What NFC West Opponent is most improved post draft?

Sports Illustrated gave the Niners and the Rams "A" grades on their draft. Seahawks got a B-.

I think the Rams improved the most in the draft, but losing Jackson will hurt them more than people realize. That dude was pretty much the sole reason they beat us in the second matchup last year (next to David Akers of course). It's too bad that we can't look at divisional games as automatic wins anymore, but it's going to make for some great games.

I also think the Seahawks are going to disappoint this year. They'll still probably be a playoff contender and go 7-1 at home, but my gut tells me that they aren't going to be "The Team" this year that all the experts expect them to be.

I am enjoying this pre-season where the Niner fans think the Hawks will disappoint this year and the Rams might overtake them, and the Hawk fans think the Niners will disappoint and the Rams might overtake them.

You both are posting almost the exact same thing.

As to SJAX, it's a huge loss and I respect that man as he is amazing. But I don't think it will make a difference this year for the Rams, they under-played him last year. It will make a difference for Atlanta.

They also lost Amendola replaced by Tavon. The LT they picked up in FA [sorry I can't recall his name]

No doubt the guy is a spectacular college player. Now he's in the NFL where the competition level is MUCH better and a very long season.

Will he be a major threat - absolutely! Will he be "THE" differnce maker and turn the franchsie around - absolutely NOT!

IMO, just like Desean Jackson, in the beginning he'll be very tough and then NFL coaches will figure it out and he'll be just another very good is an injury waiting to happen.player.

IMO, the Rams REALLY improved.

Originally posted by hawker84:

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
i think its gonna be a three team race for the division because the rams have improved a lot the last two years with fisher. i think theyll end up with a better record than seattle. all the pieces they brought in just to beat us will blow up in their face and leave them in salary cap dog s**t for the next 10 years.

So you have SF finishing third then? interesting take, don't see a lot of that on this board...

As it turns out, the seahawks had a s**tty draft and an overrated FA.

Russell wilson is not the second coming of jesus christ and won't be able to replicate.

Bounces will not all go the seahawks way this year.

8-8.

Book it.

The best odds-makers now have the Niners favored to win the Super Bowl at 6-1 odds. I believe the Broncos are in second at 7-1 and the Seahawks are a little down the list at 9-1.

I've posted this before - I think the Seahawks are going to fade a little this year and the Niners are going to surge in Harbaugh's third season with anger, determination, focus, more depth on defense and a lot more cohesiveness in the offense. I think the defense is going to be out to prove some people wrong about their ability to cover the pass and I think the offense is going to be a reflection of Colin Kaepernick's mindset.

I think both Niners and Hawks are going to take down many hubris full teams. So looking forward to it.

Also look forward to watching the Rams. I love this season, as I expect nothing except seeing what they do. After facing every recent year expecting to lose, this is heaven.

And this year no other team's fans can use the word sneaking. So there is that too. GN person.

Originally posted by NinerG94:

Originally posted by GNielsen:
The Rams had a good draft, but at 5'8", 180 lbs., Tavon Austin is one good hit away from being a wasted pick. McDonald is interesting, but he's pretty slow and not really a good coverage safety which is what I think teams will increasingly need. Barett Jones had a relatively easy time of it in college because every defense he played against was constantly watching Austin.

The Niners had the best draft in the division, hands down.

Tavon Austin is NOT 180 pounds. I don't care what they have him listed at. He's 165 soaking wet! I ran 3.3 second 40 yard dash coming out of elementary school too.

Good. Then he's one decent arm-tackle away from IR.

Originally posted by RedAlice:
I think both Niners and Hawks are going to take down many hubris full teams. So looking forward to it.

Also look forward to watching the Rams. I love this season, as I expect nothing except seeing what they do. After facing every recent year expecting to lose, this is heaven.

And this year no other team's fans can use the word sneaking. So there is that too. GN person.

For lots of the reasons I have given before, I will not be surprised if the Hawks fade a little and I will definitely not be surprised if the Rams actually end up with a better record than the Seahawks.

The lambs

Steve Kleim and the Cards had a great draft. Cooper is going to be a beast for them/

Originally posted by xtm059:
As it turns out, the seahawks had a s**tty draft and an overrated FA.

Russell wilson is not the second coming of jesus christ and won't be able to replicate.

Bounces will not all go the seahawks way this year.

8-8.

Book it.

how did we exactly have a Sh***y draft? we addressed the D line with a Stud run stopper, and drafted a bigger , stronger Anquon Boldin posession type reciever, and one of the best backs in the draft? We didn't have a whole lot of holes to fill after FA, which is why our draft was pretty much to stack the roster.

I disagree, RW will be more effective next season, due to a year under his belt, full understanding of the playbook, and a S**t ton of weapons on the offensive side.

bounces won't go our way, what does that mean exactly?

8-8 book it.. i will be addressing that come mid season....

Originally posted by hawker84:

bounces won't go our way, what does that mean exactly?

8-8 book it.. i will be addressing that come mid season....

Oh, you know... the worst call at the end of a game in the history of the NFL.

An uncharacteristic int thrown by Brady deep in Seahawk territory leads to a 1-point win against the Patriots.

Those two lucky breaks don't happen, and your team is 6-2 at home and doesn't make the playoffs at 9-7.

On the other hand, the Niners lost two game they could have won if their kicker connected on kicks NFL place kickers make about 96% of the time.

Just sayin...

the brady interception was a thing of beauty, Sherman bated him the whole way.. Not like Brady doesn't throw interceptions.. we earned that win, don't care what anybody says.

GB game, whatever.

Our game at the Stick, if our recievers could catch a cold that day, that game may have very well have been another Seahawk victory.. We got our share of lucky breaks, and bad breaks just like every other team in the league, including the Niners.

This is a no-brainer, of course is the Rams handsdown. They didn't mess about, went aggressive with their draft on the offensive side of the ball. Whether you like Austin and Bailey is another issue, these are top WR picks. If we couldn't beat them last season, they will be even more difficult to handle this season.