Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Friday

Thank goodness it's TGIF, amirite?

Lummi man gives Seahawks celebration a new beat | Seattle Seahawks | The Bellingham Herald
The term "12th Man" originally was coined in 1922 at Texas A&M when the Aggies called for a fan to come out of the stands, suit up and stand ready on the sidelines during a football game against top-ranked Centre College.

Marshawn Lynch, candy tester - SBNation.com
You want to talk to Marshawn Lynch? Simple, bring him some candy.

Pete Carroll Is The Future
My friend Matt Uffordis an enormous Seahawks fan and can currently be seen floating somewhere a mile above Puget Sound, full of whiskey and unable to control his giggling. He is among the happiest of happy sports fans right now. But of course, if you had told him four years ago that Pete Carroll would be his sugar daddy, he would have asked you to stop being a sarcastic dick. In fact, I dug up some old emails from Ufford the week Carroll was officially hired by the Seahawks back in January of 2010. Here is a sampling of his gut reaction...

How NFL free agency "really" works | National Football Post
Free agency is the Super Bowl for agents.

Seattle Seahawks smart enough to thrive in NFL's salary-cap era - NFL.com
Waiting for Pete Carroll's Seattle Seahawks to collapse under the weight of their success? Michael Silver says the team's approach will spare it the perils that usually threaten dynasties -- like the salary cap.

Michael Bennett wants to get paid, in Seattle or elsewhere | ProFootballTalk
“That would be taking a pay cut, to me,” Bennett told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday. “I had to prove myself as a player back-to-back years. Basically, I took a one year deal the year before, did a first-round tender in Tampa [as a restricted free agent], so I definitely just want to be paid. You know, I’m not trying to be the highest paid guy but I want to be compensated with the top guys.”

Can the Seahawks chase Jared Allen? Plus a new mock draft | Seahawks Draft Blog
Could it happen? I’m fascinated by the idea of Seattle adding Jared Allen in free agency.

Seahawks have salary decisions to make along both lines for 2014 | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Some high-paid players might have to go or restructure their contracts to relieve some salary-cap pressure

You better believe Seahawks can repeat as Super Bowl champions - NFL - Sporting News
It’s been 10 years since an NFL team has been able to repeat as Super Bowl champions. But no champ in the last nine years has been built as well to end that drought as the Seattle Seahawks.

Borges: Patriots no match for Seahawks, either | Boston Herald
There was much chatter yesterday on anti-social media and talk radio about how the Patriots would have fared better than the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. To that I ask: Based on what?

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson finally gets his haircut - Local - MyNorthwest.com
"When I was in 11th grade, we won the state championship. I had my hair grown out," Wilson said. "I didn't cut my hair the whole year for that season and my dad didn't either, so it kind of inspired me for this year."

Russell Wilson remembers people ripping Seahawks' 2012 draft class - CBSSports.com
Russell Wilson has not forgotten your 2012 Seahawks draft grades, jerks.

Golden Tate, Michael Bennett want to stay with Seahawks | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Seahawks receiver Golden Tate didn’t back down from his comments Tuesday on KJR about taking less money to stay in Seattle. Tate reiterated that he’d be willing to give a hometown discount — to an extent.

Seattle salutes Seahawks, its Super heroes | Local News | The Seattle Times
Hundreds of thousands of fans crowded downtown Seattle streets and stadiums Wednesday to celebrate the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win.

Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl win could impact 2014 NFL Draft - NFL.com
The NFL has always been viewed as a copycat league, with coaches and scouts quick to adopt and implement strategies from successful organizations. From schematic innovations like the zone-read offense and Pistol formation to the tweaking of game day activations, the NFL looks to its winners for the keys to success.

All drive, all heart: From De Pere to Seattle, Schneider has remained the same | Packersnews | packersnews.com
No one could have known that De Pere native and Abbot Pennings graduate John Schneider would grow up to become an NFL general manager.

On this date: Kenny Easley makes nine tackles in Pro Bowl
A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on Feb 6

Seahawks All Access - #Celebrate48 Parade
Seahawks All Access takes you to the parade and the celebration at CenturyLink Field.

Seahawks All Access - Super Bowl Celebration
Seahawks All Access focuses on the second half of Super Bowl XLVIII and the postgame celebrations from the team, coaches and fans.

Seahawks All Access - Pregame Access
Seahawks All Access has exclusive pregame access before the Super Bowl XLVIII game.

Michael Bennett Year End Press Conference
Michael Bennett talks to the media after the Super Bowl parade celebration about the fans, the Super Bowl and the next step his career.

Pete Carroll Year End Press Conference
Pete Carroll talks about the Seahawks season, the future of the team and updates on player health.

Golden Tate Year End Press Conference
Golden Tate talks at the end of the year press conference about the Seahawks fans, the parade and continuing his career.

Russell Wilson: Our plan is to win another one
An ecstatic Russell Wilson alerts the fans of Seattle that the Seahawks are filled with determination to continue winning Super Bowls.

Pete Carroll: 'We're just getting warmed up'
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll speaks during the team's victory celebration at Centurylink Field, saying that the team will "do something special again" next year.

Richard Sherman: We have the best fans in the world
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman addresses the crowd at CenturyLink Field and thanks all his defensive teammates.

Richard Sherman's Super Bowl media scramble
Watch Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman as he fields interviews during the media scramble after winning Super Bowl XLVIII. For more go to

Seahawks notebook: Few injuries entering offseason - 710sports.com
The Super Bowl champion Seahawks are entering the offseason about as healthy as a team could hope to be, with the big toe of left tackle Russell Okung one of the few issues they'll have to deal with. "That's still up in there air a little bit," coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday of Okung. "But for the most part, we're in pretty good shape."

