2013 Offseason Needs: NFC West

I began going through the NFL division-by-division last week, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. I have covered the bases seven divisions, so today I move on to the last one, the NFC South.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Arizona Cardinals

Players are already excited that they will get to play for Bruce Arians, who became the first interim head coach in NFL history to win Coach of the Year.

Arizona was my favorite spot for Alex Smith to land, but the 49ers didn’t want to keep him in the division, understandably. The Cardinals could go to the draft to find a new quarterback, but this year doesn’t have to offer at quarterback. They could make a play for Matt Flynn, but I haven’t seen so much as a thought about that from ESPN or NFL.com, so it probably won’t happen, which means Arizona will again struggle in 2013.

On the bright side, at least it might not be only the fault of the offense if this team struggles. Todd Bowles will take over as defensive coordinator after doing the impossible – making Philadelphia’s defense even worse than it was under Juan Castillo. Arizona has some playmakers on both sides of the ball, but they might not have the tools around them to enable them to perform as well as they could on a different team.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams have been on the up-and-up for a few years now, so when will their time be? With Steven Jackson officially out and both Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson set to become free agents, a lot of focus needs to be on offense for the time being.

St. Louis lost just one game against a division opponent this season, a 7-point loss in Week 17 visiting Seattle. So this is undoubtedly a good team, but they couldn’t get it done against other opponents. Granted they had a tough schedule, but you have to beat the teams you play, no excuses.

What I would like to see from the Rams is some speed. Ever since the “Greatest Show on Turf” came to an end, St. Louis has taken on a ‘bruiser’ mentality. I want to see them get some players who can stretch the field on offense and get to the quarterback quickly on defense. If they can get that, I’ll give this team a shot at a wild card. Until then, I still can’t see the light at the end of their tunnel.

San Francisco 49ers

Secondary, secondary, secondary. That must be the 49ers’ main focus this offseason because they’re just about set everywhere else. They have one of the best front sevens in the NFL, a young quarterback with quick feet and an incredibly accurate cannon for an arm, a solid running game, and a great receiving corps. Their offensive line isn’t bad either.

So the focus needs to be on the secondary. Dashon Goldson might be out, and 49ers fans probably won’t mind based on the pre-Super Bowl feedback I got from many of them. If they get rid of him I’m not sure who they’ll go after to replace him, but they’ll need to do that in addition to improving depth throughout the rest of their secondary.

In no way am I saying San Francisco’s secondary is bad. It is a very good unit. But when every other aspect of your team is among the best in the league and you’re ‘only’ middle-of-the-pack, you get noticed.

Seattle Seahawks

Richard Sherman needs to focus on working out this offseason rather than telling everyone that he’s a better corner than Darrelle Revis. In my opinion, neither of them is the best active corner, but that’s another story for another day.

Aside from that, Seattle is in a good spot. Their front seven could use some depth, but they made some significant strides in the final weeks of the 2012 season.

On offense the plan is simple; build around Russell Wilson. Add wide receivers, tight ends and depth at offensive line. Seattle has the simplest remedy of any team in the NFL, and that’s why I’m expecting a deep playoff run from them in 2013.

Next week I will go back to what I did the first couple weeks of the offseason. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.