Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Monday

Brand new week, gang.

Seahawks learn some key information out of exhibition game | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
August is no time for answers. At least not in the NFL. It does provide teams with information, though, and Seattle's exhibition opener, a 27-17 victory Saturday against Tennessee, was an education on some critical issues facing this Seahawks team as well as highlighting some areas that remain very much uncertain.

Seahawks beat Titans, Wilson shines, Defense still good | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
"It’s a good start," Carroll said of both quarterbacks. " . . . Very, very positive outing for them."

Strong start for Seahawks' much-hyped secondary - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
"I actually thought it was an incomplete pass," Browner said. "It bounced right into my hands and I just ran it in. It was a pretty easy play."

Reading between the lines: Pete Carroll on QBs | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
And in the spirit of overanalyzing the situation, we've cobbled together a makeshift "Pete Carroll Translator" in an attempt to read between the lines of what the coach is saying about the comparison between Flynn and Wilson after the game. Now, keep in mind: Translating Carroll-ese is difficult, a task made more problematic by the fact he doesn't always speak in complete sentences. In fact, there are times that the "Pete Carroll Translator" starts smoking and needs rest.

Seahawks defensive depth charts (projected) | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
Now, these aren't official team listings. It's what I pieced together between practice and watching Saturday's game. Now, this is far from comprehensive in terms of Seattle's playbook. For instance, the Seahawks have a Bandit package with six defensive backs, which has included rookie Winston Guy during practice. I didn't see that Bandit package employed during the exhibition game. Also, this depth chart includes two players who did not play in Saturday's exhibition: DT Alan Branch and MLB Barrett Ruud. Jason Jones started in Branch's place with Pep Levingston taking that spot -- known as the three-technique -- with the second-team defense. Rookie Bobby Wagner played with both the first and second unit.

Zach Miller's concussion a cause for Seahawks concern - NFL.com
Tight end Zach Miller's first season with the Seattle Seahawks was the least productive of his five-year career. Signed to a five-year, $34 million contract after the lockout, the 2010 Pro Bowler had just 25 receptions for 233 yards and zero touchdowns as he was frequently asked to stay in and block.

Nine really random things and whatever else is going on around the NFL… - NFL.com
I am still trying to process the fact that Terrell Owens signed with the Seattle Seahawks … or signed anywhere, for that matter. Out of football for a year, embroiled in a legal mess involving failure to pay what he owes, bounced from the esteemed company of the Allen Wranglers … back to the NFL. Weird. Based on coach Pete Carroll’s words, Owens had a fantastic workout. OK, I’ll accept that. Different from going out on the field against real people, but perhaps he could be a contributor. There are two quick things that stand out. One, Carroll will accept talent from anywhere and put that person on the field. It was that way at USC, when he regularly put freshmen on the field to start over seniors just because. He doesn’t care about ruffling feathers. Two, it will be impossible for the media storm that follows T.O. to continue in Seattle. It’s too hard of a place to get to for national reporters, logistically. It’s not like somewhere in the Northeast where news crews are readily available for in-depth reporting (like, say, the Jets and Tim Tebow). Hasselbeck once told me Seattle was the NFL’s "Witness Protection Program," and he’s not far off. Kind of a perfect spot for T.O. Whatever, I’ll have my popcorn ready.

'OK' rookie, let's see you do it again | National Football Post
'Consistency' is the goal with these rookies in August.

Andrew Luck starts off right with two-TD day against Rams | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
On his first NFL pass, Peyton Manning threw a 48-yard touchdown to Marvin Harrison. It was the first game of the 1998 preseason for the Indianapolis Colts, and it was also the beginning of quite the little offensive dynasty. We're far from sure what the NFL holds for Andrew Luck, but the Colts first overall pick in 2012, and the man tasked with replacing the 1998 first overall pick, started his career off right with a 63-yard touchdown pass to running back Donald Brown.

Film Session: Ryan Mallett, Because Mechanics | Draft Breakdown
Most of you know Ryan Mallett’s story: highly touted pocket passer transfers from Michigan to Arkansas after the Wolverines bring in Rich Rodriguez and his spread offense. Puts up pretty prolific passing numbers in the SEC. Drug rumors off the field and bad decisions under pressure on the field kill his draft stock and he falls to the third round – to the New England Patriots, a team that knows how to develop quarterbacks over the long term.

25 Things We Learned from Thursday's Preseason Games | Bleacher Report
Preseason football is one my absolute favorite times of the year. Why, you may ask? Preseason is the time of year when you can see if that seventh-round draft selection is a diamond in the rough or a wasted pick.

Separating The Dark From The Dark: QB Tyler Wilson, Victim or Perpetrator? | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
I love the phrase "separating the dark from the dark." It signifies that we never have certainty about anything despite the fact that we often want to manufacture a world filled with absolutes. Life is rarely black and white. Pulitzer Prize winning writer Phillip Levine, a former factory worker who often writes about work-class life in Detroit, draws a great portrait of this phrase in his work, M. Degas Teaches Art & Science At Durfee Intermediate School. I see this phenomenon when I’m studying football. Especially the analysis in this post.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | DVOA 7.0: Best Teams by Pass and Run
In Football Outsiders Almanac 2012, and recently on the website, we introduced the latest iteration of our DVOA formula, which we are calling DVOA v7.0. The biggest change in the new formula is that all years are normalized so the league average equals 0%, and that moves players and teams up and down our all-time rankings depending on how strong offense was league-wide that season. Today, we're going to continue looking at what the new version of DVOA does to our all-time rankings by looking at the best teams split into offense and defense by run and pass. As a reminder, we ran the list of top teams overall, top overall offenses, and top overall defenses back in the first piece that introduced the new version of DVOA on August 1.

NFL Draft 2013: Utah's rising Star Lotulelei tops DT list - NFL - Sporting News
Because of the increased emphasis on the passing game, pass rushers continue to become more important as teams make plans for the NFL Draft. If a defense can’t pressure the quarterback, it has little chance of stopping today’s sophisticated passing offenses—and that’s why pass rushers from an inside alignment are at a premium. Defensive ends dominated recent drafts, and Michael Buchanan of Illinois is the early leader at that position.

NFL Draft 2013: Defensive ends rankings led by Illinois' Michael Buchanan - NFL - Sporting News
Because of the increased emphasis on the passing game, pass rushers continue to become more important. If a defense can’t pressure the quarterback, it has very little chance of stopping today’s sophisticated passing offenses—and that’s why pass rushers have dominated the first round of recent drafts. Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 draft prospects at defensive ends entering the college season:

NFL Draft 2013: Defensive ends rankings led by Illinois' Michael Buchanan - NFL - Sporting News
Because of the increased emphasis on the passing game, pass rushers continue to become more important. If a defense can’t pressure the quarterback, it has very little chance of stopping today’s sophisticated passing offenses—and that’s why pass rushers have dominated the first round of recent drafts. Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 draft prospects at defensive ends entering the college season: