Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Wednesday

Already hump day.

Richard Sherman: The Numbers, The Tape, The Verdict 2014 | Pre Snap Reads
It’s hard not to know the name Richard Sherman right now. Even on a team with Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Earl Thomas, Percy Harvin and Michael Bennett, the 25-year-old cornerback is still the most talked about player from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Projecting Team Wins Using DVOA — FootballPerspective.com
For a decade, Football Outsiders has been using advanced analytics to measure and predict team performance. And since the Football Outsiders database now goes back to 1989, I thought it would be worthwhile to test the predictive power of Football […]

Greg Gabriel Discusses the Nolan Nawrocki Evaluations
The former Director of College Scouting for the Chicago Bears was not pleased with the Nawrocki evaluations that were published yesterday on NFL.com, specifically his shots at Johnny Manziel. Hear his thoughts below.

Fisher: Bradford is our quarterback, new contract or not | ProFootballTalk
Two questions facing the Rams this offseason are whether Sam Bradford is the right man to be the franchise quarterback, and whether the Rams and Bradford will agree to a new contract. Rams coach Jeff Fisher says he doesn’t know the answer to the latter question, but the answer to the former is an emphatic yes.

Initial 2014 NFL Rookie Pool Estimates - Over the Cap
With the 2014 salary cap season less than a month away one of the big questions I get in regards to salary cap space is how much set aside do teams need for their rookies. So here are my first estimates for money that will be spent on rookies in 2014, under the assumption that the Ravens win the coin toss against the Cowboys. Currently there are no compensatory picks awarded or included in these estimates, but the estimates do include trades made over the last year

Sr. Bowl WR Technique Roundtable | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
Five Senior Bowl wide receivers talked with Matt Waldman and provided helpful tips behind the techniques of playing their position.

Seantrel Henderson will face big questions at the combine. | SportsonEarth.com : Russ Lande Article
Approaching National Signing Day in 2010, Seantrel Henderson was considered the pre-eminent offensive lineman and nation's top prospect. Fast-forward to the present and Henderson is likely the most gifted offensive lineman in the 2014 draft, but will probably not be among the first 10 drafted because his production at Miami was widely disappointing. He initially signed with USC, but asked for and received his release after USC was hit with NCAA sanctions; he ended up committing to Miami.

Top 5 2014 NFL Draft prospects by position: Defensive ends - NFL.com
NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks ranks the top five prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft at each position.

NFL Draft Positional Rankings: Ben Natan's Top 10 Running Backs - With the First Pick - NFL Scouting Reports, College Football, and the 2013 NFL Draft
Isaiah Crowell (Alabama State): The former freshman star at Georgia may have fallen out of the national picture after being booted from the program due to gun charges, but his talent has not ceased. Crowell is an incredibly strong hard runner and has plenty of speed at the top end. He has shown good vision and will never give up on a run. He may need to overcome questions about his character, but his talent is undeniable.

Thank You Seahawks
Here's how it works: People snap a photo and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #ThankYouSeahawks. Our site automatically pulls the photo in and displays it. Later on (probably later this month), we'll pore through all the submissions and pick the best ones to go into the book. After that, a copy will be delivered to everyone on the team.

Richard Sherman's Heartwarming Superfan Surprise - The Queen Latifah Show
Richard was so moved by 6-year-old Nikolas’ letter that he retweeted it to his nearly one million followers, “It really touched me because I felt like this little kid got me. He understood that I’m not a bad guy.”

The Sam Bradford dilemma | National Football Post
Will the St. Louis Rams extend their starting quarterback this offseason, or is the team preparing to find a new signal-caller?

NFL Draft news roundup: On anonymous sources and character assassinations - SBNation.com
Choosing whether or not to use anonymous information is an ethics decision, and one I'm opposed to doing.

2014 NFL Draft: Robert Herron says he has something to prove - SBNation.com
A small guy from a small school in lightly-regarded conference, the speedy Wyoming receiver is preparing for the NFL Draft with a chip on his shoulder.

2014 NFL Draft: Anonymous strikes again - SBNation.com
The annual NFL Scouting Combine starts this week, and that means only one thing: context-free reports about the state of America's youth.

Jeff Fisher: It’s unlikely NFL will add replay review of penalties | ProFootballTalk
Last NFL season, several games turned on questionable penalties — particularly pass interference and personal fouls — that looked like they would have been overturned if the referee were allowed to review penalties on replays. That raises an obvious question: Why isn’t the referee allowed to review penalties on replays?

Mayock: N.Y. Jets could take multiple WRs in NFL draft - NFL.com
Mike Mayock said Tuesday that he wouldn't be surprised if the New York Jets selected more than one impact wide receiver in May's NFL draft. Marquise Lee or Kelvin Benjamin are options.

Scout's Notebook: Evaluating The D-Line
Continuing our Scout's Notebook series, our panel of NFL Draft evaluators take a look at the defensive line position. What traits do teams look for when they're watching college linemen in preparation for the draft? They'll show you exactly what you need to pay close attention to ...

Scout's Notebook: Evaluating TE's
Ever wonder what the experts look for when they evaluate college players for the NFL? Sit back and learn from our panel of experts as they tell you exactly what to look for when you're watching college tight ends and how their skills translate to the next level ...

Zierlein Talks Line Play
Lance Zierlein from 'The Sideline View' joins Bo Wulf to discuss some of the most intriguing prospects on both the offensive and defensive lines in the upcoming NFL Draft, and where they could potentially fit on this Eagles roster ...

Museum artifact might have inspired the Seahawks’ logo — Living — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
A curator of Native American art at the University of Washington says that this carved Northwest Coast transformation mask on display at the University of Maine's Hudson Museum may be the inspiration for the original Seattle Seahawks logo.The wooden mask, which depicts a bird of prey when closed and reveals a painted depiction of a human face when opened, is part of the William P. Palmer III collection on display at the museum.

