Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Wednesday

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Trent Baalke, San Francisco 49ers GM, has intimidating presence | The MMQB with Peter King
San Francisco’s football boss has traded his stopwatch for a tailored suit, but the longtime scout remains a road warrior and a film study aficionado who refuses to waste time or tip his hand on what’s next. But the man always has big plans

Sounder at Heart's Seattle-area World Cup viewing guide - Sounder At Heart
Sounder at Heart readers crowdsource a list of more than 40 venues in and around Seattle where soccer fans can expect to feel welcomed.

Monday in Hawkville: With Marshawn Lynch away, the other backs are showing they can play
With leading rusher Marshawn Lynch not participating in the Seahawks’ OTA sessions, backups Robert Turbin and Christine Michael are taking advantage of getting more reps in practice to improve their games.

Richard Sherman, after busy offseason, is focused on work with Seahawks | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Richard Sherman has kept a high profile off the field, but with the Seahawks in the final week of OTAs, he’s focused on constant improvement.

Chip Kelly's Offense Presents Biggest Challenge to NFL Defensive Coordinators | Bleacher Report
Breaking down Chip Kelly’s offense in Philadelphia (with a focus on the core concepts), I have no problem calling this a West Coast-spread system in both the run and pass game.

Seattle Seahawks offense could be radically different in 2014 | Audibles - SI.com
RENTON, Wash. -- Over the last two seasons, the Seattle Seahawks have thrown the ball fewer times than any NFL team. And over the last three seasons, no running back has taken the ball more times than Seattle's Marshawn Lynch -- 334 carries per season, including the postseason.

Five players who have seen their stock rise during OTAs | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
Monday’s OTA was the seventh for the Seahawks, the third the media got to witness. Which gives us just enough info to give an assessment of a few players who appear to have helped themselves with their performances so far (and to be sure, these aren’t the only five — and as you will see, technically there are six. But these are five/six whose play/presence has been noteworthy to this point).

Like Seahawks, Titans have lots of cap room - Tennessee Titans Blog - ESPN
First-round pick Taylor Lewan and second-round pick Bishop Sankey remain unsigned. Their deals will alter the Tennessee Titans salary cap situation a bit.

RENTON: Dave Boling: Despite accolades, Richard Sherman still same old self | Dave Boling | The News Tribune
Richard Sherman was scheduled to drop by the post-practice interview area at Seattle Seahawks headquarters after Monday’s training session.

After Madden cover, Richard Sherman still a 'raggedy dog' | HeraldNet.com - Sports
It was barely more than a year ago that Richard Sherman declared, in one of his more famous rants — and there have been many — that he was “Better at life than you.”

Second-year NFL players who must improve in 2014 - SBNation.com
Highly touted draft picks like Dee Milliner and Eric Fisher failed to live up to expectations as rookies. The success of their teams moving forward may depend on how well they bounce back in year two.

Photo Gallery - OTAs Day Seven
Photos from the seventh of 10 Organized Team Activities at Seahawks headquarters.

How Michael Floyd Can Emerge as a Top Wide Receiver in 2014 | Bleacher Report
Arizona Cardinals news, rumors, scores, schedules, predictions, picks against the spread, free agent updates, power rankings, mock drafts and more

Jordan Matthews opening eyes in Eagles practices - NFL.com
Philadelphia Eagles rookie Jordan Matthews has impressed onlookers in offseason practices. Is he already the best wide receiver on the team?

Andy Dalton: Kaepernick deal found 'middle ground' - NFL.com
Andy Dalton is in line for a possible contract extension. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback said Colin Kaepernick's recent deal proves that two sides can compromise.

Dolphins' Finnegan: 'I've never seen anything this fast' - NFL.com
After spending his time defending Miami's new uptempo offense, cornerback Cortland Finnegan said this week that he's enjoying the product of Bill Lazor's scheme.

Patrick Peterson will be at Cards mandatory minicamp - NFL.com
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson wants a new contract, but he says he plans to report "full tilt" to the team's mandatory minicamp Tuesday.

Getting a read on NFL's new offensive coordinators requires digging - CBSSports.com
Among 11 new NFL offensive coordinators, seven are first-timers, and the league's scrambling to figure them out. Jeff Tedford and Joe Lombardi could have significant impact.

No-huddle means big upside for Big Ben - CBSSports.com
The Steelers' offense took off when they went no-huddle and let Big Ben call his own plays. They're committed to making it a bigger part of their offense.

Building a team of best current NFL players taken in past MLB drafts - CBSSports.com
What would the best group of NFL players taken in the MLB draft look like in a lineup?

Will the Eagles stay on top of the NFC East? | National Football Post
An early look into Chip Kelly’s second year on the job.

Report: Sean Smith cited in alleged drunk driving incident | ProFootballTalk
One of the Chiefs' starting defensive players reportedly was arrested after a one-car accident on Monday. According to KCTV5.com, Kansas City police cited Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith for allegedly driving a vehicle while having a blood-alcohol level at or above the legal limit of .

NFLN considering use of drones to cover training camp | ProFootballTalk
When the United States began using unmanned aircraft to track and kill enemies, the term "drone" acquired a meaning far more sinister than "worker bee."  When sports organizations began using remote-controlled helicopters, someone decided to apply the term "drone" to them, too.

Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley struggling at Eagles’ OTAs | ProFootballTalk
The good news in Philadelphia is that starting quarterback Nick Foles is looking good in Organized Team Activities. Backups Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley? Not so much. Sanchez and Barkley have both been struggling, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Power Ranking NFL Receiver Depth Charts | Bleacher Report
In today's NFL, teams are super focused on building an elite talent group at wide receiver and tight end. And with the lines between those two positions blurring, it's becoming more important to find talent that transcends positions.

Darren Sproles could help Philadelphia Eagles forget DeSean Jackson - NFL - Don Banks - SI.com
Part of the appeal and beauty of every NFL offseason are the dozens of new player-team pairings that look and sound tantalizing from the vantage point of spring and summer. But then the season finally arrives and those perfect marriages on paper don't always unfold as planned on the field.

Top 2015 NFL Free Agents | The Daily Spot
It’s never too early to begin looking forward. We’ll take a look at the top NFL players entering contract years in 2014, setting themselves up for a possible run at the free agent market in 2015. In addition, we’ll note the players who had their 5th-year options exercised, making them possible candidates for long-term extensions in the coming months.