Roger Craig: 49ers will "annihilate the NFC West"

During Roger Craig’s eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, they never missed the playoffs. Now they’ve gone seven straight years without ever making the playoffs. But Craig sounds awfully confident that this is the year the 49ers will be back.

The 49ers will be a playoff team this season. I’m making that prediction,” Craig told Nancy Gay of FanHouse. “. . . The 49ers are the perfect team to annihilate the NFC West.”

As Craig sees it, the 49ers’ 8-8 record 2009 could easily have been 12-4, and the 49ers are getting better while the Cardinals and Seahawks are likely to struggle.

“You think about the division — Kurt Warner isn’t with Arizona anymore, so they’re going to rebuilding, and Anquan Boldin is gone,” Craig said. “And Pete Carroll is going to have a tough time the first year. He’s not going to come out of the gate really dominating the West.”

And since Craig apparently doesn’t even think the Rams are worth mentioning, that leaves the 49ers.

61 responses to “Roger Craig: 49ers will "annihilate the NFC West"

  1. The Steelers could have been 16-0 with all of there losses being 7 points of less and that did nto happen Roger. SanFran will get 9 wins and the Cards get 10 and the whiners miss the playoffs again!

  2. @funi
    So do you have an explanation for your oddly specific prediction or are you just saying things?
    I don’t know if they will annihilate the west but I think the smart bet is on them. The Seahawks have a better roster but it would be foolish to think they are going to improve a ridiculous amount from last year. The Cards certainly regressed in a lot of areas and if Warner had come back it would be tough to say but with Warner gone I think (as sad as this is) that Alex Smith is the best starting QB in the NFC West (assuming Bradford doesn’t play all year).

  3. Way to be bold Roger, if you want to sound like Ms. Cleo say the Rams will win 4 games.

  4. @ funi says: June 20, 2010 8:37 PM
    “The Steelers could have been 16-0 with all of there losses being 7 points of less and that did nto happen Roger. SanFran will get 9 wins and the Cards get 10 and the whiners miss the playoffs again!”
    Are you a functional illiterate?
    Sad what the Pittsburgh public school system produces, isn’t it?

  5. Saying you’re the best team in the NFC West is like saying you’re the drunkest guy in the Waffle House at 4:00 am. You may be right, but it’s nothing to brag about.

  6. 2 of the last 5 NFC champs are from the NFC West, like it or not, that’s more then the south and North have.

  7. All the gambling outlets believe they’ll win the division too. It’s not worth the bet, as the best i’ve seen is a straight 1:1 bet they’ll win the division.

  8. Ok this talk that the NFC West is the worst division in football is ridiculous. The AFC West is much worse, a team that was 8-8 won that the division not too long ago, plus the NFC West has had 4 Super Bowl berths and 1 win in the decade. That is more than any other division.
    This particular year we will see but lets no look at the AFC West and think they are a power house.

  9. 49ers did the smart thing in the draft by snagging to beasts for the OL. Should set them up for years to come. They will run run run run run so that Alex Smith won;t have much to do but hand off.
    Rams are 3-4 years away form being serious again.
    Cards took a beating this off season on O and D. They will not be top dog(sorry Mike Vick) this year
    Hawks flat out quit last year and Mora is total moron who never should have been given the assistant coaches position, and still got the HC job after ruining the secondary for 2 years. Roster is improved, but still looking 9-7. Would have loved to see them take Bulaga instead of Thomas, but you can’t really argue that pick

  10. @VASeahawk
    You think 9-7? I don’t know, where is the offense going to come from? I think the 49ers go 9-7 (at best) and the Hawks go 8-8 (at best). Of course I am super biased so of course thats what I think. On an unbiased note, I think you guys dodged a bullet with Bulaga. As much as I like him and his name, he has really short arms and could end up being a bust (which just means he will be a mediocre right guard his entire career).

  11. You would of loved to see Seattle take 2 tackles in the first round? Is one of them going to help out in the secondary?

