Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Friday

LINKS!

Trent Richardson, Delanie Walker among breakout candidates - NFL.com
3) Bruce Irvin, DE/OLB, Seattle Seahawks: This cat is a freak athlete. Irvin had eight sacks in his rookie year -- and he was still raw. With a full NFL season under his belt, this Seattle pass rusher will become one of the elite sack artists and disruptive forces in the game.

The 5 spot: Rookie minicamp | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
The Seahawks will practice Friday and Saturday afternoon, and finish off the three-day session on Sunday morning. All three sessions will be open to the media, so we’ll have practice reports on the blog each day. The roster still is being finalized for tomorrow, but if it becomes available I will pass it along later today.

NFL's most overrated players: Dirty Suh, playoff-challenged Romo on top - CBSSports.com
There is no more polarizing word in sports than the word overrated. Well, except for maybe Tebow, but you get my point. There are overrated politicians, astronauts, and superheroes, but there are rarely heated arguments about who is more overrated: Hulk or Batman?

Why Seattle is done pumping high picks into the O-line « Seahawks Draft Blog
The Seahawks have an accomplished offensive line. Yes, that is true, despite arguments to the contrary. Only San Francisco and the New York Giants ranked higher in the run game last year according to Football Outsiders. They were ranked #2 in second level blocking, had more success in a ‘power’ formation than any other team barring New Orleans and had the least number of stuffed runs in the NFL.

Jerrod Johnson’s unusual path leads him to Seahawks’ rookie minicamp
During the 2012 preseason, Jerrod Johnson completed 14 of 21 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The summer before that, he completed both his preseason passes while with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Buffalo Bills defensive scheme: nickel base for Mike Pettine? - Buffalo Rumblings
NFL teams are spreading the field with increasing frequency. Add in the Mount Everest of the AFC East, which resides in Foxboro, and the Bills may lean towards a base nickel defense to attempt their climb to the top of the division.

Who To Watch At Seahawks Rookie Minicamp « CBS Seattle
How many of Seattle’s 2013 draft picks and undrafted free agents can crack the 53-man roster this fall? We get a look at the young Seahawks hopefuls when they work out for the first time this weekend at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.

Ultimate Texans » Solomon: Texans over Seahawks, Week 4, book it
Gambling on the outcome of games, when the people involved care more about winning than they do about your money is why gambling on sports is not a good way to make a living.

Expanded look at QB wins above average - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Les from Philadelphia read our recent piece on quarterback victories over average and wondered if we could apply the same approach to other teams. "Can you do the same analysis for other QB-challenged teams such as Philadelphia, Minnesota, etc.?" Les asked.

Revisiting Karlos Dansby for Arizona Cardinals - ESPN
Karlos Dansby left the Arizona Cardinals in free agency following the 2010 NFL season. The linebacker was back at team headquarters for a free-agent visit this week as the team considered its options at the position.

How many victories QBs are really worth - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The NFC West has learned in spectacular fashion just how much life can improve when a dynamic quarterback steps into the lineup.

Will Seahawks' 2013 rookie class make an immediate impact? | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
With rookies reporting to their first training camp on Friday, I thought it’d be a good time to go back and take a look at the impact rookies have had in the past three years since Pete Carroll and John Schneider took over.

Seahawks DT Greg Scruggs has ACL surgery on right knee | ProFootballTalk
The Seattle Seahawks took a blow to their depth along the defensive line with the announcement by the team Thursday evening that defensive tackle Greg Scruggs had underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

Top 10 Thursdays: NFL Top 10 Number 10's | Fanspeak NFL Blog
Top 10 #10's in the NFL.

Hawk Talk: Lynch's status, Baldwin's future - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Marshawn Lynch's pending DUI case and Doug Baldwin's future in Seattle beyond 2013 were among the topics discussed when Danny O'Neil hosted another edition of "Hawk Talk" on Thursday. You can find the transcript of the chat here. Below are some highlights.

