Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks links for New Year's Day

Happy New Year!

Week 18 NFL Elo Ratings And Playoff Odds: Wild Card Edition | FiveThirtyEight
And going into the playoffs, the Seahawks are indeed the top-rated team in the NFL, by no small margin; Elo thinks they’d be favored by 2.9 points over the No. 2 New England Patriots on a neutral field.

NFL Playoff Power Rankings | SI.com
The NFL playoffs open Saturday when Arizona visits Carolina. Before all the festivities begin, our final Power Rankings of the season sizes up the 12 remaining teams.

2015 NFL Draft: Stanford CB Alex Carter makes decision to go pro - CBSSports.com
A talented and underrated NFL prospect, Carter improves the cornerback class and has the skill-set and ability to hear his name called early on draft weekend

A look back | National Football Post
Greg Gabriel reviews some of his 2014 preseason predictions.

Eagles fire V.P. of player personnel Tom Gamble | ProFootballTalk
The Eagles aren't cleaning house like some other NFL teams this week, but missing the playoffs has apparently cost one member of the front office his job. Vice President of Player Personnel Tom Gamble is on the way out, the Eagles have announced.

Fitzgerald mocks Marshawn | ProFootballTalk
Thank you.

Roman Harper: Cam Newton playing with some swag - NFL.com
The Carolina Panthers are ready for the playoffs. And if you ask Roman Harper, quarterback Cam Newton has added some flair to his game.

Six rookies to watch during Wild Card Weekend - NFL.com
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant and Bengals running back Jeremy Hill will play key roles for their teams during Wild Card Weekend. What other first-year players made our list?

Seahawks' Carroll willing to help assistants advance | HeraldNet.com - Sports
SEATTLE — At one point early in his tenure as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell was approached by head coach Pete Carroll, and the topic of conversation was Bevell's future, perhaps as a head coach.

Seahawks enjoying bye week; Baldwin takes jab at Harbaugh - Dec. 31, 2014 | SPORTS RADIO KJR
Rest and recovery.

Seahawk coach Pete Carroll speaks about head coaching opportunities for assistant coaches | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
During an interview today on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Seattle coach Pete Carroll spoke pretty openly about some of the head coaching opportunities that could be on the horizon for some of the team’s assistants.

San Francisco 49ers season report card - NFC West Blog - ESPN
After losing four of their final five games, the Niners not only missed the playoffs with a record of 8-8, they also lost their coach.

St. Louis Rams season report card - NFC West Blog - ESPN
This was supposed to be the year the St. Louis Rams took the next step and made the postseason.

No longer overlooked, Seahawks' Bobby Wagner earns another honor - Seattle Seahawks | 710 ESPN Seattle
Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner has been one of several standouts during the dominant finish to the regular season by Seattle's defense. He's been honored for his efforts, named the NFC's defensive player of the month for December. - Blog - 710 ESPN Seattle

With Will Tukuafu, the more things you can do is more than a cliché
He was signed to play fullback because of a season-ending injury to Derrick Coleman. Recently, he’s also been playing defensive end because of injuries on the line. And it’s that versatility which makes Will Tukuafu so uniquely valuable.

Rams HC Jeff Fisher: No Coaching Changes Coming, QB Competition Lies Ahead - Turf Show Times
The Rams' Head Coach opened up on his early offseason thought on Brian Schottenheimer, Sam Bradford and more today.

Pete Carroll says Raiders interviewed Darrell Bevell | ProFootballTalk
The Raiders haven't done much right on the field lately, but they can apparently move with stealth off the field. Via our Curtis Crabtree, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell interviewed "the other night" with the Raiders for their vacant head coaching job.

John Idzik: A Reign of Error - Gang Green Nation
John Idzik accomplished quite a feat getting fired after two seasons. Here's how it happened.

San Francisco 49ers News — Niner Insider Blog » Harbaugh’s loyalty to Roman was likely last straw
Here’s a final 2014 prediction that’s guaranteed to be correct: Offensive coordinator Greg Roman won’t be back with the 49ers in 2015.

NFL playoff picks: Cowboys, Steelers favorites to win Wild Card games - SBNation.com
The Wild Card round has arrived and our experts are here to tell you who's going on and who's going home.

Bobby Wagner nabs NFC defensive player of the month | ProFootballTalk
The Seahawks Defense closed the season with a flourish, allowing just 33 points in four December victories, and one of the key members of the unit has been recognized as the NFC's best defensive player of the month.

Dave Boling: So many Seahawks excelled that finding a team MVP gets tricky | Dave Boling | The News Tribune
So many players are deserving of recognition as the most valuable player of the 2014 Seahawks that selecting one almost seems like an offense to the others.

Earl Thomas shows why you should never doubt him | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Safety’s forced fumble on goal line against St. Louis encapsulates his pursuit of football perfection.