Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links

Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, links, info, interviews, analysis. You name it, I got it here for you. Happy Sunday! The Lockout is almost over! I think! Hopefully! Probably not, but maybe! Football soon!

NFL.com news: Free agency will bring big risk for teams pursuing these vets: "Matt Hasselbeck, QB: The injuries have mounted and the production has dropped, but he's also not all that far removed from his Pro Bowl form. That can be seductive. Hasselbeck also has given no indications to this point that he will come cheaply; if anything, it seems he wants to continue to make a strong starting salary. You won't find someone with better intangibles and he's a born leader. Still, he's pretty far along. Just look at the failed Donovan McNabb experiment in Washington as evidence for how these kinds of moves can go. Can Hasselbeck make it through one season unscathed, much less more than one? He's not as athletic as he used to be. I'd be looking to go younger and cheaper at this spot if possible."

St. Louis in the Rearview | National Football Post: "Cullen’s cash is coming It was nice to visit with an old friend from the Packers in Cullen Jenkins, whose four-year, $17 million deal I negotiated in 2007. Now that deal is up and Cullen has a true vested interest in the lockout being lifted. As a productive player at a high-impact position, he will be in high demand once NFL football returns."

Vancouver Canucks Spark Championship Fever, Ichiro's Benching And More Weekend Wonderings - SB Nation Seattle: "Weekend thoughts on the Vancouver Canucks' Stanley Cup Finals run, Ichiro's benching and a few items you may have missed this week here on SB Nation Seattle."

John Randle, Hall of Fame defensive lineman with Vikings and Seahawks, tackling challenges of fatherhood | al.com: "He's the one leaning over the backward-turned chair, muscles straining to break out of the orange collared shirt. He's been out of the National Football League for seven years, but he still projects the brand of intensity that guided a Hall of Fame career. Throw in Vikings jersey with his trademark canister's-worth of eye black, and the picture of John Randle is complete. The old picture, that is. Take a few steps closer and listen in on his conversation. His voice, deep and intimidating, is the same one once used to terrorize opposing quarterbacks over a 14-year career with Minnesota and Seattle. He uses that voice to speak with purpose and passion, about ... about ... what is John Randle talking about?"

Adam Schefter Blog - ESPN: "Q: I don't understand why Kevin Kolb is getting so much attention, commanding such a hefty trade value. Are teams that desperate for a quarterback? He hasn't done anything in the NFL yet! The man has 11 TDs, 14 INTs and a career passer rating of 73.2. --Jerry (N.Y.)

A: There are many teams that desparate for a quarterback, Jerry, most notably a couple in the NFC West in Arizona and Seattle. Kolb has shown he has potential and the Eagles are convinced he's going to be a good starting quarterback. Others might have questions, but some teams that need quarterbacks don't. Arizona is willing to pay up for Kolb. It believes he can be the difference in winning the NFC West and finishing where the Cardinals did last season. Kolb is a good passer, has great intangibles and is very well respected in the Eagles' locker room. There aren't many young quarterbacks that teams can count on -- and the Cardinals believe Kolb is one."

Huskies | Three decades later, former football star returns to Husky Stadium for diploma | Seattle Times Newspaper: "As a University of Washington football player, Al Burleson is best known for a 93-yard interception return in the final minutes against rival Washington State in the 1975 Apple Cup. The play sparked a miracle comeback to beat the Cougars and remains the longest interception return in school history. Burleson completes another remarkable return this weekend, one he hopes will leave just as lasting a memory. Almost 39 years after first enrolling at UW, Burleson finally received his undergraduate degree."

Will Tim Crowder be on the Bucs' Roster next Season? - Bucs Nation: "Finally, there are a number of practice squad players who have a chance to make a splash. Every season there are a couple of players who are brought in as training camp fodder but who end up making the team. E.J. Wilson and Doug Worthington could be those guys for the Bucs next season. Worthington was a seventh-round pick for the Steelers last season, while E.J. Wilson was a fourth-round pick for the Seahawks. Both of these players have the ability to play tackle as well, which could give them a leg up."

No Pay Cuts For Steelers, Other Teams | Football News Now: "The Oakland Raiders aren’t reducing pay or putting employees on furlough, but they are telling employees to sell season tickets. The Philadelphia Eagles promised not to cut coaching-staff pay even if the lockout extends into the season, and the same is true for the Seattle Seahawks."

