Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Tuesday

LINKS!

Combine Monday review & Seahawks notes | Seahawks Draft Blog
Here’s what I got out of today…

Has Jim Harbaugh Worn Out His Welcome In San Francisco?
As more non-denials come out, it appears the Browns did make some attempt to trade for 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. There's enough smoke to assume that something was at least smoldering. But much more interesting than the "what" is the "why," and the growing sense that all is not well in Ninerland.

Auburn's Greg Robinson on his NFL combine experience. | SportsonEarth.com : Dan Pompei Article
Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson granted Sports on Earth exclusive access to his NFL scouting combine experience.

2014 NFL combine: Pitt's Aaron Donald -- not Clowney -- big winner - CBSSports.com
South Carolina superstar Jadeveon Clowney proved well worth his build-up by dazzling Monday morning with a pair of sub-4.50 second sprints in the 40-yard dash.

Monday Morning MD | National Football Post
Combine notes and a look at some of the unsung heroes of the NFL.

Johnny Manziel undergoes image makeover at NFL Scouting Combine | The MMQB with Peter King
That was until Sunday night, when York told me he would not rehash the entire story but did say: “The Browns reached out to me, and we had no interest in pursuing it.”

Combine News & Notes: Monday
If the Seattle Seahawks had their choice of player with the last pick of round one it would likely be Odell Beckham Jr. Chances are Beckham won’t be available to the Seahawks at the end of the first frame. I’m told look for the Seahawks to go offensive line heavy in the draft.

NFL - Is the San Francisco 49ers' championship window closing? - ESPN
A high-ranking NFL personnel evaluator I ran across at the NFL scouting combine Thursday morning said he was hearing sensational stories about the San Francisco 49ers. He would not elaborate because the stories were unsubstantiated, but we can assume at least one of them found its way into the news over the weekend.

Crichton’s reasons for early draft a family matter | NFL Football | The News Tribune
Scott Crichton’s decision to leave Oregon State early and enter the NFL draft was spurred by simplicity.

Kawakami: Jim Harbaugh's tense relationship with 49ers - San Jose Mercury News
If you don't want to believe any part of ProFootballTalk.com's blockbuster report yesterday that the Cleveland Browns recently had a deal in place to acquire Jim Harbaugh from the 49ers before it collapsed -- that there is nothing here to examine at all — that's your call and it's an understandable call.

USC made run at San Francisco 49ers' Jim Harbaugh - NFL.com
"I don't know if all is well in San Francisco," Rapoport told KGMZ-FM on Monday. "Obviously there's some tension. There's a couple strong-minded, very smart, very hard-working football men that don't always agree. I'm not sure that's completely rare. But the more you start looking into a situation, the more you find out. So I certainly think it's worth watching long-term, but I don't think that's why the Browns decided to reach out."

Why Browns thought there was 'opportunity' to acquire Harbaugh | CSN Bay Area
General manager Trent Baalke stood in the back of the meeting room as 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to his team the morning after the season-ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Cleveland Browns-Jim Harbaugh bombshell telling for both sides - NFL.com
It is a metal fastener, and a metaphor, and -- in the eyes of one proud franchise searching for employees and answers at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine -- a highly relevant and potentially revelatory topic of conversation.

Film Room: Safeties On The Open Market
In today's 'Film Room' session, Bo Wulf and NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell take a long look at the safety position in free agency and explore the different options that could hit the open market in March ...

Film Room: Free Agent LBs
In this Film Room segment, Bo Wulf and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell break down the upcoming free agent inside linebackers and their skillsets ...

Film Room: Free Agent TE's
Continuing our Film Room series breaking down the top free agents at each position, Bo Wulf and NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell go through some of the top tight ends hitting the open market and what they bring to the table ...

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 ...

Film Room: Free Agent QBs
In today's 'Film Room' session, Bo Wulf and NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell take a long look at the safety position in free agency and explore the different options that could hit the open market in March ...

2014 NFL combine: Towson's West boosts stock, still beating odds - CBSSports.com
Terrance West won't go in the first round, but a strong combine boosts the stock of the record-setting RB from Towson, who has made a habit of overcoming long odds.

