Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Thursday

Thursday.

Seahawks storylines: Best secondary in NFL may reside in Northwest - CBSSports.com
The corners have big-time reps and the safeties are heavy hitters. Pat Kirwan says added depth to a great secondary is only part of what makes the Seahawks a Super Bowl contender.

Lance Kendricks helps Rams' offense prepare - ESPN
Rams tight end Lance Kendricks estimates that he’s about two weeks from returning to practice from a torn meniscus in his knee.

Seto gets new coaching title, important role with Seahawks' defense | Seattle Seahawks | The News Tribune
“Mainly I’m just assisting Coach Quinn on the defensive end, and whatever Coach Carroll has,” Seto said. “I think it’s a unique role because Coach (Carroll) and I have been together for 13 years. So I kind of fit into niches, and really whatever the team and the defense needs.

'Ready to Prove People Wrong’ | The MMQB with Peter King
ROBERT KLEMKO: Is Carson Palmer anything more than a stopgap for the next young QB? STEVE KEIM: I think when you’re in a position to make decisions and acquire talent, you always have to weigh the pros and the cons.

Expert Draft Recap - Mock Draft - Rotoworld.com
Adam Levitan analyzes the 14-team Yahoo Friends and Family draft that went down on Monday.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar Suspenion: Rams linebacker will sit 4 games for PED violation - Turf Show Times
The Rams outside linebacker and a key part of the defense claims he took a banned substance by mistake.

49ers Blog and Q&A: Training camp D15: Rare fight breaks out; Jenkins has solid session
Training-camp fights are commonplace in the NFL, but they've been rare in Santa Clara since Jim Harbaugh took over. The 49ers had their first of the 2013 session today, which is noteworthy in itself, and it's even more so because it was between players who belong to the same position group, safeties Michael Thomas and C.J. Spillman.

St. Louis Rams 2013 depth chart: Where things stand heading into Week 2 - Turf Show Times
The Rams did not make changes to the depth chart ahead of their second preseason game, but there's plenty in flux.

49ers vs. Chiefs injury, snap update: Joe Staley unlikely to travel, four quarterbacks expected to play - Niners Nation
The 49ers head to Kansas City on Thursday for their Friday preseason matchup with the Chiefs. We take a look at Jim Harbaugh's recent comments on snaps count and injuries.

Colin Kaepernick appears on cover of GQ Magazine - Niners Nation
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick made an appearance on the cover of GQ magazine. We take a look at some photos and videos from the photo shoot, as well as the accompanying article.

Every NFL Team's Biggest Offseason Regret | Bleacher Report
The higher up you go on the NFL food chain, the less likely you will hear any words of regret. That type of second-guessing is often only done by whispering in private offices. If spoken too loudly, jobs could be lost...

NFL Rookie Power Rankings for Preseason Week 1 | Bleacher Report
With the first full week of preseason games ready to commence, it seemed a good time to reveal the 25 best rookies heading into Week 1...

Irvin doesn’t practice after all; Avril likely out this weekend | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
Pete Carroll gave us a run down on injured players this after practice today. Defensive end Cliff Avril (hamstring) practiced for the first time today since the second day of training camp, but only participated in individual drills. Carroll said he did not see enough from Avril to say if he would play in Saturday’s game against Denver.

Wednesday practice report: Avril returns, pads pop | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
Carroll said he isn’t sure when Michael will make it back but hope it’s soon. “He did a little bit of running today and we’ll see how he tolerates tomorrow,” Carroll said, adding the work is important for Michael. “He’s still learning. He’s still new. He still feels like a new guy. He’s not there yet he’s got a lot of learning to do.”

O'Brien Schofield: 'The expectation level here is phenomenal' - ESPN
O'Brien Schofield is more than just another waiver-wire pickup for the Seattle Seahawks. The outside linebacker is going to factor for the team this season. That much seems obvious from watching the team practice.

Avril returns to practice for Seahawks - seattlepi.com
Avril, Seattle's big free agent signing at defensive end in the offseason, was on the practice field Wednesday for the first time in training camp. Even if Avril makes it through a full practice on Thursday, it's unlikely that he would play on Saturday when the Seahawks host Denver in their second preseason game. Getting Avril back is critical for the Seahawks because of depth issues at defensive end. Michael Bennett, who was one of three key defensive line signings by the Seahawks in the offseason, can also play at defensive end. Seattle went after Avril for his ability to pressure the quarterback, believing he could fit in as a rusher from the LEO position in its defensive scheme. While Avril was able to get back on Wednesday, the same can't be said of Tony McDaniel, another offseason addition to the Seahawks defensive line. Carroll was hopeful of getting him back this week so the Seahawks can get a look at him at defensive tackle to see if he can be the replacement for Alan Branch.

Cliff Avril returns to Seahawks practice, 'Not very likely' to play Saturday | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
"It was just a start," Carroll said. "We couldn’t get him past the individual periods yet, we’ll do a little bit more tomorrow and just start bringing him back. Yeah, it’s great to get him back on the field, he needs to be a part of this."

A dozen NFL rookies ready to surprise in 2013 - NFL.com
Third-round draft pick Tyrann Mathieu stole the show in the Arizona Cardinals' preseason opener. Which other low-round picks are poised to shock the NFL in 2013? Chris Wesseling explores.

St. Louis Rams' Jo-Lonn Dunbar suspended four games - NFL.com
St. Louis Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar will miss the first four games of the regular season after violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. How will the Rams replace Dunbar?

Seahawks’ Allen Bradford knows it all can be taken away | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Linebacker, cut from Tampa Bay, is a work in progress as Seattle’s middle linebacker.

NFL will begin tracking players via GPS during games and practices | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Note to NFL players: if you're thinking of sneaking out mid-game to grab a burger or whatever, don't do it. You're about to be tracked. Peter King of Sports Illustrated dropped this headscratcher of a tweet on Wednesday:

Seattle’s Derrick Coleman worth rooting for « Seahawks Draft Blog
like the fact Pete Carroll is bigging up Derrick Coleman. He deserves it. While the likes of Alvin Bailey and Benson Mayowa have been getting a lot of publicity following the San Diego game, Coleman was no less impressive. He blocked well, he caught the ball, scored a touchdown and was electric on special teams.

Tuesday in Hawkville: Peyton Manning's place in NFL history includes Seattle
A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Aug. 13, when the players did not practice.

Seahawks roster breakdown: Offense - 710sports.com
Danny O'Neil takes stock of the Seahawks' roster, starting with the offense and identifying the locks to make the team, players on the bubble and those who face an uphill battle. - Blog 710 ESPN Seattle at 710sports.com

John Moffitt on the competiton at right guard and more - 710sports.com
John Moffitt tells 'Brock and Danny' about his competition with J.R. Sweezy to be the Seahawks' starting right guard, quarterback Russell Wilson's demeanor and more. - Blog 710 ESPN Seattle at 710sports.com

What's with all the injuries? | National Football Post
Elimination of 2 a day practices may not have decreased injuries as hoped.

Dolphins cut kicker Dan Carpenter | National Football Post
Kicker released

Suspension will challenge Rams LB depth - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The news that starting outside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar is suspended for the first four games of the season because of a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy leaves plenty of questions for the Rams’ depth at that position as well as Dunbar’s long-term future with the team.

49ers' Demarcus Dobbs suspended | National Football Post
Defensive lineman punished

Rams sweet on vanilla preseason approach - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Although it’s common practice for fans and even media to push the panic button after a disappointing preseason performance, it’s just as common for teams to remain measured and even keeled.