Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Tuesday

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Cosell’s Take: Seahawks set the tone for the new NFL in free agency | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
NFL free agency is an annual rite of spring. The media and fans pontificate with absolute certainty about all the signings that occur. There’s rarely a gray area, especially for those loyal followers who truly believe they know what’s best for their respective team. If only the general manager and the coach would listen ... well, "we’d" be Super Bowl champions every year.

Percy Harvin makes Seattle Seahawks' attack one of NFL's best - NFL.com
The Seattle Seahawks have climbed into the ranks of the NFL's elite by stockpiling top-notch playmakers on both sides of the ball. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have been daring and courageous in their pursuit of blue-chip talent; perceived issues and baggage don't scare them away from such players. This was certainly the case when the team landed Marshawn Lynch in a pivotal 2010 trade, and it remained true when the Seahawks acquired receiver Percy Harvin in a blockbuster deal with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.

Keeping the band together and the perfect storm " Seahawks Draft Blog
After a flurry of activity last week, Seahawks fans can be forgiven for wondering why things have gone quiet all of a sudden. They’ve come to expect excitement. And it’s been at least a few days since something exciting happened…

Picking up the pieces: Defense " Seahawks Draft Blog
For months we’ve studied this roster, listened for clues, and scoured the press wires for rumors. We looked into contract situations and tried to determine where Seattle might want to get younger or more cost effective. We worked hard, and I would like to think we were on the right track. The performances at the NFL Scouting Combine helped finally bring the picture into focus. We felt that Datone Jones was probably the favorite in round one, with a receiver (perhaps Ryan Swope) being a likely target in round two, with an outside pass rusher perhaps being a target in round three (Corey Lemonier, Brandon Jenkins, Cornelius Washington, etc). I would have felt very comfortable with that trio of projections.

Ranking the Running Backs for the 2013 NFL Draft | FirstRoundGrade.com
FRG’s current ranking of the top-20 Running Backs available in the 2013 NFL Draft:

D.J. Hayden posts blazing 40 time at Houston pro day - NFL.com
University of Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden ran an impressive 40-yard dash at Houston's pro day Monday. The Houston Chronicle reported Hayden timed out at 4.33 seconds while NFL.com's Gil Brandt reported a 4.42. Either way, he was moving, and more than 25 teams were in attendance.

Cliff Avril’s deal and Seattle’s salary structure | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
Defensive end Cliff Avril’s deal with the Seattle Seahawks has been filed through the league’s players association, which makes it possible to take a look at the actual numbers. There’s a couple of things worth noting. It is a two-year deal structured to pay out $13 million over two years. The value of $15 million is the very top-end that were to occur if he maxed out all incentives. For comparison purposes, the number is $13 million, and this is significant because it does not exceed Chris Clemons’ deal, which he signed a year ago. That tells you two things:

MarQueis Gray works out at three positions at Minnesota’s pro day - NFL.com
MarQueis Gray, QB (6-foot-3 3/8, 239 pounds) — Gray ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 and 4.67 seconds, and then stood on the rest of his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine. At Minnesota’s pro day, Gray first worked out as a quarterback (which he also did at the combine), and then also worked out as a wide receiver and tight end (Gray made starts as both a quarterback and receiver in his career with the Golden Gophers).

Free Agency 2013: Best 50 Left - Free Agency Update - Rotoworld.com
Victim of a contract snafu, Elvis Dumervil leads off Evan Silva's ranking of the Top 50 NFL Free Agents left.

San Francisco 49ers – Niner Insider Blog – SFGate.com " Hello, Dahl? What led the 49ers to former Rams safety
Craig Dahl, meet … Kenny Vaccaro? Matt Elam? Johnathan Cyprien?

Cliff Avril’s two-year deal with the Seahawks is worth $13 million | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
In 2012, defensive end Cliff Avril earned $10.605 million in fully guaranteed base salary as the franchise player with the Detroit Lions. Avril was expected to hit the jackpot in free agency, but as was the case with defensive ends (and cornerbacks), the market wasn't there, prompting Avril to sign a two-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks worth a reported $15 million.

Seahawks Can Find Success With The Giant's NASCAR Package.
After dominating the latter part of the 2012 NFL season, and going 11-5 it was fair to expect the Seattle Seahawks to stay mostly still during the 2013 free agency period and let the market sort out before signing any free agents outside of their own.

NFC West lessons from Robert Kraft rant - NFC West Blog - ESPN
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's comments regarding the Wes Welker situation made for compelling theater at the NFL owners meeting Monday.