  12. Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Leinart, Sam Bradford, and Alex Smith…these NFC West QBs are so unbelievably awful I’m not sure anyone could call 1 the best of the group. 49ers fans can feel good knowing they have a great chance of winning the division this year but remember this…whoever takes that division gets to lose 1st round of the playoffs and get all worked up next season to possibly do the exact same thing. Worst division in the NFL is an understatement.

  13. That’s like saying Jamarcus is going to annihilate 1/2 the menu at Popeye’s. Not really surprising When every team in that division is horrible. But everyone knows Alex Smith is going to choke …again.

  14. Nothing controversial I can find in what Craig said. The Niners right now look like the only decent team in the division.

  15. Bulaga arm length: 33 1/4
    Joe Thomas: 32 1/2
    Alex Barron: 37 1/4
    Just another common misperception in this thread. For the record, I’m a Niner fan and would have preferred Bulaga over the fat lazy guy we drafted instead.

  16. Roger Craig is the sh^t. Whether or not he is an Analyst on TV is irrelevant. His playing career earned him the right to say whatever he wants.
    3 Super Bowl Rings, 4 pro bowls and the first player ever(and 1 of only 2 now) to have 1,000 yards rushing and recieving in the same season, plus he was the first of only four players to score 3 TDs in a Super Bowl(SB XIX).
    That’s certainly better qualifications that Florio, Gregggg, MDS and every single person on air at ESPN not named Steve Young, Mike Ditka or Darren Woodson.

  17. he’s right but this division stinks! no wild card and first round playoff loss to winner!

  18. the nfc west will be the worst division the nfl has seen for some time. We’ll get to the wild card round and alex smith will try and break the record for lowest qb rating in a game. Man talk about a guy who wilts under the spotlight/playing better teams.
    And honestly dont understand cards fans confidence. Without warner and boldin, and with leinart, that passing offense will suck. They havent had a running game in well, have they ever had a running game? And with those free agent losses on defense a mediocre defense will only be made worse.

  19. this class sucks says:
    plus the NFC West has had 4 Super Bowl berths and 1 win in the decade.
    ——————————————————–
    This decade just started, so what are you talking about?

  20. Until the Niners win the division from AZ, they’ll always be prediction champions. People talk about how much the Cardinals have lost, yet forget their defense was a mess at the end of the year. I would argue that the defense is much improved, and if leinart is solid, they can make it back to the postseason again.

  21. If only the NFC East, NFC North, and NFC South didn’t exist, this would be some division!
    I kid. Hope all 4 teams do better this season.

  22. 1. 49ers
    2. Cardinals
    3. Seahawks
    4. Rams
    The teams in this division shouldn’t even play. It’s already obvious.

  23. Any of you who disagree with this, clearly don’t pay attention to football or should put your helmets back on and stop licking the windows.
    The improved offensive line (did you see the 49ers draft?) will account for an overall team improvement. 12-4 / 11-5 would be obtainable with their schedule. The NFC west is not strong. Add into it that the 49ers are strong and there you go. Top 5 defense this year based on a talented group and that offense keeping them off the field. Frank Gore should have a huge year. Alex Smith will look like the number 1 pick he was, with something like 3600-4000 yards passing, a 60%+ completion rate and 20-24 TDs with only 6-8 INT.
    …and I don’t even like the 49ers.

  24. NightTrainNeckTie says:
    June 21, 2010 12:23 AM
    That’s certainly better qualifications that Florio, Gregggg, MDS and every single person on air at ESPN not named Steve Young, Mike Ditka or Darren Woodson.
    ———————————————————
    Well Mark Schlereth has 3 Super Bowl rings…Bruschi has 3…Dilfer has 1…Keyshawn has 1…Lomas Brown has 1…etc.

