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San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis routinely cuts down running backs in the open field.

Willis has likewise taken out two top backs in the "Madden 13" cover competition, joining fellow NFC West icon Larry Fitzgerald in the final eight despite Willis' status as a No. 11 seed.

This is no time for complacency, NFC West voters.

Now that Willis has taken out Matt Forte and Maurice Jones-Drew, we cannot in good conscience allow New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz, possessor of seven regular-season starts and one notable season, to knock out the baddest linebacker in the land.

Fitzgerald, meanwhile, faces No. 1 seed Cam Newton. The Willis-Cruz and Fitzgerald-Newton winners will face off in the next round. Aaron Rodgers-Ray Rice and Calvin Johnson-Rob Gronkowski round out the other bracket.

Vote away.

Fitzgerald won his first-round matchup with Troy Polamalu by a 72-28 margin. He then beat LeSean McCoy by a 54-46 margin. Willis won comfortably over Forte (62-38) and Jones-Drew (58-42).

Any knowledgeable NFC West fan knows what happens when Matt Forte runs across Patrick Willis.

On the field, Willis helped hold Forte to 2.05 yards per carry as Willis' San Francisco 49ers defeated Forte's Chicago Bears 10-6. We'll conveniently overlook Forte's 120-yard receiving performance during that 2009 matchup at Candlestick Park.

Off the field, Willis defeated Forte to advance in the "Madden 13" cover competition.

Willis was a No. 11 seed to Forte's No. 6, but it's not Willis' fault someone underrated him. Perhaps the folks in charge of seeding were going by most contract complaints lodged instead of most first-team Associated Press All-Pro selections.

Willis faces Maurice Jones-Drew in the next round.

Seattle's Marshawn Lynch takes on Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers after defeating Chris Johnson in the previous round.

Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald goes against Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy after defeating Troy Polamalu.

My choices for this next round: Cam Newton, Fitzgerald, Willis, Darrelle Revis, Lynch, Drew Brees, Calvin Johnson and Jared Allen.

Vote here.

Seth from Newport News, Va., says the ESPN.com/ESPN The Magazine's NFL Any Era team "is a joke" if the St. Louis Rams' Steven Jackson does not appear on the list.

Mike Sando: Jackson did not appear on the list. Tim Tebow did. That seems wrong. We do not even know for sure whether Tebow will be good in this era, do we?

The overall list is strong. Ray Lewis, Troy Polamalu, Charles Woodson, Brian Urlacher, Patrick Willis, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Ed Reed, Darrelle Revis, Jared Allen and Dwight Freeney are among those listed.

I thought the San Francisco 49ers' Justin Smith was an obvious omission among those watching him play regularly. But how many people, Hall of Famers or otherwise, have watched the 49ers' defensive line in recent seasons?

People should know plenty about Steven Jackson, because he carries the ball and, quite frequently, defenders trying to tackle him. Seth is surely right about the Rams' poor record hurting Jackson in these types of polls.

In retrospect, I should have broken out an item about Jackson's omission without any prompting. He has demonstrated all the necessary qualities -- toughness, grit, consistency, leadership, versatility, production -- to make him a timeless player. Very few running backs have run with more ferocity than Jackson.

The way Jackson has played through injuries becomes more impressive when we consider the stakes for his team were relatively low. I'll never forget watching him slam himself into the 49ers' defense while trailing 35-0 a few years ago. He made a statement to his teammates and anyone watching. Circumstances would not diminish what he represented. I'll also never forget how he fought through a 2009 back injury that would require surgery. He started 15 games even though his team was 1-15 that season.

A lesser man -- even a normal one -- would have shut it down late in that season. What was the point? Jackson refused to do that. He kept coming back for more and finished with 324 carries, the second-highest total of his career.

Jackson was clearly qualified for the Any Era team. So were Larry Fitzgerald and others. But as with voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there are usually more worthy candidates than spots available for enshrinement. That means very good candidates do not always get their due, at least right away. That should not diminish them in any way.

This was indeed a special season for the San Francisco 49ers and, by extension, the NFC West overall.

The Associated Press All-Pro Team, announced Friday, includes five 49ers, a league high for any team. Arizona's Patrick Peterson made the team as the return specialist, joining the 49ers' David Akers and Andy Lee to give the NFC West all three specialists.

The 49ers' Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman made it as inside linebackers. Teammate Justin Smith made it as a defensive tackle. He also got votes at defensive end. Smith moves around the line, playing end in the base 3-4.

