December 2, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) is pushed out of bounds by St. Louis Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan (31) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated San Francisco 16-13 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last several years, we have seen a shift in the NFL away from the “feature” running back. Now, most teams have two or more running backs that split time rushing the football. This allows the coaching staff to plug-and-play the best player into the game in a given situation, all while keeping fresh legs in the backfield.

Similarly, offensives have also been shifting towards the wide receiver-by-committee approach, with less focus on snagging a true, No. 1 receiver, and more of a focus on selection multiple receivers, with differing skills sets that effect the game in different ways. While it is not as “mainstream” of a concept as the running backs, it is clearly being implemented all over the league, especially within some of the more “dynamic,” pass-oriented offenses.

The first teams that come to mind is Green Bay Packers, who ranked 9th in the NFL last season in passing offense. Yet, there were was not a single 1,000 yard receiver in the offense. Randall Cobb, the Packers’ utility back and slot receiver lead the team with 954 yards, although he was only the field for 651 offense snaps. James Jones was their “top receiver” clocking 1,023 offensive snaps, tacking on 784 yards. Next was Jordy Nelson (607 snaps, 745 yards), followed by Greg Jennings (435 snaps, 366 yards).

The New Orleans Saints were the leader in passing yards in 2012, yet, much like the Packers, did not have any single receiver dominate in any statistical category. Marques Colston was the leader of the corps, with an impressive 1,154 yards on 854 snaps. However, Lance Moore hauled in 1,041 yards on 623 snaps, and Jimmy Graham, who often took the field as an off-line tight end, piled on 982 yards on 712 snaps.

In Indianapolis, where the Colts ranked 7th in passing last season,  it was the same thing… Reggie Wayne was the front-runner with 1,355 yard on 1,099 snaps. But, in similar fashion, the next receivers racked up equally impressive numbers in their equivalent time on the field; T.Y. Hilton pulled in 861 yards on 682 snaps and Donnie Avery grabbed 781 yards on 1,044 snaps.

The formula was all the same, three to four wide receivers and pass-catching tight ends working by committee to dominate in the passing game. For the most part, those offenses were the most successful, with teams like New England , New Orleans, and Green Bay all finishing in the Top 5 in total points scored throughout the 2012 season.

Teams with a large discrepancy between their top receiver and the “next” receivers were not so successful. Calvin Johnson was far and away the leading receiver in the NFL last season, tallying an record setting 1,964 yards. The next receiver on the Detroit Lions’ was Titus Young… yes, that Titus Young… who managed only 383 yards. Consequentially, Detroit ranked 18th overall in passing touchdowns, and 17th overall in total points last year. Brandon Marshall was 3rd in the NFL in receiving yards last season, with 1,508 yards on 118 catches. The next best receiver in Chicago was Earl Bennett, with 375 yards. Much like the pattern in Detroit, the the Bears ranked 22nd in passing touchdowns, and 16th in overall points.

Naturally, there has to be some consideration made to the running game, especially on teams like Houston, who have a wide talent-gap between receivers, but also have a dominating running back. However, even in those cases, the figures hold true in overall scoring. Despite having a Top 5 receiver and a Top 5 running back, the Texans’ were outside the Top 5 in overall points last season. In Tampa Bay, Vincent Jackson ranked 5th in receiving yards and Doug Martin ranked 5th in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns; yet, the Buccaneers were 13th in overall points.

So, what does this mean for San Francisco?

Well, the 49ers’ were clearly a “wide talent-gap” team, with Michael Crabtree being the only receiver on the roster to clear the 1,000+ yards mark on the season. In fact, Vernon Davis, who primarily lines up as an in-line tight end, was second on the team in receiving yards, followed by the injury-riddled Mario Manningham. That gap was actually even wider after the shift to Colin Kaepernick, with over 65% of Crabtree’s receiving yards and an average of 2 more targets per game coming with the sophomore quarterback at the helm in the latter half of the season. What does that mean?

That means, with Michael Crabtree gone, the 49ers’ will be forced to try and attempt a receiver-by-committee approach in the passing game. The problem is, the grouping of players remaining on the roster are not built for that type of system. Anquan Boldin, A.J. Jenkins, Mario Manningham, and Quintin Patton are all essentially the same type of wide out… 6’0 tall, have a roughly 200 lbs. frame, and are primarily possession receivers with moderate speed and quickness. No speed mismatch. No height mismatch. Nothing.

