Will they get In?

The 2012 NFL season is winding down and the playoff picture is becoming clearer every week.  Last week I discussed the AFC/NFC South picture.  This week we will discuss the improving AFC/NFC West conference playoff picture.  We will go into remaining schedules and predictions.

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs: The NFL can certainly change quickly.  The Chiefs were the AFC West 2010 Champs.  In 2011, injuries have decimated this team and now their HC Todd Haley was recently fired.  I think Haley is a good OC, but not a good HC.  He lacks the ability to remain consistent in his day to day approach.  Injuries were a huge detriment this season with season ending injuries to Matt Cassell, Jamal Charles, Tony Moeaki, and Eric Berry.  That is a lot of talent on the IR.  Currently at 5-8 they are not mathematically out of the playoffs but they are not going to make it in this year.   They play the Packers and the Raiders at home before going to enver.  At best the Chiefs will finish 6-10 and a good chance of improving next year.

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Will they Get In? AFC/NFC West Playoff Picture: The John Skelton Dilemma - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

A week ago Tony Sparano was on the verge of Saving his Job, One Bad Loss Later, Bon Voyage

What a crazy week of football. Some teams took control of their own destiny for the playoffs even though they didn’t have pretty performances. The Denver Broncos, thanks in large part to some awful late game play by Marion Barber including a late game fumble in field goal range, have taken control of the A.F.C. West. In the N.F.C. East the Giants stood by and watched the Cowboys self-destruct in the final moments as Eli Manning and Jason Pierre Paul kept the Giants season alive.

A few other teams really benefited from this weekend. Miraculously, the Eagles can win out and still make the playoffs if the Giants and Cowboys collapse. As for the wrong side of things: Tennessee had a great opportunity to make a strong push for the playoffs, but faltered down the stretch, though their future looks bright with all of their talented and productive young players.

#32. Indianapolis Colts-
The Colts are terrible. Peyton Manning for M.V.P.

#31 St. Louis Rams

The Rams are inching close to grabbing Matt Kalil in the 2012 N.F.L. draft, though there are reports out there that Kalil is strongly considering returning to school for his senior season.

#30 Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings, surprisingly only have two wins. When you watch them play you think they are better than a two win team, but they make too many mistakes to win some of these tight games.  What sucks for Jared Allen is that he is having a career year, a defensive N.F.L. Player of the year, kind of season. 17.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and he’s single handily keeping Vikings in many games.

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NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Giants Save Their Season, Seahawks Make a Late Playoff Push - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Trading Peyton Manning is the Right Move - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Value Over need for the Seahawks in the first round

This is our Seattle Seahawks 7 round mock draft. The Seahawks desperately need a quarterback but the more they win the less likely they get one in the first round. Everything that the Seahawks have done with their quarterback situation since Pete Carroll indicates that they would prefer a mobile quarterback. Maybe the Seahawks trade up, but with the Colts, Dolphins, and Redskins all picking ahead of the Seahawks as it currently stands it seems like the Seahawks might pass on a QB in the first round.

In order to prepare for this mock I recently chatted with Seahawksdraftblog founder Rob Staton.

I believe the Seahawks have all of their picks for this draft, if I’m mistaken someone help me out!

1st round: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

I started writing this mock last nights Eagles game! Well based on where the Seahawks are picking this is a pure value pick. Lynch is supremely talented, but so is Richardson. The Seahawks want to be a big tough physical football team which is why they drafted James Carpenter and John Moffit and signed Robert Gallery. It’s why they have big cornerbacks. The Seahawks biggest need is Quarterback, but if Griffin III, Barkley, and Luck are all gone they could pass on Landry Jones. There isn’t a great DE worth selecting here and no one worth Richardson’s value.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft Seattle Seahawks - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Is Robert Griffin III a Better Prospect than Jake Locker? The Seahawks are about to find out

This is my weekly 2012 NFL Mock draft update. My order is based on my weekly power rankings published earlier in the week.  The numbers are in descending order because it’s also a recap of my power rankings.

Looking for more to read? We have now updated our scouting report page to include more than 75 scouting reports. Check it out.

Like for all of my mock drafts, I’ll try to insert unique and different picks to offer a new perspective to the many similar mock drafts out there.

Make sure you leave a comment and tell me how much of an idiot I am!

32.  Indianapolis Colts-Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford Cardinal

Easiest pick in the world. And most mundane. I like to explore the many opportunities mock drafts provide because teams make funky picks, but this one is a lock.

31.  St. Louis Rams-Alshon Jefferey, WR, South Carolina

The last few times I’ve  had the Rams “reel for Kalil” (mockingthedraft.com) or “Fall Flat for Matt” (walterfootball.com), but this time I have them going a different route and grabbing a very good wide receiver. Justin Blackmon has surpassed Jefferey on many people’s big boards, but when I look at Jefferey I still see a guy built like a tight end with the agility of a wide receiver. The awful quarterback play as hurt Jefferey’s stock, but if he is able to test well at the combine he can still be the first wide receiver drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft.

