hree of nine oldest teams in NFC West
September 7, 2009 11:07 AM
Age Rank NFL Team Average Age
1 Redskins 28.02
2 Saints 27.99
3 Cardinals 27.74
3 Patriots 27.74
5 Lions 27.62
6 49ers 27.51
7 Steelers 27.50
8 Vikings 27.48
9 Seahawks 27.41
10 Falcons 27.39
11 Titans 27.29
12 Browns 27.18
13 Jets 27.16
13 Broncos 27.16
15 Bears 27.02
16 Cowboys 26.93
17 Bills 26.93
18 Chargers 26.93
19 Texans 26.89
20 Giants 26.88
21 Ravens 26.83
22 Raiders 26.82
23 Eagles 26.81
24 Rams 26.73
25 Jaguars 26.61
26 Bengals 26.60
27 Dolphins 26.47
28 Bucs 26.46
29 Panthers 26.39
30 Chiefs 26.36
31 Colts 26.34
32 Packers 26.16
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
A few roster-related notes across the league following roster moves through Sunday, with an eye toward the NFC West:
The NFC West featured three of the nine oldest rosters in the league. The Cardinals were third-oldest at 27.7 years old. The 49ers were sixth-oldest (27.5) and the Seahawks were ninth-oldest (27.4). The Rams were 24th-oldest (26.7). Ages are to the day, not rounded down to the nearest year.
The chart ranks teams oldest to youngest. The Cowboys (26.934), Bills (26.932) and Chargers (26.930) were about the same age, but their rankings differed. The teams that tied -- Cardinals and Patriots, Jets and Broncos -- had the same average ages to at least 13 decimal points.
NFC West starters tended to be quite a bit younger relative to the rest of the league, ranking between 12th-oldest (Cardinals offense and 49ers defense) to 24th-oldest (Rams offense). The Seahawks ranked 22nd on defense and 23rd on offense. Seattle's offensive age ranking reflected Steve Vallos at center and Sean Locklear at left tackle. The Seahawks' offensive line would be the youngest in the league with those players in those spots.
The 49ers and Seahawks would lead the division in starters younger than 26, with eight apiece. The Seahawks would lead the division in starters 30 or older with six, right at the league average. The Cardinals and 49ers would have five, the Rams four.
The Seahawks, with 11 defensive linemen, were the only team in the league with more than 10. The Rams were one of five teams with 10.
The Cardinals were one of five teams with seven receivers. No other teams had more than six.
The Rams were one of six teams with 10 offensive linemen, the highest number in the league. The Patriots and all four NFC East teams also had 10.
Seven teams were carrying only two quarterbacks. All four NFC West teams had three. The Jets and Chiefs had four.
The Cardinals had 27 offensive players, two more than average and one behind Oakland's league-high 28. The 49ers were tied for the league lead with 27 defensive players, one more than the Rams. The Seahawks balanced at 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and three specialists -- right on the league averages.
The 49ers were one of three teams with fewer than seven combined running backs and tight ends. That will change. There's no way a power running team is going to remain light on depth at those positions.
The 49ers had 33 of their own draft choices on their roster, tied with the Panthers and Colts for second-most in the league behind the Packers (37). The Seahawks (29), Cardinals (27) and Rams (24) had fewer. Every one of the Seahawks' 29 came from BCS-eligible programs. The Jets and Patriots were the only other teams with zero of their own draft choices on the roster from sub-BCS programs. The Cardinals had five, trailing only the Titans (7) and Jaguars (6).
With so many things to track, it's easy to see why the highlight of my weekend was seeing 53s across the board after updating rosters. At one point Sunday, there were 800 offensive players, 800 defensive players and 96 specialists, an average of 25, 25 and three. So heartwarming.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post...ms-in-nfc-west
09-07-2009, 02:01 PM
