Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Thursday

Drink it in.

2013 NFL free agency - How Wes Welker improves the Denver Broncos' offense - ESPN
Former NFL DB Matt Bowen breaks down the game film to see how Wes Welker improves the Denver Broncos' offense.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Futures: The Hybrid RB Evolution
March is the month that I take 14-to-18 months of research and use it to generate rankings and analysis for the April 1 Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication. The labor involved in this compressed time period involves a workweek with hours averaging in the triple digits. I believe this will be the last year I have to do it this way.

Seahawks' Russell Wilson eager to improve | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
An unexpected starter in 2012, Russell Wilson clearly is the man in charge on the field offensively for the Seattle Seahawks. But as he prepares for his second season, the 24-year-old quarterback isn’t content with his breakout rookie performance. He wants more. And he’s willing to put in the work to help the Seahawks emerge as Super Bowl contenders sooner rather than later.

Punisher: S D.J. Swearinger - Evaluations - Rotoworld.com
Type DJ Swearinger's name into Google, and the first page will be littered with examples of why he's become a college football fan favorite over the last three years - big hits and big plays. While young phenom defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney is the most prominent Gamecock defender, Swearinger is the leader and Captain of the South Carolina defense, and it's easy to see why. The unit as a whole took on Swearinger's personality, playing with equal part's cockiness and violent reckless abandonment.

Plenty of teams have plenty of cap room | ProFootballTalk
Free agency opened 15 days ago. This year, the initial surge of cash was more limited than ever, more than a few guys settled for one-year deals, and plenty of other players are still waiting to get paid.

Revisiting Matt Flynn implications by scenario - ESPN
A few things to consider amid an increase in trade chatter regarding Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Matt Flynn:

Where Jake Long fits among left tackles - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The St. Louis Rams have scheduled an introductory news conference for Thursday featuring recently signed left tackle Jake Long.

NFL's five weakest rosters: Jacksonville Jaguars at top - NFL.com
We have already recapped the five strongest rosters in the NFL. Now let's take a look at the five weakest. For the teams that finished at or near the bottom of their division in the AFC, things are going to get worse before they get better. It's no coincidence that four of the five organizations listed below are welcoming new head coaches, new general managers or both. All of them have suffered talent losses this offseason while shedding bloated salaries for a rebuilding phase.

Tyrann Mathieu is a second-round talent; three potential NFL fits - NFL.com
It was a tumultuous 2012 for Tyrann Mathieu, but the prolific playmaker is turning heads again in the pre-draft process. Bucky Brooks assesses Mathieu's draft stock and identifies three potential fits.

Russell Wilson: Mobile QBs add new 'dimension' to NFL - NFL.com
"To be honest with you, people try to take away from the ability that guys have in terms of what Colin Kaepernick and other guys like him can do, for whatever reason, because they're young, or they're different," Wilson told the Tacoma News-Tribune on Wednesday. "But I think it brings excitement to the game. It brings a challenge to the defense. "It doesn't matter what style of offense, I'm ready to play any time, anywhere, anyplace. I just want to play football. Some people try to take away from our ability to throw the football because we can run. But I think it just adds another dimension to what we do."

Matt Hasselbeck shocked by Tennessee Titans' release - NFL.com
"I thought it was a possibility, but when I left for vacation I definitely didn't think I would come back as not a member of the Titans. " ... It just feels weird to not be a member of the family anymore," Hasselbeck said. "And I just had a lot of pride for putting the foundation for (head coach Mike) Munchak's first year, and now not to be a part of it, it is disappointing more than anything else."

NFP Mock Draft - Version 9.0 | National Football Post
Russ Lande makes another attempt at predicting the 1st Round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Scout Talk | National Football Post
NFL front office men say Eric Fisher may have surpassed Luke Joeckel as the draft's top OT

The great smokescreen? | National Football Post
Geno Smith is the greatest gift to any NFL team drafting in the top ten with no interest in selecting the West Virginia quarterback.

Colt McCoy won’t be with the Browns much longer | ProFootballTalk
The signing of quarterback Jason Campbell will hasten a move that everyone has been expecting: The Browns will soon part ways with quarterback Colt McCoy.

NFL sees no increase in injuries on Thursdays | ProFootballTalk
When the NFL expanded its slate of Thursday night games, some questioned whether forcing more players to play in more games with less time off would lead to more injuries. But the NFL says that hasn’t happened.

Lattimore hears applause at Pro Day workout | ProFootballTalk
Former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore showed up for his Pro Day workout, less than six months after suffering a severe and gruesome knee injury.

Cardinals sign Jonathon Amaya | ProFootballTalk
The Cardinals have been as active as anyone in free agency and they signed their 10th player away from another team on Wednesday.

Making the Case for Alex Smith | The Sideline View
Many fans, writers, and NFL analysts do not believe Alex Smith is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. This is a highly debatable topic that has increased with the recent success of Colin Kaepernick for the 49ers this season.

The Tape Never Lies: Ezekiel Ansah needs to continue to develop | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Without a doubt, there’s concern over BYU’s Ezekiel Ansah potentially becoming a bust. However, one can’t help but wonder what kind of player he could be if he spends time honing his craft at only one position.

2013 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 - NFL - Don Banks - SI.com
After a painfully slow start in comparison to recent years, the plot in this year's quarterback draft class is about to thicken. Matt Barkley's much-anticipated pro day workout at USC is Wednesday, and if he puts sufficient arm strength on display, he should vault himself squarely into the first-round conversation. It says right here he will (see my No. 8 pick, by those embattled Buffalo Bills).

Eddie Lacy, Mark Ingram, and Insanity | RotoViz
We’ve come to another draft season and once again an Alabama running back is No. 1 on everybody’s board (well, except for Agility Score aficionados). To someone who wasn’t immersed in the memes of NFL scouting, this would seem odd. The previous Alabama backs have been what might be considered underwhelming.

Pro Days: Barkley gets passing grade, but others steal the show - CBSSports
For Matt Barkley, who surprised many with the decision to spurn the NFL and return to Southern Cal for his senior season in 2012, Wednesday's Pro Day was an acceptable culmination for his college career.

2013 NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars spotlight - CBSSports
This is the second of a team-by-team series, analyzing five prospects each team should consider in the 2013 NFL Draft.

2013 NFL Draft Scouting Report: South Carolina Running Back Marcus Lattimore | Bleacher Report
No player in the 2013 NFL draft has a bigger span between ceiling and floor than Marcus Lattimore . The workhorse back could be an elite starter for a decade, but he also might ...

2013 NFL Draft: Johnathan Hankins Scouting Report
In a top-heavy class of defensive tackles, Johnathan Hankins stands out as one of the more physically-imposing specimens. At slightly over 6’3" and 320 pounds, the big junior is taller and heavier than all but a handful of prospects. He’s considered a top-15 prospect by most experts, but there is some debate about whether he deserves to be drafted that high. He didn’t stuff the stat-sheet, only accumulating 15.5 tackles for a loss (11 in his sophomore year alone) and four sacks in his college career. And his motor appears to run hot and cold, leading some to question his fitness and work ethic.

2013 NFL Draft: David Amerson Scouting Report
David Amerson entered the 2012 college football season as the consensus top cornerback in the nation. Many people expected the dynamic junior to be drafted in the top-ten in 2013, with many people even touting him as worthy of a top-five overall pick. He’d finished his sophomore year with 13 interceptions, falling one short of the FBS record. Expectations were high, and he fell short.