30. Miami Dolphins-Matt Barkley, QB, USC Trojans

I’m high on Barkley and think that he could be a first overall pick in a different draft. Barkley has elite ball placement, is a leader, has good pocket poise and presence. He also can make the throws in the N.F.L. He’s not a flawless prospect, but he’s a better prospect than Landry Jones or even Robert Griffin to me and would have been selected ahead of guys like Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, and Blaine Gabbert if he was in the same class with them.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft Week 10: Robert Griffin III Finds a Home in Top Five (Seahawks) - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Matt Barkley of USC is battling Landry Jones to be the second QB taken in the top 5. Which one should the Seahawks target if they can't get Luck

The Seattle Seahawks are a team that has a lot of roster turnover over since Pete Carroll took the head coaching job, which makes it very difficult for people who cover all teams (like myself) to keep track of them. That’s why I reached out to Seahakwsdraftblog‘s Rob Staton (a friend of NFLMocks who’s done multiple projects with us) to enlighten us. 

The only problem I have with Rob is that he’s not writing for us!

Follow Rob on twitter @Robstaton

1) It’s not year two i Pete Carroll’s reign has their been a noticeable draft pattern emerging
 
There are several scheme specific patterns that have emerged, plus an overall direction on how they’re tackling this gigantic rebuild. Scheme-wise Carroll and GM John Schneider have added big, fast and physical cornerbacks and appear to be moving away from the previous regime’s penchant for smaller DB’s. They aren’t looking at orthodox defensive lineman – although they use what appears to be a 4-3 defense there are actually a lot of different wrinkles including an isolated ‘LEO’ pass rush specialist (the role taken by Chris Clemons) and they’ve looked to beef up the interior.
 
As for the direction – they’ve looked to build up the offensive line with high draft picks (Okung, Carpenter, Moffitt). I suspect a lot of the previous draft work on offense – and further additions during free agency – were designed in order to create a more comfortable environment for a long term investment at quarterback which may be forthcoming. Do not expect this team to draft any old quarterback, however. They’re looking for someone who won’t turn the ball over, can move around freely in the pocket to extend plays and manage the offense.
 

2). Based on the play of the team this year what are the Seahawks biggest needs for the 2012 N.F.L. draft?
 
Without doubt the biggest need is quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson has performed fairly well so far, surpassing most people’s expectations. However, it’s pretty clear that he’s a holding quarterback and that the Carroll & Schneider regime need to make a longer term investment at the position by drafting their guy for the long haul. Next April will mark the 19th anniversary since Seattle last drafted a quarterback in round one, which is astonishing. It’s impossible to look past the position at the moment and truly it is the first, second and third priority for the Seahawks.
 
Assuming they can fill that need quickly, there are several other areas that need improving but all are less crucial than finding that quarterback. The team lacks a truly disruptive three-technique to partner alongside Brandon Mebane who’s moved back to the one-technique this year. Further depth at defensive end and cornerback is required, while the team could use an injection of quality at running back.
 
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Rookie Review: Seattle Seahawks - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Andrew Luck is the Prize for the Worst Team in the League next year. Who's winning that "honor"?

If you’re a Seattle Seahawks fan or Kansas City Chiefs fan something awful happened this weekend: your team won it’s second game of the season already. Apparently the ‘Hawks and Chiefs missed the memo because they have been showing a lot of signs of life the past two, especially the Chiefs where Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe did their best Tom Brady-Wes Welker impersonation as Matt Cassel threw for four touchdowns and zero interceptions and Bowe was running free through the Colts secondary like a gazelle in a meadow.

Not to be out-done the Seattle Seahawks traveled across country to Metlife Stadium in New Jersey to play a 1 o’clock game. They had all the built in excuses in the world to lose, but they came out strong and beat around the Giants. And then the Seahawks lost starting quarterback Tavaris Jackson and were down by three late in the fourth quarter, which meant that Seahawks fans were forefitting the game and picking up points in the Luck standings, but No! Charlie Whitehurst drove the team right down the field for a go-ahead touchdown.

The Giants responded with a big drive that brought them down to the Seahawks five yard line with a minute thirty to go and all three timeouts. This game was over. But a Giants false start and a tipped ball off Cruz’s hand that went the distance the other way sealed the fate for the Giants and Seahawks…who were both loses on Sunday. The Giants lost a great chance to go to 4-1 in the division to be all alone at the top of the division (they would lead the Redskins by a half a game) the Seahawks picked up another win to go 2 games behind the Colts and Dolphins in the “suck for Luck”. The Seahawks are proving to be better than advertised, but in the long run is that good for this franchise? Only time will tell. But with the Seahawks paying in the relatively weak N.F.C. West and with more games vs the sloppy and overrated N.F.C. East the Hawks might pull out even a few more victories.

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Seahawks and Chiefs, Don’t Understand “Suck for Luck” as Dolphins and Colts Pull Ahead - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football