Draft Risers And Sliders: DL And LB
3. DE/OLB Chris Smith, Arkansas: Smith's testing numbers were solid - 4.72 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 37 inches in the vertical jump, 10-foot-1 in the broad jump and 28 reps on the bench press. Linebacker drills were another area where he excelled. Even at 266 pounds, Smith was quick and fluid moving in reverse while showing a burst of straight line speed. Projected by most scouts as a 3-4 outside linebacker, Smith proved to have the goods.

One Person In America Was Offended By Richard Sherman
Those post-NFC Championship days were heady times, a nation torn apart by Seahawks corner Richard Sherman being loud on television. But how many Americans were so upset, so scandalized by Sherman's actions that they actually took the time to complain? One person from Arkansas.

Tension between Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers front office, per report | Audibles - SI.com
The news last week that the Cleveland Browns tried to acquire San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh via trade certainly set off a lot of fire alarms at the scouting combine and throughout the NFL. But if you’ve kept up on the recent history between Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that another team saw a possible opportunity to swoop in and take a coach who’s led his team to the last three NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.

2014 NFL Draft: Stephon Tuitt's Foot Fracture Explained - Battle Red Blog
Brett Kollmann breaks down the good, the bad, and the painful surrounding the surprising injury to one of this year's most promising draft prospects, Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

Niners not inclined to 'beg' Jim Harbaugh to stay - NFL.com
How long will Jed York and Co. stick with Jim Harbaugh? Michael Silver says 49ers brass believes Harbaugh isn't the only person who can coach San Francisco to a Super Bowl win.

Jadeveon Clowney, Aaron Donald shine; Michael Sam struggles - NFL.com
With defenders hitting the field for the first time at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, Aaron Donald excelled while Michael Sam struggled. Bucky Brooks has the best and worst from Day 3.

A Harbaugh-49ers re-set: He’s still the coach, they still want him, but everybody gets that they’re treading a thin line – Talking Points
The NFL scouting combine is wrapping up, and yes, Jim Harbaugh is still very much the 49ers coach as the last stopwatch clicks and interview winds down.

If/when Harbaugh wants out, 49ers likely won’t stop him | ProFootballTalk
The onion that became an Onion-style headline on Friday has plenty of layers, both looking backward and looking forward.

Arms race: the Seahawks and 49ers are built to destroy each other | Seattle Seahawks
Hours after the Seattle Seahawks finalized the deal with the Minnesota Vikings for potential league-MVP receiver Percy Harvin, the San Francisco 49ers pulled a maintain-the-balance-of-power deal of their own, acquiring mega-physical wideout Anquan Boldin from the Baltimore Ravens.

WR Size & Red-Zone Efficiency - Fantasy Fallout - Rotoworld.com
Jonathan Bales explains why you need to care about wide receiver red zone efficiency in his debut column for Rotoworld Football.

NFL Sunday Combine Musings: Simple Seattle ways tough to follow - CBSSports.com
"Yeah, you can do it when you have their players on defense," said one NFC coach. "You can do what you want when you have players. They have so much talent, which is why they can get away it."

Top defensive plays for the Seahawks: No. 1 - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
This play was a transformative moment for both teams early in the season. It also was one that helped propel Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman to national stardom, while on the other hand, causing Texans quarterback Matt Schaub national ridicule.

Young defensive backs are fans of the Legion of Boom | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Cornerbacks and safeties at the NFL draft combine say they have modeled their games on Seahawks stars Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.

Scott Crichton's early entry into NFL Draft rooted in right reason
Scott Crichton, a defensive end from Oregon State and Tacoma’s Foss High School, decided to take care of business at the next level because it will help him take care of his family.

Clayton on Bryant and other potential cap casualties - 710sports.com
Wide receiver Sidney Rice and defensive end Red Bryant will reportedly be the first Seahawks to be released in cost-saving moves. They likely won't be the last.

Dan Quinn says Bruce Irvin is 'really in the right spot' - 710sports.com
The rest of the season wasn't as encouraging, though, as Irvin didn't record another sack or an interception and finished with more than four tackles only once over the final eight regular-season games. By the end of the season he was playing mainly on early downs and leaving the field when Seattle subbed in its nickel defense. He was drafted 15th overall for his ability to rush the passer, and he went so long without recording a sack that merely sniffing one in the NFC title game made him feel like he had – in his words – a newborn child.

