Beware the NFC West

The NFC West becomes scarier every day.

Under the leadership of the league's most unpleasant coach, San Francisco came out of nowhere to post a 13-3 record, tied for second-best in the league and the conference. This was no fluke. Built upon the solid foundation of a stout defense and a strong running game, the 49ers will remain formidable next year.

In 2011, the Arizona Cardinals wobbled out of the gate with a 1-6 start. However, the songbirds soared through the season's second half, compiling a 7-2 record, finishing at .500, seizing second place in the division, and condemning Seattle to a losing record and penultimate place in the NFC West.

Impatient to win, and unconvinced that Kevin Kolb is the answer, Arizona has been hosting Peyton Manning this weekend.

Seattle developed some depth on its offensive line last year, and recently re-signed Marshawn Lynch, so the future looks bright for our running attack. If the team can come to terms with Red Bryant, our dynamic young defense should be able to pick up where it left off. The Seahawks need only a capable quarterback to become a contender.

However, it is lowly St. Louis that I find most frightening in the long term.

By hiring Jeff Fisher, the Rams secured the services of one of the most consistently successful coaches in recent league history. He inherited a bad Houston team in 1994 and quickly made them respectable in a tough division. In 16 full seasons with the Oilers/Titans franchise, his team posted winning records and made the playoffs 6 times, including a Super Bowl appearance. When they weren't in the playoffs, they weren't bad. They went .500 five times and posted 7-9 records twice. They rarely did worse; they went 6-10, 5-11 and 4-12 once each. They never posted more than two consecutive losing seasons.

In short, Fisher is a lot like Marty Schottenheimer: He may never win the Super Bowl, but he'll maintain a good team that will win a lot of games. As long as he's coaching in your division, he'll be a thorn in your side, because his teams will never lie down meekly to give you an easy win.

After seven straight years of losing, St. Louis is stocked with early-round draft picks. They are nowhere near as bad as their record last year suggests; an injury epidemic and poor coaching explained their underperformance in 2011. Their respectable showing in 2010--when they narrowly lost the division to Seattle--is a better indication of the strength of their overall roster.

Their roster is likely to grow even stronger now.

Recently, the Rams swindled Washington. The Skins want to draft Robert Griffin III, but they knew he would not last until they picked sixth in the first round. They entered negotiations with St. Louis, which owns the #2 pick in the draft.

Dan Snyder is hands down the dumbest owner in the NFL, with a long-established pattern of overpaying for the services of uncertain prospects. For many years, Snyder had to vie for with Al Davis of the Raiders for the title of dumbest owner, but the death of the Crypt Keeper has removed all doubt. The scam the Rams just perpetrated on the Skins simply cements what league observers have long known about Moneybags Snyder.

It is customary for Snyder to squander cash. This time, he mortgaged the future of his franchise by throwing away several draft picks.

In exchange for this year's #2 first round pick from St. Louis, Washington surrendered its...

1. #6 first round pick in 2012
2. second round pick in 2012
3. first round pick in 2013
4. first round pick in 2014

In short, the Rams will get three picks in the top forty this year, and then they'll get to pick twice in the first round in 2013 and 2014. These extra doses of young talent should help them get better fast.

St. Louis managed to exort this price from Washington because Mike Holmgren of Cleveland was willing to offer nearly as much. This makes me glad we didn't hire the Big Show to be Seattle's GM.

Congratulations to Lofa Tatupu. After a year of rest, he'll try to relaunch his career with the Atlanta Falcons. I'm sad he won't be a Seahawk anymore, but everyone in Seattle wishes him well.

Call me sentimental, but if I were John Schneider, I'd offer Steve Hutchinson a respectable, short-term veteran contract. When healthy, he can still play. His gritty attitude inspires his entire unit, and he provides credible leadership in the locker room. However, he can't wear #76 again. That number belongs to Russell Okung now.