Retention, not addition, is Seahawks' offseason priority - 710sports.com
It's not imitation that is the highest form of flattery in the NFL, but acquisition

Michael Bennett doesn't want to take a pay cut | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett said in the aftermath of Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade that he wanted to stay in Seattle but that he also wanted to get a multiyear contract. He was a little more direct about his contract situation with SiriusXM NFL Radio with Keith Bulluck and Bruce Murray. Bennett said he wants to be “compensated with the top guys.”

Carroll: ‘It’s not repeating for me, we’re trying to do something really good for a really long time’ | Seahawks Insider - The News Tribune
Here’s what Pete Carroll had to say yesterday:

Thiel: The Seahawks and the fairy tale | Sportspress Northwest
The Seahawks were hailed massively Wednesday for a deed that had more meaning that the winning of a sports trophy.

Carroll says Hawks have 'some very difficult decisions' | HeraldNet.com - Sports
A year ago, Pete Carroll didn't hesitate when asked about his team's needs heading into the offseason. He wanted pass rushers, the Seahawks went out and got them, and the additions of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were a big part of Seattle's Super Bowl championship season.

How Arizona Can Capitalize on Cap Room from Larry Fitzgerald's Reworked Contract
After a weeklong media tour in New York City, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had some business to take care of when he returned home from the Super Bowl. The All-Pro wideout announced on his Twitter page Tuesday morning that he was heading to the team’s facility in Tempe to sign a restructured contract.

Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: More Please: An Overview Of Seahawks Off-Season Priorities
I was feeling a little guilty yesterday, even Sunday night. Pete Carroll helped. As excited as I have been for all the events that transpired over the last few days, I could not help but move on to what comes next.

Seattle Seahawks wise to hoard late-round draft picks - NFL.com
The Seattle Seahawks' defense was built through the draft, with stars such as Richard Sherman and Malcolm Smith. Is that why NFL teams are so reluctant to part with late-round picks?

Money dictates NFL's future will include cold, outdoor Super Bowls - CBSSports.com
Since Super Bowl XLVIII went off mostly without a hitch, other cold-weather teams with outdoor stadiums will bid for -- and land -- the big game.

Agent's take: Cap concerns could leave Seahawks with shorter reign - CBSSports.com
Seattle may need to release a couple of key players or get them to restructure deals to alleviate some salary-cap concerns,

Kam Chancellor was most deserving of Super Bowl MVP honors | The MMQB with Peter King
The Seahawks’ suffocating defense in Super Bowl XLVIII wasn’t just the best performance of the season, but of the last decade in the NFL. Only one thing went wrong on their way to the Lombardi Trophy

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Historical DVOA Estimates
As readers of Football Outsiders, you know and love the proprietary statistics like DVOA. DVOA has many wonderful qualities –- it takes into account both raw yardage and progress towards a first down, it adjusts for situation and opponent quality, and it is an excellent predictor of future performance. It does, however, have one drawback –- it requires play-by-play data, which as of now only goes back to 1989. To work around that difficulty, and to add more fuel to the perpetual argument about the average teams for now, I developed a method to estimate DVOA for seasons where play-by-play data is not yet available. I’m sharing the results here. It isn’t perfect, but it should be enough to get some good discussions going.

Carroll chewed out ref for not calling offensive pass interference | ProFootballTalk
“You didn’t see it? He shoved the guy right on the ground,” Carroll told field judge Scott Steenson. “Sherman was gonna make that catch.”

Carlos Rogers could be on the pay-cut or be-cut bubble | ProFootballTalk
The 49ers have some salary cap room at the moment, but not as much as they’ll need.

The Best Scoring Offenses Since 1932 — FootballPerspective.com
On Monday, I looked at the greatest defenses — measured simply by points allowed and adjusted for strength of schedule — in NFL history. Today, I want to look at which offenses were the greatest in regular season history, and see where the 2013 Broncos stack up.

Who are the NFL's 10 best coordinator/play-caller hires of 2014? - NFL - Don Banks - SI.com
You might have noticed, but there are no slow-paced years on the NFL's coaching carousel any more. No pendulum swings to the calmer side of the hiring/firing cycle. Every year spawns a furious reshuffling of staffs, and nowhere is the turnover more consistently active than at the coordinator level.

Dissecting the Franchise Tag & Potential 2014 Candidates - Over the Cap
It’s been 21 years since the implementation of one of the most unique practices in sports: the franchise tag. Though the intricacies of the franchise tag have changed over time, one thing has remained constant: it adds an element of strategy to offseason negotiations in the NFL.

#HotSportsTakes: Put This Bronco Out to Pasture «
Every now and then, we will attempt to write the worst sports column on earth. Today: Let’s talk about Peyton Manning and a career full of disappointment.

The Super Bag «
In honor of Super Bowl XLVIII, here are 48 emails from actual readers

Blake Bortles among players with most to prove at combine - NFL.com
Before draft prospects had the luxury of being evaluated by teams at one big event called the NFL Scouting Combine, they had to go through a few more hoops and travel a few more miles to have teams take a look at them.

Savage: Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald a top-50 draft pick - NFL.com
"Frontside blocks can be problematic due to his overall girth, but when he attacks with his hands on the inside, he can separate and make tackles," Savage said. "On the backside of blocks, he simply is too athletic to be cut off and will track down ball carriers down the line of scrimmage. His pass-rush technique is outstanding, and he should be able to contribute on sub downs immediately as a rookie."

NFL Prospect Focus: Gabe Jackson and Charles Sims | National Football Post
How do the two prospects grade out?

NFL prospect focus: Reynolds and Seastrunk | National Football Post
Keep an eye on these prospects in the draft.

NFL prospect focus: Linder and Linsley | National Football Post
An in-depth look at two versatile offensive line prospects.