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NFL trade deadline: Titans TE Jared Cook requests trade, according to report - SBNation.com
Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook has requested a trade, according to The Tennessean's Jim Wyatt. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday.
NFL trade deadline: Salaries likely to prevent Dwayne Bowe, Steven Jackson from moving, according to report - SBNation.com
The NFL trade deadline is only a day away, but, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, it is expected that two big names, Rams running back Steven Jackson and Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, will not be on the move because of their contract situations.
Thoughts on Matt Barkley vs Arizona & a down year for QBs " Seahawks Draft Blog
Drafts that aren’t dominated by quarterbacks are rare. You have to go back to the year 2000 to find one – Chad Pennington was the sole quarterback taken in the first two rounds. He was the 18th overall pick. Next April, we could see a repeat.
Deadline Darlings? - Slingbox's Waiver Wired - Rotoworld.com
Chris Wesseling looks at the potential fantasy repercussions of Thursday's trade deadline in this week's Waiver Wired.
It’s not how you start, but how you finish
We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2012 season, and that means one very important thing. It’s finish time.
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 8 DVOA Ratings
We have a surprising new number one in this week's DVOA ratings: Denver. The DVOA system believes that Denver's dominating victory over New Orleans (54.1% DVOA) was slightly dominating-er than San Francisco's dominating victory over Arizona (49.5% DVOA), and along with the continued expansion of our strength of schedule adjustments -- now at 80 percent -- that puts the Broncos slightly ahead of the 49ers.
Following their Lynch-pin leader
"We didn’t play well enough on the road in the first half, is really what it comes down to," Carroll said. "We didn’t finish the games we were close in. We had as many close games as anybody, and we had a chance to win them all. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn. "So we try to take those experiences and what we have learned – and really the comfort in being in those settings – and we’ve got to execute better down the stretch and see if we can win all of those games this time around and see if we can benefit from what we’ve been through."
St. Louis Rams' Stephen Jackson still has gas in tank for contender; mail - Peter King - SI.com
Steven Jackson could be moved. I've thought all along, based on the pin-drop quiet of the preliminary trade talks, that there wouldn't be a big deal before the trade deadline (pushed back from week six to week eight this year, and now pushed back two days more because of the superstorm), which is now Thursday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. But I'd put the chances at 55 percent that Jackson, the 29-year-old running back with a couple of good years left in the tank, will be traded, based on the opinion of one AFC personnel man this morning. "Even though he's due a lot of money,'' the source said, "he's got real value for a contender because he can still play, and there're a few teams out there that really need a running back."
Silver linings: Cardinals vs. 49ers - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The Arizona Cardinals fell to 4-4 with a 24-3 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8. The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
QBR ranks: Wilson, Smith near front of line - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (93.7 QBR, 96.8 NFL rating): Wilson completed 25 of 35 passes (71.4 percent) for 236 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and zero sacks. He gained nine yards and a first down on his lone rushing attempt. Wilson has shown improvement against the blitz. The Lions appeared reluctant to come after him. Detroit sent five or more pass-rushers against Wilson four times. Wilson completed three passes on those plays, all from within the pocket. That included a 16-yarder on third-and-5 and a 10-yarder on second-and-4.
Seahawks.com Blog | Tuesday in Hawkville: A look at Wilson’s ‘prosperous’ first half
"One of the big focuses in looking at the quarterback position – you all ask those questions, ‘How’s he doing?’ and all – he’s had a very prosperous first half of his first year," said Carroll, the team’s third-year coach. "In that he’s grown, he’s been attacked, he’s been under the gun in so many games. "And Russell has shown his ways and his character and his athleticism. He’s done some great stuff first time around."
Seahawks.com Blog | Midseason honor roll
MVP: Marshawn Lynch. Four 100-yard rushing games. At least 85 rushing yards in seven of the eight games. A career-best 4.8-yard average. No. 2 in the league is rushing, 18 yards behind the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson. A combined 170 touches with only 12 minus-yardage plays, offset by 14 runs of 10-plus yards. As lead-blocking fullback Michael Robinson put it, "If we know anything, we know the dude can run the ball." And just when you thought you’d seen the entire Lynch portfolio, he breaks a career-long 77-yard touchdown run in Sunday’s game against the Lions. "He doesn’t generally run straight that long," coach Pete Carroll said. "He’s usually moving everywhere. So it was fun to kind of watch him run in a straight line for once. And he looked pretty darn good."
Seahawks.com Blog | Up next: Minnesota Vikings
Star power: Adrian Peterson. Remember all the handwringing about when the Vikings’ Pro Bowl running back might be fully recovered from tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee on Christmas Eve and if he’d still be the same back? Peterson is answering those concerns. Emphatically. He leads the NFL in rushing (775 yards) and total yards (914). He is averaging 5.1 per carry. He has caught 23 passes. He is tied for fifth in first downs produced (39). Obviously, Peterson isn’t just another back. Says wide receiver Sidney Rice, who played four seasons with the Peterson in Minnesota before signing with the Seahawks last year, "He’s special. You make your block, and you know he’s going to do something with it. And if you don’t, he’s still going to do something with it."
Improved passing offense a silver lining for Seahawks - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
It could have been better had Rice hauled in a deep pass that went off his fingertips. On Seattle's first possession of the second half, Rice got behind Detroit's secondary deep down the middle of the field only to short-arm a well-placed throw from Wilson. It wasn't an easy catch, but one that a No. 1 receiver should make. "I was running it down and misjudged it and didn't get my arms out there far enough," Rice told "Bob and Groz" on Monday. "That's one we would definitely like to have back – or I would."