49ers/Jim Harbaugh story won t go away - ESPN
I've spent the day in meetings at ESPN headquarters. As I catch up on the day's events, I am not surprised by the primary topic: Yes, the Jim Harbaug

Ten St. Louis Rams-related NFL combine takeaways - ESPN
ST. LOUIS -- The NFL scouting combine doesn't officially wrap up until Tuesday afternoon but my time in Indianapolis is over. As usual, the better par

Boldin nearing deal, rookie WRs shining - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Sunday has been a promising day for the San Francisco 49ers on the wide receiver front. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the 49ers and veteran

NFL Monday Combine Musings: Under-radar free agents to watch - CBSSports.com
With the combine behind us, and free agency coming in a couple of weeks, here are some of the down-the-line free agents who could be getting more action than expected when the period begins:

A few more thoughts on Red Bryant | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
The release of the official NFL transactions came and went today without Seattle making any moves. In fact, few moves are made official during the NFL Combine, with teams otherwise occupied, so it's not a surprise that there was no news today on conjectured/reported releases of Sidney Rice and Red Bryant (or, for that matter,...

Front-office friction in SF; harmony in Seattle | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
There are plenty of similarities between NFC West rivals Seattle and San Francisco, from their recent success to their tough defenses to their run-first offenses to their hyper-competitive coaches with Pac-10 roots.

DeMarcus Ware could be released, Jerry Jones says - NFL.com
A Dallas defense without DeMarcus Ware was once considered unfathomable by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Now, the man in charge of Big D seems to be open to the idea of letting the veteran defensive end go.

2014 NFL combine: Value of QBs in question as OTs are climbing - CBSSports.com
There are a few trends after observing the NFL combine, notably there are questions about QBs at the top of the draft and more confidence in the offensive tackles.

Report: Colin Kaepernick-49ers contract talks off to a positive start - CBSSports.com
Though the relationships around the team's coaches reportedly aren't going well, the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick have been talking.

2014 NFL Combine: Five takeaways from Monday - CBSSports.com
Recapping the best, the worst and the predictable from Monday's defensive end and linebacker workouts at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine. Hint: There's a lot to like about the edge rushing prospects in this class.

NFL combine: Ford on Clowney: 'That dog can't find the meat' - CBSSports.com
Dee Ford proclaimed over the weekend that he was better than Clowney and he didn't back down from those comments Monday at the NFL combine.

2014 Combine performance: Tight Ends and Offensive Line | National Football Post
Tony Villiotti breaks down some of the weekend's performances.

Notes from Indianapolis: Part II | National Football Post
How did this year's class of wide receivers and running backs perform during their workouts?

Aaron Donald, Michael Sam among Monday's combine risers and sliders | Audibles - SI.com
Monday’s scouting combine drills featured the defensive linemen and linebackers. Who excelled, and who came up short, when asked to put it all on the line?

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | LCF 2014: The Year It Means Nothing
Each year, Football Outsiders readers anxiously await the unveiling of our LCF projection numbers for quarterback draft prospects. LCF, of course, is the system formerly known as the Lewin Career Forecast. It's not going to be called that anymore, mostly because David Lewin is now the Director of Scouting for the Boston Celtics and General Manager of the D-League Maine Red Claws. He knows absolutely nothing about current NFL quarterback prospects and doesn't want to be asked about them anymore! So from now on, we'll call it the Long-Term Career Forecast.

Report: No offer from Dolphins to Paul Soliai yet | ProFootballTalk
With Randy Starks and Paul Soliai set to become free agents next month, the Dolphins have some decisions to make about how to move forward on the defensive line.

Pierre-Louis, Smith are the only linebackers faster than Clowney | ProFootballTalk
It goes without saying that former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is the fastest defensive lineman at the Scouting Combine. He was also only two-hundredths of a second away from tying the fastest linebacker.

NFL Media treads lightly in criticism of Jed York | ProFootballTalk
We’ve recently addressed the minefield through which the employees of NFL Media are tippy-toeing when attempting on one hand to gain legitimacy through displaying independence and on the other hand to remain, you know, employees of NFL Media.

