Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Tuesday

LINKS!

Seahawks' Sweezy taking position switch in stride " Kitsap Sun
"I told them I'd be the punter if they wanted me to be," joked Sweezy. "I just want to play ball. I love this sport. I love this game."

Seahawks' Russell Okung returns from pectoral injury - NFL.com
"I've really rebounded from the injury last year, and I'm really glad to be back out there," Okung said. "...We want to be a tough, physical football team that runs the ball and explosively throws it down field. So that's kind of what we did last year, and I hope that we keep going off of that."

Camp Confidential: Seahawks - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Flynn, non-descript through organized team activities and minicamps, had responded favorably when Carroll gave him the first-team practice reps last week. He was sharp in practice and efficient while completing his first eight passes against the Titans. Flynn's lone interception resulted from a rookie running back failing to sell the play fake, allowing linebacker Colin McCarthy to drop into coverage without concern for the run.

NFL Training Camp 2012 -- Seahawks look to break through in Pete Carroll's third season - Jim Trotter - SI.com
The defense is going to be fun to watch. It's not only big and strong, but fast and athletic. The unit was working on its blitz drill the day I was there, and more times than not the period resembled a jail break. Defenders consistently came free in the offensive backfield, forcing quarterbacks to look for safety valves instead of a receiver. Ideally, Seattle wants to generate pressure with its front four, and the addition of first-round draft pick Bruce Irvin should help it do that. He's long and incredibly quick, which will be even more noticeable at home, where the crowd noise will give him an advantage over offensive tackles at the snap of the ball. Irvin still needs to develop a second rush move to maximize his potential, but that will come in time. For now his quickness and length, combined with the Seahawks' other talent up front, will give offensive lines headaches.

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III star; Chad Johnson tempted fate - Peter King - SI.com
Seattle: Read so much of people putting down Seattle's draft as a monster reach, particularly pass rusher Bruce Irvin in the first round and quarterback Russell Wilson in the third. Funny, then, that we heard three or four GMs or personnel people on our trip say, "I loved Irvin,'' or "I would have taken Wilson. Great pick."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Insider: Patriots, Saints on downswing
"Back in the day, (Bill) Belichick was the only one running the two-deep zone (coverage). Everyone was playing man coverages. The run-and-shoot came out and just crushed it — it was Jerry Glanville in Houston and Mouse Davis in Detroit. No one knew how to stop it. The NFL had to go to the college level to figure out how to stop it. I still remember interviewing an offensive coordinator who ran it — he thought he was interviewing for an offensive position, but it was really a stroke of genius. We had all of our defensive coaches in the meeting listening. You had to know how it worked if you wanted to stop it. I have seen the evolution of coverages in the NFL from man to zone. I think it’s going to start going back the other way."

Scruggs plays, then wins waiting game
Greg Scruggs, the last of the Seahawks’ 10 selections in April’s NFL Draft, knows he has to make the most of any opportunities he gets in the preseason – just as he did in Saturday night’s opener.

Andrew Luck, Kevin Kolb highlight good and bad of Week 1 - NFL.com
5. The San Francisco 49ers' running attack was extremely physical and explosive. The 49ers have added several high-profile weapons to their passing attack, but their running game was once again the headliner in a preseason win over the Minnesota Vikings. San Francisco piled up more yards on the ground (260) than any other team in Week 1, with seven different runners averaging more than four yards per carry. Backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick led the way, rumbling to 92 yards on only three carries, including the highlight of the game. After keeping the ball on a zone read play, Kaepernick split the Vikings defense and scampered, untouched, 78 yards to the end zone.

Nick Saban on Bill Belichick’s Hybrid/Subpackage Defenders: "Star" and "Money" | Smart Football
Good stuff from Saban on the history of Belichick’s hybrid or subpackage defenders, "Star" and "Money":

Kevin Kolb By The Throws Against The Chiefs - Revenge of the Birds
We already looked at John Skelton's throws. Now it is time to look at Kevin Kolb's. He only went 1/5 for 21 yards. However, it wasn't quite as bad as it looks. It isn't good, but it wasn't an abomination. Hit the jump to see.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Redskins DE Jenkins ready to make impact
We hear the Seahawks are pretty excited about the interior of their nickel line, with both ex-Titan Jason Jones and holdover Clinton McDonald exceeding expectations. "McDonald needed to step up, with quite a few bodies to contend with, and he has," one daily team observer said. "He looks to be in great shape. He’s real wide and squatty, but he’s also very fast and explosive." We hear Jones, who had his moments in Tennessee, is likely to be getting more playing time at rookie Jaye Howard’s expense.

Only time will tell if football has permanently changed - Grantland
Has football truly changed, or are performances like those of Rob Gronkowski just a fluke?

Snag, stick, and the importance of triangles (yes, triangles) in the passing game | Smart Football
When Sid Gillman revolutionized and all but invented the modern passing game, he did it through a "conceptual" approach to pass plays based on three "pass concepts". Because football is governed by its immutable twins of strategy — arithmetic and geometry — these remain the foundation for all effective pass plays:

Monday metatarsal musings
Or footnotes: After impressive performances from quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson in their debuts for the Seahawks, what can be expected in this week’s game against the Broncos in Denver?

