Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Wednesday

Hump day!

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | DVOA PLAYOFF ODDS REPORT
The playoff odds report plays out the season 50,000 times. A random draw assigns each team a win or loss for each game. The probability that a team will be given a win is based on an equation which considers the current Weighted DVOA ratings of the two teams as well as home-field advantage. (DVOA ratings are explained here.) Mean Wins is the average number of wins for this team over the 50,000 simulations. Odds are given for winning each playoff seed, as well as for winning the division (DIV), earning a bye week (BYE), or winning a wild card (WC). TOT represents odds of making the playoffs in any fashion.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 11 DVOA Ratings
It's no surprise that San Francisco returns to the top spot in the Football Outsiders DVOA ratings after last night's thorough dismantling of the Chicago Bears. The 49ers ended up with a single-game DVOA of 130.5%, which is the highest in any single game since the New England Patriots (at 130.9%) slaughtered the Tennessee Titans 59-0 in a freak October snowstorm back in Week 6 of 2009.

Michael Robinson Breaks Down the Seattle Seahawks' Success | Bleacher Report
Robinson visited with Jim Rome on his radio show Friday and discussed topics ranging from teammates Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, to why he feels the Seahawks are in position to break out following their past two 7-9 seasons and to his transition from Penn State quarterback to NFL fullback.

Adam Caplan's post on Fantasy Football | Latest updates on Sulia
Jaws: "There is a certain part of his game, and we all have a tendency to look at stats because that's kind of a primary thing to value players, but what's been impressive with Russell Wilson, he has made plays when the game has been tied or they're behind. The majority of his touchdown passes come in critical situations, and I'm a big believer in quarterbacks that manage critical situations. Which ends up being three, four, five a game that those are the turning points that allow you to win or lose a football game, and in those situations, Russell Wilson has been absolutely phenomenal. I'm very impressed with the way he's playing, and quite honestly, I'm surprised. I did not see this coming, but I guess Seahawks fans are very happy."

Footballogy : No Huddle Innovation - NFL Videos
The game of football has become even faster thanks to the no huddle offense. Footballogy's Brian Unger explores how this offense scheme came to be so popular.

Fourth-and-Short: Niners Dish Out a Recipe of Whoop-ass - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Well, very few people expected to see that. Although there were always rumors circulating that Colin Kaepernick would impress if the 49ers ever gave him the opportunity to take on their starting job, Kaepernick's stunning performance with little advance warning against the Bears last night put Alex Smith — and the rest of the NFL — on notice. While the Jason Campbell–led Chicago offense offered little resistance in terms of making the game a contest, the defense Kaepernick ripped apart had no backups to blame or excuses to make. After holding their first nine opponents to an average of 14.8 points per game, the Bears allowed 20 points to Kaepernick's offense within the first 24 minutes, and finished the game giving up a season-high 30 points, with the Niners tacking on two points with a bizarre fourth-quarter safety. What on earth happened in the Bay Area last night?

Cosell says the Saints are going to blitz Kaepernick if he plays
Q: What were your impressions of Kaepernick last night? COSELL: "Kaepernick obviously played really well. He threw the ball exceptionally well. That’s the obvious difference if you’re looking to compare quarterbacks before we talk about the specifics of last night. It’s not news, but obviously Kaepernick has a very strong arm. He snaps it off extremely well. Alex Smith would probably be viewed as having a better-than-average arm and nothing more. Maybe I’ve been hanging around Ron Jaworski for far too many years, but I’m a believer in arm strength, so I like that."

Seahawks.com Blog | Up next: Miami Dolphins
Star power: Marcus Thigpen. Reggie Bush would like it to be him, and the coaches and management would like it to be Ryan Tannehill. But we’ll go with a player who has done something this season that no one in the history of the franchise has accomplished – return a kickoff (96 yards) and a punt (72 yards) for touchdowns in the same season. That’s Thigpen. But this guy is no one-return wonder. He not only ranks fourth in the league in punt (13.6 yards) and kickoff (29.4) return average, he’s the only player in the NFL to rank among the Top 5 in both categories. The Seahawks’ No. 10-ranked special teams can’t allow him to break another. Asked during his Monday news conference what Thigpen does well to break those long returns, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said, "Well, he’s elusive No. 1, and I think he has very good speed, as you saw (Thursday night on his 96-yard kickoff return against the Bills). I mean those are two things as you look at the play that jump out at you. There was a good crease in there, there was good blocking. Now he goes and attacks, in this case it was the kicker; he makes the guy miss and then he has the speed to run away from people. That’s a good combination right there."

