there are people who think 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith has hands that are too small to properly grip the NFL football. All of these things are pretty troubling to me. However, on defence the 49ers look pretty solid. Bryant Young just keeps going and going at defensive end. They drafted Patrick Willis in the first round at inside linebacker. And their secondary is going to be very strong, with Nate Clements and Walt Harris playing the corners. The 49ers also have a reasonably easy schedule, with only 2 or 3 tough road games.

2007 Prediction: 9-7. Honestly, I hope I'm wrong about this one and the 49ers go 10-6 or better. I'd love to see the team I loved in my youth return to respectability. They have a young core that could be great in a couple years. Thankfully the days of Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey and Jim Druckenmiller shaming the franchise are over.


Seattle Seahawks

I think it's fairly safe to say that Seattle's hopes this year rest on the fragile foot bones of running back Shaun Alexander. If Alexander can come close to the year he had in 2005, the Seahawks should win the division going away. However, I'm not convinced that Alexander is study enough to go through the whole season anymore. Maurice Morris is a decent back-up but if Alexander goes down again this year or isn't effective, Seattle is in trouble. That's not to say that they can't throw the ball. But quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been fragile in the last few seasons as well. If he stays healthy and has fully recovered from last season he has the receivers in Deion Branch and D.J Hackett to do some things down field - and tight end Jeremy "Knee In the Groin" Stevens is gone, so that's a bonus as well. Seattle has had one of those "better than you'd think defence's" in recent years and there's no real reason that won't continue this year. They are solid up front on the defensive line and have a great linebacking corps. The Seahawks lost a few people in the secondary but made some acquisitions to fill those holes. And like every other team in this division Seattle's schedule ranks near the bottom in terms of difficulty.

2007 Prediction: 9-7. I'm putting them with only 9 wins because I'm skeptical about Alexander and Hasselbeck making it through the entire year without being injured. However, if Seattle can find a way to beat St. Louis twice this year, their record would go to 10-6 and they would win the division.


The NFC West looks like it will be a pretty competitive division this year, as 3 of the 4 teams all could be at the same level, or thereabouts. Arizona is the only real weak link in the West and they have enough offence to be exciting and could make some games interesting at least. I think St. Louis will win the division if they can produce defensively a little bit - they definitely have the offence to win the division. Seattle will push the Rams if everyone can stay healthy but I just don't see it happening. Here's how I see the division finishing:

NFC WEST
St. Louis Rams..............10-6
Seattle Seahawks.............9-7
San Francisco 49ers..........9-7
Arizona Cardinals............6-10

Tomorrow - the NFC North.

NFL Preview - Starts Tomorrow

Yup, you read that correctly - the much anticipated, 1st Annual Sports As Life NFL Preview starts tomorrow.

We're going to start with the NFC this week and next week will be the AFC.

So stay tuned.

Monday Headlines

TSN CONTINUES TO SHAME ITSELF

If TSN's CFL coverage was a horse, it would have been shot 3 weeks ago. This week only proved this point beyond a shadow of a doubt. The decision was made by TSN to NOT show the beginning of the Saskatchewan - Toronto game at 7pm eastern. Instead they stayed with the end of the second round coverage from the PGA Championship. THE SECOND ROUND OF THE PGA! - the slow-witted half-brother of golf's 3 other majors. Sure glad I got to see Tiger Woods tap in for par.

To say the camera work for TSN has been third-rate is an insult to third-rate cameramen. I can't count the number of times a punt returner has zoomed through the frame because the cameraman lost the ball in the air or couldn't find the returner. Also, play action is designed to fool defences, not the people filming the game.

And oh the commentators - who I think I've said enough about already in previous posts. But one thing I want to add - I would love to watch a game where I'm not being talked to like a 6 year old. Is it to much to ask to for announcers to call the game like they assume that their audience is even a little familiar with football? If TSN explains to me one more time why a running game is important or what the benefits of a screen-pass are, I think I'm going to lose it.

755 FALLS AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING...

...about the fact that we no longer have to here about Barry Bonds.

Want to actually read an interesting story about Major League Baseball? If you haven't heard about Rick Ankiel yet, read this. He hit a 3-run home run in his first game as a major league outfielder, after washing out of the league years ago as a pitcher with monstrous control problems. Oh, Ankiel hit 2 more home runs the next night too.

@^$% THE REGINA FOLK FEST

If one more person tells me how great the City and Colour show at the after party was on Friday night - I'm going to go jump in traffic. I'm serious - don't talk to me about this anymore.

Never again.

NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL - OPEN AUDITIONS

The Sports As Life crew are looking for 2-3 people interested in participating in some fantasy football this fall/winter. Anybody reading this is eligible to join as long as you meet the following criteria:

- you must have more than a casual interest/knowledge of the NFL.

- you must commit to playing until the season ends in December. No giving up on the season because you happen to be 2-8 in Week 10.

- you must not actively pursue shady trades or any other shenanigans.

- you must have a sense of humour.

- you must not be easily offended - if my current team name, "Now With 15% Less Dogfighting" puts you off - you need not apply. Note: my team name is a bastardized version of what I really wanted: "Michael Vick's Stupid Pet Tricks - Now With 15% Less Dogfighting". However, space limitations forced me to edit it.

And I think that's about all the necessary requirements, so if you're interested leave a comment on the blog or send an email to: sportsaslife@hotmail.com. Or if you know my personal email address, send me one there.

