Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Thursday

This week is just flying by.

Dick LeBeau and the evolution of coverage tactics in the zone blitz - Grantland
own 17 points early in the fourth quarter of their Week 2 game against Houston, the Jaguars were pushed to desperation. Hoping to start a comeback, Jacksonville lined up with four wide receivers for second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The Texans defense, orchestrated by longtime NFL head coach Wade Phillips, countered by bringing a blitz. Linebacker Bradie James joined the Texans' front in its pursuit of Gabbert, and as Houston's line twisted and slanted their way to the quarterback, the extra rusher allowed defensive end J.J. Watt to get free and bring Gabbert to the ground.

NFC West Stock Watch - NFC West Blog - ESPN
4. Jon Ryan, Seahawks punter. Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information charts punters. No one makes him. He just does it. This week, Simon distributed a release honoring Ryan's performance Monday night. It read, in part: "There were 161 punts in the three days of games and Ryan had four that rated in the top 11 for win probability added (a stat that uses historical data to assign a value to a play based on how much it aids a team’s chances of winning). Ryan’s most valuable punts were a 65-yarder in the second quarter and a 66-yarder in the third. Both punts resulted in the Packers being pinned inside their own 12. Our punting data dates to 1991 for net yardage. In that span, no Seahawks punter has had a better single-game net average (min. four punts) than Ryan did (three have been better, including one by Ryan, if you lower the minimum to one punt)."

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 3 DVOA Ratings
A huge 27-3 victory over the previously undefeated Chargers helps put Atlanta in the NFL driver's seat according to this week's Football Outsiders DVOA ratings. The Falcons are number one overall, and with a big lead over the rest of their division, they are also our definitive Super Bowl favorites according to the Football Outsiders playoff odds. They won the Super Bowl in 24.5 percent of this week's simulations; no other NFC team won the Super Bowl in more than 7.0 percent of simulations.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | DVOA PLAYOFF ODDS REPORT
Football Outsiders is the internet home for Innovative Statistics and Intelligent Analysis of professional and college football. Our writers, lead by Aaron Schatz, also write Pro Football Prospectus.

Some Seahawks notes that have nothing to do with Golden Tate's catch | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
Also of note, Carroll said guard James Carpenter will be "Live and in action this week" and could play on Sunday. That doesn't necessarily mean Carpenter, who has not played since suffering a season-ending injury midway through last season, would start or play the entire game. He could come in and split time with Paul McQuistan to ease back into things. And when Carpenter does come back, he will stay at left guard after playing right tackle last year. If he ends up winning the starting job, McQuistan could move to the right side at compete at that guard spot, or go back to the role he had last year as a versatile backup who can play any position but center.

James Carpenter Seattle’s starting left guard? | Seahawks Insider
"We really thing the best place for him is to be inside and be a monster in there," Carroll said. "We saw that last year, and we did both with him if you remember. And he feels most comfortable on the left side, just in his background. "So you look at Russell and James together, that’s a great side for us if we can put this thing together. And it could happen this week, too."

NFL Communications - Joint Statement from NFL and NFLRA "
The NFL and NFLRA are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement tonight on an eight-year collective bargaining agreement, subject to ratification by the NFLRA. "Our officials will be back on the field starting tomorrow night," Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "We appreciate the commitment of the NFLRA in working through the issues to reach this important agreement." "Our Board of Directors has unanimously approved taking this proposed CBA to the membership for a ratification vote," said Scott Green, president of the NFLRA. "We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week’s games."

Sheldon Richardson (DT, Missouri) vs South Carolina " Seahawks Draft Blog
2013 could end up being ‘year of the defensive tackle’. Jonathan Jenkins (Georgia), Star Lotulelei (Utah), Sylvester Williams (North Carolina), Jonathan Hankins (Ohio State) and Kawann Short (Purdue) all look good enough to carry first round grades. Jesse Williams (Alabama) and Bennie Logan (LSU) could also get into the mix. And as the tape proves below, it’s time to put Missouri’s Sheldon Richardson on the list.

Golden Tate: I had it the whole way - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
"I personally feel like since I was younger if I can get the ball in my hands someway or just get looked at I have a chance to be special and do something special on each and every play," Tate says.

James Carpenter getting ready to play; Breno Giacomini, John Moffitt sit out practice | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
We really think that the best place for him is to be inside, and be a monster in there," Carroll said. "We saw that last year, and we did both with them if you remember, and he feels most comfortable on the left side just from his background. So you look at Russell (Okung) and James together, it's a great side for us if we can put this together. It could happen this week, too."

Presented without editorial comment: Golden Tate's feet touch down | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
Photo submitted for consideration by our correspondent from Surprise, Ariz. Feel free to discuss.

Seahawks' Golden Tate upbeat despite "some nasty stuff" vented his way | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
"If I mentioned those words, it would be bleeps, bleeps, bleeps," he said. "Some nasty stuff. It's mean. I've been called a cheater. I don't have any dignity. I'm not a Christian. A lot of hurtful things. I just pray on it and continue to live my life."

Blame Carroll for putting a lid on offense | Seahawks Insider
"I really think this is me holding the lid on it right now," Carroll said. "And I’m overseeing all of that, and making sure that what’s more important to us is that we take care of the football – more than anything. I don’t care about the yards. "And the thing that we’re concerned about is we’ve got to convert on third downs. We did a poor job on third down, particularly in the second half. And we have to get better there. But as it fits together, we’re growing. "He threw the ball down the field beautifully, gave us a couple chances up the sidelines. He had a great pass to Golden (Tate). He’s got the throws in him, and we’re just going to emerge as we really feel good and confident about everything we’re doing. It wouldn’t be any different if Matt (Flynn) was playing. We’d feel the same way. I don’t know what would happen production wise, but we’re just trying to grow around the style of this football team, that gives us a chance to be really physical and really tough and don’t give up anything."

