Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Saturday

Happy SeaFair!

Seahawks.com Blog | QB competition: Day Six "
"It’s not hard for me to stay focused at all," Wilson said. "I’ve always been the same way in terms of mentally focusing when I’m not in, or when I am in. If I’m getting the reps then I’m obviously focused in, and then if I’m not getting the reps I’m still playing the game in my mind – reading the coverages, reading the defense, what they’re trying to do, and going through the progressions."

Seahawks.com Blog | QB competition: Day Five "
"I think our offense going against our defense is a challenge," Carroll said. "We’re experienced, we’re versatile, we can do a lot of things. [Defensive coordinator] Gus [Bradley] dials it up pretty good in practice. It’s not easy for them at all. We’re not making it easy on the quarterbacks. We’re making it as hard as we can for them.

Seahawks Day 6 notes: A good day for Russell Wilson - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson had one of his best days of training camp. His pinpoint long pass down the sideline to receiver Golden Tate was the highlight play of the morning session at VMAC. Tate did not have much separation from safety Kam Chancellor, but hauled in the bomb over his shoulder and took it to the house.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Wagner filling bill at middle linebacker for Seahawks
"There’s no buyer’s remorse whatsoever. He’s real fast, very athletic. And he’s gotten comfortable calling plays in the huddle a lot quicker than expected."

Wilson flashes, but is inconsistent with first unit | Seahawks Insider
The highlight throws were there today for Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. Specifically, Wilson hit receiver Golden Tate on a pretty deep ball for a chunk pla in team drills, and also twice connected with Ben Obomanu for big gains on the final drive of practice – his best drive of the day. However, in between Wilson missed high a lot and took a couple unnecessary sacks that led to an uneven performance with the starting unit.

Seahawks.com Blog | Thursday in Hawkville: Maxwell making progress "
"Right now, special teams are a place where I feel I need to make an impact, but obviously that’s not all I want in this League," Maxwell said. "I’m always looking to get better, get to the top, and be the best. Special teams is a role that I’ve got to do right now and one that I’ve got to do well for the team."

Seahawks.com Blog | Friday in Hawkville: Sweezy sees improvement at new position "
"I’m definitely learning more being in there with the first team," Sweezy said. "Those guys know this offense like the back of their hand. They’ve helped me a lot. I still don’t know it as well as I should, but going with that first-team O-line helps a lot."

Brock and Salk Blue 42 - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Why wouldn't American football work as an Olympic sport? Why should the Huskies feel a little better about their offensive line? What's going on with the Titans' quarterback battle between Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck?

Brock and Salk - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn tells "Brock and Salk" that while it's been difficult to split reps with Tarvaris Jackson and Russell Wilson, he's making the most of the extra time he has to observe and that he feels comfortable running Seattle's offense. Flynn also shares another funny story about Marshawn Lynch.

Seahawks - Seattle's live and local sports station
Head coach Pete Carroll said that's part of the rotational plan, but Flynn appeared to get significantly more snaps during Thursday's practice. Reading into things too much? Probably, but we'll find out soon enough. The offense struggled to find their way into the end zone. Wilson made a nice play while scrambling to his left to lure a defender away and side arm a touchdown pass to WR Lavasier Tuinei.

Seahawks: A few minutes with Clinton McDonald " Kitsap Sun
"One specific reason they wanted to throw me in there is because they know I'm a high power, high-rev type guy," he said. "And they want me to get in there and get after it — either push the pocket or create some kind of havoc."

Wagner being given shot at starting LB for Seahawks | Professional | KPIC CBS 4 -
Picking up the principles of the Seahawks defense hasn't been a problem for Wagner. It's learning what adjustments the offense can and will make that's been toughest so far. "Just understanding the tricky formations offenses come out in. They'll start one way and finish out a whole other way," Wagner said. "You just have to see what they're going to do."

Can Seahawks' Browner do it again? | HeraldNet.com - Sports
"It's a lot different," Browner said of his second Seahawks training camp. "Last year, there was some uncertainty. Now, I've got a little bit of an understanding of the defense this year. But at the same time, we've got a standard that's set and we've got to play to that standard that's set."

HOF12: Can’t go wrong with these draftees - NFC West Blog - ESPN
"All of a sudden," Joe Vitt recalled, "when we put the film on, everyone had heard of Russell Maryland, but we put the film on and Cortez Kennedy was making all the plays."

Former Husky Kearse trying to catch on with Seahawks - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
"Attention to detail, that's what the coaches want to see," Kearse said Thursday. "They want to see you do things right, and I'm trying to do that."

Matt Flynn's big payday doesn't harm rookie Russell Wilson's shot at Seahawks' starting job - Yahoo! Sports
"That's for the guys who think that everything goes the way the writers think," Carroll said Thursday afternoon, referring to the perception that Flynn, Aaron Rodgers' former backup in Green Bay, stands to win the starting job because of the team's substantial financial investment. "I don't believe in that at all. If anything I would fight to go the other way because I don't want to ever fall into that. So we don't."

