Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Gameday

Read these! Then watch the game!

Seahawks.com Blog | Week 13: Seahawks at Bears
The Seahawks’ pass rush vs. the Bears’ patchwork offensive line: This might be putting the pass rush before the Seahawks’ ability to stop the Bears’ rushing attack, especially after they’ve allowed an average of 155 rushing yards in their past five games. But they have to find a way to contain Matt Forte, put Jay Cutler is a situation where he has to throw to beat them and then pressure the Bears’ gunslinger of a QB into making mistakes. That is, of course, asking a lot. The Seahawks have generated 12 sacks while going 1-5 on the road. And the Bears have compensated for the growing number of injuries to their linemen by using a quick-rhythm passing game. If the Seahawks are going to pull the upset, ends Chris Clemons (three of his eight sacks on the road) and Bruce Irvin (two of his seven sacks on the road) have to be more productive and disruptive against the Bears’ what’s-their-line blockers.

Protecting the football Priority One
The Seahawks know they can’t win on the road if they turn the ball over, but Sunday they’ll be facing the best team and player in the league at forcing turnovers in Charles Tillman and the Bears.

Seattle's Leon Washington wants return record - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com
"That's my goal. And to get it by a few so nobody can catch me," Washington said.

GameDay preview: Seahawks at Bears | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
1. Stop Chicago's running game. The run defense that was such a strength for Seattle earlier this season has become a real sore spot. The Seahawks didn't allow any of their first six opponents to rush for more than 100 yards, but three of the past five opponents have hit triple digits. For all the attention Bears quarterback Jay Cutler gets, the rushing game is the foundation of Chicago's offense. The Bears have rushed the ball 328 times this season, seventh-most in the league.

Seahawks CB Trufant likely out with hamstring injury | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
Already a concern while two Seahawks cornerbacks face possible suspension, the question of manpower in the secondary took on more immediacy Friday when veteran cornerback Marcus Trufant was listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game at Chicago because of a hamstring injury.

Underrated storylines: Vikings' D vs. Randall Cobb - NFL.com
Marshall remains the lone true threat in the Bears' pass game. He leads the team with 81 receptions for 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns. Running back Matt Forte's 27 catches is the second-most on the roster. Marshall basically is the pass game.

Brian Cushing undecided on low-block controversy - NFL.com
"I don't know," Cushing said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I'm obviously going to have no say in whether that happens or not. It's a huge part of the game the last couple years, especially with our offensive scheme. "I'm not sure. I'm not sure what to feel about that. Obviously feels a little strongly about it since something did happen to me. Obviously, players it's never happened to before could care less."

Sheldon Richardson leaves Missouri to apply for NFL draft - NFL.com
"This has been my dream ever since I was a little kid," Richardson said in a statement released through the Mizzou website. "It's still not easy leaving Mizzou like this, but I know I'm ready. I really appreciate all of the support I got here at Mizzou, and I know that they will help me and my family with this next step. I'll always be a Tiger."

Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson declares for 2013 NFL Draft - SBNation.com
Missouri Tigers defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson will leave school early and enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Percy Harvin, Ben Roethlisberger headline Week 13′s injury reports | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
From the blog Shutdown Corner: The Minnesota Vikings listed wide receiver Percy Harvin as "doubtful" for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. Harvin sprained his left ankle in a Nov. 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, causing the versatile weapon on offense and special … Continue reading →

Over-Rated Prospect - Devin Street | National Football Post
NFP analyzes Pittsburgh WR Devin Street.

NFP Friday Buzz: Babin, McClain and more | National Football Post
*Some of the players and coaches who have to play the 49ers in coming weeks were sorry to see Alex Smith demoted. One top pro personnel man described it like this: "Alex has a ceiling, a limitation, but he's serviceable. He won’t lose games but can’t win by himself like the special ones do. He limits how far they can go." Because Colin Kaepernick is somewhat of an unknown, the Niners will have an advantage until defensive coordinators can identify and exploit his yet to be discovered shortcomings.

Jay Cutler fined $10,000 for taunting | National Football Post
Brian Urlacher, Henry Melton also docked

All-22: Ball in the 'strike zone?' Throw the Pump-Seam | National Football Post
Using tape of Newton, Panthers to break down the route.

A Former Player's Perspective on the Rookie Wall, Pro Season Length | Bleacher Report
So, what the heck is all this rookie wall talk about? And, is it real? In short, you better believe it’s real. Being a rookie in the NFL is almost certainly the most taxing year of a player’s career...

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Futures: Alabama CB Dee Milliner
The cornerback class for the 2013 NFL Draft is a good group. None of them are potential superstars on the level of Patrick Peterson, but the depth is good. Two weeks ago I kicked off a study of the top of the cornerback class with NC State’s David Amerson, a tall, rangy ball hawk, who is skilled at playing off-man coverage. He can make a good Cover-2 corner, or could shift to free safety if he can become a better run defender.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Word of Muth: Protection Adjustments
Having to catch up with some things after Thanksgiving break meant I wasn’t able to write a typical column this week. This week will be entirely devoted to one play from the Cowboys-Redskins game on Thanksgiving. The play itself was pretty unremarkable (it set up a third-and-long), but FOX’s microphones picked up Tony Romo’s protection adjustments before the snap.

Bizarrely specific NFL fines come from agreed league, union schedule | ProFootballTalk
This year, the fines imposed by the NFL against players who have done things on the field they arguably shouldn’t have done have taken on a bizarre level of specificity.

The Sports Guy's Week 13 picks and trying to keep up with all the changes in the NFL - Grantland
TAs the only person who picked the Seahawks to make the Super Bowl, as well as someone who would have wagered on Seattle (laying three points) if gambling were legal, the call left me more outraged than Alton's whiny, pathetic, legacy-altering, mail-in-of-a-performance in The Challenge did three days later. I even wondered in a tweet why the league didn't make helmet-to-helmet and inadvertently-hit-someone-because-they-were-in-midair-when-the-target-moved-and-couldn't-stop-because-it's-effing-impossible-to-change-what-your-brain-already-told-your-body-in-less-than-a-split-second penalties reviewable. If the goal of the instant-replay process is "getting game-turning calls correct," then shouldn't coaches be able to challenge massively important 15-yard penalties that may have been interpreted incorrectly?

Schiano leading Bucs rush defense from worst to first
Under Raheem Morris, the Tampa Bay rush defense was always… what is the polite way to put this… accommodating to opposing running backs. Over Morris’ three-year tenure, the Buccaneers joined the Bills as either 31st or 32nd in all three major rush defense categories: rushing yards allowed, rushing yards per carry allowed, and rushing touchdowns allowed.