Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Gameday

GAMEDAY BABY.

Seahawks Vs. 49ers: Injury Updates, Roster Moves, Game Odds, News & Notes - SB Nation Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers for what's sure to be a playoff atmosphere this weekend at the CLink. Here's what you need to know.

Making a List: best and worst of 2011 contracts | National Football Post
The naughty and the nice from this year's deals.

NFP Friday Forecast | National Football Post
Here's a snap-shot on what to expect from your team in week 16 of the NFL.

Ex-Niners GM McCloughan seeing picks pay off - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
When the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers come to Seattle’s CenturyLink Field to face the Seahawks on Saturday afternoon, former general manager Scot McCloughan will be watching from afar, taking pride in the formidable team he helped build. That doesn’t mean McCloughan, a senior personnel executive for the Seahawks since June of 2010, is in any way ambivalent about the outcome.

Jim Harbaugh, 49ers missed chance on Seattle WR Doug Baldwin - Sacramento Sports - Kings, 49ers, Raiders, High School Sports | Sacramento Bee
Jim Harbaugh had Doug Baldwin on the line and let him get away. On the final day of the draft in April, Harbaugh dialed Baldwin, one of his wide receivers at Stanford, and told him the 49ers weren't going to select him. Instead he said they were interested in signing him as a free agent when the lockout ended.

On the Defense: The RSP Football Writers Project | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
Last week, Matt introduced the RSP Football Writers Project, in which a collection of football writers and thinkers will have 4-6 weeks to put together an NFL team. Each writer will have access to any player they want, but they’ll be forced to work within a salary cap and personnel requirements. More importantly, they’ll have to defend their choices as part of a coherent fundamental and philosophical approach.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Under Pressure: With a Whimper
If you have a rookie quarterback, it pays to have a pair of reliable tackles. They can give the quarterback a little extra time to work through his progressions, and they can help him learn how to be comfortable in an NFL pocket -- something that many rookie quarterbacks (here’s looking at you, Christian Ponder) don’t always seem to understand when they begin their careers.

Three to Focus on: 49ers @ Seahawks, Week 16 | ProFootballFocus.com
At the beginning of the 2011 season this might have been a decider for the NFC West. The defending champion Seattle Seahawks building in their second season under Pete Carroll and the San Francisco 49ers finally making best use of the talent on their roster under the direction of their new head coach. Only one of those pre-season prophecies has been realized but with a late season surge of form the Seahawks are still not out of playoff contention and this matchup is still one of the most intriguing on the Week 16 slate. After a crucial Monday night win over the Steelers the 49ers, coming off a short rest, have two divisional games left to clinch a first round bye whilst the Seahawks require two wins to have any hope of a playoff game. Something has got to give in this game.

The changing face of the 2012 NFL Draft | National Football Post
Barkley will return for his senior year while the Colts may not be a lock for the top pick.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Seahawks Homerism " The Matchups Zone
Someone wiser than me once said "If you’re not wrong, you’re not a homer." I can’t remember who said it. I could have read it on the Internet. I probably did read it on the Internet. Hell, Ben Franklin may have said it, I’m not sure.

Seahawks, 49ers on eve of something special | Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have a chance to go 7-1 in the second half, a feat accomplished by only one other Seattle team — the 2005 club that played in Super Bowl XL.

Turnovers like gold to Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
Forcing turnovers has been the key to success for both the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers this season. San Francisco leads the league in takeaways with 35, and the Niners also top the NFL with a plus-25 turnover differential.

Week 16 - Carroll Press Conference Thursday

Seahawks | Seahawks secondary could be one of best in NFL | Seattle Times Newspaper
It's not easy to stand out in Seattle's secondary. Not with two starting cornerbacks who would blend in on a basketball team and a strong safety in Kam Chancellor who could be mistaken for a linebacker.

Thomas better than his numbers | HeraldNet.com - Sports
The second-year safety's impact on the Seahawks' defense doesn't always show up on the stats sheet.

Seahawks.com Blog | Seahawks vs. 49ers "
SEAHAWKS VS. 49ERS When: Saturday, 1:15 p.m., CenturyLink Field Records: Seahawks 7-7 and tied for second in NFC West; 49ers 11-3 and already have clinched the NFC West title Ramifications: Seahawks need a win to remain in the playoff hunt; 49ers need a win to keep pace with the also 11-3 Saints for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs TV: Fox (channel 13 in Seattle), with Ron Pitts, Charles Davis and Drea Avent Radio: 710 ESPN and 97.3 FM, with Steve Raible, Warren Moon and Jen Mueller Rest of the West: Cardinals (7-7) at Bengals; Rams (2-12) at Steelers

Seahawks.com Blog | Friday in Hawkville "
FOCUS ON Turnovers. "It’s all about the ball." This isn’t just one of Pete Carroll’s cornerstone credos – something that just happens to be plastered throughout the team’s meeting rooms – it also will be a key to any upset hopes the Seahawks have in their Christmas Eve matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field.

