Summer Scramble 2010: NFC West Players to Watch

It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL. So what better time to start breaking down the upcoming season? From July 6-27, FanHouse will take an in-depth look at each division to help prepare you for training camp. We're calling it our Summer Scramble.

Coming July 27: NFC West Burning Questions, Bold Predictions

Arizona Cardinals -- Matt Leinart

Teams lose players every offseason. But even with the occasional defection, it's atypical to see a team lose the face of the franchise. That is exactly what happened to the Cardinals this year though when Kurt Warner retired. Replacing him? The former first-rounder Leinart who, once upon a floundering franchise, managed to lose his job to Warner in the desert. Which means that, for better or (more likely) worse, the fate of the Cardinals' success through the air this year relies on Leinart. The good news is that he still has Larry Fitzgerald at wideout and the emerging Beanie Wells in the backfield. The bad news is that Anquan Boldin's out the door to Baltimore, which puts plenty of pressure on Steve Breaston and Early Doucet to help Leinart out. Ultimately, though, a regression by the Cardinals would fall on him.


San Francisco 49ers -- Anthony Davis

Summer Scramble

---

• AFC East Players to Watch
• AFC East Questions, Predictions
• NFC East Players to Watch
• NFC East Questions, Predictions
• AFC North Players to Watch
• AFC North Questions, Predictions
• NFC North Players to Watch
• NFC North Questions, Predictions
• AFC South Players to Watch
• AFC South Questions, Predictions
• NFC South Players to Watch
• NFC South Questions, Predictions
• AFC West Players to Watch
• AFC West Questions, PredictionsIf Davis -- the third tackle taken in the 2010 draft -- doesn't succeed right away, it's not the end of the world. The 49ers have options on the offensive line, enough so that Davis will start the season at RT, instead of the left side where he played at Rutgers. At the same time, Davis has gobs of upside, and he was the 11th overall pick, so it's not crazy to think that Mike Singletary imagines that he (and 17th overall pick Mike Iupati) can help shore up the Niners' line and finally put them in the postseason. Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore are bonafide offensive weapons, but QB Alex Smith has to get them the ball. He'll probably do that regardless of Davis' play, but the rookie's ability to step in and preform (and potentially replace Joe Staley on the left side of the line as early as this year) is what will decide whether the Niners are going to make a run at being elite in 2010.

Seattle Seahawks -- Pete Carroll

Carroll's status as "not a player" here is purely irrelevant -- he's coming in as a new (old) NFL coach and a first-time GM making $30 million during the next half-decade to have the same success he had while at USC, all the while learning to fight the constrictions of a salary cap. (Because, you see, he didn't have one in college ...) Additionally, there are too many areas to watch in Seattle clearly identify one player that will change this team. If Carroll is as good as he was in college (as opposed to how unsuccessful he was in New England), this team will be a success. Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Golden Tate -- a superb draft day haul -- will come in and produce as rookies. Justin Forsett will turn into a feature back, while Julius Jones compliments him nicely. And Matt Hasselbeck will look rejuvenated for three games, only to see his back get its concave on; fortunately, Charlie Whitehurst is the "new Tom Brady" and he'll dive right and lead this team to a Super Bowl.

Or, alternately, the Seahawks will just go 5-11 again. Truthfully, something in the middle would be a fine first outing for Carroll; a crash-and-burn first season in this weakened division will make things awkward.

St. Louis -- A.J. Feeley

Hear me out before you say "But, um, Feeley stinks." Because, frankly, he does. That's okay -- Feeley isn't in St. Louis to win anything more than one or two games. He's there to make sure that Sam Bradford, the future of the Rams, doesn't take the field too early. And if you're Steve Spagnuolo, that's a terrifying prospect.

Why? Because the Rams are not going to the playoffs this year. But if Feeley is so miserable it makes fans pine for Kyle Boller (and there's a strong chance of that happening), Spags might have to give people a taste of the future. And putting Bradford out there too early won't save Steven Jackson's legs or help him in the long run. On the other hand, maybe Feeley can produce at an above-average level -- despite dealing with both a below average offensive line and receiving corps -- and let Bradford get enough time on the sidelines to properly develop.