Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Thursday

Read these, please.

Snap judgments: Seahawks' mindset - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider made headlines in 2010 for their willingness to constantly churn the Seattle Seahawks' roster. Three years later, they've built the roster to a point where player retention has become a bigger focus.

Cowboy re-ups: Justin Smith signs two-year extension that runs through 2015 | 49ers Hot Read
Defensive lineman Justin Smith signed a two-year contract extension Wednesday that ties him to the 49ers through 2015, the club announced.

All 32 NFL Defenses Ranked: Who Has The Most Ferocious D?
The Broncos and 49ers had great defenses in the 2012 regular season, even if it wasn't readily apparent in the playoffs. Seattle's "Legion of Boom" came into their own as a vile force of nature.

Football 201: Understanding the Zone Blocking Scheme - Behind the Steel Curtain
Issac Redman said "We are going to be dedicated to the zone." What is the zone blocking scheme? How is it different than the old scheme the Steelers used? We break down the zone blocking scheme and discuss some of the intricacies of it.

NFL's best defense? Texans, Seahawks are in the conversation - NFL.com
Barkevious Mingo hasn't played a snap yet in the NFL but felt moved enough after OTAs and minicamps to proclaim that the Cleveland Browns defense "could be the best in the league." We'll chalk that up to rookie exuberance, but it does bring up an interesting question: Which team will field the best defense in 2013?

Reggie McKenzie has regrets about his first Raiders free agent class - Silver And Black Pride
"It's always parameters and you know that going in. To be honest, to not be cliché, the one kid [I wanted to keep most] was Philip Wheeler," said Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie. "The fact that we brought him in last year and how he fought and how he practiced and played. He made a lot of plays for us and he became kind of a favorite around here amongst the Raider fans so I really wanted to try to keep him if I could, but he played well, he was warranted the money that he received, and the attention that he received from other teams. There was opportunity for him last year and he took advantage of the opportunity and played well here in Oakland and the contractual parameters, we couldn't compete with that."

Mount Flushmore - NFC West | Kissing Suzy Kolber
Welcome to the NFC West where the Seahawks were moved to because they couldnt compete verse the winning ways of the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders. Lets climb to the top together!

San Francisco 49ers – Niner Insider Blog – SFGate.com » Report: 49ers sign OC Greg Roman to two-year extension
Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman desperately wants to be a head coach.

Poll: How confident are you in second-year Seahawks QB Russell Wilson? | Seattle Seahawks & NFL News - seattlepi.com
Russell Wilson came out of nowhere last season to, as a third-round draft pick, lead the Seahawks to an 11-5 season and get them 31 seconds from the NFC championship game. The young quarterback is today all but a messiah in Seattle.

Seahawks.com Blog | Jon Ryan to host charity golf tournament & kicking camp north of the border
A couple of summer activities that slipped under our radar in last week’s blog post on the Seahawks 12 Tour and related player-driven football camps around the nation come from Seahawks punter Jon Ryan, who will host a charity golf tournament and kicking camp north of the border this week in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Future Power Rankings: NFC West on rise - NFC West Blog - ESPN
ESPN's Herm Edwards and Field Yates explain in the video above why the San Francisco 49ers rank No. 1 in our Future Power Rankings projecting ahead to 2016. "Their only problem is this: Long term, there is a team up north built similar to the San Francisco 49ers," Edwards said. "That is the Seahawks. They are really a carbon copy of the San Francisco 49ers. They run the ball very well, they are physical on defense, they have big players. You look at these two rosters, you notice they have big people who can run."

On Justin Smith's new contract extension - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers have announced a contract extension for one of their best players.

'A thousand years ahead of where we were' - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The St. Louis Rams put two halfbacks on the field for a third-and-5 play at Seattle last season, an unusual personnel grouping. The Seahawks called timeout. The Rams came back with something more straightforward -- a basic play offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams' receivers had installed from the first day of training camp.

Around the NFC West: 'Salty' from defeat? - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The NFC West rivalry that keeps on giving gave a little more Tuesday when Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas answered questions about San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Wilson faces more pressure than other young QBs? | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
You probably saw most of the quotes from Russell Wilson last week at the conclusion of minicamp when Eric Williams asked him about concerns over a “sophomore slump.” This morning, ESPN’s Jeffri Chadiha advanced a theory that Wilson still has more to prove than others in the group of young NFL quarterbacks that flashed such promise last season.