In search of ‘a Seattle-type corner’
While discussing what he labels a “deep” 2014 NFL Draft Class on Tuesday, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock used the term “Seattle-type corner” when it came to what many teams are looking for.

How deep draft could affect Golden Tate's future - 710sports.com
"There's a ton of underclass wide receivers in this class, and that might work out for Seattle well, too," he said. "If you get a fourth-round receiver that has a lot of tools that generally goes at the end of the second round and you let him wait for a year while the guys that you have continue to play well, maybe he's a real find."

A look at Hauschka as franchise-tag window opens - 710sports.com
The projected franchise-tag amount for kickers is around $3.4 million compared to more than $12 million for defensive ends and more than $11 million for receivers. Hauschka, 28, signed a one-year deal last offseason that paid him $715,000, according to the website spotrac.com.

Hawk Talk: Live Seahawks chat with Danny O'Neil - 710sports.com
Danny O'Neil will host another edition of "Hawk Talk"

NFL Network's Mike Mayock on Bishop Sankey, Austin Seferian-Jenkins | Husky Football Blog | Seattle Times
NFL Network lead analyst Mike Mayock, in a conference call with reporters to preview this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, was asked what prospects he’s most interested to see in Indianapolis.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Would Have Eric Berry's Ceiling in St. Louis Rams' Secondary
As good as the St. Louis Rams defensive line was in 2013, the same can’t be said about their defensive backfield. According to the analysts at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), St. Louis finished with the ninth-worst coverage grade in the NFL.

Mayock: N.Y. Jets could take multiple WRs in NFL draft - NFL.com
Mike Mayock said Tuesday that he wouldn't be surprised if the New York Jets selected more than one impact wide receiver in May's NFL draft. Marqise Lee or Kelvin Benjamin are options.

Sam Bradford's job security non-issue, Jeff Fisher says - NFL.com
Sam Bradford received the full support of St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher on Tuesday. Would the team be better off dumping Bradford and potentially taking Johnny Manziel with the No. 2 pick?

Russell Wilson to grace Texas Rangers baseball card - NFL.com
Topps will release a baseball card of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wearing a Texas Rangers uniform. Find out Wilson's plans for spring training next month.

Agent's Take: Franchise tag projections for all 32 NFL teams - CBSSports.com
The time for NFL teams to designate franchise tags is nearing. We look at each team and pinpoint which players are most likely to receive non-exclusive franchise tags.

NFL combine: Mike Mamula's 1995 combine remains one of best ever - CBSSports.com
Mike Mamula parlayed his NFL combine success into the No. 7 overall pick.

NFL prospect focus: Ryan Shazier and Brad Roby | National Football Post
The Ohio State juniors should go high in the NFL Draft

NFL Prospect Focus: A.C. Leonard and Nic Jacobs | National Football Post
The two juniors would have benefited from another year in school.

Robert Herron trains for 2014 NFL combine | Audibles - SI.com
Hearing your name called on draft day is the dream for hundreds of NCAA football players. In May, that dream will become a reality for more than 200 of them. Wide receiver Robert Herron is a dangerous deep threat, who could help any NFL team looking to stretch the field.

2014 NFL combine: Players with something to prove in Indianapolis | Audibles - SI.com
Ever since the 2013 NFL draft concluded, players like Teddy Bridgewater and Jadeveon Clowney have lingered at or near the top of the 2014 prospects list. Very few others have been so fortunate.

Johnny Manziel, Michael Sam and more Scouting Combine things to watch | The MMQB with Peter King
Here's what you need to watch as the combine dominates the NFL world over the next week

2014 NFL Draft Big Board: Jadeveon Clowney back on top | The MMQB with Peter King
The bowl games and the postseason all-star games have provided even more clarity thanks to some matchups that allowed players to either shine or get exposed. Now comes the really silly part. From this point forward, players will be judged mostly by what they do in their underwear.

B/R NFL 1000: Top 65 Quarterbacks
The latest NFL news, rumors, scores, schedules, predictions, picks against the spread, free agent updates, power rankings, mock drafts and more

The Rams & Bradford: Looking at the Four Possible Contract Scenarios - Over the Cap
Sam Bradford’s current contract situation is this offseason’s most intriguing storyline. The way I see it, there are four different ways that this scenario can play out. The Rams can release Bradford, they can sign him to an extension where he does not take a pay cut, they can sign him to an extension where he does agree to a pay cut, or they can sit still and do nothing at all.

The Curious Case of Christian Jones | The Sideline View
Prior to heading to Mobile for the Senior Bowl, my Sideline View cohort Lance Zierlein and I were discussing our most intriguing Senior Bowl prospects. I quickly noted Florida State’s Christian Jones, in large part due to the fact that I wanted to see how the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff would use him down in Mobile. Would they play him at middle linebacker? Would they allow him to stand up and rush the edge? Would he play one of the outside linebacker spots?

Jadeveon Clowney, Michael Sam top DLs to watch at combine - NFL.com
Jadeveon Clowney and Michael Sam will be the most watched defensive linemen at the NFL Scouting Combine, and arguably could command the most attention of any prospects at the event.

Mayock: 11 takeaways on draft prospects entering combine - NFL.com
NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock held a marathon media teleconference to discuss draft prospects entering the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine. Here are 11 of Mayock's key points.

2014 NFL Draft Team Needs: Running Back Breakdown
Despite the diminished importance of running backs, NFL coaches still feel that establishing a strong running game is as important as a strong passing game. And it helps that four of the teams who made the playoffs—and the two best teams in the NFC—were more likely to run in a given situation than pass.