  25. @Hillbilly
    NFC Champs in the past 10 years
    3 NFC WEST
    3 NFC EAST
    3 NFC SOUTH
    1 NFC NORTH
    ok 2 out of the past 5 have been from the west, but over the past 10 it is much more even.
    see i can distort stats to fit my agenda too.
    Doesn’t matter who wins the west this year they won’t be able to match up against the Vikings, Saints, Cowboys, Green Bay, or any other playoff team.

  26. It’s great to predict things in June… San Fran is stacked in almost every position, except at QB…

  27. I love it he basicly even says everyone else sucks so back we don’t have to be good to win.

  28. funi said “The Steelers could have been 16-0 with all of there losses being 7 points of less and that did nto happen Roger.”
    You know in 1995 the every one of the 49ers five regular season losses were by less than a touchdown, and 2 were by one point, and 4 were by 4 points or less?

  29. Hey – look at that! A hall-of-famer talking up his former team, despite their obvious short-comings.
    That’s how it’s done Sayers. That’s why Urlacher gave you crap for trashing your former team. It’s not about “honestly answering a question.” It’s about being a positive motivator and a real fan of a city that gave you so much.

  30. WOW. I had to make an account for this B/S I see on this page.
    Ok if your not a niner fan I expect you to think That even if we win the division we cant compete with playoff teams. Are you stuipd??
    Vikings, Saints, Cowboys, Green Bay
    Vikings barley beat a Goreless niner team last year from a last second pass. Lost to packers by 3???
    We play Saints and Packers this year again. Watch and see for yourself if we can compete.
    We lost by 3-4 to the Colts last year?? Gave away games from special team muffs.
    LOL. Forget the division we went 5-1 last year and DID NOT make playoffs. So really I want the others games to be observed by all you skeptics. Cause from a die hard niner I see 10+ wins and a homeplayoff game which we WILL NOT LOSE

  31. Obviously you’d get a home playoff game if you won the division, apparently you niners fans have forgetten that.
    Something you pointed out is that you dominated the division last year, yet sucked outside of it, while the cardinals did well against both. Again you make reference that you want us to observe the OOD games, which you went 3-7 in last year.
    Just a point, you could dominate the division again, but unless you do better outside of it, you very likely could miss the playoffs again.

  32. funi says: June 20, 2010 8:37 PM
    The Steelers could have been 16-0 with all of there losses being 7 points of less and that did nto happen Roger.
    ——————————————————
    How do you go 16-0 and lose 3 games by 7 points?

  33. @LarryFitzgerald4MVP
    But who will win the division? Do you think the Cardinals, without Warner will do just as good? Do you think the Seahawks, who were worse outside of the division than the 49ers, will do better? You can’t say a team will miss the playoffs without saying who will make it.

  34. @Jagmankane
    4 times the NFC champ has been from the west.
    Rams, Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals

  35. @Kay Bee
    Are you really so stupid that you thought I meant this decade? Or are you just trying to prove a point that I wasn’t clear in a bitchy way?

  36. I am delighted with the way the team is shaping up. I am overjoyed with the draft. I think Singletary commands and gets the best from his players.
    I do not see the 49ers running away from the other teams in their division; but I do see them winning it. I do not care about this “easiest division” manure. The 49ers play plenty of out-of-division teams; and in the end must fight everybody else in the playoffs. There is ample chance to show the caliber of play. Fact is that they played some fabulous teams last year and either won or came within a field goal.
    This is a good team looking to move up to great team. They may not get there this year or they may. Either case… I will enjoy watching them.

  37. @this class sucks
    I would go with the Cardinals if the Niners didn’t win it. The seahawks aren’t that good in my opinion, and the rams are still terrible.

  38. Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Leinart, Sam Bradford, and Alex Smith…these NFC West QBs are so unbelievably awful I’m not sure anyone could call 1 the best of the group.
    – Hasselbeck has more wins than all of them COMBINED!!!! He is better than Kolb, Cutler, Eli, Henne, Gerrard, Campbell, Young, all of the other NFC West QB’s and whoever the Cleveland QB is. If the Niners win the division this year, they better enjoy it because it goes back to Seattle next year.

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