Clemons finally joins Irvin, Jones
After adding Bruce Irvin and Jason Jones this offseason to help with the pass rush, only one thing was missing: Chris Clemons. That changed Saturday, when the Seahawks’ sack leader returned for the first training-camp practice.

No Beast Mode? Time for ‘Turbo’ | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
The pace of practice has slowed, his cuts are more precise and the plays more ingrained in the overwhelmed brain of Seattle Seahawks running back Robert Turbin.

Warren Moon picks Matt Flynn to win Seattle QB job - NFL.com
Moon thinks it's getting a little too close to the season to still be sorting out the starter. "You hate to have a quarterback competition this late into the deal because your season is getting ready to start here in probably a little over a month," said Moon. "And you want to have your quarterback solidified. Pete Carroll loves competition and the quarterback position, I don't feel, should be one that you have competition at. You pick your guy, you go with him. If it doesn't work, then you pick another guy. But right now, you've got three guys that are all pretty much the same."

Random stuff we’ve seen or heard through nine days of NFL Training Camp… in alphabetical order! - NFL.com
– No one wanted WR Braylon Edwards, right up until the Seahawks grabbed him. Weird career for him. First he was over-rated, then badly under-rated. My gut is that he makes that team, based on the sole fact that he’s really not that terrible. Plus, he’s probably frustrated at all the people saying he’s done.

About that Seahawks secondary. . . It's still really good | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
With all the accolades, of course, comes expectations, and that sits just fine with Seattle's defensive backs.

Philadelphia Eagles training camp: Andy Reid runs brutal camp - NFL.com
Mychal Kendricks and Brandon Boykin: Both will contribute heavily during their rookie season. Kendricks clearly stands out from the rest of the linebacker group. He has very good instincts, can run sideline to sideline and is an explosive tackler.

Arizona Cardinals training camp: QB quandary needs solving - NFL.com
1. The Cardinals' quarterback competition remains a toss up. Kevin Kolb took the initial snaps with the first-team offense, but he is certainly not entrenched as the starter. He continues to produce up-and-down performances from the pocket, and his inability to consistently direct the offense to scoring drives leaves the door cracked for John Skelton to make a run at the job.

Playbook: 'Vice' vs. Cover 2 in the red zone | National Football Post
Drawing up the double-stack 'Dino' route.

2012's 5 toughest schedules | National Football Post
2. Washington: It's a given that new coordinator Justin Wilcox is going to at least make this Huskies defense tolerable in 2012.

Performance Gaines: What do conditioning tests really tell you? | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Some NFL teams, like the Seattle Seahawks, don't invest a lot of time in the concept. Chris Carlisle, Seattle's strength and conditioning coach, recently told Shutdown Corner that "We don't run a conditioning test. [The other NFL teams,] it's up to their choice if they do, but we don't. Why should you run a test? These are professionals. When we got here in the first year with Coach Carroll [before the 2010 season], we ran a few agility tests just to see where the players were, because the coaches and conditioning staff hadn't seen the players. When we bring an Antonio Bryant or a Braylon Edwards, they're expected to be in playing shape. Of course, their reps are probably limited because they're new on the field, but that's about it. These guys are professionals, and they come in ready to go."

The 10 Biggest Bargain Contracts in the NFL | Bleacher Report
Every year a new player breaks out and lands a monster contract in the offseason. But, what is it like to play like a Pro Bowler and not get paid like one?

What You Need to Know About the Rule Changes Made for the 2012 NFL Season | Bleacher Report
With football now approaching like Ray Lewis into a running lane, it’s time we took a little look back at the rule changes that were made by the NFL and how they are going to affect the game in 2012.

What to Look at When Evaluating NFL Offensive Guards | Bleacher Report
Our look at the intricacies of each position in the NFL continues and with this article we get to the real heart of the game—deep in the trenches with a look at offensive guards.

Thoughts on Ben Roethlisberger’s Partial Rotator Cuff Tear " Second Opinion
It’s never easy to read a Ben Roethlisberger injury situation. We’ve seen him return from what appeared to be a severe ankle injury last year and not miss time after having reconstructive facial surgery before that. But there’s also a long list of injuries that perhaps weren’t all that severe played up by Roethlisberger in an almost Favrian way.

Dynasty Rookie Ranks: Update - Dynasty Rankings - Rotoworld.com
I released Rotoworld's initial Dynasty rookie rankings in early May, a week after the NFL draft. With the second wave of rookie drafts kicking off in early August, one of the most popular requests in my Twitter feed is an updated list to reflect stronger opinions from offseason and training camp practice reports.