Exec's comments questioning Seahawks' trade for Percy Harvin? - ESPN
The Seattle Seahawks say they weren't taking a win-now approach at the expense of their future when they acquired Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings at great cost.

Roger Goodell talks crown-of-the-helmet rule, Tim Tebow, more - NFL.com
Steve Wyche sat down with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss a myriad of topics, including the crown-of-the-helmet rule, Tim Tebow, the Dolphins' future in Miami and homosexuality in sports.

NFC West roster snapshot as rookie minicamps approach - ESPN
NFC West teams are filling out their rosters toward the 90-player limit as rookie minicamps approach Friday.

Every NFL Team's Best & Worst Offseason Acquisiton | Bleacher Report
Every year, NFL teams are instantly graded on the overall success of their offseason. In year's past, teams like the Jaguars have notoriously made more negative moves than positive ...

Broncos, Seahawks voted into Super Bowl XLVIII - NFL.com
NFL.com's "Predict the Season" game is nearing its end, with readers picking a dreamy Super Bowl matchup between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. Who has the edge?

The Legion of Boom - Seattle Seahawks, NFL Blogs Online, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas
Seattle Seahawks blogger Clinton Bell weighs in with a piece about the Seahawks most prized possession: the Legion of Boom. From Kam to Earl, Browner to Sherm, these guys are the heart and soul of the Seahawks defense. Sure the offense has some nice weapons too, but the defense is what keeps the Hawks in games down the stretch. Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Brandon Browner, and now featuring Antoine Winfield. Look out.

What hides behind the smile | National Football Post
Former NFL wide receiver Titus Young aced the interview process…and then his career fell apart.

Top 5 WRs & TEs for the 2014 draft | National Football Post
Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews tops our initial rankings for collegiate pass catchers.

Backup quarterbacks helped Rams decide on Austin, Bailey | ProFootballTalk
When NFL teams pick players who excelled in college football, it's difficult to know whether they'll thrive at the next level. For the Rams, who picked both of West Virginia's star receivers in the 2013 draft, the decision was assisted by a pair of backup quarterbacks -- Kellen Clemens and Austin...

Implied SRS Ratings of each NFL Team
On Wednesday, Jason Lisk came up with a set of power rankings based on the point spread for nearly every game this season (spreads for the games in the final week of the season have not yet been released).

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Broken Tackles 2012: Defense
Let's continue our series presenting various 2012 stats from the multitude of Football Outsiders spreadsheets. Last week, we looked at broken tackles from the offensive perspective. Today, we'll look at it from the defensive perspective.

Of Course Bill Belichick Hates Tim Tebow | Pre Snap Reads
In the never-ending cycle of “news” that surrounds Tim Tebow, New England Patriots’ Head Coach Bill Belichick’s name came up today. In this edition of Tebowtainment, Mike Silver of Yahoo pointed out that Belichick “hates” Tebow as a player and there is “no chance” that he would join the New England Patriots.

The Tape Never Lies: D.J. Hayden could become a shutdown corner quickly | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
A rundown of the Oakland Raiders recent history of first-round draft selections shows a list of high-risk and controversial picks. It includes JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Rolando McClain in successive years from 2007 to 2010. Each had significant question marks ranging from Russell’s work ethic to McFadden’s fragility to Heyward-Bey’s rawness and to McClain’s schematic fit. Only one (McFadden) has survived the roster purging done by general manager Reggie McKenzie, who is entering his second year of rebuilding.

The NFL's Craziest Draft-Trade What-Ifs of the Past 15 Years - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Every now and then, our boss, Bill Simmons, will forward some of his reader mail to me and fellow Triangle editor Chris Ryan. Most of the time, it’s to troll us about our favorite teams (Brian Urlacher’s pre-draft ascension was entirely legitimate, and I won’t hear otherwise), but occasionally, one of the notes has an idea so insane that it actually makes a lot of sense.

Chuck Klosterman on draft day in Cleveland - Grantland
A visit inside — OK, near — the Cleveland war room on the occasion of the NFL draft