Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Thursday

Links.

Harbaugh noticed Kaepernick's early-season foot injury | CSN Bay Area
Colin Kaepernick claimed to have a hangnail on the "pinkie toe" of both feet early last season.

Jared Allen got the better offer he wanted - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
Jared Allen was right all along. The veteran defensive end made two trips to Seattle and came close to reaching an agreement with the Seahawks, but deep down, he believed he was worth more and could get more money elsewhere.

Jim Harbaugh transcript, Part 1: On Kaepernick deserving big money, his early-2013 foot injury, and the need to get him another receiver – Talking Points
Jim Harbaugh was in prime rhetorical form early this morning at the NFC coaches media session at the annual meetings, addressing questions more directly, patiently and openly than at any previous time during his 49ers tenure.

Jim Harbaugh, Part 2: On his relationship with Baalke, attacking the Seahawks, and cavorting with a walrus – Talking Points
OK, right to the second part of the Jim Harbaugh media session at the NFL meetings, covering the far-flung topics including Frank Gore’s future, how to beat Seattle, hitting "half-court-plus" shots, and much, much more…

Report: Bears came in at last minute with Jared Allen offer | ProFootballTalk
"I’d like to take a moment to thank my former teammates, coaches and the staff at the Minnesota Vikings for all of their inspiring work and dedication," the statement said. "Perhaps more importantly I would like to thank the fans and the Minnesota community. I can only hope that I have left with you all with even a fraction of the positive support and impact you have had on my life, my foundation and my family. "I am very excited about this next chapter in my career with the Chicago Bears and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. God bless."

Free agency hasn't made NFL mock drafts any clearer. | SportsonEarth.com : Mike Tanier, Dan Pompei and Russ Lande Article
While free agency should allow us to know more than we did last month, the NFL draft picture hasn't become any clearer, even at the top. But the mock draft must march on, so here are our projections for the first round of May's draft.

2014 NFL free agency grades: Tampa Bay Buccaneers finish with high marks | Audibles - SI.com
Now that the dust has settled in the 2014 NFL free agency process, it's time to bow to convention and hand out premature grades. We must wait to see what actually happens on the field, of course, but here's how we think each NFC team did through the first few weeks of free agency: Arizona...

Seattle Seahawks set sights on back-to-back Super Bowl championships | The MMQB with Peter King
How do you repeat as a Super Bowl champion, or at the very least, avoid a letdown season in an encore effort? Every NFL coach who wins a Super Bowl gets asked some variation of that question throughout the ensuing offseason. Some reject the notion their teams are at risk for complacency. Others admit to not knowing the answer. Most say they’ve consulted, or plan to consult, with men who have won back-to-back titles—the Bill Belichicks and the Jimmy Johnsons of the coaching fraternity.

2014 NFL Free Agency - Handing out grades for all 32 teams - ESPN
The first two weeks of the NFL free-agent signing period featured multiple trades, high-profile cuts, a notorious failed physical examination in Oakland and battles over players between heated rivals. Rosters changed quickly as 405 unrestricted free agents hit the market. More than 100 of these UFAs have already changed teams. Nearly as many have re-signed with their 2013 teams. Teams aren't finished, but enough time has passed to make some initial assessments.

Jared Allen to the Bears is actually good news for the Seahawks
Jared Allen signed a mega-deal with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday ending the Seahawks chances of landing the veteran defensive end. But there is no need to worry.

Was Jared Allen a need for the Seahawks? | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
The Jared Allen sweepstakes ended Wednesday with the Seahawks being left out in the cold. He chose to dance with the Chicago Bears for four years and $32 million, and now the Seahawks must…do what exactly?

Hawk Talk highlights: Offensive line and the draft - 710sports.com
While wide receiver Golden Tate might have been the Seahawks' most significant free-agent departure, offensive line was arguably the position that took the greatest hit.

Kap's status clear: He’s getting paid - NFC West Blog - ESPN
In an Insider piece, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick looks at whether the San Francisco will and should extend the deal of quarterback Colin Kaepernick this offseason or wait until after his contract expires after 2014 season.

Report: Cardinals to exercise Patrick Peterson s option - ESPN
Sometimes, having a backup plan comes in handy.

Seahawks move on after Jared Allen signs with Bears - Seattle Seattle Seahawks | Examiner.com
Some Seahawks fans -- particularly Kenny Mayne and his minions -- waited with baited breath for more than a week to find out whether Jared Allen would join the Super Bowl champs.

Inside the Seattle Seahawks draft war room
Daniel Jeremiah and Curtis Conway break down the Seattle Seahawks' biggest offseason needs and predict which players they will pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Mark Cuban: I didn’t expect this response to my NFL comments | ProFootballTalk
"I honestly didn’t say it expecting this big a response or this big a hullabaloo," Cuban said on Pardon the Interruption. "But I guess I should have known that when you say anything negative about the NFL, everybody is going to talk about it."

