Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Friday

Friday!

How Oregon Coach Chip Kelly Can Spark 'Moneyball' Revolution In NFL | ThePostGame
For those who know Oregon coach Chip Kelly's mannerisms, his trademark smirk was in full effect. This was during the Ducks' first real "test" this season, a home game against Arizona, and they saw their opening drive end when the Wildcats stuffed quarterback Marcus Mariota for a 4-yard loss on fourth and 1.

NFL -- Managing players' families is tricky - ESPN
Agents and front offices can help players when demands from family members get out of hand, Andrew Brandt writes.

Midseason free agent bargains: Reggie Wayne, John Abraham headline the list | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
From the blog Shutdown Corner: As we've hit the midway point of the 2012 regular season, Shutdown Corner thought it would be a good time to take a look at the free agent additions (or retentions) that have turned out to be bargains, and those … Continue reading →

‘Max’s Guys’ improving with Unger at center of it | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
"I’m not the first one to deal with this, and I’m sure I’ll not be the last," Unger said. "This is the NFL, you deal with this stuff all year."

Seahawks' Leon Washington itching for a shot to take 1 to the house | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
"No doubt about it," Washington said. "That’s something that we talk about – when you do have an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it because of that. "I’m looking forward to later on this season, when the air is a little more chill and the ball doesn’t travel as far, and you’ll get those opportunities."

Option quarterbacks here to stay in NFL - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
"We borrowed some of the Redskins' ideas with RG3. While you're studying defenses you get to watch the opponents who played them," Bevell said earlier this season. "Some ideas are great, some you can't use because of your personnel." According to Bevell, it takes the right quarterback's skill set to mesh with a team's offensive philosophy. "RG3 and Russell are two different style quarterbacks. There are some things he can do we wouldn't ask Russell to do," he said. "We have to determine, is that a viable play, is it good for Russell and does it fit in with the scheme for us?"

'Sound FX': Soaring with Pete Carroll - NFL Videos
Take a ride with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll as he is mic'd up for Week 9's matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

Seahawks Insider podcast — Week 10 | Seahawks Insider
Eric Williams of The News Tribune and Rob Rang, senior draft analyst with NFLDraftScout.com, discuss the Seattle Seahawks upcoming contest against the New York Jets.

Listen to podcast - Pod Player - MyNorthwest.com
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah joins "The Kevin Calabro Show" and discusses the development of Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. He compares Wilson to Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and tells us what he will need to improve to help the Seahawks get to the Super Bowl.

Listen to podcast - Pod Player - MyNorthwest.com
Seahawks center Max Unger joins "Bob and Groz" to talk about the different types of things the Jets do on defense. He also talks about the recent national recognition he is receiving and shares a few thoughts on his college coach, Chip Kelly.

Midseason free agent busts: Mario Williams, Pierre Garcon headline the list | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Matt Flynn, quarterback, Seattle Seahawks: Tarvaris Jackson clearly was not the long-term solution at the quarterback position that the Seahawks were looking for, so it's hard to crush John Schneider and Pete Carroll for pursuing Flynn after missing out on Peyton Manning, the big fish of the free agent quarterback pond. Often reported as a $26 million deal, the real value of Flynn's contract is $19.5 million over three seasons, with $6.7 million in escalators and incentives tied to playing time in regular season and playing-time in the playoffs ($5.5 million) and post-season awards such as Pro Bowl and NFL Most Valuable Player ($1.2 million). Those escalators and incentives are probably moot, as Flynn lost the open competition to 2012 third rounder Russell Wilson and has yet to play a down this season, but at least he will take home $8 million in cash in 2012.

Chalk Talk: Lynch gets one-on-one, 3-yard touchdown - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
In the latest "Chalk Talk" video, Brock Huard explains what happened on Marshawn Lynch's 3-yard touchdown run during the Seahawks' 30-20 win over Minnesota. Note: You can watch the play on the Seahawks' website.

Wilson improves pocket presence, six starters miss practice - Nov. 8, 2012 | Seattle - Seahawks - TOP STORIES - Seattle's live and local sports station
"He’s clearly done a better job of making more use of the opportunity to throw the football," head coach Pete Carroll said. "...It was such a great teaching illustration for us and what we’re trying to get done, and we were rewarded with a touchdown as well. That’s good stuff. I think it will really add to the factor that Russell brings."