Seahawks back to work rested, healthy | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
"They came back with a lot of energy," Carroll said. "They feel really like you'd expected. You could tell. You could tell just by the way they ran around today that they had a lot of spring in their step."

Seattle Seahawks still have their health | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
"We’ve done a lot of things this year that are different to what we’ve done in the past," Carroll said. "We’ve taken a more holistic look at the athletes in general – everything from their rest, to their eating habits, to the way we bring them back – in every phase of it. … I don’t know if that has anything to do with it at all, but we’ve tried to take care of these guys from the time they came back to us in OTAs (organized team activities) throughout in a little different manner."

Week 12 - Carroll Press Conference Monday
Pete Carroll discusses the team's overall health after the bye week as well as getting back to work for a week 12 road game against the Dolphins.

Markus Wheaton (WR, Oregon State) vs UCLA " Seahawks Draft Blog
I included Markus Wheaton at #33 on the updated top 50 watch list yesterday, a sign of how keen I am to see him in Oregon State’s final couple of games. He’s not the biggest receiver at 6-1 and around 185lbs, but he’s up there with DeAndre Hopkins as one of the more under rated receivers eligible for the 2013 draft.

Silver linings: Rams vs. Jets - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 3-6-1 with a 27-13 home defeat to the New York Jets in Week 11

Silver linings: Cardinals at Falcons - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The Arizona Cardinals fell to 4-6 with a 23-19 road defeat to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

Jim Harbaugh's Dilemma: Making the Case for Colin Kaepernick over Alex Smith | Bleacher Report
When was the last time a first-place team with an NFC championship game appearance from the previous season had a quarterback controversy? After last night's eye-opening performance from Colin Kaepernick, there's no way the 49ers can avoid the discussion of a quarterback controversy leading up to their Week 12 game against the Saints. Kaepernick was an impressive 16-of-23 for 243 yards and two touchdowns.

Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: It is all about the Seahawks
Many Seahawks fans spent the bye weekend watching teams play from across the NFL. The most common question I was asked was, "Do we want team X or team Y to win in order to help the Seahawks?" It is a natural question, especially during a week when a Seahawks fan has no other rooting interest. It also is an annual tradition in Seattle, since Seahawks fans are so accustomed to being right on the edge of the playoffs. The franchise has a career record of 275-299. The team has finished with between 7-9 wins in twenty of their thirty-six seasons. Fans have become so accustomed to mediocrity that scoreboard watching is second-nature. I am no different. Usually, I am no different.

Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: Seahawks Secondary Remains Underrated
Seattle has the best secondary in the NFL. The evidence continues to mount that this is a unit that no quarterback wants to face, even if the national recognition remains elusive and the local attention is inconsistent.

The Matt Flynn Question - 12th Man Rising - A Seattle Seahawks Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
Last night’s Monday Night Football "backup bowl" is as good as an excuse as any to talk about Seattle’s backup QB, and what his future holds with the Seahawks. Baring an injury Wilson, he’s clearly never going to become the Seahawk’s starting QB. So what should the Seahawks do with him?

Greg Schiano's Tampa Bay Buccaneers embrace detailed plan - NFL.com
The Seattle Seahawks' playoff position. Seattle's shown plenty of progress in Year 3 of the Pete Carroll/John Schneider regime, but the team's inability to show that on the road this year is positively baffling. The Seahawks are 1-4 outside the Pacific Northwest, and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson's rating is nearly twice as good at home (122.0) as it is on the road (65.8). This week, the Seahawks get a 3,000-mile trip from one corner of the country to another (Miami), during a holiday week, with much on the line. Seattle has tiebreakers on the Vikings and Bucs for the sixth playoff spot, and the Saints and Cowboys are just one game back. Now, it's not like the Seahawks have been getting their doors blown off away from home; those four losses have come by a total of 21 points. So what does it all mean? This week could be a launching point to bigger things for Seattle. They travel to Chicago after this one, and then play three of their last four in Seattle. Or things could go the other way entirely, with Seattle surrendering the little breathing room it has left.

Matt Barkley not looking like elite quarterback prospect - NFL.com
When Matt Barkley returned to USC for his senior year, it was likely with visions of bagging a national championship and the Heisman Trophy before entering the NFL as the No. 1 pick in next April's draft. However, Barkley's performance in the disappointing season that ensued is threatening to send him plummeting down draft boards across the league.

Kevin Kolb may return to practice for fading Cardinals - NFL.com
The Arizona Cardinals have gotten poor quarterback play during their six-game losing streak. Could Kevin Kolb be reintroduced to the mix at practice this week? Coach Ken Whisenhunt hinted he will.

