Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Friday

LINKS!

Signature Stat Snapshot: Tackling Efficiency, DBs | ProFootballFocus.com
Cornerbacks and safeties man the margin layer of defense and operating in that space means any faulty tackling could lead to major damage. Which DBs are getting the job done as tacklers and which have been turnstiles when facing ball-carriers?

Don't expect Seahawks' third-down issues to linger - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com
The best third-down defense in the NFL belongs to the Dolphins, whose opponents are converting just 22 percent of the time. The worst team is the Bills at 47 percent. The Seahawks currently rank 27th, allowing third-down conversions 44 percent of the time.

NFL Halftime Report: The Numbers Game - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
With most teams about to get their eighth game in the books this upcoming weekend, we're getting to the point where we can begin to get an idea of how

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks: betting odds, preview, pick - SBNation.com
Seattle looks to continue its home domination, which has made Seahawk backers very happy this season. They give five points to visiting Minnesota on the Week 9 odds menu.

Listen to podcast - Pod Player - MyNorthwest.com
Mike Sando of ESPN.com joins "The Kevin Calabro Show" to discuss some of the key matchups in Sunday's Seahawks-Vikings game. Sando thinks 9-7 seems like a realistic final record for Seattle.

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson reflects on first half (while wearing a Sounders scarf) | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
"I think I played well," Wilson said of his first half. "Obviously I wish a had a couple more wins on my belt, we’ve lost a couple of games right there at the end, but the great thing about it all has been, for me as a rookie playing the quarterback position, all of those games have come down to the end of the game. I don’t think it can get any better in terms of being a rookie, for this organization and for me personally, to be in those situations and understand those situations that much better and still play at a high level in those situations."

Seahawks CB Richard Sherman: We just want respect
"The Tom Brady situation was more making sure that my teammates got the respect they deserved," Sherman said. "My teammates don't care about what he said, or how he disrespected them, but I'm not going to let the disrespect go if I have can have something to do about it. The Optimus Prime stuff, that was just all in fun."

Russell Wilson's next challenge: 3rd quarter - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Russell Wilson has cleared initial hurdles during his rookie season as the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback. Many more hurdles await. Some of the same ones will appear again.

Seahawks.com Blog | Where to watch, listen to, and follow Sunday’s game at CenturyLink Field
Seventeen percent of the nation’s TV sets will receive Sunday’s Seahawks-Vikings game on FOX (channel 13 in Seattle) at 1:05 p.m. PT. Chris Myers (play-by-play) and Tim Ryan (commentary) will have the call, with Jaime Maggio working the sidelines. Here’s a look at the markets that will receive the Seahawks’ home matchup at CenturyLink Field.

A.P. vs. Beast Mode
"They’re different, but they’re the same," Rice said.

Trading places: Not likely in the NFL | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
Welcome to the most overblown day in the NFL schedule: the trade deadline. Any trades must be completed by 4 p.m. on Thursday. Some will blame the timing for the reason it will be such a dud, pointing out that if it were later in the season, teams would be more willing to cut bait. They should really blame the nature of the game of football, which does not lend itself to quick changes nearly so much as other sports.

Alex Smith no longer San Francisco 49ers' defect; Week 9 notes - NFL.com
Alex Smith has long been viewed as the Achilles' heel of Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers. No longer. Albert Breer says the QB has raised his game, making the Niners nearly unbeatable.

USC's WRs pose threat to Oregon's BCS hopes | National Football Post
Can the Ducks contain the dynamic pair of Trojan playmakers?

After Further Review: Miami's huge interior linemen the secret to stingy defense - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy
The key to the Dolphins' surprising defensive success this year? Pete Prisco says you must look past rusher Cameron Wake and shut-down corner Sean Smith and start with Miami's beefy run-stopping interior linemen.

Reads Listens Views 11/2/2012 | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
Football Reads I’m a big fan of the writers at FieldGulls.com. While the Seahawks have become my favorite NFC team to follow, I enjoy the analysis Danny Kelly and Mike Chan provide. While the articles are Seattle-focused, the themes are universal to the game.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Film Room: Vikings-Seahawks
With all the attention this week going to the NFC East teams (as usual), we’re going to go against the grain and spotlight two surprising, lesser-known NFC playoff contenders: the 5-3 Vikings and 4-4 Seahawks. With these clubs being under the radar, a classic unit-versus-unit analysis is the best way to break down this Week 9 match-up.

Signature Stat Snapshot: Drop Rate, WRs | ProFootballFocus.com
Drops. They can kill a team. If you don’t believe me just ask the Chargers. In difficult conditions if Robert Meachem doesn’t drop that ball then it wouldn’t be the biggest leap to say they win in Cleveland. But he didn’t catch that ball, and they lost. And it’s adding another argument to the case building against Norv Turner.

2013 NFL Draft: How good of a prospect is A.J. McCarron? - SBNation.com
A.J. McCarron is outperforming the rest of the junior quarterbacks this season, but is he the best NFL Draft prospect of the bunch?

Midseason Mock Draft - Mock Drafts - Rotoworld.com
There is a love and hate relationship with mock drafts. First, many seem to get stuck in groupthink, leading to outrage when a certain player is or is not mentioned in the top-32 picks because of how "unrealistic" that would be. Then those same people are stunned after the Draft because of the surprise selections. One of my main goals, especially this early in the process, is to introduce you to some new names that could ultimately end up as one of the top players at their position. I will shoot for accuracy at a later date. For now, this is all in fun.

A Familiar Foe
Wide receiver Sidney Rice stops by Hawk Mail to talk about what it will be like to go up against the Minnesota Vikings - his former team - this Sunday at CenturyLink Field.