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Hump day!
Seeing Rishaw
Rishaw Johnson came to the Seahawks from a smaller school, and as an undrafted free agent, but the rookie guard could develop into a big-time talent and it didn't take him long to catch Pete Carroll's eye.
NFC West improved, but work to be done - NFC West Blog - ESPN
SFfan_inNY has a couple of sack-related questions I'm all too happy to address before sacking the subject for a while. "How many of NFC West teams' total sacks were just against each other?" he writes. "Our teams were first (Rams), second (Cardinals), fourth (Seahawks) and seventh (49ers) in most sacks allowed. Four of the top five sacking teams played our division (Eagles, Giants, Ravens, Bengals)."
The insanity of crowning a team the next great thing and the NFL's Top 100 Players list - Grantland
Why it's dumb to anoint a team ready for the Super Bowl. Plus, breaking down the NFL's Top 100 Players list.
Coaching records in close games
Which coaches have the best records in close games? That’s a complicated question that either means everything or nothing, depending on whom you ask. But putting aside what it means, what are the actual results?
Playbook: Bears' Marshall in a 'stack' alignment | National Football Post
Drawing up four concepts that will lead to production.
How do you create 'A' gap zone pressure? | National Football Post
Drawing up Ruby 'Gut' Fire Zone on the chalkboard.
Lane Kiffin and the history of USC football - Grantland
Examining USC's history of unorthodox head coaches and the maturation of Lane Kiffin.
Fitzgerald raves about Tebow | ProFootballTalk
Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald isn’t saying much about the quarterbacks currently on his team, but he’s saying plenty about a guy who plays on the other side of the country.
Three Years of Pass Rushing Productivity: Edge Rushers | ProFootballFocus.com
It’s creeping up on us, but not quickly enough to satisfy us at Pro Football Focus. So to take our minds off how long until the new football season finally arrives we’re going to spend a couple of weeks looking back at some of our historical statistics. To be more precise, that means laying out three years worth of Signature Stats data, and we’re going to start by sifting out the most productive pass rushers.
Three Years of Pass Rushing Productivity: Defensive Ends | ProFootballFocus.com
Yesterday, we kicked off our three-year look back at our Signature Stats by tucking into our first ever Signature Stat: Pass Rushing Productivity. It’s a way of determining the most productive pass rushers (as the name implies), looking past total sack numbers to examine the entire amount of pressure a player gets and on how many pass rushes it comes. By weighing hits and hurries as worth 75% of a sack, dividing by the number of times a player rushes the quarterback and then multiplying by 100 you get a shiny, nice number.
NFL - Appeals giving New Orleans Saints' bounty story legs - ESPN
Friday's back-and-forth between the NFLPA and the NFL over Roger Goodell's handling of the Saints' bounty case had some interesting revelations.
NCAA’s Academic Policy for Recruits | Smart Football
We have all seen the ads. NCAA athletes compete in their sports as they transform into accountants, teachers, doctors, and other professionals while a voice reminds the viewer: "There are more than 380,000 student-athletes and most of them go pro in something other than sports." While certainly true, the airing of such ads during championship football and basketball contests featuring young men who often turn pro and do not remain in college calls to mind the Wizard of Oz telling Dorothy and her friends to "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." The fact that the NCAA chooses to run the commercials, despite such an obvious disconnect between the mission of the NCAA and the reality of the young men competing in its revenue-generating sports, shows just how important it is to the organization to continue to market the noble ideal of the amateur scholar-athlete.
2013 NFL Draft: Cincinnati Preview - CBSSports
If one were to gauge college football teams strictly on the quality and quantity of NFL prospects produced, the University of Cincinnati is coming off of its most successful NFL draft in over 50 years.
Top Impact Rookies for 2012 NFL Season - CBSSports.com
The NFL welcomes a stout rookie class in the 2012 season. But which rookies will have the biggest impact from a statistical perspective, a game-to-game perspective and a playoff-hunt perspective? Let's break down our Top 10.
Michael Vick, Pacman Jones pay it forward at NFL’s Rookie Symposium | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Quarterback Michael Vick and cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones were highly touted draft prospects, and both players were taken early in the first rounds of their respective drafts -- Vick first overall out of Virginia Tech in 2001, and Jones sixth overall out of West Virginia in 2005. Each man started out hot in the NFL before running into serious legal trouble. Vick, of course, served almost two years in a federal penitentiary for his role in the Bad Newz Kennels dog-fighting ring. Jones was recently found liable to the tune of $11 million for his role in a Las Vegas strip club shooting in 2007.
Pick your poison: Rice vs. McCoy | National Football Post
Which running back would you rather own this fantasy season?
Three and out: Brees nearing return? - NFL.com
Summer Brees: Mired in an offseason full of challenges, some good news might be on the horizon for the New Orleans Saints clubhouse. Speaking with the "Mike and Mike" show on ESPN, QB Drew Brees stated he is "still very confident that we’ll get a long-term deal done, and hopefully that will happen sooner than later." The team lost backup quarterback Chase Daniel with a thumb injury during offseason workouts, leaving them with recently signed Luke McCown as the only QB with experience as they head into training camp. Missing time won’t be much of a factor for Brees. What’s more concerning is if Devery Henderson can fill the role vacated by Robert Meachem? Regardless, Brees still has plenty of weapons at his disposal and is one of the elite QB’s in fantasy land.\
Brian Banks 'determined' for future NFL tryouts - NFL.com
Despite getting a look from a handful of NFL teams, Brian Banks remains without a contract. However, the exonerated LB isn't giving up his fight to make his dream of playing in the league a reality.
NFL Rookie Symposium has valuable message, but will it stick? - NFL.com
With speeches from Michael Vick and Adam Jones, the rookie symposium has provided valuable lessons for incomers like San Francisco's A.J. Jenkins. But will the message stick? Jeff Darlington reports.
Neck strength could be next key measurable for NFL players | ProFootballTalk
Protecting the brain is, in some respects, a no-brainer. One basic way to reduce concussions comes from making the muscles holding the head in place stronger. As Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com explains it, strength coaches believe that increased neck size and strength can help.
Cold Hard Facts - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
John Clayton shares some thoughts on former Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who signed with the Falcons after sitting out the 2011 season (8:49). Clayton also shares what he thinks are reasonable expectations for Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice, who had offseason surgeries on each shoulder (17:02).
Following up: Getting after the quarterback - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers' Aldon Smith and the St. Louis Rams' James Hall scored two-point plays last season with sacks resulting in safeties. The sacks these and other players collected outside the end zone affected point totals in less direct ways. As Brian Burke explained in 2008, one sack could represent a two-point change in expected scoring (the difference was 1.7 points without resulting fumbles).
Roaming the West: Seattle Seahawks Offseason Review - Turf Show Times
Breaking down the Seattle Seahawks' offseason. (DK Note - awesome photoshopped pics of Pete Carroll)
Ron Jaworski Ranks Matt Hasselbeck the 18th Best QB in the NFL - Music City Miracles
"You know where those smarts and awareness really showed up? In the red zone. How about these numbers, folks? Thirteen touchdown passes, no interceptions, a red-zone quarterback rating of 110. Red zone efficiency results from pre-snap recognition and post-snap validation of past coverage. Hasselbeck saw a 2-shell look before the snap. Two deep safeties. The route combination was four verticals. On his drop, Hasselbeck kept his head and his eyes focused straight down the middle. That kept the deep safety inside the numbers playing Jared Cook's vertical, not (Lavelle) Hawkins’. Then he came to Hawkins, saw the corner trailing, and immediately knew he had a touchdown. Manipulation and recognition."