Larry Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald has been in a tough situation ever since Kurt Warner left, and you have to feel bad for the guy. He is a great player, but the team doesn’t have a quarterback that can get him the football. Even though Fitzgerald hasn’t had a quarterback that can let him do what he can do, Fitzgerald still managed to pull in 1400 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2011. Last season was a disappointment however. After five consecutive seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving, Fitzgerald only pulled in 798 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. With Carson Palmer throwing the football, Fitzgerald should be able to play more freely. Palmer will be able to get Fitzgerald the ball anywhere on the field. Had it not been for an ACL injury in 2005, it could have been the Bengals in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks instead of the Steelers. If Palmer and Fitzgerald can build good chemistry, Fitzgerald should be able to put up the Hall Of Fame numbers everyone expects him to get.

Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford didn’t have a bad year in 2012, in fact it was the best year he has had so far. However, it still was not enough and the Rams missed the playoffs once again.  Like Fitzgerald, Bradford hasn’t had a great supporting cast. The Rams finally went out and got him some weapons in the offseason, bringing in Jared Cook and Tavon Austin. The Rams also have rising stars in Chris Givens and Brian Quick. If Bradford didn’t have a supporting cast before, he sure does now. Bradford should the best season of his short NFL career this year. Barring injury Bradford should be able to throw for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. Now that Bradford has the supporting cast, expect him and the Rams to do good things.

Percy Harvin

Percy Harvin was the only offensive weapon in Minnesota other than Adrian Peterson. Harvin was in a tough situation last year with Christian Ponder under center. However, with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, Harvin could very well post the best numbers of his career. The Seahawks have a lot invested in Harvin and will get him the ball as much as possible, Harvin could very well become Wilson’s favorite target. If Harvin can stay healthy and play a full season, Harvin could do good things for the Seahawks and be what they need to get over the hump to get to the Super Bowl.

Anquan Boldin

Boldin played some of the best football in his career in the playoffs last season, coming up big on multiple occasions. Boldin had a good career in Arizona, and played solid for the Ravens in three season. Boldin is now back in the NFC West, only this time in San Francisco, where at first he thought he may be the number 2 or 3 guy. However, with Crabtree out with a torn Achilles for at least the first half of the season, Boldin could become the number one guy and be one of Kaepernick’s go to guys. Boldin hasn’t pulled in over 1,000 yards receiving since leaving Arizona, but with Crabtree out  Boldin could very well pull in 1,000 this season.

Jared Cook

Jared Cook has the physical attributes to be a dominant TE in the NFL. However, with Jake Locker throwing the football, that can be hard to do. Cook now has Sam Bradford  who has been begging for a weapon like Cook ever since he was drafted. Cook could become Bradford’s favorite target and according to sources Cook has been lighting it up in OTA’s and has a good connection with Bradford. Cook will be a nice red zone threat for the offense as well. Don’t be surprised if Cook posts the best numbers of his career and has over 1,o00 yards receiving as well as leading the team in touchdowns.

These are only five guys on a list of players in the NFC set for success in 2013. All of these players have been expected to do great things their entire career and they might be able to finally do it this season. All of these players could very well post the best numbers of their careers this season. With that said, Larry FItzgerald, Sam Bradford, Percy Harvin, Anquan Boldin, and Jared Cook are the five NFC West players that are set up to succeed in 2013.

Players That Should Still Make The List

Chris Long should once again make the list this year. He’s not on the list yet, but he should be on it soon. If he doesn’t end up making the list it should be a crime. Long ranked tied for 9th in total sacks last year among all defensive players and ranked 5th among defensive ends with 11.5 sacks. Long may have not gotten as many sacks as he did last year, but he was still in the double digits, and he opened things up for Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers to make plays. Long has yet to make a pro bowl in his career, but as the team hopefully continues to win, Long should be making his pro bowl debut soon.

Although he still isn’t on the team, Steven Jackson will forever be a Ram, and he should also make the list. Jackson ranked 37th last season and should be in the same area this season. Look for him on the next episode. If Chris Johnson can make the list by being almost non-existent since rushing for 2,000 yards, Steven Jackson should be able to make this list by rushing for over 1,000 yards the past eight seasons. Jackson has earned the respect among fellow players throughout the years and without a doubt will be on the list soon.

