Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Monday

Links. Just for you. Not you /waves you out of the way. You.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks clinch playoff spot with win over 49ers | Audibles - SI.com
"We’ll wake up tomorrow, we’ll have a half-game lead on the division," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said, "and we’ll come back to take care of business next week. … "It’s all how we handle it, how we respond."

Week 16 - Carroll Postgame Press Conference
Pete Carroll talks with the media following the Seahawks 42-13 victory over the 49ers at CenturyLink Field.

Sherman says chain of custody mistake in PED appeal - Dec. 23, 2012 | Seattle - Seahawks - TOP STORIES - Seattle's live and local sports station
Sherman didn't specifically confirm that was the argument but did say after the game there were mistakes made in the process. "It should go well," Sherman said. "There was a chain of custody mistake. There was mistakes made by the tester. The league’s argument was they’re allowed to make mistakes and they’re allowed to break the rules and they can get away with it. It’s up to them. The appeal officer is paid by the league so if he goes their way, that’s what it is. It’s not an even playing field in that appeal room."

CB Richard Sherman unsure on timing for ruling | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
"I think it went well," Sherman said. "We pleaded our case. We proved that they made procedural errors. That they violated the chain of custody. That the tester grabbed the cup, an unsealed cup, and poured my urine into it. That's a violation, but the league says they can do that and get away with it. "I may still lose because it is up to the league. It's not a neutral court."

Seahawks CB Richard Sherman on appeal: 'There was a chain of custody mistake.' | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
Sherman said he does not know when the ruling might come down, and that he would love to continue to fight should he lose his appeal, but he doesn't know if he can do that. "I wish I could," he said. "I don’t know if it’s possible. If I could pursue it further (I would), because I’d win a neutral court, but I don’t know if I can pursue it further.

Instant reaction: Happy Birthday, Jim " Seahawks Draft Blog
For the third week in a row, the Seahawks delivered a beat down. Except this one was a little bit different. It wasn’t against a hopeless Cardinals outfit, or a Bills team going through the motions. This was on a whole different level.

Quick hits: Seahawks rout 49ers, clinch playoff spot - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
The lead. The Seahawks turned in another dominant performance in front of a raucous crowd at CenturyLink Field and secured a spot in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. The Seahawks can win the NFC West if they beat St. Louis next week and San Francisco loses to Arizona. Seattle dominated in all three phases of the game, scoring five offensive touchdowns against a strong defense, forcing two turnovers and returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown.

Seahawks and their QB are hotter than hot - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers have a quarterback problem. This quarterback problem has nothing to do with their own quarterbacks or their coach's decision to replace Alex Smith with Colin Kaepernick a few weeks back.

Rapid Reaction: Seahawks 42, 49ers 13 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
What it means: The Seahawks improved their record to 10-5 and secured a playoff berth while establishing themselves as arguably the hottest team in the NFL. Their quarterback, Russell Wilson, strengthened his credentials as a candidate for offensive rookie of the year. The 49ers can still claim the NFC West title with a home victory over Arizona in Week 17, but securing a first-round bye appears less likely. That could be a concern for San Francisco given injuries affecting key players Justin Smith (elbow), Vernon Davis (concussion) and Mario Manningham (knee).

Wrap-up: Bears 28, Cardinals 13 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
What it means: The Cardinals fell to 5-10, moving closer to a second 5-11 finish in three seasons. Arizona again showed its ability to play strong pass defense, but there is now even less hope that any of the quarterbacks on the 53-man roster will factor in a meaningful way next season. Week 1 starter John Skelton was named inactive behind rookie sixth-round pick Ryan Lindley, who was benched during this game, and waiver-wire pickup Brian Hoyer.

Believe it, Hawks are best team in the NFL right now | Jerry Brewer | The Seattle Times
OK, now the nation knows, too: The Seahawks are on something ridiculous right now. Something more effective than Adderall, even.

