Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Friday

LINKS!

Brandon Browner sits out Thursday's practice - 710sports.com
Receiver Percy Harvin did not practice on Thursday. Neither did cornerback Brandon Browner.

Looking Ahead: 2014 Salary Cap Estimates - Over the Cap
With the 2013 season effectively over for many teams I thought it would be a good time to take a look ahead at salary cap space in 2014. I think at this point we have a pretty good idea about cap carryover and can base the salary cap in 2014 on an estimated $125 million.

Joe Haden among eight young players to lock up long term - NFL - ESPN
Agent analysis: "$22 million to 25 million guaranteed. This guy is a stud. Top of the free-safety market is Dashon Goldson with $22 million, this past offseason. I really think it'd be more like $19 million (like the Eric Weddle deal), but knowing the deep pockets of the Seahawks, GM John Schneider and what he thinks he has -- and knowing how Pete [Carroll] is a defensive-minded head coach -- in this case, they gladly pay a premium, even when there's no other bidders."

'Russellmania' gets one Seahawk the star treatment - 710sports.com
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more popular person in Seattle these days than Russell Wilson, the Pro Bowl quarterback, MVP candidate and all-around good guy who has led his team to an NFL-best 11-1 record. Michael Bennett "Everybody loves the Seahawks right now," said teammate Michael Bennett. "They love Russell Wilson."

Double Coverage: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers - ESPN
It is not going to be the most important game of the season, as many thought when the schedule was released in April.

Harvin's status will be a continuing saga | HeraldNet.com - Sports
Pete Carroll said Wednesday that he doesn't yet know if Percy Harvin will play Sunday. Call it a crazy hunch, but we'll probably hear something similar again Friday.

12th Man hits the road: Seahawks fans follow team to away games | Local News | The Seattle Times
Seahawks fans, always a formidable force at home, have been a growing presence at away games this season. Excitement is building for Sunday’s game in San Francisco.

Straight-A students: Seahawks are top of the class | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
The Seahawks are 11-1 and were dominant in the third quarter of the NFL season.

Focus on: Jeremy Lane
Rather than "the second-year cornerback who is stepping in as the nickel back," this focus is on Jeremy Lane "the blocker" after his effort in escorting lineman Michael Bennett into the end zone Monday night.

VIDEO: 1-on-1 with Jack Harbaugh | CSN Bay Area
A coach himself, Jim Harbaugh's dad Jack knows a lot about football. But he also knows he has to be careful when watching game film with his son.

2014 Super Bowl Odds: Are Seahawks NFL's best team? - CBSSports.com
Are the Seahawks the NFL's best team? Let's take a Vegas look at it through some 2014 Super Bowl Odds.

Seahawks fans raise money to fly banner over Candlestick Park - CBSSports.com
This should go over well. One-hundred Seahawks supporters have pooled their money to fly a ”GO HAWKS-12″ banner over Candlestick Park Sunday prior to the Seahawks-49ers game. The "12" is in reference to the 12th man, the name for Seahawks' faithful at CenturyLink Field, home of the loudest fans on the planet.

Thompson: 49ers-Seahawks is more than a game - San Jose Mercury News
This is bigger than scrounging for a late-season win. Bigger even than keeping alive hopes of winning the NFC West.

Stevestradamus? Smith’s Panthers-Seahawks prediction looking better | CharlotteObserver.com
“And a lot of people joked (it) off?” Smith recalled Wednesday. “This old dude may know some things, huh?”

Grant Cohn: Russell Wilson's progress at quarterback puts him way ahead of Colin Kaepernick | The Press Democrat
You have to admit, Russell Wilson looked like a miniature combination of Joe Montana and Steve Young Monday night against the Saints — Montana's cool demeanor and precision from the pocket, Young's explosive ability to make plays on the run. Wilson has been that Montana-Young combo most of this season, his second in the league.

Brandon Browner back at practice for Seahawks | ProFootballTalk
Brandon Browner may ultimately be unable to play again for the Seattle Seahawks this season. However, it appears as though his health won’t be the reason that keeps him sidelined.

Wednesday in Hawkville: Seahawks preparing for tough matchup with 49ers defense
The last two times the Seahawks have played at Candlestick Park, the 49ers have limited their offensive output to more field goals (three) than touchdowns (two) and an average of 235 yards.

Person of Interest: 49ers' Colin Kaepernick - 710sports.com
The storyline He began the season hailed as a cornerstone, one of four young quarterbacks who could be counted on to lead his team into the next generation.

Matchups to watch: Seahawks at 49ers - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN
With Michael Crabtree's return last week, and games remaining against the Buccaneers and Falcons, San Francisco's playoff chances look pretty good. At 8-4, the 49ers are a game up on the Cardinals, as well as the Cowboys and Eagles, who are competing for the NFC East crown.

Double Coverage: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers - ESPN
It is not going to be the most important game of the season, as many thought when the schedule was released in April.

Morning Links: Let’s get physical | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
The flipside of that is linebacker K.J. Wright. He could tell you all about how he covered Jimmy Graham on Monday and how Vernon Davis is different than Graham, but he didn’t know the Seahawks could clinch the division on the 49ers’ field. “We can clinch if we win?” Wright said. “Well, yeah. That’s one of our goals. Coach Carroll talks about it all the time. Against San Francisco? Let’s do it.”

How the Seahawks Unleashed TE Zach Miller in the Passing Game Against the Saints | Bleacher Report
Seattle Seahawks news, rumors, scores, schedules, predictions, picks against the spread, free agent updates, power rankings, mock drafts and more

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

Chip Kelly relishes ribaldry at Philadelphia Eagles presser - NFL.com
Chip Kelly was asked about his team's offensive strategy during his Thursday news conference. The Philadelphia Eagles coach's response was clear and unabashedly profane.

Mike Mitchell now doesn't think Drew Brees is soft - NFL.com
Mike Mitchell called Drew Brees soft last month. Now the Carolina Panthers safety is saying that Brees isn't soft. Is Mitchell backtracking because the Panthers play the New Orleans Saints?

Quinton Patton no longer on 49ers' injury report - NFL.com
Quinton Patton's name is off the injury report for the first time since September. What does the rookie wide receiver's return mean for quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers' aerial attack?

Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski give Patriots top offense - NFL.com
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have turned the New England Patriots' offense around over the past five weeks. Is Brady's offense now more prolific than Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos?

NFL Coach of the Year rankings: Pete Carroll on top - NFL.com
Gregg Rosenthal breaks down his five favorite candidates for the NFL Coach of the Year award. The Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll will be strutting after this one. Who else makes the list?

Week 14 Las Vegas market report | National Football Post
Two big games on the Sunday schedule could feature the sharps and squares on opposite sides of one another.

49ers' Harbaugh channels his inner Keanu Reeves | National Football Post
San Francisco coach expects Candlestick to be fired up for Sunday's game with Seattle

NFL Prospect Focus: LSU offense underclassmen | National Football Post
There's a good chance these Tigers are in next year's NFL draft.

What's the call? First-and-goal from the 1, NFL trends dictate a pass - CBSSports.com
In the last five years the NFL has seen a dramatic shift in offensive philosophy of play-calling in goal-to-go situations. Passing is preferred.

After Further Review: Colts' bad line, stalled run game making Luck press - CBSSports.com
A weak offensive line. No run game. Unreliable receivers. And a defense that's not living up to expectations. It's no wonder Andrew Luck is pressing in Indy.

NFL MVP Projection: Russell Wilson making strong push for No. 1 - CBSSports.com
Russell Wilson's 310-yard, three touchdown performance against the Saints on Monday has the Seahawks quarterback at No. 2 in this week's MVP Projection.