AFC West Practice Squad Breakdown - Part One | National Football Post
NFP takes a close look at practice squad prospects from the AFC West.

What QB controversy? Give the ball to Kaepernick | National Football Post
Young QB produced when given the opportunity.

MNF: Kaepernick, 49ers whip the Bears | National Football Post
My quick game notes from San Francisco's 32-7 win.

Kaepernick shines in first start but QB change in SF would be premature - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy
It's not exactly Joe Montana vs. Steve Young, but it is a legitimate, bonafide, honest-to-goodness quarterback controversy we've got going in San Francisco -- and not just because of what backup Colin Kaepernick did to Chicago Monday night but because of what his head coach said afterward.

Adrian Peterson, A.J. Green, Drew Brees -- NFL Awards favorites through Week 11 - Jim Trotter - SI.com
The pulse of the NFL season changes weekly. Every Tuesday, SI.com will break down the front-runners for the major NFL awards.

Pro Bowl Cheat Sheet: The NFC | ProFootballFocus.com
Khaled Elsayed makes his NFC picks for the Pro Bowl, and Calvin Johnson is left on the sideline.

Pro Bowl Cheat Sheet: The AFC | ProFootballFocus.com
Khaled Elsayed makes his AFC picks for the Pro Bowl, where the cornerback position is an open race.

Larry Fitzgerald on Cardinals quarterback problems: I’m far from flawless | ProFootballTalk
The Cardinals haven’t announced who will be playing quarterback for them this weekend, but none of the options qualify as the kind of talent that has been missing from the team since Kurt Warner decided to retire.

Adam Caplan's post on Philadelphia Eagles | Latest updates on Sulia
"Kaepernick's ability to get the ball down field scares the hell out of defenses. Alex Smith is a terrific quarterback, but you don't have the vertical game with Alex Smith that you have with Kaepernick."

Stanford Coach David Shaw on Oregon’s Offense | Smart Football
My affinities are well known, but I think all offenses should strive for this description: "The thing is, it’s not complicated," [Stanford head coach David] Shaw said of the Ducks’ offensive scheme. "It’s just complicated during the game. The adjustments they make are so subtle that you don’t realize it until they’ve scored three touchdowns on you. You change to try to cover what they’re doing, and they make another change. "They spend a lot of time looking at you. They run simple plays and however you’re stopping their simple plays, Chip takes advantage of what you’re doing, which is the brilliance of the simplicity."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Insider: Henne could be good if mentally tougher
"Jay Cutler is not as good as he was a year ago. His mechanics are really bad this year. There was a reason he clashed with Mike Martz — he pushes his quarterbacks hard. You know Cutler does not like anyone riding him. That’s why they didn’t get along. … He doesn’t have tight ends who can play. They can’t pass protect well, and he’s getting beat like a drum. That’s part of it, too."

Raiders release Aaron Curry | ProFootballTalk
The Raiders have released linebacker Aaron Curry, ending an experiment that never paid off for the former fourth-overall pick in the 2009 draft.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Any Given Sunday: Jets Over Rams
Rex Ryan's typical defensive game plan, if you haven't seen the Jets on TV in a while and have forgotten the back-to-back AFC Championship game appearances, is to confuse the quarterback with a series of elaborate zone blitzes. This Sunday, the St. Louis Ramsand Sam Bradford were swallowed whole by Ryan's scheme.

49ers Backup Colin Kaepernick Opened Up The Playbook And Shot Down The Bears Last Night
Monday Night Football yesterday was supposed to be a tiresome thump-fest between two teams with great defenses, each playing without its concussed starting quarterbacks. It was a night for slimming down the playbook and taping up ankles—like the prior evening's Ravens-Steelers game, with even more incomplete passes and stuffed runs.

Defense-needy Raiders cut Aaron Curry - AFC West Blog - ESPN
Oakland still owes Seattle a fifth-round pick in 2013. It gave the Seahawks a seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft for Curry. The trade was made by former Oakland coach Hue Jackson last October. The Raiders acquired Curry, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2009 draft, with the hopes of igniting his career.

THE LIST: The 24 saddest quarterback controversies since the year 2000 - SBNation.com
With some problems, there is just no right answer.

Bag a few Jaguars - Slingbox's Waiver Wired - Rotoworld.com
First-round quarterbacks have always received the benefit of a long leash thanks to their mega contracts and the franchise’s deep investment. Times could be changing for the better, however, after the post-lockout CBA greatly reduced rookie contracts, allowing organizations to turn the page if the young quarterback is holding the offense hostage.