The NFC West is the best division in the NFL and is home to some of the best players the league has to offer. The star power in this division is second to none. There are two or three players on each team that could be looked upon as the top player on the team. This made it difficult to select the “Faces of the Franchise” for some teams. Let’s take a look at who made the cut.
Arizona Cardinals
All of the media attention during the off season has gone to Patrick Peterson. He and Richard Sherman have been going back and forth about who is the best corner in the NFL. Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald has gone about his business in the only way he knows how. That’s staying under the radar and putting in hard work. When people mention the best wide receivers in the game, Fitzgerald’s name is usually the fifth or sixth name to be mentioned. However, he is the best player and leader of the franchise in the eyes of the Cardinals.
Fitzgerald is the model of consistency. He puts up double digit touchdowns and 1,000 yard receiving seasons as consistently as anyone in the game. Fitzgerald is not only suitable as the face of the Cardinals, he’s one of the players that deserves to be looked upon as the face of the NFL. There are never any negative things said about him, whether it be on or off the field. His teammates look to him for leadership and he sets the example of how to be a professional.
His toughness and leadership was best shown during week six of the 2013 season against the 49ers. He injured his hamstring during practice yet still showed up on Sunday as he registered over 100 yards receiving against one of the NFL’s top ten pass defenses. That performance left a lasting impression on rookie Tyrann Mathieu. “He’s one of the top players in the league and came out and showed it even though he was injured. That said a lot about him.” Mathieu said.
Most of the Cardinals receiving records are held by Fitzgerald. These records include: most career receiving yards (11,367), most receptions (846), most career receiving touchdowns (87), most career 1,000 yard seasons (6), most career seasons with ten or more touchdowns (5) and more. He also holds three NFL post season records which were set in the 2008 playoffs: most touchdowns receptions in a postseason (7 ), most receptions in a postseason (30) and most yards in a postseason (546).
St. Louis Rams
The Rams have one of the youngest defenses in the NFL. There is an abundance of budding superstars in St. Louis. Robert Quinn broke through in a major way last year. He recorded 19 sacks in 2013, leading the NFC. His success last season has vaulted him near the top of many analyst’s pass rushing charts. He was awarded the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award by the Pro Football Writer’s Association (PFWA).
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher described Quinn as “unbelievable, a great kid and he’s a heck of a pass rusher.” The thing that stands out most about Quinn is his relentless pass rushing ability. Opposing teams will do anything to stop him. Despite that, Quinn runs through chip blocks and double teams en route to the quarterback.
That kind of stop at nothing pursuit rubs off on his teammates. It caused fellow defensive end Chris Long to call Quinn the best athlete that he’s ever played with. The Rams recently exercised the fifth year option of Quinn’s rookie contract. Don’t be surprised if the two parties soon come to an agreement to keep Quinn in St. Louis for a very long time.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have made frequent appearances on prime time in the last few years. One of the best parts of those games is when they show the pregame talks that the team leaders give. You will see Patrick Willis whenever they show the 49ers pregame talks. His words are spoken with the kind of emotion that inspires the other players. You can feel the energy right in your living room.
Willis is the undisputed leader of the team. He’s the face of the franchise. Most of the players on the roster weren’t there for the dark days under Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary. Willis, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore are pretty much the only players leftover from both of those eras. Of those three, Willis is the one that the 49ers have put to the forefront as their face. That’s why Willis was one of the people present to be the first to break the ground when they started building Levi Field. It’s also why Willis’ image was on the outside of the stadium in many artist renditions.
The 49ers defense has been one of the best for a while now. Willis has had a direct effect on one of the 49ers other core players, Navarro Bowman. Bowman credits Willis with helping him become one of the game’s best linebackers. Their relationship is so strong that Bowman actually asked Willis to be the god-father of his twins back in 2012.
The numbers that Willis has put up speak for themselves. He is a tackling machine. Willis has been a first or second team All Pro in almost every season that he has played. He is clearly respected across the NFL. The city of San Francisco has embraced Patrick Willis. It’s shown by the myriads of #52 jerseys that fans wear to games. His football camps draw large crowds from the Bay Area.
It has been a long road from Bruceton, Tennessee for Patrick Willis. His story of overcoming adversity was documented by Jeff Chadiha of ESPN.
Watch the Patrick Willis story
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks secondary is the best in the NFL. Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor have become household names. They are still not as popular as Richard Sherman. Sherman is the kind of player that fans love if he plays for their team but they hate if he doesn’t. The fans in Seattle have taken to his brash attitude. The Seahawks organization has done so as well. They signed him to a four year $56 million contract.
Many of the young defensive backs coming into the league said they watched the Seattle secondary and specifically Richard Sherman when they were in college. He has established himself as the measuring stick for young corners and is the catalyst for the Seattle defense.
Sherman always leads the pregame speeches for the Seahawks secondary. The other defensive backs feed off of his energy. No one else engages in the same amount of trash talk as Sherman. It’s almost as if he speaks for his teammates. They love it. His ability to shutdown one side of the field allows the Seahawks to do so much more with their coverage. His long arms and great timing allow him to be an elite defender of the deep passes.
He is one of the NFL’s best defenders. His 20 interceptions and 61 pass breakups are more than any other player since he has entered the NFL. That’s a lofty feat for a player that wasn’t selected until the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
Lost in all of the trash talk is the off the field efforts that Sherman puts forth. Sherman is living proof that there is a way out for young people back in his hometown of Compton, California. His charity, Blanket Coverage provides school supplies and clothes for less fortunate kids. There is little doubt that he has set the example of how to impact the community with his charity work. Sherman is the face of the Seahawks. He certainly received the most attention during the Super Bowl media festivities and will continue to be the most popular yet polarizing player on the franchise.
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