Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Tuesday

LINKS!

NFL FA musings: Woods, Ohrnberger, Roberts could be bargains - CBSSports.com
With free agency starting, unless a team is in the top-of-the-line free agents, bargain shopping is best. That's where Al Woods, Rich Ohrnberger and Andre Roberts come in.

Are Jaguars interested in South Carolina QB Connor Shaw? | members.jacksonville.com
“The two teams I’ve met with the most are Seattle and Jacksonville so we’ll see what that means,” Shaw said.

NFL Free-Agency Storm Starts Early «
When the NFL began to suggest that the salary cap would unexpectedly increase by $10 million this offseason, it seemed likely that its 32 teams would overindulge in free agency. Well, this weekend all but confirmed those suspicions, and the free-agent market doesn’t even open up until Tuesday. In fact, the players who did choose to re-sign with their teams for surprisingly large sums of money were among the few you might have expected to stand out as relative bargains by the time the clouds of cash had settled. As NFL teams, players, and agents negotiate in this 72-hour window before free agency, one thing is for sure: This weekend was just the tip of the iceberg. A staggering amount of money is about to change hands.

Jairus Byrd, Ben Tate to Browns? Logical matches in free agency - NFL.com
Vaunted safety Jairus Byrd has plenty of suitors in free agency, but where will he end up? How about the top running back available, Ben Tate? Adam Schein provides a series of logical marriages.

Doug Baldwin guest commentary: Free agency from the player’s perspective | Q13 FOX News
Free Agency starts on Tuesday and with that, we will see the business side of the NFL take a front seat in the media vehicle. We have already seen tough decisions being made around the league with a few hitting close to home. Fans around the world are sitting on the edge of their seats wondering what the future holds for their favorite teams. Some fans will confuse a player’s desire for higher pay as a selfish act against their team. But tonight I want to give you, the fans, the player’s perspective of what really goes on.

2014 NFL free agency predictions: Where will Michael Vick land? | Audibles - SI.com
The official start of NFL free agency occurs Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Where will the best available players out of the NFC land at that time? (Find our predictions for AFC free agents here.

Monday Morning MD | National Football Post
Letters from personal doctors mean very little.

NFL free agency inspires caution among league's winning teams - NFL.com
"Established teams usually aren't involved," said an AFC personnel exec. "It's the teams struggling to make it to the next step. There's a sense of desperation there to throw money at the top guys. They don't think it'll hurt them, but then the guy doesn't produce. The Redskins, Buffalo, the Dolphins, the Browns -- teams that historically come out strong and pay, they usually haven't drafted well, so there's not as much continuity. And it's no coincidence there's been a lot of turnover in those organizations."

NFL free agency primer: Where tackles and DBs will get paid - CBSSports.com
Unless you're a tackle like Eugene Monroe or a DB like Jairus Byrd, big money ain't there. If you're a WR (unless you're Eric Decker), forget it.

Breaking Down Tennessee Titans Free Agent Alterraun Verner
Tennessee Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner is set to be one of the hottest names in free agency.

Moneyball effect: Bucs add director of analytics to staff | Tampa Bay Times
Tyler Oberly comes to the Bucs from Houston, where he wrote for a site called TheSidelineView.com, applying an electric engineering background to football applications. He was a speaker last month at the MIT Sloan Sports Conference, a major gathering of sports analytics experts -- other speakers included baseball's Bill James, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and many others. Baseball and basketball have made considerable investments into adding number-crunchers in the post-"Moneyball" era, and football is starting to do the same.

Michael Bennett: 'At the end of the day it was about being comfortable' | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
After signing his new four-year deal worth $28.5 million, with $16 million guaranteed, Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett met the media at the VMAC and said that while he may have had some better offers elsewhere, the total package of what he has in Seattle was too good to leave.

» Over the Cap- Michael Bush Salary Cap and Contract Page
Michael Bush salary cap and contract history, dead money, and contract breakdowns

Seattle Seahawks' price was right for Michael Bennett - ESPN
Mission accomplished. The Seattle Seahawks did what they wanted to do and kept the man they really wanted to keep.

Seahawks' to-do list following Michael Bennett signing - NFL - ESPN
Michael Bennett checked in at No. 7 when ESPN.com NFL scout Matt Williamson joined me in ranking all players from the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos heading into Super Bowl XLVIII. The ranking was arguably on the high side, but there was also no denying what Bennett brought to the Seahawks’ defensive line in his first full season with the team. The way Bennett and the Seahawks’ defensive rotation played during a 43-8 victory over the Broncos provided some validation.

