Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Tuesday

It's the second day of the week! Or third, if you count Sunday as the first day of the week!

Option routes, and why they drive some receivers crazy | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
"Most everything we do has an option to it," Seattle Seahawks receivers coach Kippy Brown (who directs receivers in a run-based West Coast offense) told me in early June. "There are very few routes that are what we call 'run-it' routes -- those are routes that stay on, no matter what. Usually, you have a conversion of some kind. Now, routes I've been associated with that are called options are normally slot routes. Guys in the slot will do certain things depending on how [the defense plays] you. We do our share of those. In the West Coast offense, an option route could go either way -- a lot of people call it a 'jerk' route -- where you go in, set the linebacker up, and then go either way. It depends on the terminology, and what you want to call an option route, but in our offense, nearly every route has a conversion. If they do this, you do that."

Former Rams GM Billy Devaney opens up about what went wrong in St. Louis | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
It's fair to say that former St. Louis Rams general manager Billy Devaney has stepped on a few cracked sidewalks through an NFL career that started in 1979, when he was hired as a college scout for a Washington Redskins team that went on to win three Super Bowls in a span of a decade. Devaney followed Redskins GM Bobby Beathard to San Diego in 1990 and lasted until 2000, when the regime that drafted Ryan Leaf in 1998 was sent packing. Devaney was also the Atlanta Falcons' assistant general manager for one year -- unfortunately, that one year was 2007, when the Falcons were dealing with Michael Vick's arrest and imprisonment, not to mention Bobby Petrino being ... well, Bobby Petrino.

Billy Devaney discusses what went wrong with Rams - NFL.com
A miserable 2011 season doomed Billy Devaney's tenure as Rams GM. But what exactly led to his downfall? Devaney explains how a lack of talent, combined with some bad breaks, did it.

The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Greg Cosell on the AFC South Draft | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
With the draft over and all wrapped up, we thought it would be a good idea to get back on the phone with our buddy Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN's "NFL Matchup," and talk about the NFL by division. Who did themselves the most favors in the draft, and who came up short when addressing their roster deficits?

Laying down the Law
Cordarro Law wasn't drafted, but the rookie defensive end has been displaying - and even flaunting - his athletic ability in two sports since signing with the Seahawks.

Examining passing distribution in the NFL since 1970
How has the passing game of the NFL evolved over the last 40 years?

Getting to the quarterback early and often - NFC West Blog - ESPN
With the Seattle Seahawks' defense looking to apply greater pressure on early downs in particular, according to 710ESPN Seattle, I thought it might be interesting to check out 2011 sack totals by down. Those more interested in looking at pictures than reading words can skip right to the charts. I won't hold it against them.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2011 Formation Analysis: Number of RBs Part I
Continuing our look at game-charting statistics from the 2011 season that'll be featured in Football Outsiders Almanac 2012, this time we'll examine the tendencies and performances of running offenses based on the number of running backs they used. We'll hit defense in Part 2.

What can we learn from the failures of the 2009 head-coaching class? - NFL.com
My eyes opened a little bit yesterday when I read this item on MLive.com about the class of head coaches hired in 2009. Well, my eyes had to be open to read it, but you get the idea. I was surprised. Turns out, Jets coach Rex Ryan and Lions coach Jim Schwartz are the only surviving members of an 11-person group of head coaches hired in 2009. I guess I knew this. But I just didn’t really think of it in that context. That’s kind of amazing. Of a whopping 11, just two are left standing.

'NFL AM' kicks off July 30 on NFL Network - NFL.com
Fans can now start their day with the NFL like never before – with a new, live weekday morning show on NFL Network. 'NFL AM' kicks off July 30.

Flat salary cap will force NFL teams to restructure rosters - NFL.com
The salary cap stayed the same this year and likely will remain flat in 2013. Michael Lombardi says this will induce league-wide roster restructuring, putting players like Ben Tate on the trading block.

Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow, Saints hierarchy top summer subplots - NFL.com
We've reached the dog days of summer, but there are plenty of storylines to study as we move toward training camp. Steve Wyche has five subplots to watch, including the Jets' QB conundrum.

Breaking Down What the Seattle Seahawks Can Expect from Bruce Irvin | Bleacher Report
Bruce Irvin was definitely the first name in the first round that sent more casual fans of the draft scrambling for details...

Brock and Salk Blue 42 - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Why will calling plays during practices help Bobby Wagner's development? How can Matt Flynn take a giant leap in Ron Jaworski's quarterback rankings? Why doesn't one ESPN analyst think Bruce Irvin will be one of the league's 15 best pass rushers in 2015?

Jaws' QB Countdown: Alex Smith - NFC West Blog - ESPN
We already knew the San Francisco 49ers' Alex Smith would stand as Ron Jaworski's highest-ranked quarterback from the NFC West. We did not know how high Smith would rank, or what Jaworski would say about him in his ongoing "Countdown" segments for "SportsCenter.

2011 Season Recap, Week 16: 49ers @ Seahawks - Niners Nation
We recap the 2011 Week 16 match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in this NFC West battle.

Great Starts: 2011′s best third-day draft picks | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
From the blog Shutdown Corner: For the next entry in our Great Starts series, we turn out attention to those draft picks who impressed the most in 2011 despite their status as third-day picks -- those players taken from the fourth through seventh rounds. New … Continue reading →

San Francisco 49ers – Niner Insider Blog – SFGate.com
The 49ers will have an exceedingly crowded field at wide receiver. Watching the participants during off-season practices, you wonder, "Who can they cut?"

Where the Seahawks stand with Chris Clemons - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
John Clayton's weekly conversation with "Bob and Groz" began with a question about Chris Clemons' contract situation. Clayton said he doesn't expect the Seahawks and Clemons to reach an agreement before the Fourth of July, adding that the deal will likely be for three years at about $7 million or $8 million per year.

Bobby Wagner says he's grasping Seahawks' defense - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Rookies face a difficult transition mentally from college to the NFL. For middle linebackers who are vying to start right away, it's even harder. That's the challenge for Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks' second-round pick who is trying to earn a starting job at a position that has an awfully steep learning curve.

NFL Team Scorers Are the Most Important People in the League You Don't Know | Bleacher Report
When your job is to break down NFL football and record statistics in the process, you tend to notice things most people wouldn’t even think of. Most of us just assume that there is some uniform process for stat-taking, controlled from above and taken care of by league officials, and while such a body does do a little nipping and tucking here and there, the majority of the legwork is done by individual team scorers—32 of them—who are tasked with tallying up things like tackles as they happen, without much to help them out in terms of accuracy.

ProFootballWeekly.com - These rookies could surprise in 2012
This year's crop of rookies has a lot to live up to after 2011's class, but we look at the third-rounders and below who could surprise in Year One.

Bruce Irvin can relate to Adam Jones' story - NFL.com
Seahawks DE Bruce Irvin had a rough upbringing. When Adam Jones gave a speech warning rookies to stay on the straight and narrow, Irvin knew exactly what the NFL veteran was talking about.

Smart Links – Trick plays, TESF, Gruden’s Game Plan, Play-calling Jargon, All-22 – 6/25/2012 | Smart Football
Let's bring this one back -- the old Starburst play, run by, of course, Spurrier's old Florida Gators: - That said, not all trick plays are worth...

New Jaguars owner Khan would be wise to clean up Jones-Drew, Scobee messes now - NFL - CBSSports.com
Shahid Kahn is a success story, but the new Jaguars owner faces contract challenges with holdout Maurice Jones-Drew and kicker Josh Scobee. Jason La Canfora says paying both would help Kahn win over a wary fan base.

NFL's 10 Biggest Jerks: Wideouts rule, but plenty of nasty to go around - NFL - CBSSports.com
There was a temptation to load our NFL 10 biggest jerks roster with Lions. But that would be too easy. Instead, Mike Freeman does due diligence and finds the most deserving to complete our exercise.