Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Friday

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Russell Wilson drafted by MLB's Texas Rangers - NFL.com
Russell Wilson is not the next Bo Jackson, but he still does have contractual ties to Major League Baseball. On Thursday, he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 Draft.

Jimmy Garoppolo, Jordan Tripp lead top FCS draft prospects - NFL.com
Gil Brandt takes a look at some of the top draft prospects in the FCS, many of whom are still alive in the FCS playoffs and will get a chance to improve their draft stocks thanks to the greater exposure.

Source: Cap could exceed $127.5 million for 2014 | ProFootballTalk
Per a league source, the final number could be more than $127.5 million per team. That would be a 3.65-percent increase over last year.

Double Coverage: Seahawks at Giants - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
The 11-2 Seattle Seahawks have had their playoff spot wrapped up for a couple of weeks already and have their eyes on the top seed in the NFC. The 5-8 New York Giants were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday and openly admit that they're playing for pride from this point forward. These two teams meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium -- a place the Seahawks hope to return to in early February for the Super Bowl.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Film Room: Russell Wilson
It is inevitable that Peyton Manning will be the 2013 NFL MVP. It's almost impossible to come up with a legitimate argument against him. Even before his Denver Broncos face the San Diego Chargers in Week 15, he has 45 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions. That production on a top seed from the AFC and while playing behind a less-than-stellar offensive line means that Manning wins seemingly every possible argument that one could make.

How Marc Trestman became a quarterback whisperer and an offensive innovator | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Before he was the quarterback whisperer, Marc Trestman was just a quarterback coach who had no idea how to coach quarterbacks. He was fresh out of law school and his only experience with the position was as a two-year intern with the Miami Hurricanes team and a backup to Tony Dungy at the University of Minnesota in the mid-to-late 1970s. But Howard Schnellenberger, then the Hurricanes’ coach, hired the 27-year-old Trestman.

Seahawks’ K.J. Wright has surgery, hopes for playoff return - Seattle Seahawks & NFL News
Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, who suffered a broken bone in his foot during Sunday’s loss at San Francisco, had surgery this week and hopes to return to his team in the playoffs. “Surgery went well,” Wright wrote Thursday on Twitter. “The doctor gave me great news! Thank you all for your prayers.”

Person of Interest: Giants' Eli Manning - 710sports.com
"Person of Interest" is a weekly feature in which we put the microscope on one player from the Seahawks' upcoming opponent. This week, it's New York's Eli Manning.

Russell Wilson will go to spring training, just for fun - ESPN
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson couldn’t figure out who in the world was calling him at 6:15 Thursday morning. “I’m on my way to work and get this call,” he said. “I see it’s from Arlington, Texas. I think, ‘Who’s calling me?’

Perrish Cox returns to Seahawks | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
With safety Jeron Johnson on injured reserve, Cox returns to Seattle.

Giants take down Super Bowl countdown sign - WSJ.com
The New York Giants' playoff hopes are history, and so is the Super Bowl countdown calendar in their locker room.

Russell Wilson presser | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
Some quick notes out of Russell Wilson’s Thursday afternoon press conference:

RENTON: Dave Boling: Seahawks’ Smith defies convention, even at training table | Seattle Seahawks | The News Tribune
Typically, pro football players are noted trenchermen, hearty food inhalers whose approach causes the all-you-can-eat buffets to shutter windows and lock up doors.

Russell Wilson, Texas Ranger? | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
Sorry, Cowboys and Texans, but a baseball team in your state now has a better quarterback than either NFL franchise.That's because on Thursday...

Stick a fork in them: 14 teams that are done in 2013 - NFL.com
It's time to think about next year in Pittsburgh and New York. What other NFL teams can we stick a fork in this season?

Free Oakland Raiders fullback Marcel Reece - NFL.com
Marcel Reece is expected to fade into the background again with Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings likely returning to the lineup Sunday. Does Reece deserve a larger role?

The biggest reason for Kansas City's turnaround | National Football Post
Powerful Poe has become Chiefs’ Ironman.

Bad luck, bad play, bad timing | National Football Post
It’s been a disappointing season for several contract-year players who were hoping to cash in big this winter.

NFL draft 2014: Picking ideal fits for Teddy Bridgewater, Jadeveon Clowney, more | Audibles - SI.com
Tanking suggestions -- or allegations, depending on how you feel about them -- have reached a crescendo, which means Mock Draft season is in full effect. Part of the fun of mocks is they use team needs and talent fit to slot players by draft order.

NFL Playoff Picture entering Week 15 | Audibles - SI.com
Here’s how the AFC and NFC playoff pictures look as Week 15 begins: AFC 1. Denver Broncos (11-2): AFC West leader 2. New England Patriots (10-3): AFC East leader 3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4): AFC North leader 4. Indianapolis Colts (8-5): AFC South leader 5.

Jim Harbaugh a reported potential candidate for Texas job | The MMQB with Peter King
Here we go again. For the second time in three years Jim Harbaugh is being linked to a job he doesn’t hold. In 2011, while coaching at Stanford, he was interviewed for NFL openings with the 49ers and Dolphins.

Everson Griffen, Gerald McCoy, J.J. Watt stand out among Week 14 pass rushers | The MMQB with Peter King
When the season is over, NFL teams will go scouring film and through statistics to find underrated pass rushers to target in free agency. Expect Vikings end Everson Griffen to be one of those players—if the Vikings let him hit the market.

NFLN will televise three-hour Pro Bowl draft | ProFootballTalk
As part of the effort to make the Pro Bowl less unwatchable, the NFL has fashioned another three-hour block of unwatchable television. The league has announced that the first-ever Pro Bowl draft will be televised on Wednesday, January 22.

Vernon Davis knew he could beat Bobby Wagner for a TD | ProFootballTalk
“Vernon said their guy was playing him straight up man. He said he can run right by him,” McCoy told Kaepernick. Once the 49ers reached the red zone on the ensuing drive, Kaepernick threw three passes to Davis, one a 13-yard pass down to the 6-yard line, one incomplete and one that touchdown. Clearly, Davis was right when he said he could beat that coverage.

2014 NFL Draft: Underclassmen Tracker
With a little more than a month before underclassmen must make their final decision, what’s the latest word on players considering the NFL in the very near future? Tony Pauline offers the latest. December 12th: Updates on Bortles and Gordon

Top Prospect of Week 15: Connecticut LB Yawin Smallwood - CBSSports.com
Each Wednesday of the college football season NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst Rob Rang will identify his Prospect of the Week. To qualify, the player must have played a significant role in their team's performance against a quality opponent, demonstrating not only effectiveness as the collegiate level but the rare traits to demand the attention of pro scouts, as well.

Week 14 Game Scripts
Last week, six teams won with a negative Game Script. During an unforgettable slate of 1PM games in week 14, four teams during that time slot won with a negative Game Script — and that doesn’t include the insane Ravens/Vikings game. One of the teams to win with a negative Game Script was Miami, so had the Ben Roethlisberger/Antonio Brown miracle lateral play worked, it would have increased the craziness quotient but left us with just three negative Game Script victors.