Brock and Salk - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Coach Pete Carroll tells "Brock and Salk" what he thought about the Seahawks' preseason opener against the Titans, including the play of quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson. Carroll says he isn't sure whether receiver Terrell Owens will play Saturday.

J.R. Sweezy and the Seahawks' home-run swings | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
J.R. Sweezy's success this camp got me thinking about Seattle, its draft strategy and risk tolerance. Specifically, Sweezy is one of the home-run swings that general manager John Schneider has made an annual activity in the second half of the draft. These picks have involved a position change and a huge gap between the player's ceiling and the floor.

Seahawks Vs. Broncos: Denver Returns Home For Preseason Mile High Opener - SB Nation Denver
The Denver Broncos play their first home preseason game on Saturday when they host the Seattle Seahawks.

49ers camp battle update: Nickel CB - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Nickel corner: Chris Culliver versus Perrish Cox was the projected camp battle. It's been a good one.

Thoughts on pre-season week 1 " Seahawks Draft Blog
Flynn looked the part at the line of scrimmage. I liked his control, his confidence and as advertised he looked like a guy that had been coached well in Green Bay. Sometimes this can be deceiving because looking part doesn’t necessarily equate to success. His first drive was solid – taking what was on offer before settling for a field goal. At that point I’m sure a lot of fans felt very comfortable and were ready to invest their faith in Flynn winning this job. However, that drive wasn’t repeated.

Carroll likes what he saw from QBs Flynn and Wilson - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
"We're not calling it right yet," Carroll said. "We don't have to."

Just for fun, let's over-analyze Seahawks | HeraldNet.com - Sports
But today we're not here to talk you out of overreacting. Instead, just for fun, let's embrace it. Let's over-analyze everything that happens in a meaningless game, contested for most of the second half by a lot of players who won't be on the team come September.

Roster analysis | Seahawks Insider
It’s not a good sign if you’re supposedly part of a three-man competition for the starting job and you don’t get a single rep in the exhibition opener. But that’s where Jackson stands right now. Jackson appeared disengaged while watching him on the sideline on Saturday. Several times I witnessed Flynn, Wilson and Portis going over game photos and talking scheme with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell when the defense was on the field, while Jackson talked with other teammates at a different area of the sideline. Jackson likely is having conversations with his agent about his next move. Meanwhile, Pete Carroll faces a conundrum heading into next week’s game at Denver – continue to go with Flynn as the starter in order to establish more rhythm with the first unit, or give Wilson a chance to see what he can do with the starters after an impressive performance against Tennessee’s reserves? I think Flynn will get another start, so Carroll can see if he plays with the same sort of command on the road with the first unit.

Seattle Seahawks Game Balls - Week 1 NFLX Offensive, Defensive MVP, Titans vs. Seahawks
NWSB Insider and Seattle Seahawks blogger Reggie Gill after each week of the regular season and possibly during the NFL playoffs should the Hawks be so lucky will stop by and bring you his Seahawks game balls. Balls are awarded to the Hawks offensive MVP Russell Wilson, and on defense this week Brandon Browner. Kicker Steven Hauschka gets the special teams winner this week.

Ken Whisenhunt frustrated by Arizona Cardinals' QBs - NFL.com
"We had some one-on-one matchups with receivers down the field tonight and we didn't get to them," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "We didn't throw them. Those are things that are frustrating."

Analyzing Drew Brees’ pursuit of Johnny Unitas’ legendary streak
Last year, I noted that Drew Brees had thrown a touchdown in 37 consecutive games and examined his chances of breaking the NFL record. The current mark is held by Johnny Unitas, who threw a touchdown in 47 consecutive games from 1956 to 1960. By the end of the 2011 season, Brees had upped his streak to 43 games, which positions Brees to break the record in week 5 of this season, against his former team, the San Diego Chargers, on Sunday Night Football.

First Impressions: The Top Ten Rookies | ProFootballFocus.com
Ben Stockwell takes a look at how the top ten from this year's draft fared in their first week of action.

Ryan Williams should make preseason debut this week | ProFootballTalk
It looks like clock on the span between games for Cardinals running back Ryan Williams is going to stop at just under a year.

Where Does Tyrann Mathieu fit in the NFL? | NFL Draft Hub
As time passes and draft classes go by, only once every so often is the NFL presented with an unknown talent that has the potential to alter the landscape of a game.

Pre-Season Power Rankings: Part 1 " Pick 256
With the first week of pre-season in the books, it’s time for the first Power Rankings of the year. Here’s the bottom half of the league as I see it currently, though these rankings are sure to change as August rolls into September. At this point of the league year it’s tough to find much separation between the 20-25 middle-road teams. Other than the truly elite and truly awful teams, pre-season rankings really amount to how much the author likes each team’s young players, coach and QB. With that said, here is the bottom half of the league from my point of view:

E.J. Manuel 2013 NFL Draft scouting notes - Mocking The Draft
E.J. Manuel has a ways to go in his development, but his raw ability has people raving about his NFL prospects. We break down the positives and negatives of Manuel's game.