The NFC West division is full of turkeys

Just what exactly is going on in the NFC West?

The division has perennially been among the strongest in the NFL, sending a representative to the Super Bowl each of the past three seasons. From top to bottom, each team has been largely competitive in recent history, which now begs the question: “What the hell happened?”

I won’t mention the results from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run against the evil empire of New England just nine months ago. This year’s team returned largely intact though, with fan favorite and Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson, “Beast Mode” RB Marshawn Lynch, and “Legion of Boom” puppeteer DB Richard Sherman. The Hawks were touted as the best of the bunch in the west, and another Super Bowl appearance didn’t seem to be far fetched.

Seattle’s management knew they had to bolster an offense that came up just short of last year’s title, though, so it gave Pete Carroll a shiny new toy in the form of tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham is an elite skill player out of the once-potent offense in New Orleans, and plays a position that Wilson could really exploit. With a matchup appearing so perfect, why, then, has he been a non-factor? And, while Wilson has outperformed the suddenly inept Colin Kaepernick, he isn’t exactly setting the league on fire. He’s already thrown seven picks, the same total he had all of last season, and with only 10 TD’s in nine games, he’s inhibiting the receiving corps’ production. This partially explains Graham’s disappearing act, but he’s only being targeted 23 percent of the time, anyway. Graham also cost Seattle its Pro Bowl center Max Unger and the 31st overall pick in the draft. Whoops.

With St. Louis poised to either build a new venue or lose the Rams to a new Los Angeles stadium, management felt the need to shake up an offense that had been stagnant since No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford took the helm at QB in 2010. He always struggled to stay healthy during his tenure under coach Jeff Fisher, and his performance left a lot to be desired – frankly, he’s flat-out sucked. Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly, and his uncontested reign over the Eagles franchise, coveted Bradford’s skillset and thought it to be a perfect match under his offensive scheme, so Philly swung a deal for him this summer, sending a 2nd round pick and starting QB Nick Foles to St. Louis. Typically there are winners and losers in trades of this nature, with the possibility of both teams accomplishing their goals; rarely do you see each side losing out, but that’s precisely what’s happened here. Both Bradford and Foles have been replaced by their backups after nine games, with the Eagles resorting to last year’s starter, Mark Sanchez, and left without that No. 2 pick. The Rams took a shot on Foles, by signing him to a three-year extension before he even took a snap for the team, and missed… badly. Whoops.

San Francisco suffered perhaps the most tumultuous offseason in team history. They ran head coach Jim Harbaugh out of town, lost star running back Frank Gore and premiere wideout Michael Crabtree to free agency, and All-Pro defensive End Aldon Smith is too troubled off the field to stay on it (with SF ultimately cutting ties with him). Two other defensive starters abruptly retired after very brief NFL careers. The team is having to start from scratch, with the only hope for a salvaged season resting in the “almighty” Kaepernick’s arm and legs. Yeah… Here are his numbers after nine games: 59 percent completed passes, 1,615 passing yards, 179.4 yards per game, six touchdowns / five interceptions, while rushing for 256 yards total and just one score. If those numbers don’t improve, he will have regressed beyond the point of his rookie year, and unfortunately for him, he’s now getting the Harbaugh treatment and is all but considered finished as a Niner. Whoops.

Arizona is the only winning team out of this once-mighty division, and they’ve looked good enough at times to warrant their No. 4 status in the NFL’s Power Rankings. They rely on a stout defense and the capabilities of QB Carson Palmer, who, while healthy this year, has already thrown for 2,749 yards and 23 scores. They’re well rounded, well coached, and send opposing defenses scrambling. Phew.