NFL Combine 2014: Day 5 Notebook
The latest NFL news, rumors, scores, schedules, predictions, picks against the spread, free agent updates, power rankings, mock drafts and more

Antonio Brown led the NFL in True Receiving Yards in 2013 — FootballPerspective.com
Wide receiver is a notoriously difficult position to analyze using statistics. Era adjustments are arguably more important here than at any other position, but even within the same season it is not easy to compare wide receivers. Most people, myself included, would probably say that Josh Gordon or Calvin Johnson was the best wide receiver in football in 2013. Gordon, after all, led the NFL in receiving yards despite missing two games, while Johnson is well, Megatron. If you place more emphasis on other metrics, you would be interested to know that Pierre Garcon led the NFL in receptions, while Jimmy Graham led all players in receiving touchdowns (and Demaryius Thomas led all wide receivers in that statistic).

Once overlooked, Khalil Mack looking to make big impact in Draft - NFL - Don Banks - SI.com
The great three-headed quarterback debate -- Johnny, Teddy or Blake? -- and the Jadeveon Clowney freak show will no doubt consume most of the oxygen in the long build-up to the NFL's 2014 draft. But what if the league's next great player, the bluest of the blue chips, winds up being a pass-rushing linebacker from the unlikely football factory known as the University of Buffalo?

The NFL's Position Busting Salary Cap Players in 2014 - Over the Cap
With the new League Year rapidly approaching I thought we could take a look at top spending by position for cap and the true premium valued players in the NFL. Of course not all of these players will be playing the seasons on these cap numbers- some will be reduced by restructure and some will just disappear when the player is cut- but I think it goes to illustrate how teams structure contracts, value certain positions, sand the trouble they sometimes find them in with overpaying certain position.

10 Potentially Underpaid Veterans in 2014 | The Daily Spot
Our latest edition of ”value in the NFL” looks at veteran NFL players (not currently in a rookie contract) who produced well in 2013 that are set to earn a minimal amount of cash in the 2014 season. In essence, these veterans are underpaid, and in many cases could be candidates for extensions in the coming years.

2013 Wide Receiver Combine to Cash | The Daily Spot
A look back at the 2013 NFL Wide Receivers 40 Yard Dash results from the Combine in comparison to the cash they earned subsequently in the NFL the following season. The average wide receiver ran a 4.51 40, and earned $1.095 million in 2013.

The Curious Case of Jim Harbaugh «
Nine burning questions about the big aborted trade with Cleveland

Honoring the highlights and lowlights at the NFL combine. | SportsonEarth.com : Mike Tanier Article
Bullies! Short, party-loving quarterback phenoms! Bizarre head coach trade rumors! Tiny hands! Gay defensive ends! Ground gravel! This year's NFL scouting combine was more combine-tastic than ever, and the fun doesn't stop for three more days.

What we learned: Takeaways from Monday at NFL combine - NFL.com
Johnny Manziel came prepared to his team interviews over the weekend, according Jaguars general manager David Caldwell. That's just one of the things we learned Monday at the combine.

2014 NFL Draft: Ben Natan's Top 10 Linebackers - With the First Pick - NFL Scouting Reports, College Football, and the 2013 NFL Draft
In an NFL defense, the linebacker still represents the staple and leader of the unit. The offensive revolution necessitates athletic, versatile linebacker who can move around and play in all facets of the game. This is a rankings of linebackers I feel best are suited as 4-3 linebackers or inside linebackers in a 3-4.

NFL Draft Rankings: Ben Natan's Top 10 Safeties - With the First Pick - NFL Scouting Reports, College Football, and the 2013 NFL Draft
Sep 28, 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies safety Jimmie Ward (15) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Purdue Boilerm

Broaddus: Clowney, Donald Starred At D-Line Workouts
The eyes of the NFCL Scouting Combine were focused on Jadeveon Clowney and what kind of numbers he might throw done on the field at Lucus Oil Stadium, and he did not disappoint with his effort on the 40-yard dash -- running an official 4.53 and a vertical jump of 37.5”.

Biggest Winners/Losers Thus Far at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine
After four days in Indianapolis, there have been many risers and fallers because of their comine performances. Many events such as the 40-yard dash, vertical leap, bench press, and countless skill drills have been done to bring out the best of the participants. In this article, I will say who has helped their stock and who has hurt their stock for May's upcoming draft.