2013 NFL Draft -- Barkevious Mingo, Bjoern Werner, Star Lotulelei in top 50 - Tony Pauline - SI.com
The top of the 2013 NFL Draft looks like an inspired class with plenty of solid talent, but no dominant player in the mold of Andrew Luck, Calvin Johnson or Von Miller. Even considering that, there's an abundance of talent at the defensive tackle position, as well as offensive guard. Safety and running back bring up the rear of next year's draft class. Here are the top 50 players on the SI.com draft board at the NFL season's halfway point. (* denotes underclassman)

Seahawks.com Blog | Thursday in Hawkville: Now that he’s active, Thurmond wants to play
Was it a big deal, or just the next step in the progression to getting back on the field in a game? "Both," Thurmond said with a laugh. "I’ve been patient with it. Now I’m just ready when they call my number, so that’s all I can do right now." Which is considerable, when you consider that he began the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list, didn’t return to practice until two weeks ago and was activated after practice Wednesday. "It feels good," he said. "I’ve been out of the game for a little over a year now. So I’m just trying to get back out and make some plays, and continue where I left off last year."

NFL Regional Combines schedule announced - NFL.com
The NFL will conduct 10 Regional Combines and the 2013 Super Regional Combine beginning on Jan. 24-25, 2013 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the league announced. NFL Regional Combines, hosted throughout the country, serve as a supplement to the NFL Scouting Combine and provide an opportunity for players to display their skills before veteran NFL talent evaluators.

Tate’s TDs also come with style points
Golden Tate doesn’t just lead the Seahawks with five touchdown receptions; the former second-round draft choice has done it with a flair that is becoming a trademark of his still-emerging game.

Are Seattle’s biggest needs on defense? " Seahawks Draft Blog
When you think about it, there aren’t that many holes in Seattle’s offense. Sure, it was a difficult start to the year. That had to be expected breaking in a rookie quarterback. But now? Things look a lot more positive. And while improvements clearly can be made, I just wonder if this is a better group than we thought a few weeks ago?

The Shutdown Corner Mid-Season All-Rookie Team: The Offense | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
It's a bit early to decide which rookies have made a real impact with their teams, but halfway through the season, some first-year players have stood out and in some cases, gone out of their way to prove the wisdom of their front offices. Certain positions are heavily loaded with talent as they've rarely been before, and with others, just one or two players have set themselves apart. Here's an offensive team of kids that would give any veteran defense a pretty serious challenge.

Rams should have center Scott Wells back soon | National Football Post
Offseason pickup returning from broken ankle

Seahawks won't miss Revis on Sunday - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Seattle Seahawks won't have to worry about Darrelle Revis when the New York Jets visit CenturyLink Field in Week 10.

Video: Russell Wilson and his lack of a little man's complex | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
Russell Wilson has been surprising in a number of ways his rookie season. The fact he doesn't talk much trash, however, is hardly shocking.

In defense of defense: Seahawks' hasn't been that bad - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com
For discerning Seahawks fans and aficionados of the sweet science of defense, there have been some accusations about the Seahawks defense over the past three weeks – they're a disappointment and not living up to expectations. If it would please the court, I offer the following for those who over-analyze and nit-pick between Sundays:

Carroll sees growth after studying Redskins - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com
"They're way ahead of everybody else in terms of their commitment to a really college style of offense and it's been very effective," Carroll said. Griffin earned NFC player of the week honors in the first start of his NFL career and threw for 300-plus yards in two of his first four games as a pro. "I was impressed with how much they got out of it," Carroll said.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Film Room: Midseason Pro Bowl Team, NFC
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks Tenacious as ever, but Lynch is also showing patience and vision behind Seattle’s zone-blocking line. Without him, the Seahawks offense would be spinning mud.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Akers not quite as special as last season for 49ers
"He’s always going to be good," one team insider said of Lee, PFW’s Midseason All-Pro punter. "He’s so locked in. He does it all — booming punts, perfectly placed directional punts inside the 20, making punts at crucial times. He won the game in Seattle with his 60-yarder (66 yards to be exact) near the end. I can think of only one bad punt from him this year."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Rams rookie WRs a real study in contrast
"He’s really improving in the short-to-intermediate routes," Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said of Givens. "We’ve just got to get the ball to him. One of his long plays was a quick screen, and he’s that explosive, he just hit the crease and made a big play for us."

Turf toe could keep Bart Scott out against Seahawks | ProFootballTalk
The turf toe injury that ended Bart Scott’s streak of 119 consecutive games played two weeks ago in Miami could force him to miss yet another game for the New York Jets.

The Trenchie Awards: Tampa Bay's O-Line, Von Miller, and the Best Line Play From Week 9 - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
In celebration of the NFL's release of the all-22 and end-zone film for the 2012 season, each week we'll be bringing you the best in offensive- and defensive-line play. For the winners of last week's Trenchie's, click here.