Second-year starting quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson are key men in revived Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers rivalry | Audibles - SI.com
The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will be looking for different things when Pete Carroll’s team heads down to the Bay Area this weekend for a Sunday rematch of one of the NFL’s most compelling rivalries with Jim Harbaugh’s bunch. The 11-1 Seahawks would put a bow on the NFC West with a win and come one step closer to home-field advantage for the playoffs — a prospect that no potential postseason opponent wants. The 49ers would gain a measure of revenge and recompense after Seattle thrashed them 29-3 in Week 2 at CenturyLink Field, and a win would further establish them as one of the teams opponents don’t want to face anywhere. They’ve come much closer to that with their current 8-4 record after a five-game winning streak glossed over a rocky start.

Debating futures for Geno Smith, Sam Bradford, Brandon Weeden, more QBs | Audibles - SI.com
Each year, a number of NFL teams are faced with the reality that their quarterback situation isn't what it needs to be, and it's time for a change. For every team with a Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Luck or Wilson, there are two with an "Insert Franchise QB Here" spot that must be filled.

NFL Mock Draft 2014: Anthony Barr goes above Jadeveon Clowney | Audibles - SI.com
ollege football has reached its championship weekend, meaning that several of the best teams in the country will be battling it out for trophies and BCS bids. And yet, despite seven of the top 10 teams in the country taking the field with plenty on the line, the number of projected 2014 first-round picks in action will be relatively limited.

Peter King spends week embedded with NFL refs, Part 2 | The MMQB with Peter King
In November, The MMQB was granted unprecedented access to an NFL officiating crew before, during and after the Baltimore-Chicago game on Nov. 17 at Soldier Field—dubbed Game 150 because that’s the number the NFL assigned it, out of its 256 regular-season games.

Hometown discounts in NFL contract negotiations are usually a farce | The MMQB with Peter King
The two-year extension signed by NBA superstar Kobe Bryant last week brought up a couple important issues in contract negotiations worth discussing as they apply to NFL teams: (1) whether or not to move on from an aging, but still signature player of the franchise; and (2) whether superstar play...

Cam Newton fancies himself Superman, but he should emulate Drew Brees | The MMQB with Peter King
Cam Newton has some attributes that can’t be taught: his 6-5, 245-pound size, his 4.6 speed, his lateral flexibility and his Colt 45 of an arm. Drew Brees is a less striking physical specimen at 6-0, 210 pounds, but he has put together a Hall of Fame career by mastering the attributes that can ...

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 13 DVOA Ratings
So, how about those Seahawks? Last night's dominating 34-7 victory over New Orleans just emphasizes what our DVOA ratings already said before Week 13: the Seahawks are the best team in the NFL in 2013. In fact, the big win actually moves Seattle all the way up to tenth on the list of the best teams in DVOA history, although we'll wait until they're in the top ten for more than just one week before we start running that "best DVOA ever" table every Tuesday. The Seahawks are now pretty much guaranteed to get home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. We have their odds at 97.7 percent. (You can see those odds here, or read more commentary on the playoff odds in Danny Tuccitto's weekly ESPN Insider piece.)

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Film Room: Steelers, Jaguars, and Sean Lee
Only three teams have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after 13 weeks of the regular season. Each of those three teams plays in the NFC, meaning that every single AFC team still has a chance to make the playoffs. Of course, some teams who are still mathematically alive don't have a realistic chance to sneak into the wild card round. Even when you exclude those teams there is still a logjam for the final post-season berths.

RG3 dismisses “outsiders looking in that don’t understand football” | ProFootballTalk
“I don’t take any offense to that. That’s just outsiders looking in that don’t understand the game of football,” Griffin said, via the Washington Post. “When it comes to a time like this, it’s easy for guys to check out. I think it would be real cowardly of me to check out and say, ‘Hey, I don’t want to play these next four games.’ It’s not who I am. It’s not who any competitive football player is. You want to play, so we’re going to finish out the year and you take what’s happened this year, being 3-9, and you face it.”

