Post by xCRUFFx on Aug 4, 2010 19:06:36 GMT -5
Everyday from now until August 10th, I will be posting a division by division preview of VNFL 2011 Season 1. By the time the previews are done, it will be August 10th, just in time for Madden NFL 11!!!
NOTE: This is supposed to be for fun and I'm in no way trying to offend anyone. Of course this is my view of the upcoming season, but feel free to voice your opinions as well to make this a fun discussion.
--NFC WEST PREVIEW--
2010 Recap
The NFC West was among the best divisions in the VNFL in 2010 and consistently produced top teams in the Cardinals, Rams, and 49ers. Then Cardinals coach prballin1 dominated the division, won multiple division titles, appeared in 2 superbowls and winning one. The Rams evolved into a competitive team and often finished 2nd in the division but drove deep into the playoffs. The 49ers re-tooled and made noise in the latter years of VNFL 2010. The Seahawks, well ... they are the Seahawks. At one point, the Seahawks had a great start to the year only to have a massive collapse towards the end of the season. In the end, the Seahawks never reached the playoffs and remained a middle of the pack type of team.
2011 Preview
JoeSchroeduh made a lot of noise in the AFC as the owner/coach of the New England Patriots, but taking over the Cardinals is a whole different animal. First this team is no where near as talented as the 2010 version. Gone are QB Kurt Warner, WR Anquan Boldin, MLB Carlos Dansby, and FS Antrell Rolle which drops the team talent level considerable from top tier to the middle tier. Matt Lienart is expected to start at QB which is a huge down grade from the HOF QB JoeShroeduh has become accustomed to. Still, JoeShroeduh has shown himself to be a good coach and should be able to squeeze the most out of his players. The Cardinals will likely come away with division title in season 1, but will not run away with it. The playoffs is almost a given at this point, but a deep run into the playoffs is unlikely to happen.
The 49ers are clearly the most talented team in the NFC West. MLB Patrick Willis is a beast. RB Frank Gore and WRs Crabtree and Morgan should give QB Alex Smith the weapons needed to succeed. The NFC West is weak in talent and it wouldn’t take much for the 49ers to win the division. It would all come down to the abilities of Coach Amazing and whether he would be able to put together a dream season and take down the Cardinals who are the favorites to capture the division crown. QB Alex Smith remains a question mark, but appears to be coming into his own. Rookies like LG Iupati, MLB Bowman, and SS Mays should step into the starting lineup and inject even more energy into the team. When asked for the formula for a winning season in VNFL 2011, Coach Amazing responded with the following: “Our formula is this … we go out and hit people in the mouth.” You can definitely feel the intensity in the air, and it’s clear that the 49ers feel that it’s their time to reign as the NFC West champs. Only time will tell whether that becomes a reality.
Coach Cruff comes back to St. Louis to take over the Rams, who have only regressed since the departure of Coach CeeGee. The Rams experienced tons of success in VNFL 10 and Coach Cruff is expected to produce at the same level. Unfortunately, the talent level of the Rams leaves a lot to be desired and have glaring holes through out the roster (with the exception of QB, RB, MLB and FS). The addition of QB Sam Bradford brings new life to the franchise and clearly marks a new era in Rams football. RB Steven Jackson appears to be healthy and is expected to put up pro-bowl numbers to help QB Bradford transition into the VNFL. MLB James “The Animal” Laurinaitis developed into a leader in 2010 and is expected to lead the defense in 2011. The Rams have talent at key positions, but the key to success is to build a complete roster with reliable playmakers at each skill position. The experience of Coach Cruff in the tough AFC East should offset part of what is lacking in team talent, but it would be difficult to expect anything more than a .500 season. Another successful rookie and FA draft in the following offseason should position the Rams into becoming more competitive; unfortunately, the Rams have to play 16 games before reaching that point.
xLiQx stays put and is set for another season as the Seahawks owner/coach. At this point, it’s likely that the Seahawks will win some games, and be competitive; however, a playoff run is probably not in the books for season 1 in 2011. The Seahawks added some much needed talent through the rookie draft, bringing in playmaker safety Earl Thomas and WR Golden Tate, along with LT Russell Okung who takes over the gigantic hole left by the retirement of LT Walter Jones. The Seahawks are mired with question marks which will hold them back from being a consistently competitive team. QB Matt Hasselbeck is near the end of his career and I’m not sold on QB Whitehurst being the heir apparent. The RB situation is muddy at best with no clear #1 back in the fold, although Justin Forsett appears to be the front runner to win the starting job. The WR corps is looks stronger on paper than on the field as TJ “no one knows how to spell my name” Houshmandzadeh and TE John Carlson are the only proven receivers on the roster. The defense should be workable with a solid LB trio in Tatupu, Curry, and Hill, but the rest of the defense is suspect at best. The Seahawks are definitely more talent than the 2010 verison, but it may not translate to more wins and a higher place in the standings.
The Cardinals are the favorites at this point, mainly based on the reputation of JoeSchroeduh, but the 49ers should be right at the door step and can kick the door down if MrAmazing is able to live up to the hype. Cruff should be able to transform the Rams into a credible team in season 1, but the lack of talent will hold the transformation by a season or two. The Seahawks is the X factor and can be a surprise in the division, but it all depends on whether xLiQx can keep a high level of focus and drive for 17 weeks.
Win/Loss Predictions
Arizona Cardinals: 10-6 (division winner)
San Francisco 49ers: 9-7
St.Louis Rams: 7-9
Seattle Seahawks: 7-9
Next: AFC South (August 5th)
NOTE: This is supposed to be for fun and I'm in no way trying to offend anyone. Of course this is my view of the upcoming season, but feel free to voice your opinions as well to make this a fun discussion.