Jay Feely re-signs with the Cardinals | ProFootballTalk
The Cardinals will be keeping their kicker. Jay Feely, who was set to become a free agent tomorrow, revealed on Twitter that he has signed a new contract to remain in Arizona.

Team-by-Team Salary Cap Notes - Offseason Low Down - Rotoworld.com
Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com provides salary cap notes on every NFL team as 2014 free agency kicks off.

Shutdown Corner Offseason Blueprints: Seattle Seahawks | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports
From Yahoo Sports: After the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, all 32 teams officially entered the offseason and started plotting how they could position themselves for a shot at Super Bowl XLIX. Shutdown Corner will look at the offseason blueprint for each of the 32 NFL teams, presenting one team a day (using the 2014 draft order, starting with the Houston Texans and finishing with the Seahawks), leading you right up to the start of free agency on Tuesday.

Seattle Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin schools fans on free agency - ESPN
Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin told it like it is Sunday night and gave fans a lesson in free agency, warning them not to judge players too harshly if they leave the team you love.

Seahawks re-sign Michael Bennett for $28.5m | Seahawks Draft Blog
The Seahawks did what they had to.

Agent's Take: Calculating 2014 NFL free agent target prices - CBSSports.com
NFL free agency starts Tuesday, so we get inside the numbers of 15, including Eric Decker, Eugene Monroe, Jairus Byrd, Michael Vick, Jared Allen and Golden Tate.

Michael Bennett on his new deal with the Seahawks | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
Michael Bennett's four-year contract extension with the Seahawks, reportedly worth $28.5 million, is now official, and the defensive end discussed...

Julius Peppers on Chicago Bears' trading block - NFL.com
Julius Peppers' tenure on the Chicago Bears' defensive line has run its course. Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the team is planning either to trade or cut the star pass rusher.

Steve Smith on Carolina Panthers' trading block - NFL.com
If Steve Smith's planning more postgame trash talk in 2014, it likely won't be as a member of the Carolina Panthers. The team is attempting to trade the veteran wide receiver, Ian Rapoport reports.

Report: San Francisco 49ers to release Carlos Rogers - NFL.com
The San Francisco 49ers reportedly are set to release Carlos Rogers after three seasons in the Bay Area. With Rogers' release, the team is getting thin at cornerback.

Top 25 second and third round flops | National Football Post
Just because they weren't in the top 32, doesn't mean they can't be called a bust.

NFL prospect focus: Dominique Easley and Joel Bitonio | National Football Post
Greg Gabriel breaks down two prospects on opposite sides of the line.

NFL free agency primer: Where tackles and DBs will get paid - CBSSports.com
Unless you're a tackle like Eugene Monroe or a DB like Jairus Byrd, big money ain't there. If you're a WR (unless you're Eric Decker), forget it.

One Play Away — FootballPerspective.com
Football Perspective accepts guest posts, and Andrew Healy submitted the following post. And it’s outstanding. Andrew Healy is an economics professor at Loyola Marymount University. He is a big fan of the New England Patriots and Joe Benigno.

NFL Free Agency 2014: Injury-Prone Free Agents Worth the Risk
As the saying goes in football, sometimes the greatest ability is availability.

The Indirect Affect of the Packers/Shields Pact - Over the Cap
Many in the industry feel that the Packers overpaid for CB Sam Shields. But there were other factors aside from Shields’ skill set that contributed to Green Bay’s decision.

Are these recently released NFL players bargains or busts? | SportsonEarth.com : Mike Tanier Article
Where's the loyalty?

Aaron Lynch posts unofficial 4.64 40 time at USF pro day - NFL.com
USF defensive end Aaron Lynch ran an unofficial time of 4.6 in the 40-yard dash during his pro day workout on Monday.

Earl Mitchell moving on from the Texans - Houston Texans Blog - ESPN
Nose tackle Earl Mitchell won't be returning to the Houston Texans. The Houston native, one of the top defensive tackles on the market, has options that have priced him out of the Texans' range, according to a source. The Dolphins, Chargers, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Bears and Cowboys have all expressed interest.

2014 NFL Draft: Ben Natan’s Top 10 Offensive Tackles - With the First Pick - NFL Scouting Reports, College Football, and the 2013 NFL Draft
One of the premier positions in the NFL, protecting the edges of the offensive line are a big part of having an effective running and passing game. While the argument has been made (by me) that interior protection is more important, that in no way makes the tackle position unimportant. This class is loaded with great athletes and technicians and some players that, while decent tackles, would thrive at guard.

John Harris's NFL 2014 Mega Mock Draft 1.0 | The Sideline View
John Harris breaks down the ultimate mega mock draft. What does your team need, and how will the address it? Harris weighs all the options.