Aaron Rodgers won 47.5 out of 50 votes at quarterback, a strong indication Rodgers will emerge as the leader in MVP balloting. Those results have not yet been revealed, but they draw from the same group of voters.

The chart shows All-Pro counts by division.

Also making the team: fullback Vonta Leach, center Maurkice Pouncey, guard Carl Nicks, guard Jahri Evans, running back Maurice Jones-Drew, running back LeSean McCoy, tackle Joe Thomas, tackle Jason Peters, tight end Rob Gronkowski, receiver Wes Welker, receiver Calvin Johnson, cornerback Darrelle Revis, cornerback Charles Woodson, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end Jared Allen, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, linebacker Derrick Johnson, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware safety Troy Polamalu and safety Eric Weddle.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. offered thoughts Thursday heading into the San Francisco 49ers' game Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Candlestick Park.

Mike Sando: This game against the Steelers provides the 49ers with an opportunity to defeat a quality opponent on a national stage, while keeping control of the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff race. My sense is that the 49ers, though still a good team, have plateaued a little bit lately.

Matt Williamson: I think that is a good word. They might have hit their head on the ceiling. The talent has taken them as far as it will. That does not mean they cannot win playoff games. But this is a bad matchup for them against the Steelers. The 49ers lost to Arizona and the Cardinals are running the Steelers' defense. They've gotten better at it, but that defense has been clicking for the Steelers for years. They know what they are doing and they are going to give San Francisco's offense a hard time.

Mike Sando: The 49ers have taken 18 sacks over their past three games after allowing seven in their previous six. They aren't getting Frank Gore going as well on the ground, and Gore is banged up.

Matt Williamson: Their young offensive line does not pick up blitzes very well. They get beat one-on-one, especially on the right side. Ike Taylor can do a good job against Michael Crabtree. Troy Polamalu and the Steelers do well against tight ends. I just do not know where the 49ers' offense is going to come from. Alex Smith is not a guy who, when everything is going wrong, puts the team on his back.

Mike Sando: Several key players could miss this game for both teams -- Joe Staley and Patrick Willis for the 49ers, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley for the Steelers. And then Ben Roethlisberger's ankle is an issue.

Matt Williamson: Roethlisberger will have had 10 days to rest. Everyone in the world knows he is going to play. Charlie Batch is not good.

If Harrison doesn't play and Ben doesn't play, I'll take the 49ers. But if Ben is out there at even 50 percent, I am taking Pittsburgh. The matchup is not good for the 49ers.

Mike Sando: The 49ers are strong on defense. What makes you think the Steelers' offense would be OK without Roethlisberger near full strength?

Matt Williamson: If you are the Steelers and Ben is not moving well, put him in the shotgun, go three wide receivers all day with a back in the backfield and get it out quick. Don't even have him dropping back. Get the ball out quick to Antonio Brown especially, and Hines Ward. Do the quick three-step passing game out of the shotgun.

Mike Sando: Back to the 49ers' offense. One thing they've struggled with some is yards after the catch. They led the NFL at 6.8 yards after the catch per reception last season. That has fallen to 5.2 this season. And the Steelers' defense leads the NFL in fewest yards allowed after the catch on average at 4.3, an astounding 1.7 yards better than the next-best team, Houston.

Matt Williamson: I don't see a real good after-the-catch wide receiver in the group for San Francisco. Ted Ginn would catch only bombs. Michael Crabtree is not nifty. He is a slower, power guy. Vernon Davis can be, but his role has been diminished heavily and I'm not sure how well he grasps the offense, and they need him to help the tackles. I'm not sure who would be the guy, unless they dropped more passes off to Gore and Kendall Hunter.

Mike Sando: The 49ers have dramatically cut Gore's role as a receiver. That's one reason their team yards after the reception has fallen. Then there is the red zone. San Francisco ranks last in touchdown percentage there.

Matt Williamson: Every weakness is exaggerated in the red zone for a quarterback. There are a lot more bodies in a smaller space, a lot more molecules bouncing off the walls. You have to be a little more accurate, a little better anticipation. Donovan McNabb was not that great in the red zone. He was not an anticipatory thrower or very accurate. Smith has some of those qualities, too, but less. He is not as talented. But I know he's done well in the red zone before. One thing that comes to mind is a lack of involvement from Vernon Davis.