--NFC WEST PREVIEW--
Team | 2010 Owner | 2011 Owner |
Arizona Cardinals | prballin | JoeSchroeduh |
San Francisco 49ers | Lock_Down_ | MrAmazing |
Seattle Seahawks | xLiQx | xLiQx |
St. Louis Rams | CeeGee | xCRUFFx |
2010 Recap
The NFC West was among the best divisions in the VNFL in 2010 and consistently produced top teams in the Cardinals, Rams, and 49ers. Then Cardinals coach prballin1 dominated the division, won multiple division titles, appeared in 2 superbowls and winning one. The Rams evolved into a competitive team and often finished 2nd in the division but drove deep into the playoffs. The 49ers re-tooled and made noise in the latter years of VNFL 2010. The Seahawks, well ... they are the Seahawks. At one point, the Seahawks had a great start to the year only to have a massive collapse towards the end of the season. In the end, the Seahawks never reached the playoffs and remained a middle of the pack type of team.
2011 Preview
JoeSchroeduh made a lot of noise in the AFC as the owner/coach of the New England Patriots, but taking over the Cardinals is a whole different animal. First this team is no where near as talented as the 2010 version. Gone are QB Kurt Warner, WR Anquan Boldin, MLB Carlos Dansby, and FS Antrell Rolle which drops the team talent level considerable from top tier to the middle tier. Matt Lienart is expected to start at QB which is a huge down grade from the HOF QB JoeShroeduh has become accustomed to. Still, JoeShroeduh has shown himself to be a good coach and should be able to squeeze the most out of his players. The Cardinals will likely come away with division title in season 1, but will not run away with it. The playoffs is almost a given at this point, but a deep run into the playoffs is unlikely to happen.
The 49ers are clearly the most talented team in the NFC West. MLB Patrick Willis is a beast. RB Frank Gore and WRs Crabtree and Morgan should give QB Alex Smith the weapons needed to succeed. The NFC West is weak in talent and it wouldn’t take much for the 49ers to win the division. It would all come down to the abilities of Coach Amazing and whether he would be able to put together a dream season and take down the Cardinals who are the favorites to capture the division crown. QB Alex Smith remains a question mark, but appears to be coming into his own. Rookies like LG Iupati, MLB Bowman, and SS Mays should step into the starting lineup and inject even more energy into the team. When asked for the formula for a winning season in VNFL 2011, Coach Amazing responded with the following: “Our formula is this … we go out and hit people in the mouth.” You can definitely feel the intensity in the air, and it’s clear that the 49ers feel that it’s their time to reign as the NFC West champs. Only time will tell whether that becomes a reality.
Coach Cruff comes back to St. Louis to take over the Rams, who have only regressed since the departure of Coach CeeGee. The Rams experienced tons of success in VNFL 10 and Coach Cruff is expected to produce at the same level. Unfortunately, the talent level of the Rams leaves a lot to be desired and have glaring holes through out the roster (with the exception of QB, RB, MLB and FS). The addition of QB Sam Bradford brings new life to the franchise and clearly marks a new era in Rams football. RB Steven Jackson appears to be healthy and is expected to put up pro-bowl numbers to help QB Bradford transition into the VNFL. MLB James “The Animal” Laurinaitis developed into a leader in 2010 and is expected to lead the defense in 2011. The Rams have talent at key positions, but the key to success is to build a complete roster with reliable playmakers at each skill position. The experience of Coach Cruff in the tough AFC East should offset part of what is lacking in team talent, but it would be difficult to expect anything more than a .500 season. Another successful rookie and FA draft in the following offseason should position the Rams into becoming more competitive; unfortunately, the Rams have to play 16 games before reaching that point.
xLiQx stays put and is set for another season as the Seahawks owner/coach. At this point, it’s likely that the Seahawks will win some games, and be competitive; however, a playoff run is probably not in the books for season 1 in 2011. The Seahawks added some much needed talent through the rookie draft, bringing in playmaker safety Earl Thomas and WR Golden Tate, along with LT Russell Okung who takes over the gigantic hole left by the retirement of LT Walter Jones. The Seahawks are mired with question marks which will hold them back from being a consistently competitive team. QB Matt Hasselbeck is near the end of his career and I’m not sold on QB Whitehurst being the heir apparent. The RB situation is muddy at best with no clear #1 back in the fold, although Justin Forsett appears to be the front runner to win the starting job. The WR corps is looks stronger on paper than on the field as TJ “no one knows how to spell my name” Houshmandzadeh and TE John Carlson are the only proven receivers on the roster. The defense should be workable with a solid LB trio in Tatupu, Curry, and Hill, but the rest of the defense is suspect at best. The Seahawks are definitely more talent than the 2010 verison, but it may not translate to more wins and a higher place in the standings.
The Cardinals are the favorites at this point, mainly based on the reputation of JoeSchroeduh, but the 49ers should be right at the door step and can kick the door down if MrAmazing is able to live up to the hype. Cruff should be able to transform the Rams into a credible team in season 1, but the lack of talent will hold the transformation by a season or two. The Seahawks is the X factor and can be a surprise in the division, but it all depends on whether xLiQx can keep a high level of focus and drive for 17 weeks.
Win/Loss Predictions
Arizona Cardinals: 10-6 (division winner)
San Francisco 49ers: 9-7
St.Louis Rams: 7-9
Seattle Seahawks: 7-9
Next: AFC South (August 5th)