NFL 2000 Preview - NFC West

On the surface the NFC West appears to belong to the St.Louis Rams. The Rams are coming off a most unbelievable season last year in which they claimed a Super Bowl Championship and going into this season their confidence is sky high.

All the key components are still in place for the Rams who burned past the rest of the league last year with tremendous overall team speed. The Rams, who return 19 of 22 starters, show no signs of slipping although they will not have the advantage of sneaking up on teams this year. They also have a new head coach in Mike Martz who takes over for the retired Dick Vermeil. Barring a series of injuries the Rams should repeat as division champs.

Coming in second this season, and possibly a playoff appearance, will be the Carolina Panthers. They have brought in a couple of big name veterans on the defensive line to help with a what was a weak pass rush last season. The added pass rush should take some pressure off a secondary that struggled last year. The Panthers also signed free agent Jimmy Hitchcock from Minnesota to help out in the defensive backfield.

On the offensive side, Steve Beuerlein is coming off a career year last season in which he passed for 4,436 yards. If he repeats his performance again this year the Panthers will be able to move the ball very well this year. This could be a big break-out year for running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka who showed flashes of greatness last season before suffering an ankle injury that slowed him the rest of the season.

The Atlanta Falcons have a lot to prove this season after a series of injuries ruined any hopes they had of a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Jamal Anderson is back this year and if he returns to form, along with quarterback Chris Chandler, the offense may return to the hard-pounding ball control offense they were in '98. The addition of Shawn Jefferson should be a big upgrade at the number-two receiver spot as well.

The Falcons defense, looking to upgrade, signed free agent cornerback Ashley Ambrose away from the New Orleans Saints. Teamed up with Ray Buchanan, Ambrose will give the Falcons one of the best corner combinations in the league. On the opposite side of the coin, defensive end Chuck Smith departed via free agency further weakening an already anemic pass rush. Look for a 9-7 finish at best out of Atlanta.

Coming in at the fourth slot in the west, with not so much as a sniff of a playoff spot, will be the once mighty San Francisco 49ers. Without quarterback Steve Young and with very little spending money the 49ers have nowhere to go but down. They did manage to convince future hall of fame wide receiver Jerry Rice to stick around, but how much good he will do depends on how consistently quarterback Jeff Garcia can get the ball to him. The money has finally dried up in San Francisco and so have the playoff appearances.

The New Orleans Saints were one of the busiest teams during the offseason... but it won't matter. The team looks different but the results will be the same. Despite the fact that Ricky Williams will emerge as a premier running back, the Saints will still battle it out with the 49ers for last place in the division.