WR Obomanu placed on IR; Kearse signed to active roster | Seahawks Insider
At 6-4 and 299 pounds, Person is listed as a tackle, but can play guard and center for the Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks Progress Report: Where Do Things Stand Heading into Week 9? | Bleacher Report
Another week, another load loss for Pete Carroll's Seahawks. After starting the season at an impressive 4-2, they have quickly dropped to third place in the NFC West over the last two weeks. 4-4 at the halfway point is manageable going forward, but 5-3 or even 6-2 would have been much more favorable heading into the second half of the season.
Report: Cardinals interested in Ravens LT McKinnie - NFL.com
The Cardinals have gotten ineffective play from both starting tackles this season. After another stinker against the 49ers on Monday, the team reportedly has interest in Ravens veteran Bryant McKinnie.
Week 9 NFL Power Rankings: Atlanta Falcons still flying highest | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
10. Seattle Seahawks (4-4) Last week: 10 In the last two losses, Seattle's defense allowed 175 rushing yards to the 49ers in Week 7 and the Lions converted 12-of-16 third-down conversion attempts in Week 8. The Seahawks' defense remains an elite unit, however, particularly at CenturyLink Field, where they'll host the Vikings and Jets before their bye week.
49ers demolish Cardinals; Alex Smith’s performance quiets ‘Jive-Turkey gobblers’ | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
For the second straight game, the San Francisco 49ers took their supposedly stodgy, unexciting offense and beat the excellent defense of an NFC West opponent over the head with a surprising number of strategic wrinkles. Two Thursdays ago, Jim Harbaugh's power running game beat the Seattle Seahawks into submission, and on Monday night, the Arizona Cardinals were helpless to stop a very interesting set of play concepts.
Titans vs. Colts Film Review: Jerry Gray's Just Guessing - Music City Miracles
Jerry Gray doesn't have any idea what is going on out there.
It’s Time For Ponder To Tap Into His Inner Obi-Wan Kenobi - Daily Norseman
If defenses know how to rattle Ponder, he needs to find a way to rattle them right back.
Chalk talk video: Gronkowski vs. Rams' Cover 2 | National Football Post
Breaking down the TE's TD catch on the chalkboard.
NFL Draft Risers and Fallers - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
Draft Risers and Fallers are determined by CBSSports.com and NFLDraftScout.com and list the QBs, RB WRs, DEs, LBs and other positions have a rising or falling stock in the NFL Draft.
ReFo: 49ers @ Cardinals, Week 8 | ProFootballFocus.com
The Cardinals fast start officially fizzled out against a 49ers team nobody is sleeping on. Ben Stockwell breaks it down.
ReFo: Patriots @ Rams, Week 8 | ProFootballFocus.com
The Patriots answered an early strike by churning out scoring drives of their own in this thoroughly one-sided affair.
BQBL: Sam Bradford's Across-the-Pond Troubles - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
This week in BQBL was just … well … weird. We had TAINTs, we had benchings, we had a postgame Mike Vick act like he was in an eighth-grade relationship gone bad — breaking up with Andy Reid before Andy Reid could break up with him. Yet we didn’t have a single quarterback score more than 50 BQBL points. Also, despite some gloriously terrible things, two of our top three scorers gave their respective teams a good chance to win the game. The other one? Well, let’s just say that whatever impressionable British youths the NFL was hoping to convert with this "football" game in London are likely buying Tom Brady jerseys, not Sam Bradford jerseys.
Is This Real? Your 7-0 Atlanta Falcons - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
While it might seem like football just started yesterday, incredibly, we're coming up on the halfway point of this NFL season this weekend. Week 9 is a good time to take a step back from the game-to-game grind and examine each team with a longer view — so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Over the rest of the week at Grantland, I'll be taking a look back at how some notable teams and players have performed over the first half while looking forward to how things might change during the final half of the season.
General Patton - Evaluations - Rotoworld.com
The wide receiver position is arguably the most difficult to draft. Go through a list from any year and you’ll find a high pick that’s failed to live up to his billing. The reason for this is largely because of two aspects of the game that players at positions also sometimes fail: mental and physical.
Scouting Report: Keenan Allen, WR, California " Tom Melton's NFL Draft Blog
Allen is a player I have had my eye on since early in his freshman year at Cal and he has done nothing but impress me ever since.
Hey Lavonte | Draft Breakdown
There are some guys who just don’t deserve to fall on draft day. It seems like anyone who has ever watched some film on a guy, knows he’s a bona fide stud, yet he still finds a way to take a tumble. Now, I’m going to take the injury factor out of consideration here. There’s just too much information we could never possibly know about this, and it’s often a valid reason for a player falling. Another potential reason for a fall is character issues, but that’s a controversial issue even amongst arm chair GMs, and not one worthy of getting in to in this article
Hardcore Football Pt. 1 10-29 - Seattle's live and local sports station
Furness has Hugh Millen on to talk football from an "x’s and o’s" stand point.
Hardcore Football Pt. 2 10-29 - Seattle's live and local sports station
Furness has Hugh Millen on to talk football from an "x’s and o’s" stand point.
Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com 10-26 - Seattle's live and local sports station
From NFLDraftScout.com, our weekly visit with Rob Rang
10-29 Zach Miller - Seattle's live and local sports station
Seahawks TE on his fantastic catch vs Lions.