For Wilson, still plenty to prove after stellar debut - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
One month into the 2012 season, the city of Seattle couldn't agree on whether Russell Wilson was the best quarterback on the Seahawks' roster.

Justin Smith ‘Pumped’ for Extension
Justin Smith wanted to finish his career with the San Francisco 49ers and with Wednesday’s announcement of a two-year contract extension between the defensive tackle and the club, that wish is likely a reality. “They want me to be here and I want to be here so it makes it easy,” said Smith after he inked an extension that’ll keep him with the 49ers through the 2015 season.

49ers Blog and Q&A: Report: 49ers ink Greg Roman to two-year deal
The 49ers still risk losing Greg Roman to a team looking for a new head coach. But at least Roman will be a bit happier after recently signing a two-year contract extension with the team. News of Roman's new deal first was reported by NFL Network.

Safety Competition Just Getting Started
All across the Rams defense, at nearly every position, you can find a strong mix of veterans and youngsters, players in their prime and those headed in that direction.

Taking a look at the Seahawks offseason - NFL, Seattle Seahawks Blog, Win Forever
Seattle Seahawks blogger Brandon Choate brings us his Seattle Seahawks offseason analysis. With the rookie additions of players like Luke Willson, Jesse Williams, Christine Michael and Chris Harper, the Seahawks are adding even more depth to an already scary depth chart. The additions of Percy Harvin, Antoine Winfield, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril are moves that will put the Seahawks over the top.

Mitchell Tanney hired as Bears' director of analytics - NFL.com
Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery continued his trend toward advanced football statistics, announcing the hiring of former Arena League quarterback Mitchell Tanney as director of analytics.

Greg Roman signs extension with San Francisco 49ers - NFL.com
San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman will be one of the hottest names on the head coaching market next offseason. Until then, he'll enjoy some job security with a new contract.

Pac-12 summer power rankings | National Football Post
Oregon sits at the top — but barely.

Is Vernon Davis dabbling as a wide receiver? | National Football Post
49ers used tight end there in recent minicamp

The game's best rivalries? Seattle, 49ers already talking way up list - CBSSports.com
There's been a lot of talk lately between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, and that's what happens when two teams don't like each other ... and these teams don't. That doesn't make them unusual. It makes them the latest members of the NFL's best rivalries.

Mike Lombardi Cracks the Code to Winning in the NFL
Yesterday, Joe Fortenbaugh canonized Mike Lombardi for discovering and emphasizing one of the game’s great hidden stats: the number of rushing attempts plus completions a team has in a game. If you hit 50, you’re in great shape. Fortenbaugh reminds us that Lombardi, whose last team went 2-14, “possesses a vast range of knowledge spanning from management to game theory.” Fortenbaugh does the math for us, noting that the “top-10 teams in rushing attempts + completions combined to post a record of 101-59 (.631) in 2012, with seven of those ten organizations advancing to the postseason. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the bottom-10 teams combined for a 62-97-1 (.387) mark, with zero total playoff berths.” Then, he blows us away with the prize-winning line:

Aldon Smith: Stunts, Size and Sacks By Proxy | Pre Snap Reads
Jim Harbaugh has done next to nothing wrong since taking over the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2011 season. Harbaugh has brought a franchise from a 6-10 regular season full of turmoil and failure, through a 13-3 division crown on their way to being runners up in the Super Bowl. Only runners up because of one goalline play where the potential franchise quarterabck he drafted couldn’t connect with the young receiver who’s career he put on the right track.

The Tape Never Lies: With the right usage, the old Reggie Bush could return in Detroit | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
The narratives about the rise and fall of Reggie Bush have long been written. He was supposed to be the next Barry Sanders, an electric and explosive ball-carrier who could do anything at any time he wanted to. Any time he touched the ball with running room, he was a threat to take it to the house. Coming into a league transitioning to more “satellite” players, he was the ultimate satellite.

Ohio State OC Tom Herman: ‘We just keep plugging away’ « Big Ten Network
Q: Can you explain this new “diamond” formation that has been installed as a new wrinkle? A: It’s kind of an inverted Wishbone. Dana Holgorsen did a good job with it a few years back at Oklahoma State when he had (Brandon) Weeden and (Justin) Blackmon. He was getting into it to get single coverage on Blackmon. He would put three backs in the game, or two backs with a fullback/tight end guy. And Dana would have a two-play check to where if defenses double Blackmon, they were going to run it. And if they didn’t, they were going to throw it to Blackmon. I have been studying it for a couple of years.