Quick chat with Charley Martin | Seahawks Insider
Charley: "From the moment I rolled over and saw Golden, Golden had the ball to his chest and that was my first reaction … we won. There was obviously a fight for it, but from my perspective, which was right in the middle of it, that was my first impression. (Did you hear the refs debating?) "I didn’t hear them … I thought touchdown before they even signaled it."

Seattle Seahawks' DE Chris Clemons Earns Player Of The Week Honors - SB Nation Seattle
Chris Clemons 4-sack performance on Monday Night Football earn him NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Aaron Rodgers not happy with the NFL over Monday's controversial call - SB Nation Seattle
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went on a Milwaukee radio show and criticized the NFL for being money-hungry.

Breaking Down Seattle Seahawks' Ferocious Pass Rush vs. Packers | Bleacher Report
Going into Monday night's game, few in the national media gave the Seattle Seahawks a real shot at taking down the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. Yet anyone who has followed the NFC West over the past couple of seasons knows their secondary is one of the best in the NFL and their defensive line is quite possibly the most unknown unit in all of football.

Seahawks vs. Packers: 3 Things We Learned from Seattle's Controversial 14-12 Win | Bleacher Report
I'm still in shock. How about you? There comes a point in most seasons where the lights come on for a team. For the Seattle Seahawks, the light flashed during their home beat down of the Cowboys and some (myself included) assumed the bright lights on Monday Night Football would help transform it into a full blown fireworks display.

17 Power, A Seattle Seahawks Blog: The Hypocrisy of Goldengate
I walked into work Tuesday morning having not been able to watch the Packers game. First thing before attacking my skyscraper of ungraded papers, I opened NFL.com and checked the score. My mouth dropped open in astonished delight at the exact moment as one of my Algebra 2 students, a pack of five others right behind him, yanked open my door, leaned in, and without any greeting or preamble, hollered "Worst...call...ever." They know I'm a Twelve, and they wouldn't let go of the refrain all day: "The Seahawks? Seriously?" (Admittedly, this was mostly revenge from their being Cowboys fans.)

Michael Brockers could make debut for St. Louis Rams - NFL.com
"He's a hungry player, he's a young kid, he just loves to get after it," Laurinaitis said. "And when you have a D-lineman like that, when you add one more big guy to the rotation, it's going to keep those guys even more fresh."

Quick Take: Rams must reckon with Seahawks' D - NFL.com
Why this game is intriguing: In the spotlight all week, thanks to referees entangling themselves in the final result, Seattle goes back to what then-Seahawk Matt Hasselbeck once called the NFL's Witness Protection Program. We'll check the score when it's over. But if the Seahawks keep playing defense like they have been, destroying opposing offensive lines, we'll be forced to watch. Won't we?

Russ Lande's Top Safety Prospects | National Football Post
NFP's Scouting Director takes a look at the top safety prospects for the 2013 NFL Draft.

Film Session: Johnson lights up the Broncos | National Football Post
During the Texans’ 31-25 win over the Broncos on Sunday, Matt Schaub used boot action to target Andre Johnson down the field for a 60-yard TD. Today, let’s look at the "All-22" coaches film to breakdown the route, coverage and get into some coaching points.

Steve Smith, whom Golden Tate likes a lot, says that Golden Tate ‘didn’t have that ball’ | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
"Hey, I'm a wide receiver, and I'm always rooting for a wideout, but that wasn't no catch," Smith told the Carolina media on Wednesday. "I think Golden Tate's a great player, he went up, he did the best he could, he's coming down, [but] he's got amnesia now, I mean, I don't blame him, but at the end of the day, come on. "That was not a catch that he possessed. He didn't have that ball."

16 Cardinals show up on injury report | ProFootballTalk
As the surprisingly undefeated Cardinals try to extend their record to 4-0 against the Dolphins, coach Ken Whisenhunt and company has to worry about a whopping 16 players who are, in some way or another, injured.

Is This Real? Michael Vick, Franchise Quarterback - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
The Eagles might have a 2-1 record, but anybody who has seen them play this year would struggle to reconcile their winning record with any sort of winning play on offense. Philadelphia's produced the league's second-best defense per DVOA, but their offense ranks 31st by the same metric. The root cause is easy to figure out: Through three games, Philly's offense has produced 12 turnovers. Since 1990, only five teams have turned over the ball more frequently than the Eagles have during their first three games.

The Week in Worst: What a major crapfest - SBNation.com
Terrible refs and terrible players. Come see some GIFs of athletes embarrassing themselves.

Golden Tate Catch: Frame-by-Frame Look and the NFL Rule Book | The Big Lead
The outcry is as much about the overall view of the officials and the high leverage of the situation. Many have been waiting for a key moment, they’ve got it. In truth, this non-sense needs to end because of the grind of every game, the bad game administration and conferences, and the bad calls, most of which far outweigh this on a competency scale. Heck, the offensive pass interference is the key call here. Not only did Tate take out one player, he took out two with a shove, clearing his path for the leap and the controversy.

Picture Pages: ND Shift, Belly Defeat | mgoblog
Notre Dame has a very good defensive line, possibly great. If they still had Aaron Lynch holy pants man. They don't, but Tuitt is a 300 pound pass rusher, Nix is hard to move, and their Kapron Lewis-Moore/Prince Shembo combo at the other DE is a quality option. They've been making a lot of plays so far, and some of them against Lewan, who has a bunch of NFL hype and has shut down virtually every DE he's ever gone up against, including guys like Adrian Clayborn.