Seahawks, 49ers rivarly soft and sane? Try fierce and violent | Seattle Seahawks | The News Tribune
Seahawks, 49ers will resume rivalry Sunday in San Francisco, and the more physical team is expected to triumph

Justin Tuck's four-sack game earns him Edge Rusher of the Week honors | The MMQB with Peter King
There’s been a lot of discussion in New York this week about what the Giants will do with veteran defensive end Justin Tuck when he becomes a free agent this offseason in light of his four-sack performance against Washington on Monday night.

49ers Blog and Q&A: Well healed? Staley practices, raising prospect he'll play against Seahawks
Mike Iupati again was on an elliptical machine when 49ers practice started today, but this time fellow offensive lineman Joe Staley was not there beside him. Instead Staley was on the field with the rest of his teammates, raising the prospect that he'll play against the Seahawks and that the 49ers will keep the offensive line shuffling to a minimum.

Trent Richardson: 'It's only fair' Brown is Colts starter - NFL.com
Trent Richardson acknowledged Thursday "it's only fair" that Donald Brown is the Indianapolis Colts' starting running back. Is there any hope for Richardson the rest of the season?

Donte Whitner: ‘We’re the Mighty 49ers’
In order for San Francisco to prevent Seattle from celebrating a division title at Candlestick Park, Whitner recognized that stopping the run is the biggest key to winning. “Tackle 24, 22 and 3,” the 49ers safety said in a robotic-like tone

Greg Roman talks Michael Crabtree, offensive balance, preparing for Seahawks defensive front - Niners Nation
San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman met with the media on Thursday, and had a chance to discuss the return of wide receivers, the Seahawks defensive front and creating offensive balance. Check out the transcript below.

Doug Baldwin: Seahawks have best receiving corps in the NFL | ProFootballTalk
“I would have to tell you, honestly, that this is probably the best receiving corps in the NFL from the top down,” Baldwin told the team’s website. “Some would probably look at me like I’m crazy, because nobody has 1,000 yards.”

Elbow injury limits Carson Palmer in practice | ProFootballTalk
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was stripped of the ball on a sack by Trent Cole on the third play of last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, but he went on to play the remainder of the game without any reports of injury.

Joe Staley returns to practice for 49ers | ProFootballTalk
The 49ers might not have to shuffle their offensive line as much as initially feared, as left tackle Joe Staley returned to the practice field Thursday.

Tripodi’s Week 13 Rookie Report
This week was light on rookie impact around the league, at least from players who haven’t already been heard from in some way this season. A few more undrafted players showed off their skills this past week along with a couple of early-round picks who have bounced back nicely after early-season struggles. Chris Tripodi takes a look at which rookies are making a big impact as the NFL playoff picture takes shape.

Top Prospect of Week 14: Penn State WR Allen Robinson - CBSSports.com
NFL scouts flocking to see Penn State take on Wisconsin is certainly nothing new. For the top prospects on both teams to play wide receiver, however, is a bit unusual. The elite pass-catchers in the Big Ten put on a show Saturday afternoon as Allen Robinson's Nittany Lions surprised Jared Abberderis and the No. 15 ranked Badgers, winning 31-24.

Week 13 NFL Power Rankings
Nobody knows what power rankings are supposed to mean. And frankly, nobody cares. They just want to see lists. Are power rankings supposed to simply reflect records, in which case, what is the point of doing them? For example, I have cracked the code to ESPN’s power rankings:

The NFL Network and "eventizing" America's game - Grantland
The NFL Network and "eventizing" America's game

LSU WR Jarvis Landry: The Gap Between Mundane and Extraordinary | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
Tall, fast, and skilled with the ball in his hands, Jarvis Landry has the physical skills that excites fans and college beat writers about his NFL potential. The LSU receiver is capable of breaking a big play at any moment. Add a quarterback with Zach Mettenberger’s NFL arm strength and the needle on the hype meter kicks into the red.