Mike Sando: Davis finished last season with eight catches for 50 yards and four touchdowns in the red zone. He has four catches for 48 yards and three scores there this season. Delanie Walker had five catches for 22 yards and no scores in the red zone in 2010. He has one catch for a 6-yard touchdown against Detroit in the red zone this season. But Smith's completion percentage has fallen from above 70 to around 40 in the red zone since last season. Sacks are up. Gore's carries in the red zone are up. His receptions are down. I'm not sure what is wrong down there, but improved efficiency in that area would certainly help Monday night.

Williamson and I will be among those participating in an in-game chat Monday night. I'll be at the game. Williamson will monitor remotely. Jamison Hensley from the AFC North blog will join us on the chat from Candlestick Park.

Three late-week thoughts on developing injury situations:

• The Seattle Seahawks listed receiver Sidney Rice as "out" for their game against Pittsburgh. Rice had been a limited participant in practice this week. I can see why the team wouldn't want to throw its highest-priced free-agent addition onto the field against James Harrison and Troy Polamalu in what would have been Rice's first game since the third week of preseason. Rice's shoulder will presumably let him play when Seattle opens its NFC West schedule against Arizona in Week 3.
• The Cardinals are listing running back LaRod Stephens-Howling (hand) and linebacker Daryl Washington (calf) as questionable. Neither practiced this week. Stephens-Howling is most valuable on special teams. Putting him on the field with a hand injury would compromise ball security on returns and on offense. Arizona would miss Washington, who is becoming a big-play threat on defense.
• Seattle is moving Robert Gallery back into the lineup at left guard, with James Carpenter moving back to right tackle. I'm not sure another lineup change is worth the payoff under the circumstances. This will be the 13th starting combination the Seahawks have used on their line since the 2010 opener.
• Michael Crabtree's availability to the San Francisco 49ers probably will not be known until 90 minutes before kickoff, when teams must declare inactive players. The 49ers ran only 12 snaps with three wide receivers in Week 1, the second-lowest figure in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They will presumably want to open up their offense against Dallas, at least to some degree, but their personnel gives them flexibility. Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker can both factor into the receiving game.
• The St. Louis Rams have more serious injuries than any NFC West team, but they aren't playing until Monday night.

All for now. Back soon, though.

San Francisco 49ers receiver Ted Ginn Jr. pulled away from all but one man during his 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown Sunday.

Earl Thomas, second-year safety for the Seattle Seahawks, was that man. He had to maneuver around kicker Steven Hauschka along the sideline before hitting stride, and when he did, Thomas kept pace the rest of the way. He wasn't going to catch Ginn, who ranks among the very fastest players in the NFL. But neither was Ginn running away from him.

That type of speed separates Thomas from most safeties. It's one of the qualities that led Seahawks coach Pete Carroll to say Thomas could be on his way to very special things in the NFL. In fact, instead of rejecting as premature comparisons between Thomas and Pittsburgh Steelers great Troy Polamalu, Carroll embraced them. That is telling.

"Boy, there are some tremendous similarities," said Carroll, who coached Polamalu at USC. "One guy's just proven it over a long period of time and he’s a great player. Earl, he’s emerging."

Polamalu, 30, is a six-time Pro Bowl choice. He'll be chasing down Thomas' teammates when Seattle visits Pittsburgh in Week 2.

"What Troy is so famous for is just these knifing, rocketing drives to make a tackle or to make a play on the football and the willingness to take a chance and go for it," Carroll said. "Both these guys are like that. If Earl could be so lucky somewhere down the road, six or eight years from now …"

Carroll pointed to their size, speed, toughness, and instincts as similar. Both are 5-foot-10. Polamalu is listed at 215, Thomas at 202. The first time I saw Thomas in person, I thought he looked like a cornerback. He also happened to be in the company of massive left tackle Russell Okung at the time, which probably added to the perception.

Thomas had five interceptions as a rookie last season. After watching him collect eight tackles, two for losses, and contesting multiple other plays in the Seahawks' opener at San Francisco, I probably was remiss in not featuring him more prominently among players Seattle could least afford to lose.

"We really want to do similar things (with Thomas) like we did with Troy back in college because of their nature and the style of play that they offer you," Carroll said. "It’s a good model for him to follow."

Adam from Glendale, Ariz., says he thought the Cardinals should have gone after Taylor Mays even before their own safety, Adrian Wilson, suffered an injury Saturday. He thinks Mays projects as a young Wilson and could learn from the Cardinals' veteran safety before taking over as the starter eventually.