Seahawks have something to say to Niners, NFL | Steve Kelley | The Seattle Times
Marshawn Lynch went looking for trouble, looking for someone to hit, looking for a way to show San Francisco that this Sunday night was going to be the kind of brawl the 49ers couldn't win.

49ers vs. Seahawks: Another Offensive Explosion Fuels Seattle into the Playoffs | Bleacher Report
Everyone and their dog thought this week's game against the division rival 49ers would become an instant classic. It became an instant classic all right, but not because it was a dog fight—it was an instant classic because Russell Wilson and the Seahawks put it on San Francisco in a big, big way.

NFL Week 16: Russell Wilson continues to impress | National Football Post
Plus, my notes on Christian Ponder, the Giants and more.

NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
3. John Schneider, Seahawks. He was not responsible for assigning the officials in the Fail Mary game, but he was responsible for drafting Russell Wilson in the third round and pushing him into the starting lineup. That may have been the move of the year. Among his other draftees were middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end Bruce Irvin, both of whom should make the all rookie team. Schneider gets help from a strong front office that includes Scot McCloughan, Tag Ribary and John Idzik, each of whom could be a candidate for a general manager’s position in the offseason.

Week 16 Judgements: Seahawks repay Packers for stolen win - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy
Thank you, Seattle. Three months ago, Green Bay fans cursed the Seahawks (not to mention replacement officials) for an unforgivable Packers' loss that wasn't a loss at all. Well, it took awhile, but justice has been served, and it was the Seahawks who served it. They did what was right and fair and returned Green Bay to a position where it can gain the second of two first-round playoff byes. It happened with Sunday night's defeat of the 49ers, with San Francisco dropping a half-game behind the Packers, and consider that payback for a victory the Seahawks know wasn't theirs. Green Bay should be the second seed, and, thanks to those dreaded Seahawks, will be if it beats Minnesota next week.

2012 RSP Sample: QB Skill Breakdown Sample | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
One of these reports is the Skill Breadowns that I perform by position. I use the play-by-play notes and checklist scores to create the report you’ll see below. This report ranks each quarterback according to the skill sets I grade with the play-by-play checklists. The report is a tier-based analysis and helps me arrive at my overall rankings for the position.

Sunday night wrap-up: Wilson showing his maturity | ProFootballTalk
Playing professional baseball is not a guaranteed predictor of success for NFL quarterbacks, or Chris Weinke would have been to many Pro Bowls. But there’s something about Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson that make it obvious that he learned from baseball, even if he didn’t succeed at it.

Playoff Picture: Who needs what in week 17
With week 16 in the books, it’s time to take a look at the playoff picture. In the AFC, it’s simple: we know the six teams that will be in the post-season. In the NFC, there are two spots still remaining and five teams trying to claim them. In both conferences, there will be battles for byes in week 17.

Updated Quarterback Rankings: 12.23.12 " Tom Melton's NFL Draft Blog
Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia- Smith may not be a perfect prospect, and he isn’t on the same level as Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III from a year ago, but he’s got the most upside of any QB in this class in my opinion. He’s got room to improve, but he has the size, arm strength, accuracy and work ethic to improve. He’s not ready to start Day 1, but I say that about a lot of rookies. However, despite the number of rare QB’s in last year’s draft (Luck, RGIII and Russell Wilson especially) Smith is not prepared to start Day 1 in my estimation. I don’t have a scouting report on him yet, but I’ll have one up after the bowl season is over most likely. For a brief summation of his season his season, click here.

No limits for complete Wilson, Seahawks - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
It's really easy to watch the Seahawks and get caught up in Russell Wilson. He is, after all, the most fascinating player on the field at all times. He plays the game's most important position and it does it unlike anyone since Fran Tarkenton (I'm told). He is cool, creative, smart, poised, accurate, fast, shifty, robotic, artistic, strong-armed, decisive and hard to contain. And now he'll be taking that act to the postseason, thanks to a 42-13 mollywhopping of the supposed best team in his division.