With only 3 weeks until NFL season starts, the sooner you reply the better.

Back to Civilization

Hello sports fans, I am back from the thriving metropolis of Nipawin, Saskatchewan.

No big posts today - I'm much too tired for that. But the Roughrider Roundtable blog is now up on Mysask.com. So if you haven't checked that out, make sure to do so.

Possibly more tomorrow.

Some Light Holiday Blogging

No, I'm not talking about Saskatchewan Day - which I'm pretty sure was just created so that government employees would have a better excuse for a 4 day weekend.

I'm talking about the fact that I'm on holidays right now and tomorrow I'm headed to the vacation hotspot of Nipawin, Saskatchewan - I'm all kinds of fired up about possibly participating in the Great Northern Pike Festival.

I'm also all kinds of fired up about the 4 day break from my neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Domestic Disturbance - don't you guys go killing each other while I'm gone. Also don't steal any of my stuff.

Because I'm hoping to spend as much time away from my computer as possible over the next 4 days, don't expect too many posts in the coming week. Keep an eye out on Mysask.com's sports page on Tuesday though. I've been asked to contribute to a Roughrider roundtable blog - so we'll see if that materializes or what it turns out like.

But to tide you over for the week, I've got some quick thoughts for you.

First about the Roughrider game from Thursday night:

...Ok, even if you are a hardcore Rider fan or CFL fan, there is no way you can say with a straight face that was an exciting game to watch. By halfway through the second quarter I was busy working on my NFL fantasy team.

...Luca Congi is slowly (or quickly) kicking himself out of a job. I don't know how many 20 yard field goals you can miss and still be a professional kicker. Apparently his field goal range is 40 yards and over.

...Danny McManus needs to have his intelligence tested - I'm serious. I'm hoping Rob Vanstone was being sarcastic in Friday's Leader Post when he complimented McManus' colour commentary. There is nothing enlightening or intelligent about McManus' work in the TSN booth. He generally comes up with insights like, "He came here to play football tonight and boy, is he ever!" Fantastic.

...Not to be outdone by McManus, Rod Black came up with this gem of a nickname for Kerry Joseph - "K Jo". Nice work as always gentlemen.

...Was B.C running back Joe Smith too injured to touch the ball during the game? What other explanation is there for the best running back in the league not even getting 10 carries in a game with a quarterback making his first career start. This was one of the most baffling coaching decisions I've ever seen.

...Enough Rider talk.

...Well Barry Bonds tied the most hallowed record in baseball last night. Couldn't have happened to a worse person. Don't worry, A-Rod will break the all-time home run record within 6 years. He is just slightly more likeable than Bonds.

...Is David Beckham actually going to play soccer for the L.A Galaxy at some point? This is turning into the sports story dud of the year. $250 million for him to sit on the bench - money well spent.

...Having played the Nintendo Wii for the first time this weekend, I think I can safely say that it is single-handedly going to solve the obesity problem in today's kids. That might be overshadowed though by the tremendous number of injuries it is going to cause in today's over-competitive adults. After only playing it for a short while, I think I already need massive reconstructive rotator cuff surgery - and probably Tommy John surgery too.

...Finally congratulations to loyal reader Walks on his wedding yesterday. Sorry that the Sports As Life staff couldn't be there but we wish you guys all the best.

That is all.

The Links

...I think this is the video of Cooper doing his header in Banff 4 years ago (that joke is so inside, only about 3 people reading this will get it).

...If you want to read a real story about Bill Walsh (as opposed to mine) check out Michael Wilbon's story from the Washington Post today. I'm not sure if you'll have to sign up to read it or not but it's well worth the 30 seconds it will take you. While you're at the Washington Post site you should check out Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser's Talking Points - it's pretty good sports talk and it's basically just them yelling at each other for 10 minutes. Think of it as the poor man's Pardon the Interruption. Oh, Wilbon's story also ran in the Leader-Post today, so you can check it out in there as well.

...Normally I try to keep everything on Sports As Life to a PG-13 standard - so I'm throwing up a parental advisory for this one, it's nothing too serious just a few choice words. But it's just too funny not to put up. It's Vince Vaughn busting Rory Cochrane hard on Dinner for Five - which might be the greatest TV show idea of all time.

...I know I've linked to Bill Simmons' podcasts before but not this one - his podcast with Adam Carolla from May 15th is a must listen. It's on the right hand side of the page - you'll see it.

...There is nothing funny about this at all but it is some pretty startling footage. It seems ridiculous that a bridge could just give way like that.

Artist of the Week

This week's Artist is a repeat, sort of... I know put up one of his clips in the Links previously. However, this week he's making the jump to the big show.

His name is Cas Haley, a reggae/roots musician from Texas who also happens to currently be on America's Got Talent. To combat the problem of having to watch him on reality TV, I've got an excellent system worked out. My Significant Other watches the show and then lets me know when he's on so that I can see him and only him. Good deal.

This is a clip of him doing Walking on the Moon by the Police. I know I've put this one up before but it's so good it deserves another look.

And this is him doing Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson. Brings back fond memories of Ghostbusters 2 - as the song was the best part of that movie.

Here is the Myspace page for his actual band called Woodbelly.

If there was ever a person that would make me call in and vote on a reality program, he would be that person.