Mike Sando: There were some similarities between the two coming out of college. Both were raw athletes. Both carried concerns about pass coverage. Both projected as strong special-teams players initially. Mays had much better track speed coming out of college. But questions about his instincts -- how that speed translated on the field -- pushed him down in the draft. Mays was the 49th player chosen in his draft class. Wilson was the 64th chosen in his.

My initial reaction is that Wilson is a special player, and Arizona should seek in a replacement someone with better coverage skills. Wilson is not as bad in coverage as he appeared last season, but neither is he exceptional at it. He's at his best when the Cardinals find ways to send him after the quarterback. I reached out to Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. for a second opinion. He passed along the following thoughts:

I tend to agree with you, but what other options are out there? I do think Ray Horton would kill for a Troy Polamalu clone -- well, a lesser version of Polamalu. Wilson fit that bill. Maybe Mays could to a lesser degree. Kerry Rhodes does a nice job as the last layer of defense, so I do think they need more strong safety than free safety, but I actually am just not sure exactly what Mays is yet at this level. He is big, but doesn’t insert like Wilson. He is tall and stiff for man-to-man. But I do tend to think there is room for improvement with him. Would San Francisco trade him within the division? If so, and if Pete Carroll weren't interested, that should tell us all we need to know.

Kam Chancellor is having a strong camp for Seattle at strong safety. I don't think Seattle perceives itself as having a huge need at safety. Rookie Mark LeGree is also getting lots of work in various packages.

I see no harm in Arizona taking a chance on Mays for the right price.

The conventional book on Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson might need some revision.


Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. explains why in an Insider piece resetting expectations for one of 11 players since 1982 with at least 20 sacks and 20 interceptions.

Williamson sees Wilson as better than advertised in coverage and not as strong against the run as one might expect given Wilson's strong physical presence. He expects Wilson's role to change under new defensive coordinator Ray Horton, hired from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.

Wilson will not suddenly become another Troy Polamalu, but in looking through that 20-20 list and sizing up Polamalu's career stats, Wilson's strength as a pass-rusher stood out. He has 22.5 sacks in 150 career regular-season games. Polamalu, though more dynamic as a sideline-to-sideline force, has eight sacks in 107 games. Wilson is one of seven defensive backs since 1982 with at least 20 sacks. The other six have played between 181 and 234 games. Five have between 20.5 and 26 sacks, with Rodney Harrison collecting 30.5 sacks during his 186-game career.

Wilson's presence as a blitzer and someone quarterbacks must fear around the line of scrimmage sets him apart from other defensive backs. Wilson does more than simply get to the quarterback, though. He arrives with bad intentions and he embraces the role. His profile picture on Twitter shows Wilson standing over Trent Edwards following the type of hit Jack Tatum or Dick "Night Train" Lane would have relished.

Horton has promised to open the 2011 regular season with a blitz call to symbolize the aggressive tactics he wants the Cardinals to employ. Finding more ways to showcase Wilson in blitz packages sounds like a logical priority. Wilson had 13 sacks over the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He has only 6.5 sacks over the past four.

The addition f cornerback Patrick Peterson will also affect the options for Horton. As Nolan Nawrocki's scouting report for Pro Football Weekly put it, Peterson "can man and zone cover, roam, blitz and play near the line of scrimmage."

Looks like my colleague Paul Kuharsky woke up on the wrong side of the debate again.

Our esteemed (steamed?) AFC South blogger took a few shots at ESPN.com’s Power Rankings for top overall NFL players. He specifically took offense with those of us who refused to rank more than a few non-quarterbacks on our 10-man ballots.

Quarterbacks held eight of the top 11 spots in the composite rankings. There was a tie for the 10th spot between Michael Vick and Andre Johnson.

"If we rate these quarterbacks so highly," Kuharsky said in Dan Graziano's main piece, "how can we not rate the guy we said was tops at disrupting quarterbacks highly too? Makes no sense."

Kuharsky was referring to DeMarcus Ware, who finished 12th overall, receiving votes only from AFC North blogger James Walker (No. 5) and from Kuharsky (No. 10).

Quarterbacks filled out the top seven spots on my ballot. I would have considered listing QBs 10 deep had I known so much heat would radiate from my AFC South brother.

Here’s a question for Paul: If he values pass-rushers so much, why not find room on his ballot for Dwight Freeney, the player he ranked as the NFL’s best pass-rusher back in March?