Late round Quarterbacks of interest, Part I " Seahawks Draft Blog
Now that Matt Barkley has extended his holiday wishes to all the NFL teams and fan bases hoping to acquire his services next year, its time that we as as Seahawks fans accept the fact that our front office probably isn’t getting you that BB gun your metaphorical inner Ralphie badly wants next draftsmas. Instead, its time to start preparing yourself for socks, veal, or an embarrassing bunny suit. I wouldn’t completely rule out an 11th hour blockbuster shocker for RG3 should he declare: even Ralphie got his BB gun, but only when he least expected it. Failing a Hollywood ending, here are some names to keep in mind over the next 5 months as we begin the painfully long wait to what could well become the most anticipated Seahawks offseason in half a decade.

Red Bryant’s baby causes coach ‘confusion,’ makes Twitter explode - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
It's been a very good week for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Red Bryant. Last Sunday, he had a pick-six against the Chicago Bears in his team's Soldier Field demolition of Caleb Hanie. And on Wednesday evening, Bryant (all 6-foot-4 and at least 323 pounds of him) and wife Janelle welcomed their first child into the world. Joseph Brooks Bryant was happy and healthy, but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll took the opportunity to spread erroneous medical information via his Twitter account.

McCloughan's comment does him no favors - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Members of the San Francisco 49ers' tight-lipped front office surely must be nodding and laughing after reading bulletin-board material from former general manager Scot McCloughan, now a personnel man for the rival Seattle Seahawks. "They come ot our place Christmas Eve and we're going to beat the hell out of 'em," McCloughan said, according to Mike Silver.

Closer look at Seahawks' improved defense - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Arizona Cardinals have improved dramatically on defense over the last couple months. We've discussed some of the potential reasons. The Seattle Seahawks were better than the Cardinals on defense early in the season, but they have still made significant gains. They ranked 2011 Seahawks Defensive Rankings Stat Thru Wk. 9 Now Points/game 22 6 Yards/game 16 8 Takeaways 17 4 22nd in points per game allowed and 16th in yards per game allowed after Week 9. They currently rank sixth in points and eighth in yards. They lead the NFL in takeaways since Week 10 with 18, two more than San Francisco.

Will Marshawn Lynch find the end zone against the 49ers? | National Football Post
San Francisco’s defense hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all year.

Barkley's decision means Griffin will be hot commodity on draft day - NFL - Sporting News
Matt Barkley’s decision to stay at Southern Cal for his senior year will have a reverberating effect on the 2012 NFL draft. The supply of top-tier quarterback prospects was reduced to two, and you know what that means: There will be intense interest in Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin III. If the Indianapolis Colts end up with the top pick of the draft, the expectation is they will take Luck, regarded as the clear-cut No. 1.

What is Steve Spagnuolo's Biggest Flaw? - Turf Show Times
When Steve Spagnuolo was hired as the St. Louis Rams new head coach in 2009, it looked like the Rams finally got it right. They were bringing over a coach whose defense won the Super bowl against a then undefeated Patriots. It looked like it would be a match made in heaven.

2012 NFL Draft Order: How The Rams Could Get The Top Pick - Turf Show Times
It's now a horse race for the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. How can the St. Louis Rams end up with the top spot?

Scout's Notes: Ten Impacts Matt Barkley's Decision Has on College Football and the Draft | Articles
Now that we're all a good 12-24 hours at least past the shocking news (mostly broke on twitter than his actual 4 PM EST press conference) that Matt Barkley will be returning to USC for his senior season. In all honesty, it should be shocking at all. He's been a starter for this program for three years, through thick and (a lot of) thin moments. He's been passionate about his love for USC. And past USC great Matt Leinart likely barely hesitated in his decision to return to school.

49ers Vs. Seahawks: Five Questions With Field Gulls - Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers travel to the Pacific Northwest later today for a Christmas Even divisional battle with the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks in their season opener, thanks in large part to a couple big Ted Ginn returns for touchdowns. The 49ers never gave up the lead in the game, but they did let the Seahawks back into the game in the fourth quarter. The defense has developed a bit more consistency, but if Doug Baldwin is able to play it will be interesting to see how he does against the 49ers pass defense. I took a few minutes to chat with Danny Kelly from Field Gulls to get a better handle on his Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are one of the hotter teams in the NFL right now having won five of six. They need significant help to win the wild card, but they remain alive, which I think could make for a tough battle on Saturday.

Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: Franchise Stock Market: Comparing 49ers & Seahawks Futures
Saturday is going to be celebration of what has been a remarkably transformative season for the Seattle Seahawks. The team that played the 49ers in Week 1 no longer exists. It has been replaced by a steam-snorting, hard-charging, play-making collection of players that takes a backseat to no team. Bill Parcells famously said, "You are what your record says you are," and the Seahawks enter this game at 7-7 while the 49ers are 11-3. Ask the average fan which franchise has a brighter future, and 99% will pick the 49ers. After all, they have a legitimate NFL Defensive Player of The Year candidate in Patrick Willis, and multiple Pro Bowl players surrounding him on defense. Their new coach, Jim Harbaugh, will get some Coach of the Year votes. Seattle could easily go without a Pro Bowl player this year. Take a closer look, though, and it becomes clear choosing which franchise has the brighter future is not so clear cut.

Barkley stays at USC, Seahawks won’t get a QB in 2012 " Seahawks Draft Blog
In 1993, the Seattle Seahawks drafted a quarterback with their first round pick. It was the last time the Seahawks spent their first draft choice on a quarterback. By 2013, they’ll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of that event because this situation isn’t being resolved next April.