Ex-Euless Trinity standouts eager to give back at free high school camp | Football | ...: "Other celebrity coaches at the camp include former Trinity star and Green Bay Packers running back Dimitri Nance, Seattle Seahawks tackle Russell Okung, former Texas Longhorns cornerback Ryan Palmer, former Oklahoma State linebacker Orie Lemon and former Iowa State cornerback Deandre Jackson. For McBean, the camp gives him another place to invest his time during the drawn-out NFL lockout. He admits being frustrated with the situation and "hopes things get handled soon.""

David Carr Insists 49ers Quarterback Position Is Up For Grabs - SB Nation Bay Area: "49ers quarterback David Carr believes he'll get a fair chance to compete to be the starting quarterback for the team."

Poll: Best Bengals Player To Wear No. 31 All-Time - Cincy Jungle: "Darryl Williams had two tours with the Bengals, each time wearing No. 31, earning a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection in 1997 when he played for the Seattle Seahawks. From 1992-1995 and 2000-2001, Williams played for Cincinnati finishing his Bengals career with 9.5 quarterback sacks, 11 interceptions with two returned for touchdowns. He also forced six fumbles and recovered nine while posting 446 tackles and recording a safety in 1995 as the team's free safety. Williams was the Bengals first round selection during the 1992 NFL Draft."

Create-a-Caption: Adam Schefter’s lockout job - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports: "We knew that the lockout was taking its toll on the men and women who write about pro football, but this is ridiculous! ESPN's Adam Schefter, who's among the most dialed-in about America's favorite sport, is usually a man with dual BlackBerries set to "stun" and a 24/7 schedule. But sadly, based on the picture above from Schefter's Twitter account, we must now presume that even the man himself has run out of stuff to cover. Thus, a new (and slightly less glamorous) gig."

Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator Trends | ProFootballFocus.com: "Although most football fans are aware of certain coach / coordinator trends (eg. Mike Martz means bad news for tight ends, Rex Ryan means tons of rushing attempts), many are overlooked, including ones as basic as the coach who calls a pass play the most often. In a world where we love our statistics, player projections, and fantasy football, it surprises me that there isn’t more of a focus on the trends we see from coaches.   Today, I’ll get the fun started by studying some relatively basic head coach and offensive coordinator statistics from the last three years."

Q&A: Broncos RB LenDale White must battle back from injury - The Denver Post: "At 235 pounds, LenDale White fits the profile of a John Fox running back, and at his best, White has shown nimble feet and some elusiveness in traffic."

Looking at whether players could send coaches practice tape | ProFootballTalk: "Alex Smith had one of those bright ideas recently that suddenly doesn't seem so bright when you're married.   He considered asking his wife to videotape the 49ers practices last week, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The idea would be to use the film as a teaching tool afterwards."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Hawaii governor: 'Stupid' for state to host Pro Bowl: "Abercrombie said Thursday that it's "so stupid" that Hawaii pays millions to host the Pro Bowl. "You can't do things like give four million bucks to a $9 billion football industry and not give any money to children," Abercrombie said according to The Associated Press. "You've got this spectacle of these multimillionaires and billionaires out there arguing about how they're going to divide it up, and then they come and ask us to bribe them with $4 million to have a scrimmage out here in paradise."

AEG discloses five candidates for Los Angeles relocation | National Football Post: "That includes the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars."

O'Hara glad Mara is key figure for owners in negotiations | National Football Post: "Mara was present in the Chicago suburbs for the first round of face-to-face meetings between the parties last week. He’s been a central figure throughout. O’Hara, the Giants’ representative to the NFLPA, told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post that is a good thing. "One of the things the players appreciate about John Mara is the Giants, it's in his blood," O’Hara said. "This isn't a business, this isn't something he bought and he's planning on flipping it."

Seahawks legend Walter Jones on Lockout, Hasselbeck, & Storm | KING5.com Seattle: "Seahawks legend Walter Jones takes in a Seattle Storm game. Chris Egan caught up with the former Hawk to talk about the NFL Lockout, Matt Hasselbeck's future in Seattle, and the Storm."