"I think Freeney is the best pass-rusher, but DeMarcus Ware is the better overall player and a tremendous pass-rusher, too," Kuharsky said when I called him Tuesday.

That thinking makes sense. Kuharsky ranked Ware as his No. 1 linebacker and No. 2 pass-rusher in those power rankings. After ranking quarterbacks first through fourth in the overall rankings, he went with Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Andre Johnson, Troy Polamalu, Clay Matthews and Ware. He considered finding a spot for Freeney, but figured the vote would have been wasted.

"Maybe I gave in a little bit there to the crowd in terms of how well he was liked by everyone else, knowing Freeney wasn’t getting in there no matter how I voted," he said. "I presumed Ware would definitely make our top 10. I knew Freeney would not because I was his lone advocate."

Kuharsky and I weren’t all that far apart in our thinking, after all. I ranked Freeney second among pass-rushers on my ballot. The other voters ranked him between third and eighth.

We both ranked Peyton Manning over Tom Brady for the top overall spot. I would take the much younger Aaron Rodgers over both if building a franchise to contend for the longer term. I could see Rodgers assuming the top spot a year from now.

Manning got the edge over Brady on my ballot because he's more important to his team's success, and Brady's longstanding edge in playoff games hasn't held up recently.

I rounded out my overall top 10 with Johnson, Polamalu and Patrick Willis. Finding room for Ware and Matthews would have been ideal, but there wasn’t room for everyone. Matthews' value as an outside pass-rusher makes him more valuable, arguably, than the San Francisco 49ers' Willis. But Willis can do it all, and he did have six sacks last season while anchoring a defense that allowed less than 3.5 yards per carry.

Usually I'm one to dive into the comments sections on blog entries to engage in conversations or at least monitor them.

I recommend you do the same for James Walker's piece ranking the 10 best safeties in the NFL. I've been putting it off to this point because I didn't feel good about the ballot I submitted.

The first few choices were easy. Troy Polamalu was a unanimous pick for the No. 1 spot. Ed Reed was a unanimous choice at No. 2. Most of the other players listed should carry asterisks, disclaimers, qualifiers, etc. Filling out the final five or six spots proved nearly impossible for me. I kept ruling out players for various reasons, only to come back to them when better candidates failed to materialize.

Ranking defensive backs is tricky, anyway. The complex coverages NFL teams use make it tough to know which players were responsible for what. It's one reason I'm careful about blaming cornerbacks for specific lapses without following up.

Brandon Meriweather made the list. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but questions about consistency have lingered for some time. Should he be in the top 10? Is he even the best safety on the New England Patriots?

In the end, the rankings I put together elicited responses such as this one from an Arizona Cardinals fan named Rick:

Mike, I only write to you because you have a history of being fair and using logic and empirical evidence to back up your (usually sound) arguments. So. Um. Antrel Rolle at No. 7 and no mention of Kerry Rhodes? What gives? Ask anyone who follows the Cardinals and they will tell you that the team UPGRADED by letting Rolle go and trading for Rhodes.

My response: "There is no logic to the safety rankings after 4-5 guys. I didn't feel good about any of them."

That is a slight overstatement. Eric Berry and Earl Thomas project as emerging talents with very bright futures. Adrian Wilson belongs on the list if we accept the premise that his 2010 struggles had more to do with an injury that require surgery than his sharp decline. If we include Wilson, do we include one of his teammates from a defense that was very bad in 2010?

This was a tough one. All criticism is welcome and justified. Time to move on. Seeking closure.

Thoughts on NFC West candidates to grace the "Madden 12" cover based on voting through ESPN.com:

• The St. Louis Rams' Sam Bradford has only one NFL season to his credit, but he's seeded higher than his more accomplished first-round opponent, Larry Fitzgerald. Bradford has the fresher face. Fitzgerald has graced the "Madden" cover previously, sharing it with the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu. Fitzgerald gets my vote. We know he'll live up to expectations if healthy. We think Bradford will. Anyone think Steven Jackson should have gotten the call for St. Louis?
• The San Francisco 49ers' Patrick Willis is a No. 7 seed against the 10th-seeded Seattle Seahawks' 12th Man. Willis is the obvious choice for San Francisco. The Seahawks don't have an obvious choice on their roster. They have no sure starting quarterback and no players coming off a Pro Bowl season. They're not even sure which players will be on their roster. They do have really loud fans. Willis has silenced them on occasion, like when he returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown at Qwest Field in 2008. But they drowned out the 49ers in Week 1 last season.

