Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Each NFL season can only have one champion, and in 2009, the New Orleans Saints claimed that title. The good news, though, is that right now for the 2010 season, every team is sitting even. With that in mind, the Bruno Boys got to thinking about what each NFL team needs to do in order to hoist the Lombardi Trophy next year. Thus, was born the Bruno Boys latest series which will examine the key needs that need to be addressed by all 32 NFL teams. Bruno Boys Whooley gets things started in this 8-part series with a look at the NFC West.

NFC WEST

Many people, myself included, claim that “the west coast is the best coast.” And, for as true as that sentiment may be in most aspects of life, with regards to football prowess of late, it just doesn’t hold. Sure, the Arizona Cardinals represented the NFC in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, but to find the last time that two teams from the NFC West journeyed to the playoffs in the same year, you have to go all the way back to 2004 when both the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams secured playoff births. Will the division break the five-year streak and finally send two teams to post-season play in 2010? Well, to do so, some work definitely needs to be done.

Arizona Cardinals

Despite nabbing their second consecutive division title in 2009, the Arizona Cardinals find themselves in a precarious situation going into 2010. There is no doubt that much of the Cardinals’ recent success had to do with quarterback Kurt Warner’s rebirth in the desert. Over the past two years, the QB amassed 8,336 passing yards and 56 passing TDs, while throwing just 28 INTs, leading a deadly aerial assault for Arizona. Sadly for the Cardinals, Warner won’t be adding to those numbers in 2010, as the veteran QB has decided to hang up the pads, and unlike, Brett Favre, we believe Warner will stick with that decision.

Warner’s departure means that Matt Leinart will more than likely be the man under center for Arizona, meaning the team can’t simply sit back and rely on their aerial attack to get them “Ws.” So, how do the Cardinals continue their winning ways?

Team Strengths:

- Dynamic Wide Receivers (Even if the team trades Anquan Boldin away, Larry Fitzgerald should find plenty of help on the outside in the forms of Steve Breaston and Early Doucet)
- Ground Game on the Rise (Beanie Wells showed bursts of the back he could be during his rookie season, while Tim Hightower proved to be a strong receiver out of the backfield)
- Bend Don’t Break Defense (The Cardinals’ gave up yards in 2009, but thanks to top-10 finishes in both sacks and interceptions, the team gave up just 20.3 points per game)

Team Needs:

1. A Veteran Quarterback - The Cardinals’ brass is saying all the right things about Leinart being their starting QB, but, really, what choice do they have? In reality, Leinart has been a bust during his NFL career, more famous for his partying than his play. Unless he can experience a reversal like Alex Smith and Vince Young did last season, the team won’t be making it to the playoffs for the third straight year. As a contingency plan, the team needs to sign a veteran QB, and it appears they’re thinking the same thing as there have been rumors flying around that the team is pursuing former New York Jet and Miami Dolphin quarterback, Chad Pennington.

2. Run Blocking - Over the past two seasons, the Cardinals have thrown the ball 1,224 times, while their rush attempts total just 705. Obviously, the switch from Warner to Leinart will cause those numbers to even out a bit this upcoming season. With a heavier emphasis on the run, the offensive line will need to adjust. Not only does that mean the Cardinals should be on the look out for a run blocking O-linemen this off-season, it also means O-line coach, Russ Grimm will need to use the off-season as a time to rework his run blocking schemes and retrain his linemen to push off the line rather than retreat into a pass block position.

3. Tight End Production - The wide receiver position hasn’t been a problem for the Cardinals for years. Meanwhile, the backfield seems to now be taken care of with the duo of Wells and Hightower ready to carry the load. So, what’s left? How about the tight end slot? The position yielded just 245 yards and 3 TDs in 2009. In 2010, that’s not going to cut it. Leinart can’t throw the deep ball as well as Warner did, which means he’s going to need to look to the tight end more often. It would behoove the team to pick up a reliable target to act as Leinart’s safety valve.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers drafted Alex Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, hoping they had snagged their quarterback of the future. Early on, it seemed things couldn’t be further from the truth. Suffering through a bevy of injuries and offensive coordinators, Smith’s name was synonymous with bust. Now, though, following a 2009 season in which he played in 11 games, throwing for 2,350 yards, 18 TDs, and 12 INTs, hope has been renewed. And, that hope for Smith is one of the reasons, the 49ers believe they can improve on their 8-8 finish from 2009.

Team Strengths:

- Frank Gore (Four straight seasons of at least 1,400 total yards and 6 TDs - nothing to complain about there)
- Patrick Willis (Perhaps the best linebacker in the NFL, Willis has earned All Pro honors all three years he’s been in the league)
- Young Pass Catchers Showing Promise - (Vernon Davis tied the record for TDs by a tight end with 13 in 2009, Michael Crabtree notched 625 yards in just 11 games despite a lengthy hold out, and Josh Morgan is developing into a solid No. 2 wide out)

Team Needs:

1. Return Man - To be a top contender in the NFL, you need to be a complete team, which means offense, defense, and special teams. And, if I had to describe the Niners’ return game in one word for 2009, I’d go with horrendous, and that may be being kind. Ranking 21st in average yards per kick return and dead last in average yards per punt return, the Niners’ did not score one return TD in 2009, while fumbling the ball away 10 times. To get on top the NFC West, that’s going to need to change.

2. Sack Stopper - If the 49ers want to see Alex Smith’s development continue, they’ll need to offer him better protection than what the O-line provided in 2009. Allowing 40 sacks last season, the Niners gave up the 11th most sacks in the NFL. All that talent in the passing game means little if Smith doesn’t have the time needed to hook up with Davis or Crabtree.

3. Pass Rusher - The stats may make you think otherwise with the 49ers tallying 44 sacks on the defensive side of the ball in 2009, but any 49er fan will tell you, the Niners need to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If they weren’t putting the other QB on their back, it was almost a guaranteed completion, a large reason that the 49ers ranked 21st in passing yards allowed. The Niners did well in bringing Justin Smith aboard prior to the 2008 season, but it’s now time to add another piece to the puzzle.