Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links For Gameday, Baby

Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, info, interviews, analysis --  from around the interwebs.

Seahawks.com Blog | Seahawks vs. Cardinals " - One to watch Seahawks TE Zach Miller vs. Cardinals SS Adrian Wilson: The Seahawks’ passing game needs a spark, the kind the Pro Bowl tight end who was signed in free agency can provide. If, that is, Miller doesn’t have to stay in to help in pass protection – as he has done while catching three passes in the first two games. Using Miller as a receiver also would help defuse Wilson’s big-play ability as a pass-rusher. He is, after all, one of only five safeties in NFL history with 20-plus sacks (22½) and at least 25 interceptions (26).

X's and O's of Vincent Jackson's TD vs. Patriots | National Football Post - I want to go back to the Chargers-Patriots game from Week 2 and focus on the 7 (corner) route WR Vincent Jackson ran to beat the New England secondary for a TD. Some great coaching points here to understanding the Xs and Os of the game, plus the technique of the CB position. A quick set up: the Chargers are in Ace personnel (2 WR, 2 TE, 1 RB) in a "Unit Wing Slot" alignment. Let’s check out the replay and then break it down.

The X's and O's of Newton's TD pass vs. Packers | National Football Post - The goal line fade. One of the top two route concepts (along with the one-step slant) that we see inside of the 5-yard line in the NFL. Today, let’s go back to Week 2 in the NFL and check out Cam Newton throwing the fade for a TD vs. the Packers. A quick set up. Carolina is in their Posse (or 311) personnel in a 3x1 set with a "cluster" alignment (TE at the point of a bunch look). Green Bay counters with a 2-4-5 sub-package look (2 DL, 4 LB, 5 DB) playing Cover 0 (blitz-man with no safety help). Check out the replay and then we will get into some coaching points…

Thiel: Gotta love the NFL; ‘Must-win’ already | Seattle Seahawks - The emotional mastery over fans and players must be complete when the NFL can create the mythology that in the third week of a 16-game season, any contest  "must" be won. None other than the quarterback of the visiting team, Kevin Kolb, asserted that the  Arizona Cardinals contest against the Seattle Seahawks at 1 p.m.  Sunday  at the Clink is in the category of do-or-die. "You hate to say this early in the season,  but we’re thinking of it as a must-win," he told local media this week, apparently without shame. "That’s our mentality. We’re upset with ourselves. Last week, we let one get away. So it’s very important for us to get off on the right foot, not only in the first quarter, but of course, it’s our first divisional game."

Seahawks hope healthy Rice can perk up woeful offense | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune - The Seattle Seahawks will finally unveil their shiny new toy they obtained during free agency. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said after practice that receiver Sidney Rice will play for the first time in a regular season game for the Seahawks on Sunday against Arizona in the team’s home opener. "He’s going to play," Carroll said. "He’s still probable. We’ve got to make sure he wakes up right and all of that, but he had a great week and we’re excited to have him back."

Seahawks Blog | Keys to the game: Cardinals at Seahawks | Seattle Times Newspaper - Three keys to Seahawks victory 1. Protect the passer. Only Chicago has allowed more sacks than Seattle after two games, and while Arizona has recorded a very mediocre five sacks so far this season, defensive coordinator Eddie Horton came from Pittsburgh. Expect the Cardinals to dial up the blitzes and try, and Seattle must be able to keep Tarvaris Jackson upright without keeping six and seven players in to block every play.

NFL Sunday: Five things to watch | National Football Post - 1. Texans’ defense: I want to buy Houston as a legit contender in the AFC this season, but I am also very interested to see how Wade Phillips’ defense plays tomorrow on the road in New Orleans. Can the Texans’ blitz front get home and what do we see from the secondary vs. Drew Brees? Because if you want to send pressure at the Saints QB you have to take away the "hot reads," play with leverage and drive on the football with solid technique. Great early season test for Mario Williams and the Houston defense in the Dome.

Wide receiver Sidney Rice to play on Sunday - Blog - MyNorthwest.com - Wide receiver Sidney Rice was finally cleared to play this Sunday in what will be his first regular season game in a Seahawks uniform. Rice had been sidelined for nearly a month with some labrum damage in his shoulder, but was a full participant in practice this week. "We’ve got to make sure he wakes up right and all of that, but he had a great week and we’re excited to have him back," head coach Pete Carroll said during his Friday press conference. Rice was officially listed as "probable" to play on Friday's injury report but is expected to see some action in Sunday's game. Carroll said he will maintain a rotation, spreading the time amongst the receivers.

Pro Football Weekly publisher explains decision to remove Seahawks video - Blog - MyNorthwest.com - On Friday morning, Pro Football Weekly released a video entitled "Squabble in Seattle," reporting a potential rift in the Seattle Seahawks' front office. "What we are hearing out of the great Northwest is that the marriage of convenience between Seahawks President and Director of Football Operations and head coach Pete Carroll and his general manager John Schneider, could be on rocky ground," Hub Arkush, publisher of the site, said in the video. "As a matter of fact," Arkush said, "Carroll is very unhappy with a lot of the moves that Schneider has made this past offseason." The video was removed from the website on Friday afternoon.

Cardinals at Seahawks: 5 things to watch | Seattle Seahawks & NFL News - seattlepi.com - 1. Runnin’ on empty Here’s an obvious statement for you: The Seahawks haven’t run the ball very well this season. Here’s another obvious statement: They’re not going to beat Arizona without improving. The Seahawks are averaging just 47.5 yards per game, which is – you guessed it – the worst rushing total in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable thinks the team may be close to figuring it out. "A breakthrough is really just around the corner for us, so we expect it sometime soon," Cable said. "The next couple weeks, I hope."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Seahawks' young safeties a major team strength - Looking for some positives in a Seahawks season that has already had more than its share of disappointments? We suggest looking at the starting safeties first. The consensus not only among daily team observers but around the league is that SS Kam Chancellor and FS Earl Thomas —  nicknamed "Thunder" and "Lightning," respectively — could become the NFL's most electrifying safety tandem.