First-round voting runs through March 27, with results announced late next month.

The Bradford-Fitzgerald winner faces the Aaron Rodgers-Ndamukong Suh winner in the second round. The Willis-12th Man winner faces the Hines Ward-Carlos Dunlap winner.

The latest NFC West chat got off to a late start -- my fault there -- but lasted the full hour. Thanks to those who contributed. Transcript here. Highlights below:

Shaun Harper (Salt Lake City, UT ): I'm a big-time 49ers fan. Do they go QB first round? Wouldn't the best option be to try and sign McNabb or Kolb and then maybe still have a shot at getting Ryan Mallet as a back-up for a couple of years?? (Considering there is a 2011 NFL season)

Mike Sando: The market for Donovan McNabb is going to be very, very interesting now that two supposed offensive gurus -- Andy Reid and Mike Shanahan -- decided he was not the quarterback for them. If I'm the 49ers, I'm looking at those situations in Philadelphia and Washington pretty closely. And Jim Harbaugh should have a good feel given his background as a quarterback. Now, would McNabb be better than what the 49ers have had in the recent past? Yes, and that alone makes him a decent fallback option if the team doesn't find in the draft a quarterback to play right away. If you get Kevin Kolb, you're probably giving up draft-choice compensation, which makes it tougher to think of him as a bridge to the future. He sort of needs to be the future, then.

Jacob (Saint Louis): Thank you for all the work you do, Mike. If the two big wide receivers are off the board, do you see the Rams trading down? The Rams have a lot of holes to fill, and this seems to be a deep draft. A little over a week ago, Tim Kavanagh said that he could see the Steelers trading up. Would a trade with them even be possible?

Mike Sando: The Steelers trade draft choices less frequently than most teams trade them. When they do look to make a deal, watch out. They tend to have a good reason. The last time they traded up into that No. 14 range, they snagged Troy Polamalu at No. 16. The Rams need quality, too, so I wouldn't move back too far. And it's really unlikely, I think, that Pittsburgh would move up from No. 31 all the way to No. 14. That is a big jump and would be costly.

Shane (Los Angeles, CA): Who would you pick at #5 for the Cards? Assume that your pick is in play at No. 5. If PP7 [Patrick Peterson] is there and they don't want him, there would be NO shortage of teams looking to trade up (Eagles, Cowboys, maybe Pats for starters). What do you think about the Cards trading down?

Mike Sando: OK, I would go with Blaine Gabbert at No. 5 based on what I've heard about him (I do not pretend to have first-hand knowledge based on scouting!). If he were not there and Patrick Peterson were there, I would definitely consider moving back. The Cardinals already have Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. They do not need a stable of top cornerbacks to make that defense work. They need outside linebackers to amp up the pass rush. They also need additional picks. If they could get the pass-rusher and additional picks to help them address, say, their offensive line (a position that can be addressed successfully later in the draft), go for it.

Ben (Portland): John Schneider was one of only 2 GMs at Mallett's pro day and has scheduled a private workout with Locker. Can we expect a 1st-round QB on draft day or is Schneider just exploring all the options?

Mike Sando: The Seahawks have to seriously consider a quarterback in this draft based on their current situation at the position. I think their interest in re-signing Matt Hasselbeck has obvious limits, and those limits explain why Hasselbeck has not yet re-signed with the team. As far as whether Schneider attends specific workouts, I can tell you this: He is GM, but like his mentor, Ted Thompson, he is still a scout at heart. He likes to do the work. And so it makes sense for him to check out players with his own eyes.

One more thing: You're welcome, Jacob. Thanks for tuning in.

Those over-the-counter drug commercials filled with hope, sunshine and a long list of potentially disastrous side effects come to mind when NFC West teams hire coordinators these days.

Ray Horton, fresh off a Super Bowl appearance and a successful run as the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary coach, should be thrilled to have emerged as a favorite to run the Arizona Cardinals' defense.

Becoming a coordinator for the first time stands as a career achievement, particularly for someone such as Horton, who has invested more than 25 years as an NFL player and position coach.

But if the NFC West were living under the same guidelines pharmaceutical companies must follow, the Cardinals would punctuate their interview with Horton by listing the primary side effect associated with the job: quick unemployment.

