Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Monday

Reading about yesterday's game is an okay way to start a week.

BOOM Goes the Dynomite! Hawks make Good on Preseason Promise
I have never been more excited as a Seahawks fan entering an NFL season as I was this year. Yeah sure there have been plenty of moments throughout the years that I’ve been more pumped than I was a week ago, but I felt better about this team than I did about the 05 squad. Going into that year you always had that feeling the Rams would end up squashing your hopes anyways and you’d walk away with another late first round pick and sore feelings following a playoff loss. Well that team surpassed expectations and made a run all the way to the Superbowl, but it’s easy to forget it began it’s season with a disappointing loss in Jacksonville.

Russell Wilson, Seahawks beat Cowboys by playing more physically - Don Banks - SI.com
"I felt like them guys (the Cowboys) didn't want to play,'' Seattle's superb young free safety Earl Thomas said in blunt assessment in the winning locker room. "They kind of shut it down after a while. Once we stopped their run, (Tony) Romo was throwing passes fading away. We know if we keep the rush on Romo, it's going to be a hard day for him. "We made it a physical day for them, and they weren't prepared. We lasted longer than them, and I feel like we were in better shape. So that's the kind of mentality we've got to keep playing with, and if we do, it's going to be hard for us to get beat.''

Instant reaction: Seahawks beat the Cowboys " Seahawks Draft Blog
Last week’s defeat to Arizona was tough, but with hindsight doesn’t look quite as bad seven days later. The Cardinals defeated New England on the road today, playing the same brand of football that beat Seattle. The Seahawks were a play or two from winning last week, and today’s beat-down of Dallas proves the team is on the right path.

17 Power, A Seattle Seahawks Blog: 17 Fistpumps: Seahawks Out-Team America's Team 27-7
With Arizona proving its defensive chops against Tom Brady and his offense today, their 20-16 victory over the Seahawks last week is open to reinterpretation. It now looks less like an offensive turd on Seattle's part and more like a young team looking for its footing against an outstanding defense whose strengths matched up perfectly against our weaknesses. Take note: the NFC West is quickly becoming a defensive division.

Week 2 - Carroll Postgame Press Conference
Pete Carroll talks with the media following the Seahawks 27-7 victory over the Cowboys in their home opener at CenturyLink Field.

Carroll: Today’s win a blueprint for success | Seahawks Insider
Stop the run. Turn the ball over. Make a big play on special teams. Run the football with authority. Score touchdowns in the red zone. That’s basically Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s blueprint for winning football games, and the Seahawks followed it precisely in defeating Dallas 27-7 in the team’s home opener.

Just dominate - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Pete Caroll demands that his teams "always compete" and "win forever." After watching them dismantle the visiting Cowboys, perhaps he'd consider a new expression for this group: Just dominate.

Lynch rumbles, Seattle stymies Romo, Dallas 27-7 - Yahoo! Sports
''You hit a guy long enough, they'll start feeling it,'' Wright said. ''They'll start turning their head around and dropping passes, so we did a good job of that.''

Seahawks hammer Cowboys in 27-7 rout - Sept. 16, 2012 | Seattle - Seahawks -
"We can't hurt ourselves, that's what we did last week," Wilson said. "We had great communication today. We messed up a few times, but that's going to happen. We really have to focus in and not make any mistakes, that's our goal. We weren't quite perfect, but it was way better than last week."

Three phases, one result
"We prepare hard, and I want to give credit to the guys that don’t get enough of it – like the guys on special teams," said Pro Bowl free safety Earl Thomas, who had the recovery of the forced fumble by Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson on the opening kickoff. "They give us great looks throughout the week and everyone in the building supports us, win or lose, and it feels good for your preparation to payoff and win."

Seahawks’ defense ropes up Cowboys for big victory in home opener |
"We were just on the attack," head coach Pete Carroll said after the victory. "This is a very aggressive group and I think you could see it. I felt it, really, in all phases. Our kicking game and special teams, covering kicks. We had play after play after play, there were big hits. … I’m just really fired up about these guys and the guys in the locker room."

Seahawks look impressive, win home opener 27-7 | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
"It was an ugly game," center Max Unger said. "It was a fight against a really, really good defense, there's no question about that. "It was a fist fight for a lot of those plays."

Wrap-up: Seahawks 27, Cowboys 7 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
What I didn't like: Wilson missed high early in the game, an issue lingering from Week 1. He became sharper as the game progressed. Receiver Sidney Rice left the game after taking a hard hit. Durability has been a problem for Rice. He takes too many big hits and tends to fall awkwardly. It's looking like he'll be on the injury report more often than not. Officiating was shaky at best. Seattle fans complained about the Cowboys getting away with holding. I thought officials erred most egregiously when they penalized the Cowboys for barely pushing Wilson out of bounds moments after Seattle's Golden Tate delivered a helmet-first blindside block to a helpless defender.

