Much of the focus on the NFC West this Spring has surrounded the quarterbacks. That shouldn’t change once we get into the regular season.
There’s an old adage that in football the quarterback gets too much of the credit for a team’s success and too much of the blame when they fail. Indeed, they also get too much of the attention in most cases.
But in the NFC West, version 2016, the questions surrounding each team’s signal-caller warrant such scrutiny. In fact, the answers to these questions will directly impact who ultimately represents this division in the playoffs.
More from 12th Man Rising
- 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency
- Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
- 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
- 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson
Let’s take a look at each teams biggest off season QB questions:
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – Does Chip Kelly have the right QB on his roster?
Trying to figure out exactly what a “Chip Kelly QB” even looks like is a challenge these days. When he came out of Oregon we all assumed it was a dual-threat, Marcus Mariota clone (or… Mariota himself). But then Kelly handed the job to the likes of Nick Foles and Sam Bradford, who you could argue are single-threat or even NO-threat quarterbacks.
In San Fran he inherits a disgruntled and possibly broken Colin Kaepernick, and the limited upside and overall “Meh” potential of Blaine Gabbert. Some saw the 49ers refusal to aggressively seek out a new QB this off season as a vote of confidence in one or both of these guys. Others proclaim it as a major misstep. There is some intriguing upside in UDFA Jeff Driskel (Florida, Lousiana Tech) but it’s doubtful he will be in position to make an impact in 2016.
For all of the questions surrounding the new-look 49ers this year, and there are many, the issue of who is going to play QB, and how well he plays, will determine just how good they’re going to look this year.
Next: Carson Palmer on the down side of career?
ARIZONA CARDINALS – How much does Carson Palmer have left in the tank?
This question means everything to the Cards, as Bruce Arians has failed to this point in adding any kind of obvious, young, heir apparent to the teams roster. Palmer is now 36 years old and has had consistent injury issues. Arizona has worked diligently to upgrade their offensive line the last two years, and with David Johnson they appear poised to present a physical running game to compliment Palmer. Still, if he goes down, how confident can a Cardinal fan be with Drew Stanton or Matt Barkley running the show?
The Cards D and running game are strong enough to keep them in contention with a backup QB at the helm, but could they win that way in January? And the bigger question in the tough NFC is, if Palmer goes down again, can they even get to January without him?
Next: A new city, another new QB for Rams
LOS ANGELES RAMS – Will Jared Goff be good enough as a rookie to put them over the top?
It’s been a running story line with the Rams the last few years (or maybe a running joke), that their defense was so good but their QB play so bad. In fact you could argue that even an average quarterback with THAT defense could have pushed them towards playoff contention.
Well this year they certainly went all-in, dealing away most of this year’s draft and picks in 2017 to move up and take Goff. I’ve not been as big on Goff as other’s, but there’s no question he has more upside than anyone we’ve seen with the Rams since Sam Bradford was traded away. It won’t help that he’ll be facing perhaps the strongest overall group of defenses of any division in the league. How well he deals with that could be the difference between the Rams winning 4 games or 10. In fact, Goff may be the biggest X Factor in the NFC West.
Next: What about Wilson's supporting cast?
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – Will the Seahawks revamped offense give Russell Wilson the support he needs to thrive?
Last year was a revelation for Wilson. Once the offense adjusted to the injury to Marshawn Lynch, and the woeful offensive line started to find their footing, Wilson catapulted himself into the upper echelon of the NFL’s passers. We saw a new side to Wilson, as a guy who could put a team on his back in a higher volume passing attack. But since January, the Seahawks have done a complete remodel of their O-line and backfield. Will they gel in time to give Wilson the protection he needs? And will the young stable of running backs come close to matching the production he was used to getting from Lynch?
He’s never had more weapons to work with. Rookie sensation Tyler Lockett should be even better in his second year, fellow WR Paul Richardson appears to finally be healthy, and the team is optimistic that Jimmy Graham will be back to full strength in time for the opener.
And the schedule works in Seattle’s favor. They’re likely to be favored in every game until their October 23rd showdown in Arizona. If the young line can perform adequately, and roles are properly defined with the RB’s, Wilson could get off to the type of start that will generate MVP buzz.
Next: Does Russell Wilson actually sleep?
If he’s once again having to run for his life, however, and the Seahawks struggle to an uneven start, it could open the door to their NFC West counterparts looking to seize the opportunity.