Predicted Order of Finish:
1. San Francisco 49ers 12-4
2. Arizona Cardinals 8-8
3. Seattle Seahawks 5-11
4. St. Louis Rams 2-14
San Francisco
Pros: They have inherited Mike Singletary's swagger. They have Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. They added two starters on the O-Line in the draft. The Cards are down, so the division is theirs for the taking.
Questions: It all comes down to Alex Smith. Can he hold on to the starting job? If not, is David Carr ready to take over?
Arizona
Pros: They still have Larry Fitzgerald, Early Doucet and Steve Breaston.
Questions: Matt Leinart might be the biggest question mark in the NFL. If he can't do what Kurt Warner did, the Cards are doomed. They lost some key free agents and still have a questionable running game.
Seattle
Pros: They have a new coach and a great young playmaker in Golden Tate.
Questions: Hasslebeck's age, their running game, the health of their other wideouts, and their defense are just the start.
St. Louis
Pros: They have Sam Bradford now. Mardy Gilyard could be good. Stephen Jackson is a horse.
Questions: Everything else. They are at least 2 years away.
The 49ers win the division, but lose to the Saints during the season, meaning they get bumped to the #3 seed. Arizona will need to decide if they want to go forward with Leinart or not. Seattle will draft Hasselbeck's heir apparent in the offseason, and the Rams will need to draft some more weapons, D and protection for their franchise.
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