Steve Spagnuolo, who was treated as a viable Coach of the Year candidate nationally. Years of bad records had finally paid off: In addition to Bradford, the Rams could point to a core that included Chris Long, James Laurinaitis, and O.J. Atogwe. And just like the adage said, the Rams were building from the lines out. Their offensive line included second overall pick Jason Smith, the 2010 33rd overall pick, Rodger Saffold, and big-money former Ravens center Jason Brown, all of whom started for St. Louis that day.

Since then, just about everything has changed. And you can relive that change in this timeline of the NFC West.

The Path to Stardom

January 2, 2011: The 49ers beat the Cardinals, 38-7, to push the Cardinals into last place in the NFCleading receiver. Whitehurst finishes 22-of-36 for 192 yards with one touchdown in his second career start. It remains unclear who will start at quarterback for the Seahawks in their upcoming playoff game against the 11-5 Saints, the league’s defending Super Bowl champion.

January 3, 2011: Adam Schefter tweets that the leading candidate for the 49ers job is Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

January 5, 2011: The 49ers promote vice-president of player personnel Trent Baalke to general manager. Baalke and owner Jed York spend the day interviewing two candidates for their head coaching job: Harbaugh and Raiders offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. The team also requests permission to interview Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

January 5, 2011: After ESPN analyst Jon Gruden rejects a $7 million-per-year offer from the Miami Dolphins, Dolphins owner Stephen