Players That Will Get Snubbed

This will probably be the biggest snub on the team, but without a doubt James Laurinaitis should be on the list, but probably wont make it. Laurinaitis lead the NFL in tacks last season and has consistently been a good player on the Rams defense. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson made the list at number 59 and Laurinaitis had more tackles, combined tackles and more interceptions than Johnson. In every other category Laurinaitis and Johnson were dead even or pretty close, with Johnson having the slight edge in sacks with two compared to Laurinaitis’ 0.5. Laurinaitis will get on the list as the team starts winning, but for now, James may just get snubbed.

Another big name player on the Ram that will probably get snubbed is Robert Quinn. As good as Quinn is, Long gets most of the credit and is seen as the main guy on the Rams defensive line. However, Quinn did tie for the 17th most sacks last season and ranked 7th among DE’s in sacks. Quinn has a shot at still making the list, but with how far along the list is, it is highly unlikely. Quinn plays a major role on the Rams defensive line, but because of the Rams and their losing ways, Quinn will miss out.

One of the snubs that I am going to be most disappointed with is that of Janoris Jenkins and Corland Finnegan. I am going to be more disappointed with Jenkins not making the list, but Finnegan deserves to be on it as well. Jenkins however was tied for 11th in the NFL in interceptions with four and tied for 17th in the NFL in passes defended. Jenkins was also tied for first in the NFL in interceptions returned for touchdowns. Last season it seemed like every time Jenkins touched the ball he was in the end zone. With Richard Sherman and Darrell Revis already on the list, it seems doubtful that Jenkins or Finnegan will make it. If both players play as well as they did last year or even better, both players will not only have a shot at making the list, but making the pro bowl as well.

Honorable Mentions

Sam Bradford had a good season last year, and it’s disappointing that a guy like Cam Newton makes the list, but Sam doesn’t. If Sam takes advantage of his playmakers this season and has a career year like he’s projected to have, Bradford could be on the list next year.

Michael Brockers also will just miss out this season, but if he plays just a little better than he did last year, it wont be long before he is on the list.

Greg Zurlein is also a player that I wouldn’t mind seeing on the list. Zurlein was the first player to make a 50 and 60 yard field goal in the same game. Zurlein set a rookie NFL record for longest field goal by making a 60 yarder and was the first player in NFL history to make two field goals of 58 yards or more in the same game. He also set a record for most 50+ yard field goals attempted in a season. Zurlein set many records, but because he is a kicker, he will probably miss out.

Chris Givens is another player that will miss out on the list. However, there is no doubt Givens could become one of the best receivers in the game and could make this list within the next few seasons.

Unfortunately because the Rams have had a tradition of losing for the past decade, many of their players that deserve to go to the pro bowl or be on a top 100 list, aren’t. With winning, will come recognition. These lists are usually a big popularity contest and players always get ranked too high, too low, or players that shouldn’t make the list do. It is impossible to get these lists 100% accurate as everybody has their own opinion, and for Rams fans, their opinion is that their players may be getting snubbed.

Rams QB Sam Bradford is obviously from Oklahoma, and was in Oklahoma at the time of the tornado. Bradford joined Switch Contemporary, the American Red Cross and a variety of other partners to create #STL4OKC, donation drive to support the people affected by the storm.We at Ramblin’ Fan encourage you to donate if you can, or at least send your thoughts and prayers to the victims of this tragedy.  The tornado created $2 billion or more in damage as it tore through as many as 13,000 homes belonging to 33,000 people, multiple schools and a hospital. It is said that 24 were killed including 10 children.

The Red Cross is looking for donations that include baby items such as diapers and wipes, personal needs like bathroom tissue, first aid supplies and sunscreen, cleaning supplies such as bleach or paper towels, building and packing materials like hammers, screw drivers, duct tape and heavy garbage bags, pet supplies like food and kitty litter, cloths and shoes for children, non-perishable food, blankets, bottled water, batteries and candles. Cash donations are also extremely helpful and can be made by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-REDCROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Cash donations go to provide food, shelter and emotional support to residents of affected areas.