Can Cliff Avril succeed at Linebacker?
Seattle Seahawks General Manger John Schneider went on the John Clayton Show, which airs on 710 ESPN Seattle every Saturday morning, and talked about the role Cliff Avril would play for Seattle. A link can be found at the bottom of the article to the interview.

How Matt Hasselbeck's release affects Seahawks - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Matt Hasselbeck is a free agent now that the Titans have released the veteran quarterback after two seasons in Tennessee.

Pete Carroll: How basketball led Seahawk coach's success | Jerry Brewer | The Seattle Times
Pete Carroll, the Seahawks' high-octane coach, draws on two late, great basketball mentors in reshaping his coaching philosophy.

Parys Haralson will be back with San Francisco 49ers - NFL.com
Parys Haralson missed all of 2012 with a torn triceps. He'll be back with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 on a one-year contract, Ian Rapoport reported Monday.

Remaining NFL free agency questions - NFL.com
Free agency has died down, but plenty of big-name players still are searching for a match, and teams have open spots. Gregg Rosenthal surveys the market from available QBs to pass rushers.

Healthy Kellen Winslow draws interest of Raiders - NFL.com
Kellen Winslow took most of the 2012 season off to deal with pain in his surgically repaired knee. Now that he's feeling healthy, the tight end is drawing interest from the Oakland Raiders.

Elvis Dumervil, Darrelle Revis will have a hard time getting paid - NFL.com
Darrelle Revis and Elvis Dumervil have a problem, Albert Breer says: They're not quarterbacks. And these days, if you're not a quarterback, you're not going to get paid the big bucks.

Retaining starters and free agent activity: Part 2 | National Football Post
After the first week of free agency, Tony Villiotti looks at the numbers

First Pro Day Preview - Week of March 18 - 22 | National Football Post
Russ Lande looks at first batch of Pro Days this week.

Vikings trying to bring back Antoine Winfield after cutting him - CBSSports.com
Minnesota cut Antoine Winfield six days ago but is talking to his agent about bringing him back. Winfield graded out as the NFL's top corner in 2012. The 35-year-old was scheduled to make $7.25 million this season before his release.

Various reports have Matt Hasselbeck, Colts closely linked | ProFootballTalk
There is plenty of evidence the Colts are major players for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who was released by the Titans on Monday. Several more reports surfaced Monday night suggesting a pact between quarterback and team was a distinct possibility.

Position Breakdown: Offensive Line | NFL Philosophy
Our series continues, breaking down each position by the skills necessary to be successful in the National Football League. Today, we take a look at the offensive line.

Free Agency 2013: Best 50 Left - Free Agency Update - Rotoworld.com
Victim of a contract snafu, Elvis Dumervil leads off Evan Silva's ranking of the Top 50 NFL Free Agents left.

The Tape Never Lies: Jesse Williams shows the potential to be a versatile defender | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
When Jesse Williams is selected in this April’s draft, he’ll be only the second non-punter, Australian-born athlete in NFL history. It’s rare to see a football prospect from Australia, but Williams has defied the odds and has the look of a high quality defender in the pros.

NFL Free Agent QBs: Matt Hasselbecks signs with Indianapolis Colts; Ryan Fitzpatrick to Tennessee Titans | Audibles - SI.com
Hasselbeck did not stay a free agent for long, either — he and the Indianapolis Colts agreed to a two-year deal that will put the 37-year-old Hasselbeck in place as Andrew Luck’s backup. The deal will be signed Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The NFL Fan Bases That Deserve Our Free-Agency Envy - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Anyone in my life can tell you that I have a serious problem when it comes to Fear of Missing Out. I could be off having a good time — a great time — but the moment I hear that something else is happening somewhere else, the fear begins to creep in. Uh-oh, is that more fun than this? Nah. Wait … is it? It’s exhausting. This crippling dread manifests most fully in three areas: two or more of my friends attending a live music event, second-Thursday-of-the-month night at Wrightwood Tap in Chicago, and NFL free agency.

Video: OL Groups - Video Breakdown - Rotoworld.com
With the intense part of free agnecy passing by, expect national reporters to start focusing on teams' interests in certain draft prospects. We will do our best to filter through the smoke screens and find worthwhile information connected with your favorite draftable players and teams.

2013 NFL Draft: FSU's E.J. Manuel draws split opinions - CBSSports
In the second installment of a five-part series on polarizing prospects, Dane Brugler and Rob Rang take a look at Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel.

Pro Days: Houston CB Hayden eases concerns about health, speed - CBSSports
Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden nearly died in November after a freak hit in practice tore a vein in his heart. He sure looked healthy Monday, however, clocking in with an unofficial time of 4.33 in the 40-yard dash before tweaking his hamstring.