Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Wednesday

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Lotulelei: Others considered, Seahawks made best offer - Bald-Headed Truth by Robert Collias - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information - The Maui News
Sports editor Brad Sherman just got off the phone with former Baldwin and UNLV linebacker John Lotulelei, who signed with the Seattle Seahakws as an undrafted free agent today. Lotulelei said he also talked with the Bears, but noted that they have seven-time Pro Bowl pick Lance Briggs, and drafted two linebackers (Jon Bostic out of Florida in the second round and Khaseem Greene out of Rutgers in the fourth round). Lotulelei also spoke with the Redskins, and was intrigued by the idea of learning from three-time Pro Bowler and 15-year NFL veteran London Fletcher, but Lotulelei said he felt the Seahawks ultimately made a better offer.

Will Seahawks' newest players crack the lineup? » Kitsap Sun
“It’s going to be an extremely competitive camp,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “Every step of the way, including the Phase 2 element that we’re in now, OTAs (organized team activities) — everything that we go through is competitive for these kids to figure out how they can best position themselves to make this club. “It’s very, very exciting in that regard.”

Dolphins, Seahawks sign ODU defensive stars | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
Two members of Old Dominion’s first football recruiting class signed free-agent contracts with National Football League teams Saturday night. Linebacker Craig Wilkins signed with the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle Chris Burnette with the Miami Dolphins. They signed shortly after the NFL draft ended, ODU officials said. Both players were undrafted.

Seahawks still No. 1 in ESPN’s post-draft NFL power rankings | Seattle Seahawks & NFL News - seattlepi.com
The Seahawks were ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s post-draft NFL power rankings Tuesday, retaining their spot atop the league from the March offseason poll.

McNary grad has a shot with Seahawks | Statesman Journal | statesmanjournal.com
Brown has been invited to the Seattle Seahawks rookie mini-camp — essentially a try-out camp where he could earn a free agent deal. “It is definitely exciting to have the opportunity, but I still have to try out,” he said Tuesday morning. “I can’t get too excited just yet.”

Seahawks.com Blog | Offseason workout program dates announced
The NFL today released the offseason workout program dates for each of the League’s 32 teams, including rookie minicamp dates for the 11 drafted Seahawks and nine more that agreed to terms as undrafted rookie free agents. Each club’s official, voluntary nine-week offseason program is conducted in three phases:

Further digging on Christine Michael… « Seahawks Draft Blog
Michael was the #3 High School running back in 2009 (according to Rivals) behind just Bryce Brown and Trent Richardson. He was a 5-star recruit. Among the teams expressing an interest in his services? USC.

The Arizona Cardinals draft class of 2013 « Seahawks Draft Blog
Last January the Cardinals cleaned house, firing 11 year general manager Rod Graves and head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Arizona has been a troubled franchise for most of it’s history, so you’d think they would have opted for as big a change of scenery as possible. Remarkably, they instead opted to stay in house for their next GM hire, promoting vice president of player personnel Steve Keim.

Seahawks' plan at linebacker is still a work in progress - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
"We're moving some things around to make sure that we utilize everybody well," coach Pete Carroll said. "You'll see how that works out when we come out at camp."

What we learned from the Seahawks' 2013 draft - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Three things we learned and three things we're still trying to figure out after the Seahawks added 11 players in the 2013 draft:

Post-draft West ranks: Revisiting WRs - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Our post-draft amendments to pre-draft positional rankings continue with Matt Williamson, NFL scout for ESPN.com. Up next: wide receivers.

Snap judgments: Turnover can be good - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Roster change can be good for teams looking to dramatically upgrade.

Collateral damage: Defensive players hurt by NFL draft - NFL.com
For every rookie who sees his lifelong dream come true, there's a veteran who's in danger of losing his job. Ed Reed is among the players who suffered on draft day, Gregg Rosenthal writes.

Chris Johnson, Josh Freeman face pressure after 2013 NFL Draft - NFL.com
In the wake of the 2013 NFL Draft, Adam Schein identifies pressure points across the NFL. One player on the spot: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who is officially out of excuses.

RG-3 knows how to fire up fans against Dallas | National Football Post
QB says 'we made Cowboys Stadium our home'

Former Raiders coach convicted of felony battery | National Football Post
Hanson is famously (or infamously) known for being on the receiving end of a broken jaw in 2009 from then-Raiders head coach Tom Cable, who knocked him out of a chair. No criminal charges were filed against Cable, though Hanson later sued.

From Abraham to Woodson: Where 9 NFL veteran FAs make most sense - CBSSports.com
Now that the initial FA rush and draft are over, is NFL roster help left? Try Abraham, Dansby, Seymour, Woodson, etc., along with some sensible destinations for nine such players.

Football Perspective’s Thoughts on the Jets Draft
Yesterday, I discussed some of my general reactions to the NFL Draft. Today, my thoughts on the Jets draft in particular.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2013 NFL Draft Report Card Report
The NFL draft made its last pick less than 75 hours ago, yet the internet is already littered with draft grades from even the most thoughtful, intelligent NFL and draft analysts. As is our yearly custom, we've searched out the most highly-regarded of these draft grades (sorry, bleacherreport), compiled their information and analyzed the data to figure out which teams they loved, which teams they hated (Hi, Jerry Jones), and which teams they didn't know what to do with. (Previous NFL Draft Report Card Reports can be found here: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2004.).

Justin Blackmon suspended four games for substances of abuse violation | ProFootballTalk
Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon finished strong in 2012, catching 25 passes and scoring two touchdowns in the final four games of the season. It looks like we're going to have to wait a while to find out if he picks up where he left off.

Chip Kelly blames the offensive line for Michael Vick’s down year | ProFootballTalk
Michael Vick had a disappointing season in 2012, but new Eagles coach Chip Kelly doesn't think that's Vick's fault. Kelly told WIP in Philadelphia that injuries along the Eagles' offensive line were the biggest problem Vick had in 2012, and there's every reason to think that Vick can play as well...

2012 ADP vs. Reality: WRs - ADP Analysis - Rotoworld.com
So far in this series I’ve looked over the ADP/Reality ratio of quarterbacks and running backs. As you might have guessed, quarterbacks are the more stable, i.e. overly protected, of the two and live up to their Average Draft Positions more readily. This week I’m going to look at wide receivers and how well their ADP holds up.

Farewell, Timothy Richard Tebow - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Oh dear. Tim Tebow. Do we have to do this? There's way more meaningful stuff happening elsewhere this week, in case you haven't noticed. This isn't going to be fun for you, or for me, or really even for Tim Tebow. Fine. Just know that I think your obsession with backup quarterbacks is weird and unsavory.

Sports Radio Interviews » Blog Archive » Chip Kelly Says the NFL Draft Went Too Slow for Him
In Chip Kelly’s first NFL season, he has already implemented a number of changes to the Eagles. He hands out smoothies to his players when they come off the practice field, he has sped up some things on the practice field and he has changed the attitude in Philadelphia. This season, he will encounter a number of firsts. He will coach his first game, he will have his first big decision on fourth down, he will have to decide whether to kick an extra point versus go for a two point conversion and the list goes on and on. He just finished his first NFL draft as the head coach of the Eagles and he did great. A number of the players he picked had success against Oregon (IE: 2nd round pick Zach Ertz who caught 11 passes against the Ducks last year), but it was about adding long-term starters to an already solid roster. That’s what Philly did. So far, so good for Kelly in the NFL.

2013 NFL Draft: 12 non-first round rookies to make instant impact - CBSSports
Plenty of rookies will shine in the NFL in 2013, but not just the first-round picks. Several players who were drafted in rounds two through seven will also have a chance to make an immediate impact.

Grading the Seattle Seahawks 2013 Draft: Second Round
This will be the first in a short series of articles evaluating the Seahawks’ draft haul. These are basically gut reactions to the picks, sprinkled with a little bit of roster philosophy, and topped off with a smidgen of Seattle-centric tape analysis.

NFL Draft 2013: Complete Scouting Guide for This Year's Class | Bleacher Report
When the 2013 NFL draft unfolds at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night, you'll want to instantly know as much as you can about your team's newest additions, or perhaps you'll just want to know about the best new talent to watch out for on Sundays..

NFC East draft grades: Chip Kelly immediately makes his mark - NFL.com
Nobody knew how Chip Kelly would approach the NFL draft. Bucky Brooks applauds the Philadelphia Eagles coach -- and particularly his Day 3 selection of Matt Barkley -- in the NFC East Draft Grades.

2013 NFL Draft: St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings fill big needs - NFL.com
Last season alone at West Virginia, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey combined for 37 TD catches. Daniel Jeremiah says Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams will reap the benefits of this dynamic duo.

Free agency, draft provide D-line with even more depth and versatility
Since Red Bryant joined the Seahawks in 2008 almost three dozen other defensive linemen have rotated through the roster. But Bryant looks at the 2013 group and offers, “It’s going to be something special.”