To make matter worse, Kaepernick is not the type of quarterback that would fair well in a receiver-by-committee system, even if he had the roster to do it…

Michael Crabtree: targeted on nearly 40% of routes he ran from Weeks 11-17 with Colin Kaepernick as starter, 2nd in NFL in that span.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 22, 2013

Colin Kaepernick also rushed on 9.26% of his total dropbacks last season, behind only Robert Griffin and Michael Vick. The combination of those two statistics (high percentage of targets to a single player and high percentage of rushes) paints the exact picture of Kaepernick as a quarterback; first-option passer, second-option runner. In order for a quarterback to be successful in a receiver-by-committee system, he has to be a progression quarterback, willing to work through the second and third reads before firing the ball to the open receiver.

With Crabtree sidelined until, at least, Week 13, the San Francisco 49ers will be banking on one of three options to compete offensively next season: 1) their running game will be dominate enough to compensate for a lack of passing game, 2) one of the receivers will step up as the “replacement Crabtree” in the offense, or 3) Kaepernick will learn to play as a progression quarterback.

One of those three things might happen. Maybe, Boldin will return to mid-career form and be able to handle 8 to 10 targets per game. In Baltimore, Boldin was a slightly above average receiver during the regular season in 2012, with 921 yards on 902 offensive snaps; although, that was with Joe Flacco chucking the deep ball and Torrey Smith lining up on the other side of the field. For comparison’s sake, Michael Crabtree raked in 1,105 yards on only 692 snaps, with Vernon Davis as the only other legitimate receiving threat on the field. Maybe, Frank Gore will have an Adrian Peterson or Marshawn Lynch-esque performance, propelling the ground game as the driving force of the offense. However, last season, Gore averaged only 4.1 yards per attempt with Colin Kaepernick as quarterback, down from 5.5 yards per carry under Alex Smith.

Chances are, we will see a drastic regression in the potency of the San Francisco 49ers’ offense in 2013. The 49ers were ranked 11th in the NFL in total points in 2012, with the 16th highest scoring ground game, but the 6th highest scoring receiving game. With Crabtree out, expect more and more defenses to stack the box against Frank Gore and Co., as well as devote more “spies” to follow Kaepernick, without the threat of a dominate receiver beating them down the field. The ’9ers defense will inevitably help deter the effects of this transformation, but the fact remains that teams still have to put points on the board to win games.

San Francisco had better hope that their young quarterback truly is “Superman” in 2013, because their offense will need a heroic effort to compensate for the loss of their “franchise” receiver.

I would agree that the NFC East was the best division in football a few years ago when the division was sending two or three teams to the playoffs on a consistent basis, but that tradition is one that looks to be ending. The NFC East may just be turning into the NFC West of old, where the team to win the division only has to win eight or nine games. The NFC East may be the most exciting division in football as the division normally comes down to the final week of the season. In 2011, the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles all had a chance to win the division in the final week. However the NFC East certainly isn’t the best. Most exciting? Maybe. But the best? Probably not.

The NFC West used to be the laughing stock of the NFL. However the tides have turned and statistically speaking the NFC West is the best division in football, as the division had an average winning percentage of .54725. The NFC West has also sent two teams to the playoffs the last two seasons, and have one at least their first playoff game the last nine years. The NFC West may have been the laughing stock of the NFL in the regular season, but when it came to the playoffs, the NFC West is always ready to play. The last time an NFC West team did not win their first playoff game was back in 2004 when the Rams lost to the Carolina Panthers which may have caused the decline of the franchise over the next decade.

It was as if three years ago when the Seahawks won the division at 7-9, the NFC West found that embarrassing and everyone decided to all of a sudden get better, much better. The Cardinals may have gone 5-11 last season, but they started out the season 4-0, beating the Patriots and Seahawks in the process. The Cardinals are putting their faith in Carson Palmer, who may just be what the Cardinals needed at the quarterback position. If it’s on thing Palmer can do it is air the ball down the field.

The Rams haven’t been to the playoffs since 2006 and have posted one of the worst league records since then. However the Rams went 4-1-1 in the division last year and just got a whole lot better this off season by adding playmakers and solidifying the offensive line with Jake Long. The Rams could definitely be a contender in 2013, but even if they aren’t, I wouldn’t sleep on them.

