NFC West and East

Greg and I have been previewing each NFL division leading up to the regular season. And since the season starts tomorrow, we’ll wrap things up today and finish with the NFC West and East. Be sure to look back at the others too if you missed them.

NFC West

Division Winner: Seattle Seahawks (Greg), San Francisco 49ers (Andrew)

Division Cellar: Arizona Cardinals (Greg), St. Louis Rams (Andrew)

Other Playoff Teams: San Francisco 49ers – Wildcard #1 (Greg), Seattle Seahawks – Wildcard #1 (Andrew)

1 or 2. San Francisco 49ers

Greg - The 49ers added Anquan Boldin, Nnamdi Asomugha, among a stellar draft class to make this team better. The defense lost Dashon Goldson, but the majority of their defense remains intact. Their weakness will be at the WR position, but if they can help that with Vernon Davis picking up that slack it will help quite a bit.

Andrew – It was a tough call picking the 49ers over the Seahawks. They both have great coaching and defenses, they both play off their strong running attack, and they both are missing their best passing options due to injury (Crabtree and Harvin).  But I gave San Francisco the nod due to Colin Kaepernick’s upside. I think at his full potential, he can be better than Wilson by a large margin. If he doesn’t find that potential, Seattle will take over as the team to beat.

1 or 2. Seattle Seahawks

Greg - This team really has a ton of talent, and though their marquee FA acquisition is injured and out for the year (Harvin), this ranking (#1) is based on their finish to last season and that Russell Wilson is going into his second season. They drafted well, and added a few key members to the defensive line headlined by Cliff Avril. They will be the favorite to win the division, even with San Francisco getting a little bit better than last year.

Andrew – If Percy Harvin wasn’t injured I would have stuck with Seattle. Instead, they are the same as last year, only second best. I would expect Russell Wilson to be better from start to finish, but I worry that teams might start to figure out the read-option offense. So I have to see more from this team.

3 or 4. Arizona Cardinals

Greg - The Cardinals finally have a QB, and it will help them win a few more games this season, but in this division the team will not be all that successful. They brought Carson Palmer in, drafted a few good players in Tyrann Mathieu and Stepfan Taylor, and brought in Rashard Mendenhall. So they made a lot of good moves, but not enough in my opinion.

Andrew – As tough as it was to decide the top two teams, it was just as tough for me to choose between the bottom two teams. I think both are going to be much improved this year. The main problem with the Cardinals over the last two years has been no quarterback. Carson Palmer changes that. If he threw for 4,000 yards last year on the Raiders, imagine what he can do with Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Andre Roberts, Rob Housler, and coach Bruce Arians. Problem solved.

3 or 4. St. Louis Rams

Greg – If Sam Bradford cannot succeed this year, he will not be the QB in St. Louis much longer. They added many good offensive weapons with whom Sam can work with, and their running back by committee approach will help them on the offensive side of the ball. Jeff Fisher's defense should be better, but the rest of the division is also better, so they do not improve on last season's win total.

Andrew – The Rams quietly finished with a record a tick below .500 last season, and were 4-1-1 in the division. Wow! They did lose Steven Jackson, but with a plethora of young running backs and all sorts of new passing options (Austin, Bailey, Cook, etc.), they should be better offensively. The defense was vastly improved under Jeff Fisher last year, so I expect another step forward in year two. I put them last, but wouldn’t be surprised if they exceed this spot and actually make the playoffs.

Preseason Division Awards (NFC West)

Offensive MVP: Russell Wilson (Greg), Colin Kaepernick (Andrew)

Defensive MVP: Patrick Peterson (Both)

Rookie of the Year: Tyrann Mathieu (Greg), Tavon Austin (Andrew)

Free Agent of the Year: Carson Palmer (Greg), Cliff Avril (Andrew)

NFC East

Division Winner: Dallas Cowboys (Both)

Division Cellar: New York Giants (Greg), Philadelphia Eagles (Andrew)

Other Playoff Teams: None (Both)

1. Dallas Cowboys

Greg - Going with the Cowboys in this position has me full of fear, but I really think the transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 “Tampa 2” based scheme is really going to help this team. Their strength is in the pass rush, and I believe that will help generate turnovers. Also, I believe Romo will have a great year again.

Andrew – It’s always risky going with the Cowboys, because they always choke at the end. But that’s got to stop at some point right? Tony Romo was great last year, especially as Dez Bryant emerged as his top target. Those two will be unstoppable this season. I also think the defense has a chance to be very good. The new “Tampa 2” scheme should benefit them greatly, and it will no longer be a weakness.

2 or 3. Washington Redskins

Greg - The Redskins will ultimately have the same record as the Cowboys, but fall short in a tiebreaker situation. RGIII is going to start slowly, and though the defense will be better, they are extremely young in the secondary. That will ultimately cost them a playoff spot… this year.

Andrew – RGIII truly was remarkable last year and I think he’ll perform just as well in his sophomore season. But I just feel that everything went their way last year, particularly at the end of 2012, and there isn’t a chance things unfold that way again. Think of it as the opposite prediction I gave for the Giants.

2 or 4. New York Giants

Greg - This team just does not have a lot of answers on the offensive line and each other team in the division is very strong in their defensive line and linebackers. The Giants will finish close to the rest of the division, but will fall just short.

Andrew – Last season was a disaster in New York. They struggled with staying healthy, they had a lot of bad luck, and Eli Manning had an off year. I expect a major bounce back in all those areas. I think they will be led by a strong defense, one that could be the best defense in the division. And I’m going to guess Eli Manning gets back to playing at his level. David Wilson should help keep defenses honest, and I’m boldly predicting that Hakeem Nicks stays healthy.

3 or 4. Philadelphia Eagles

Greg – The Eagles are rising in my mind, and it has a lot to do with their offense. If Michael Vick can stay healthy this team will put up a lot of points. A lot!

Andrew – Do I think Chip Kelly will help: Yes. How much: Depends on health. If, and it’s a big if, Michael Vick can stay healthy, they have a shot at the playoffs. You heard me. Remember that last year people thought they were an all-star team heading into the season. Then they fell apart. Well, they still have strong talent, and they may have found a coach who can use it to potential. The other good thing for them is that even though this division is strong overall, there isn’t a single dominant team. That leaves the door wide open.

Preseason Division Awards (NFC East)

Offensive MVP: Lesean McCoy (Greg), Robert Griffin III (Andrew)

Defensive MVP: DeMarcus Ware (Both)

Rookie of the Year: J.J. Wilcox (Greg), Zach Ertz (Andrew)

Free Agent of the Year: Brian Orakpo (Greg), Cullen Jenkins (Andrew)

By: The Sports Guys