49ers' Pursuit of Vertical Threat at WR Will Extend to 2014 Draft | Bleacher Report
The San Francisco 49ers have had one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory. First it was the Jim Harbaugh-Trent Baalke dilemma, then it was the Harbaugh-Cleveland Browns fiasco and lastly it was the DeSean Jackson trade rumors.

Have the Seahawks Changed the Way Teams Are Scouting Cornerbacks, Safeties? | Bleacher Report
The term "copycat league" is thrown around every NFL offseason as teams work to adjust their schemes and personnel to mimic the productive units that make championship runs in the playoffs.

Jared Veldheer refutes Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie - NFL.com
Jared Veldheer refuted general manager Reggie McKenzie's claims that the left tackle no longer wanted to play for the Oakland Raiders. Find out why Bruce Arians is shocked Veldheer was available.

Ron Rivera applying Moneyball approach to Panthers? - NFL.com
Ron Rivera revealed Wednesday that the Carolina Panthers are simply trying to replace 10 catches per game at wide receiver. Is the coach applying Billy Beane's maxims to solve the problem?

Our 24 takeaways from NFL Annual Meeting's last day - NFL.com
"Thanks, Chip!"

Jim Harbaugh: Frank Gore has 'three more good years' - NFL.com
San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh thinks running back Frank Gore has plenty left in the tank. Can Gore stay true to his coach's prediction while playing on the wrong side of age 30?

Roger Goodell: Great interest in NFL playoff expansion - NFL.com
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discussed postseason expansion Wednesday at the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando. Is change coming in the near future to the current playoff format?

Owners meetings Musings: Cards hosting SB? Arians says they can - CBSSports.com
The next Super Bowl will be in Arizona, and bold Bruce Arians says the Cardinals could be the first host team. He's not out of line, either.

2014 Pro Days: Indiana's Latimer, Texas' Davis show off health, speed - CBSSports.com
The workouts may have taken place hundreds of miles away from each other but the news was good for playmaking wide receiver Cody Latimer and Mike Davis, each of whom was clocked in the low 4.4s during their Pro Day workouts after foot injuries forced them to them sidelines at the Combine.

2014 NFL Mock Draft 6.0: Where Johnny Manziel isn't a first-rounder - CBSSports.com
It has been a while since mock drafting Round 1 without Johnny Manziel. But here we are a day before the Texas A&M quarterback has his pro day.

The value of compensatory picks | National Football Post
What impact do they really have?

Imperfect Pro Days | National Football Post
Although it’s a familiar place for draftees to perform it’s not always a perfect outcome.

Philadelphia Eagles rumors: More than just DeSean Jackson on trading block? | Audibles - SI.com
In his first season as the Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Chip Kelly took his team from 4-12 to 10-6 and the top of the NFC East. The former Oregon offensive mastermind did so primarily with the players he had inherited from the Andy Reid administration, but the way things look at this point, ...

2014 NFL free agency grades: Jacksonville Jaguars finish with highest marks | Audibles - SI.com
The question that pervades every NFL offseason is this one: Has the balance of power shifted? Cincinnati ran away with the AFC North in 2013, while the Colts continued their rise and the Chiefs stormed back from a two-win campaign to make the playoffs.

Here's how Gus Bradley is attracting free agents to the 4-12 Jacksonville Jaguars | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports
A media crowd formed around the table of an unlikely individual during the AFC head coaches breakfast at the NFL owners meetings this week.

Most coaches don’t want to be able to challenge everything | ProFootballTalk
Patriots coach Bill Belichick brought forward a proposal at this week’s league meeting to allow coaches to challenge any call that they think instant replay could correct. But the NFL’s owners voted the proposal down.

The Best 40-Yard Dash Times since 1999 — FootballPerspective.com
A month ago, I looked Jadeveon Clowney’s impressive time in the 40-yard dash. In that post, I argued that all 40-yard times must be adjusted for weight. Well, thanks to the good folks at NFLSavant.com, 40-yard dash times are available […]

Roger Goodell's push to clean up NFL will be easier said than done - NFL - Don Banks - SI.com
ORLANDO -- The NFL has always been a reactive body in regards to whatever it deems the most pressing problem of the moment, so the news that it's latest goal is to return

Jim Harbaugh 'laid awake' thinking about Super Bowl - NFL.com

Jim Harbaugh was asked if he ever considered what his team would have done against the Denver Broncos. The San Francisco 49ers coach said he's had sleepless night thinking about it.