The Seahawks are going to be good once again this season and it would not be surprising if this team ended up winning the division this season or making a super bowl run. The Seahawks, as much as I hate to say it, are legit and will be contenders this season. They added Percy Harvin in the offseason and added more depth to their defensive line. The Seahawks will be a team to watch in 2013.

The 49ers will be good once again in 2013 and it will be Colin Kaepernick’s  first full NFL season. No team has lost the super bowl and returned the next season since the Buffalo Bills did it 3 years in a row in the 90′s. The odds may be against them, but don’t rule out the 49ers returning to the big game and winning it this time. The 49ers had a fantastic draft adding talented players to already one of the more talented rosters in the league. The 49ers are ready to get over the hump and win. It’s not a question if they will do it, but when.

It is time for people to begin to recognize the NFC West as the best division in football if they haven’t already. The NFC West will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl on more than one occasion over the next decade. This year was not a one time thing. With the Seahawks and 49ers already two of the top contenders in the NFL and the Rams and Cardinals on the rise, these teams are for real and come ready to play and hit hard every week. Russell Wilson has already been quoted saying that he wouldn’t be surprised if three teams came out of the west and made the playoffs this next season, and nobody should be surprised. All four teams are legit and the division will be a fun one to watch for many years to come.

October 4, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) celebrates a defensive play against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last week, Ramblin’ Fan has gone through and “power” ranked nearly every position or unit on the offensive and defensive side of the football. All in all, there appear to be three teams that should via for a top spot in the NFC, which will make the NFC West one of the toughest, if not the toughest division in the NFL this season. For those who have missed the series, or are too lazy to go back and read through five or six different articles, here is the breakdown and a link to each ranking:

Quarterbacks, NFC West Power Rankings: Breaking Down The Quarterbacks

1. Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson

2. St. Louis Rams, Sam Bradford

3. San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick

4. Arizona Cardinals, Carson Palmer

Running Backs, NFC West Power Rankings: Lining Up The Skill Positions

1. Seattle Seahawks, Marshawn Lynch & Christine Michael

2. San Francisco 49ers, Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, & LaMichael James

3. St. Louis Rams, Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead, & Zac Stacy

4. Arizona Cardinals, Rashard Mendenhall

Wide Receivers

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. Arizona Cardinals

3. St. Louis Rams

4. Seattle Seahawks

Tight Ends, NFC West Power Rankings: How Do The Tight Ends Stack Up?

1. St. Louis Rams, Jared Cook & Lance Kendricks

2. San Francisco 49ers, Vernon Davis & Vance McDonald

3. Seattle Seahawks, Zach Miller

4. Arizona Cardinals, Rob Housler & Jeff King

Defensive Line, NFC West Power Rankings: Battle For The Top Defensive Line

1. St. Louis Rams

2. Seattle Seahawks

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. San Francisco 49ers

Linebackers, NFC West Power Rankings: Best Of The Best Linebacker Corps

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. St. Louis Rams

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. Arizona Cardinals

Secondary, NFC West Power Rankings: Best Of The Defensive Backfields

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. St. Louis Rams

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. Arizona Cardinals

Preseason rankings are difficult, for a number of reasons. At this point last season the Seattle Seahawks would have been ranked dead last in the division, with the reasonable assumption that Matt Flynn would be the starter come Week 1. St. Louis had one of the worst secondaries in the league at the end of 2011, but completely overhauled the roster when Jeff Fisher took over, adding players like Cortland Finnegan through free agency and Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson through the draft. Bruce Irvin was marked as the “worst pick” of the 1st round of the 2012 NFL Draft, with analysts lambasting the ‘Hawks for selecting him too high… look how that turned out.

The point is, no one know how rosters will shake out when the actual season begins. Alec Ogletree could be the next Derrick Brooks… or he could be the next Aaron Curry. Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick could have “sophomore” slumps as starters… or they could become Top 10 quarterbacks. The additions of Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, and Stedman Bailey in St. Louis could bring back memories of the Greatest Show on Turf… or the offense could remain as stagnant as it has been for the last decade. Only time will tell…

Stay tuned at Ramblin’ Fan for all of your St. Louis Rams and NFC West news. We will undoubtedly roll out more Power Rankings as the season rolls on, and we know you do not want to miss that!