Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Wednesday

Links.

Browner’s predicament possibly arises from unfair implementation of substance-abuse policy | ProFootballTalk
But a one-year suspension — technically, a permanent banishment with the ability to apply for reinstatement after one year — applies only to players who already were in Stage Three of the substance-abuse program. While no one is talking about the specifics of the Browner case, we have a theory. Or a hypothesis. Or something.

How the Seattle Seahawks Can Slow Down the Saints Passing Attack | Bleacher Report
The Seattle Seahawks have a formidable foe coming to town this week. Quarterback Drew Brees leads the New Orleans Saints into Seattle with a chance to knock the Seahawks out of the top spot in the NFC. For Seattle, the key to this game will be finding a way to slow down the Saints' vaunted passing attack.

Todd Bowles' creativity makes Arizona Cardinals defense the NFL's best | Audibles - SI.com
When the Arizona Cardinals lost defensive coordinator Ray Horton to the Cleveland Browns in January 2013, it was thought that the team’s defense would take a while to recover — especially when it was announced that former Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles would serve as his replacement. Horton left the team because he was angry that Bruce Arians replaced Ken Whisenhunt as the team’s head coach, and Horton had a reasonable belief that he deserved serious consideration.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 12 DVOA Ratings
For the first time since Week 4, a new team is on top of the Football Outsiders DVOA ratings. Denver's close loss to New England drops the Broncos down a spot after eight weeks at No. 1, and Seattle takes over the top position. The Denver defense improved significantly with the return of Von Miller in Week 7, but the offense has really fallen off from those early weeks of the season when they looked like one of the best offenses of all time, and the special teams have struggled as well. Check out this split of Denver stats before and after Miller's return in Week 7:

New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks: Scouting Report | NOLA.com
The last time the New Orleans Saints ventured to the Pacific Northwest, they came up short in the NFC wild-card round of the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks after the 2010 regular season.

Suspensions ruining a big week for Seattle Seahawks - ESPN
Like it or not, the Seattle Seahawks have become the poster team for drug-related suspensions.

Golden Tate weighs in on teammates' suspensions - 710sports.com
The way Golden Tate sees it, his suspended teammates are good guys who made bad decisions.

Golden Tate of Seattle Seahawks says teammates selfish - ESPN
"Everyone should realize where this team is," Tate said Tuesday on 710 ESPN radio in Seattle. "You are affecting way more than yourself. I feel like that was kind of a selfish move on both those guys' part. But it is what it is. The show must go on, and that's what we're gonna do.

Perrish Cox signs contract with Seattle Seahawks - NFL.com
Cornerback Perrish Cox signed with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday, just one day after fellow corner Walter Thurmond III was suspended four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Joe Flacco: Ravens' Wildcat a 'high school offense' - NFL.com
"I don't care how we use it in the game -- successful or not successful, after a big play, not after a big play," Flacco said. "I don't care where it's used, I'm just not a huge fan of it. I'm the quarterback. I want to be behind the line of scrimmage. I want to be taking the snaps. That's really the only thing. I don't necessarily take it personally either in terms of our offense trying to get better. I just think it makes us look like not an NFL team."

Power Rankings: No. 1 Seattle Seahawks - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
A weekly examination of the Seahawks' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

NFC Playoff Picture: Who will emerge? - NFL.com
Will Aaron Rodgers' return propel the Green Bay Packers to the top of the NFC North heap? Gregg Rosenthal breaks down all the division races and tells you what teams are primed for the wild card.

AFC Playoff Picture: Patriots control No. 2 seed - NFL.com
The AFC playoff picture promises fireworks until the end. Marc Sessler looks at the race for the No. 2 seed, which includes Tom Brady's Patriots, and examines who's in and who's out.

Hawks sign CB Auguste to practice squad | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
This isn’t quite the high-profile signing of some of the other cornerbacks rumored associated with the Seahawks in recent days. But the team did add another body at that spot today when it signed Akeem Auguste to the practice squad, cutting tight end Cooper Helfet to make room.

Texas coach compares TE Jace Amaro to Rob Gronkowski - NFL.com
Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro compares favorably to Rob Gronkowski and Jermichael Finley, Texas coaches said.