High rate of turnover

NFC West teams have employed 22 coordinators since 2008. Horton would make it 23.

Only four NFC West coordinators are returning from last season.

Two -- Russ Grimm and Mike Miller in Arizona -- divide responsibilities for the running and passing games, respectively. They work under an offensive-minded head coach, Ken Whisenhunt, who has frequently handled the play calling. The division's two other returning coordinators -- St. Louis' Ken Flajole and Seattle's Gus Bradley -- are defensive coordinators under defensive-minded head coaches.

Since 2008, NFC West teams have fired six coordinators. They have decided against retaining five left over from previous staffs. They have lost two to head coaching jobs and allowed another, Greg Manusky in San Francisco, to make a lateral move while the new head coach, Jim Harbaugh, pursued others for his staff.

Four NFC West coordinators are heading into their first season on the job, with Horton potentially becoming the fifth.

The situation in Arizona

Whisenhunt has sought to transfer the Pittsburgh model to Arizona since leaving the Steelers to become the Cardinals' head coach before the 2007 season. Grimm, who coaches the offensive line and running game while serving as assistant head coach, came along with him from Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals have twice tried and failed to land Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler as their defensive coordinator. They interviewed Todd Bowles, the assistant head coach and secondary coach for the Miami Dolphins, before the Super Bowl. They reportedly reached out to Green Bay Packers assistant head coach and linebackers coach Winston Moss.

But it's the Pittsburgh model they want to establish in Arizona.

Whisenhunt's background on offense makes him ideally suited to oversee that side of the ball. That offensive background also makes him more reliant on his defensive coordinator to run the defense. Hiring the right defensive coordinator can be critical for an offensive-minded head coach. That is the case here.

Don't forget the players

Horton's immediate boss in Pittsburgh, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, likes to dispel the notion that he's some sort of defensive guru devising novel schemes to outwit less resourceful opponents.

LeBeau provided one of my favorite quotes from Super Bowl week when a reporter asked how he manages to disguise his defenses.

"That’s easy," LeBeau said. "You just get Troy Polamalu in your backfield and he’ll move around and disguise anything you want to do. Usually it works when he’s doing it."

The Steelers have dynamic players at outside linebacker, a position critical to making a 3-4 defense succeed. The Cardinals have gotten old at the position without developing suitable replacements, one reason Bill Davis lasted only two seasons as coordinator.

"The bottom line is always going to be who is playing for you and how good are they," LeBeau said, "because they are the ones, in the final analysis, who are going to go out there and make your defense successful."

Horton's credentials

Whisenhunt and Grimm can tap into their own playing careers when relating to players. I've always sensed that Whisenhunt valued that part of the coaching equation.

Neither of the Cardinals' previous two coordinators under Whisenhunt played in the NFL. Horton, a second-round draft choice in 1983, played six seasons for Cincinnati and four for Dallas, transitioning from cornerback to free safety. Being a former player isn't enough by itself, obviously, but Horton's playing career could make him more credible initially.

And for the first time, Whisenhunt would have a defensive coordinator versed in the Steelers' scheme and mindset.

Horton's background coaching the secondary, as opposed to linebackers, further distinguishes him from his immediate predecessor. It also distinguishes him from most coordinators running a 3-4 scheme under offensive-minded head coaches, a distinction I find relevant because defensive-minded head coaches tend to oversee that side of the ball.

Arizona was among eight NFL teams that went into the 2010 season with an offensive-minded head coach and a defensive coordinator running a 3-4 scheme. Six of the eight defensive coordinators had backgrounds coaching linebackers. One, Romeo Crennel in Cleveland, traced his coaching roots to the defensive line. The Packers' Dom Capers was the only one with a background in the secondary, although he had been a head coach twice before joining Green Bay.

Three-four schemes rely heavily on blitz combinations featuring linebackers. Horton's background coaching the secondary wouldn't preclude him from knowing the ins and outs of linebacker blitzes. At the least, he might approach the defense a little differently than a former linebackers coach might.

"He’s been around the game a lot and he’s won a Super Bowl as a coach and as a player," Polamalu said of Horton. "He’s had so much to do with the success that we’ve had as a secondary."