Seahawks.com Blog | Game at a glance: Seahawks 27, Cowboys 7
"Frank is a guy who’s been around the League for an extended period of time," Wilson said of Omiyale, who started 31 games the past three seasons for the Bears but was making his first start for the Seahawks. "He has great knowledge of the game. He works extremely hard. The fact that we thought Russell was going to be able to play, but he couldn’t go today, so Frank stepped up and did a tremendous job. I mean an unbelievable job. He’s been doing that for years, so you kind of expect that out of him. Just the way he goes about his business, the way he approaches the game, approaches the week. I wouldn’t expect anything less."

710 ESPN Seattle Features - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Seahawks receiver Golden Tate tells Jen Mueller about his crushing block on Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee, one of several highlights of Seattle's 27-7 win over Dallas.

710 ESPN Seattle Features - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Seahawks tight end Anthony McCoy tells Jen Mueller about his first career touchdown reception and the role special teams played in Seattle's 27-7 win over Dallas.

710 ESPN Seattle Features - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Seahawks safety Earl Thomas tells Jen Mueller about the impact special teams had in Seattle's 27-7 win over Dallas. Thomas, a native of Orange, Texas, says "this game meant a lot to me" because it came against the team he grew up following.

710 ESPN Seattle Features - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Safety Jeron Johnson tells Jen Mueller about the blocked punt he returned for a touchdown and the fumble the Seahawks forced on the opening kickoff of their 27-7 win over Dallas.

710 ESPN Seattle Features - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner tells Jen Mueller about his interception and the touchdown he allowed to Dallas' Miles Austin in Seattle's 27-7 win.

Week three thoughts: Chance Warmack is a top-ten talent " Seahawks Draft Blog
We touted the possibility of Alabama vs Arkansas turning into a beat-down, but I’m not sure anyone expected 52-0. ‘Bama knocked the soul out of Arkansas, you could see it visibly leaving the Razorbacks as the game progressed. Tyler Wilson watched on from the sidelines, helpless, and then called out his teammates for quitting in the post-game press conference. It’s hard to tell how that’ll impact his stock. If it inspires Arkansas to hit back after two bad defeats, people will say Wilson was right to criticise. If they continue to struggle, it could be seen as a black mark. Whatever the situation, Wilson will be sitting at home tonight wondering if he made the right choice not to turn pro this year.

Russell Wilson performs 'really cool' for Pete Carroll's offense | Jerry Brewer | The Seattle Times
"He's a rookie quarterback, but he plays with great poise, and he is a very good athlete," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. "As the game wore on, they did a great job moving him around, and he made some real signature plays in this ballgame."

Recapping the Seahawks' 27-7 win over Dallas | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
"You might get pumped up to hit (Number) 24 in the first quarter and he might get three yards, but in the fourth quarter, you really don’t want to hit him," said Robinson. "He gets stronger, our offensive line gets stronger, and we stay with our play call."

Week 2 injury roundup: Redskins lose Orakpo, Carriker - NFL.com
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice wasn't listed on the postgame injury report, but he was taken out of the game early. Odd. It seems like the Seahawks were resting him in a comfortable win, but we'd keep an eye on his practice availability. Rice hasn't looked right this season.

San Francisco 49ers look like the best team in the NFC - NFL.com
Alex Smith might never put up the numbers of elite quarterbacks in today's pass-happy NFL, but he's the perfect QB for this 49ers offense. He played mistake-free football Sunday night, and showed toughness and playmaking ability on the Niners' final scoring drive in the fourth quarter.

NFL Sunday notes: Eli brings the Giants back | National Football Post
Think about the Seahawks’ win over Dallas: big plays on special teams, Marshawn Lynch, a controlled game plan for rookie QB Russell Wilson and a defense that took away the deep ball from Tony Romo and the Dallas offense. Pete Carroll’s team beat up the Cowboys. No other way to say it.

NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
The development of players at the grass roots level has changed. Quarterbacks are being identified in sixth grade. They are going to passing clinics and quarterback camps before they have armpit hair. Quarterback gurus have sprung up all over. Some elementary schools and pee wee teams are running the same offensive systems as high schools, which can be sophisticated passing offenses. "They throw the ball a lot at an early age," said a former NFL quarterback who now is a front office employee. "It’s so different now. The high school coaches are doing a lot of the things they do in the NFL—they have hots and they read blitzes. They play seven on seven in the offseason. Back then the high school and colleges were all running teams. The coaching staffs weren’t teaching you how to read coverages or pick up blitzes. They were featuring the run and just throwing off the run."

Film Session: Packers' '2-Man' vs. Bears | National Football Post
Today, let’s take a look at the "All-22" coaches film to breakdown an example of the Packers’ "2-Man" coverage vs. the Bears that limited QB Jay Cutler in Green Bay’s 23-10 win. Before we get to the film, here is a quick breakdown of 2-Man: Two-deep shell with the underneath defenders playing a "trail-man" technique (sit low to the inside hip). Given the deep half help over the top, DBs will sit on inside breaking concepts (Dig, Curl, Post) and cut routes that break outside the numbers (Out, Comeback).

NFL Recap - Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks - Sep 16, 2012 - CBSSports.com Game Recap
"We stuck with our game plan: Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, and eventually they're going to get tired," Tate said. "Our motto is play longer and harder than they can and then it started opening up in the pass game."