Cast of LSU underclassmen considering early jump to NFL - NFL.com
LSU could again face a wave of underclassmen leaving the Tigers program early for the NFL draft.

NFP power rankings | National Football Post
Riding a four-game winning streak, Bruce Arians’ Cardinals continue to climb the board.

Titans sign two-time Pro Bowler Leon Washington - CBSSports.com
The Tennessee Titans added two-time Pro Bowler Leon Washington on Tuesday.

NFL Week 13 picks: Seahawks will struggle at home vs. Saints - CBSSports.com
Here are three reasons why the Saints will cover the +6.5-point spread vs. the Seahawks.

NFL Thanksgiving sentiments from fans | The MMQB with Peter King
NFC East Eagles: That management thought outside the box and doggedly pursued Chip Kelly, a refreshing change agent in a league too often stuck in the past.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Clutch Encounters: Week 12
On the eve of Donovan McNabb's birthday, we had another database-killing overtime tie, which apparently some players on the Green Bay Packers didn't know was possible. Sunday also happened to be the 11-year anniversary of Marty Mornhinweg taking the wind in overtime

NFL Draft 2014 Risers/Fallers: Johnny Manziel's struggles against LSU could hurt stock | Audibles - SI.com
Is LSU’s defense simply the kryptonite for Johnny Manziel? Or is how he plays against the Tigers a sign of larger, more worrisome issues with his game?

Griffin’s lineman aren’t helping him up this year | ProFootballTalk
Some coaches apparently don’t like it when their players help opposing players off the ground. But it’s a given that all coaches would like their players to help their teammates up.

Dove’s 2014 NFL Draft Spotlight: St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams continue to reap the benefits from the Robert Griffin III trade—thanks in large part to the Washington Redskins struggles this season. It’s possible that St. Louis will have two picks in the top 15 of this upcoming draft. They face a lot of pressure to get these picks right because they have a roster on the verge of competing.

NFL Draft Week 13 Stock Report: Don't forget Bortles - CBSSports.com
A look at NFL prospects who helped themselves this past weekend and a few who might have hurt themselves.

Bad Quarterback League, Week 12: Geno Is King, But Mark Sanchez Is God - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
It's a truncated BQBL this week because of the holiday, but in case you missed it, the Jets are still a great big bonfire of disaster and Geno Smith remains the one true king of this Bad QB life in 2013. But lo, just when you thought Geno was the QB of the future.

Second-ranked tight end Eric Ebron (UNC) to enter NFL Draft - CBSSports.com
The Tar Heels athletic tight end has first round potential and could be the top player drafted at his position

2014 NFL Draft: Ka'Deem Carey shows first-round form vs. Ducks - CBSSports.com
Carey broke the school's all-time rushing record and scored four touchdowns to beat the No. 5 team in the country in what could be the junior's final game in Arizona Stadium.

Seattle Seahawks: What You Need to Know Heading into Week 13 | Bleacher Report
Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, scores, schedules, predictions, picks against the spread, free agent updates, power rankings, mock drafts and more

2014 NFL mock draft: Turning two picks into gold - Turf Show Times
With two picks in the draft, the Rams have another shot at bringing in some cornerstone players.

The Post-Mortem, Week 12: Indianapolis is now hiring! - SBNation.com
One thing that was clear in the Colts loss to the Cardinals: they really miss Reggie Wayne. Post-Mortem returns to dissect the Colts, Texans, Lions and the other losing teams from Week 12.

Bobby Rainey’s Career Day | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
I’d like to believe that last weekend will be the beginning of a long and fruitful career as an NFL starter for Bobby Rainey, but I’m not naive. The one position in the NFL where there is no shortage of talent is running back. There may be teams that lack a good eye for matching running back talent with its roster, but there are backs training at home with the ability to produce as an NFL starter if called upon.

Colin Kaepernick's inconsistency and the deep ball - Niners Nation
Colin Kaepernick is having the most inconsistent season of any NFL quarterback this year. What is the cause of his "sophomore" slump?

49ers activate Michael Crabtree off PUP list - Niners Nation
The 49ers have officially activated Michael Crabtree. It's on....

Seahawks must make a statement after suspensions - 710sports.com
League rules prohibit the Seahawks from discussing the pending suspensions of their pair of cornerbacks.