Eric Branch of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat checks in with Oregon State assistant Mark Banker for thoughts on 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. Banker was an assistant with the Chargers when Harbaugh was finishing his playing career with San Diego. Branch: "Banker, who served for one year as the Chargers defensive coordinator, described Stanford under Harbaugh as a smash-mouth running team with a sophisticated NFL passing attack that made effective use of its tight ends. In Banker’s estimation, the core principles of Stanford’s offense will easily transfer to the NFL and he expects the 49ers’ attack to mirror the Cardinal’s in many ways." ESPN's Brock Huard, who called Pac-10 games this past season, also emphasized the power element of Harbaugh's offense when I asked him about it last month.

Also from Branch: There might not be a quarterback worth drafting in the first round for the 49ers.

Joe Staley of the 49ers blogs about life in the offseason, with this note on the coaching staff: "One of the coaches who is still around from last season is my o-line coach, Mike Solari. I like the fact that he’s still around and I think it’s especially good for the rookies Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis. Solari just has a good rapport with all of the players and he knows who we are, what we do and what we respond to. So him still being here is great."

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com looks at the 49ers' running backs, noting that Frank Gore became an even bigger part of the offense in 2010. Maiocco on backup Anthony Dixon: "Dixon is a big, powerful back who needs to learn how to run like a big, powerful back. He definitely showed flashes with some very nice runs. But he also frustrated the coaching staff with too much dancing, some missed assignments and difficulty with the simple things, such as making sure he was wearing the right kind of cleats to maintain traction on slippery fields. Dixon played just 16 offensive snaps in the first 10 games before Gore's injury. Dixon finished with 237 yards rushing on 70 rushing attempts. He should continue to prove that he is capable of taking on a larger role in the offense."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says the 49ers need more pass-rush pop from their outside linebackers.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says cornerback Bryant McFadden was "shocked" and a little "astonished" when the Cardinals traded him back to the Steelers. McFadden did not meet expectations with the Cardinals, but the team was not better at cornerback without him. McFadden on the two defensive systems: "Our defense is difficult but, once you get it, you feel comfortable. We just play football. There (Arizona) it was different. You see things and think, 'It may work, it may not work.' Every coach doesn't coach the same. Every person don't walk the same." Three other differences: James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com explores receiver Steve Breaston's fascination with comic books. Breaston got to hang out with Todd McFarlane, who drew for Marvel comics and created the "Venom" character associated with Spider-Man. Urban: "A huge fan of comics, including the McFarlane-create Spawn, Breaston reached out to the Tempe-based McFarlane to set up a meeting. The two did Wednesday at The McFarlane Companies offices just down the street from the Cardinals’ Tempe facility, talking for two hours. Breaston got a short rundown on how McFarlane builds and sells its SportsPicks line of athlete action figures, and then sat down in McFarlane’s office to talk comics."

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune outlines the Seahawks' draft needs and checks in with analyst Rob Rang for thoughts on the available quarterbacks. Rang on Missouri's Blaine Gabbert: "He’s got a big arm. He’s got a quick release for a big guy, and that’s very rare for a big quarterback. He uses his feet well, and so it leads you to believe that he can make that transition. He reads defenses well -- he does all of those things well. He just doesn’t have the eye-popping statistics. … When it’s all said and done with Blaine Gabbert, I believe he’s going to be end up being a top 5 to top 7 pick."

Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times says Seahawks assistant Rocky Seto interviewed for a job as defensive coordinator at UCLA. This would stand as a significant step forward for Seto, who helps coach Seattle's secondary. And with a lockout potentially looming in the NFL, now isn't a bad time to consider college options, anyway.

Roger Hensley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asks colleagues whether the Greatest Show on Turf would have been as great if Jerome Bettis had stayed with the Rams. Bernie Miklasz: "Absolutely not. It’s not even a discussion. Bettis was a power runner. A good one. But a one-dimensional runner. Faulk was the greatest all-purpose back in NFL history. He’s the best receiver/RB in league history. From 1999 through 2001, the Rams scored 500-plus points each year and Faulk had 44 percent of the team’s touches from scrimmage during that time. He had nearly 70 percent of the rushing yards. He caught more passes than Isaac Bruce or Torry Holt. He had more TD catches than Holt, and only five fewer than Bruce. I hope this slams the door shut on the question."

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Sam Bradford's freshly cut hair is getting mixed reviews. Bradford: "My friends in Oklahoma, obviously, it doesn't matter what I do. I'm going to hear about it. All the girls back home really like it. They were excited when I told them I was cutting my hair."

Brian Stull of 101ESPN St. Louis says former Rams linebacker Kevin Greene would make a logical choice to address the Packers before the Super Bowl.