Chad (Denver, CO): Yesterday you said on the radio that you thought the Cardinals and 49ers were tied for the favorites for the NFC West. Care to defend that statement a little more in depth? The Cards lose a HOF QB, ballhawk in Antrel Rolle and anchor in Karlos Dansby and somehow the 49ers don't leap them with keeping a great core of players?

Mike Sando: The Cardinals' personnel losses do open the door for the 49ers to win the division. I'm just not anointing anyone yet. Let's see the 49ers win an important game. They could not beat a horrible, reeling Seahawks team last season in a must-win game for the 49ers. They got crushed at home against Atlanta when a victory might have sent them on their way.

big m (st. louis): What do you think the Rams should do with the first pick, and/or about their quarterback? Would drafting Ndamukong Suh and getting Vick be a good move?

Mike Sando: The market for Michael Vick appears to be quite soft. The Rams have a new owner waiting to take over. I'm not sure adding Vick is something a general manager should do without full backing from ownership. The Rams shouldn't reach for a quarterback, but if they do think Sam Bradford has elite potential, they might have a hard time resisting him. And I would not blame them for addressing that position. The Rams need a plan at the quarterback position and it's looking as though that plan does not include options in free agency beyond A.J. Feeley.

Cassius (North Dakota): There's been a lot of debate on your Facebook page related to the importance of someone like Brandon Marshall when rebuilding a team vs the risk that's involved with him. In your opinion, what are the most important pieces (and therefore the ones that should be addressed first) of a successful team? Thanks.

Mike Sando: The ownership/management/coaching situation needs to be unified and stable. A team needs strong veteran leadership. Quarterback and both lines should be priorities. Those are the places I would start when building a team. Seattle thinks it has the ownership/management/coaching part solved. The quarterback situation is dicey for the long term. Both lines have issues. Signing Brandon Marshall should not be the top priority. The key for Seattle or any rebuilding team would be to acquire him without sacrificing the ability to build those other areas. That means not giving up a first-round choice for him. That means making sure the team has strong enough leadership -- starting with ownership and management -- to deal with a potentially disruptive presence. And then it's important for the organization to protect itself against known risks such as a possible suspension if Marshall runs into trouble again.

Shane (Los Angeles, CA): Sand-O: A lot of Card fans are worried about the upcoming season with the severe personnel losses Az has endured. However, I think when you look at the franchise's gameplan for the long term, they are going to keep the Cards relevant. As a whole, the losses of Warner/Dansby/Rolle/Boldin hurt, but individually I think they were all the correct moves, not overpaying and getting some compensation for a player they were going to lose next year. Also, as you have pointed out, the Cardinals are one of the best drafting teams over the last five years. I have faith in the Cards management to fill the holes. Thoughts?

Mike Sando: The question I have raised is whether the Cardinals are asking too much from their personnel department. Replacing one or two guys a year seems like a reasonable expectation. Replacing a longer list of players becomes tougher. I do think the personnel losses can be overrated if we're not careful. They already have Steve Breaston and Early Doucet in place to cover for Boldin. They've already added Kerry Rhodes to replace Antrel Rolle, meaning they will not have to roll the dice on Rashad Johnson or another young safety. They couldn't really control the situation with Kurt Warner, so that is a separate issue.