Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Wednesday

Hump day!

Klee: Yapping Seahawks earned trash talk, Broncos great Shannon Sharpe says
"I just know this: the Broncos didn't show up. I mean, they picked that game, that stage, that moment, to pick the worst day they've ever had? I just didn't see the fire."

Clay Matthews Jr., Elvis Dumervil among NFL's top 10 pass rushers - NFL - SI.com
Taking notice of this truth may be difficult given the NFL's offensive explosion in recent years -- hard to see the forest for the trees and all -- but the league finds itself amid a pass rushing heyday. Up-tempo, creative offenses have forced defenses to counter with more nimble athletes all over the field and hybrid defenses that increase responsibilities for those in the front seven.

Seattle Seahawks training camp roster breakdown - Seattle Seahawks & NFL News
It’s nearly time for football! The Seattle Seahawks start defending their Super Bowl XLVIII title on Friday when they kick off training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.

Kam Chancellor, Jordy Nelson among NFL's most underrated - NFL.com
Do Jordy Nelson's abilities as a receiver far outstrip his reputation? Our analysts list some of the most underrated figures in the NFL -- and some of the names might surprise you.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Catch Radius: The Bigger, the Better?
Part I of our final catch radius study for 2013 featured seven of the best wide receivers in the NFC. Now we turn to the unlikely quarterback who has played with many great receivers.

Getting nostalgic for the way NFL training camps used to be. | SportsonEarth.com : Dan Pompei Article
Back in the day, the first sounds of the first training camp practices were helmets and pads colliding. Then came the deep grunts you just don't hear as much anymore.

'Madden NFL 15' ratings: Russell Wilson shakes up QBs - NFL.com
EA Sports released its top five quarterback ratings for Madden NFL 15 and the list is pretty much what you would expect. Peyton Manning is at the very top with a rating of 98 followed by Aaron Rodgers (98), Drew Brees (96), Russell Wilson (93) and Tom Brady (93). So yeah, it was pretty much what you would expect for a list of the top five … wait a damn minute. Was that really Russell Wilson not only in the top five, but ahead of Tom Brady? The future Hall of Famer? The best quarterback of his generation?

Camp preview of Seahawks' D-Line - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
Before training camp begins on Friday, here's my continuing look (by position) at how the Seattle Seahawks stack up going in and whether the team is improved or not as good as it was a year ago.

NFL 2014: Defending champ Seahawks know they can't rest on what happened last season | Fox News
Soon after the parade and television appearances and celebrations were over, the message changed for the Seattle Seahawks.

Seahawks announce fan activities for training camp | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
The Seahawks today have announced a list of fan activities for the 12 open training camp practices. Here is that info, straight from the team:

Sports Illustrated: Seahawks are No. 1 because Russell Wilson is more trustworthy than Colin Kaepernick - Seattle Seahawks & NFL News
Here’s a shocker: The Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, according to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, are the best team in the NFL heading into training camp this week.

Andre Ellington leads list of Top 25 breakout prospects - NFL - ESPN
The best NFL organizations don't just find talent in the first and second rounds of the draft. They find talent with their later picks and with their unsigned free agents. For the best example, look no further than the reigning Super Bowl champions. Quarterback Russell Wilson, of course, was a third-round selection. So was defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. The Seahawks got half of the Legion of Boom in the fifth round: Kam Chancellor in 2010, and then Richard Sherman in 2011. Malcolm Smith, the Super Bowl MVP, was added in the seventh round. And receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse were both undrafted free agents.

Preseason Power Rankings No. 1: Seattle Seahawks | ProFootballTalk
The Seattle Seahawks enter their 2014 training camp as defending Super Bowl champions for the first time in franchise history.

Oaktown Business: Marshawn Lynch
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch's Oakland influence runs deep, and at no better time is that influence on display than at his annual Fam 1st Family Football Camp benefiting Bay Area youth.

Madden 15 top rookie ratings released - SBNation.com
Madden ratings czar Donny Moore sits down with SB Nation to discuss the best rookies in EA Sports's latest football installment. Before you ask: No, Johnny's not on the list.

Charity event shows Sherman’s drawing power | Sportspress Northwest
22,000 showed up to Safeco Field Sunday, paying from $29 to $382 a ticket, to watch Sherman, Seahawks teammates and Kobe Bryant cavort for charity.

Can Brian Quick breakout in year three? - Turf Show Times
The Rams made a big bet on their incumbent wide receivers this year. Can the 33rd pick in the 2012 draft finally live up to the billing?

Rams Roster Preview: WR Justin Veltung - Turf Show Times
Justin Veltung looks to be a long shot to make the St. Louis Rams’ roster in 2014.

Larry English released by San Diego Chargers - NFL.com
The San Diego Chargers have cut disappointing pass rusher Larry English after five lackluster seasons, recording just 11 sacks. Where will the former first-round linebacker end up next?

Carson Palmer drops one spot in ESPN QB rankings - Revenge of the Birds
His interceptions and decision-making came into question.

NFC North Training Camp Preview: 3 things to watch - NFL.com
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers won the NFC North in Week 17 last season. The division again figures to be wide open this year. Dan Hanzus offers up three things to watch for each team.

Let's watch rookies react to their 'Madden' ratings - NFL.com
Every first-round pick believes he should have a sky-high rating in the newest "Madden" video game. Watch how some top rookies react when their ratings aren't as high as expected.

49ers training camp: Chris Culliver cleared to practice - Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers cleared cornerback Chris Culliver to take part in training camp when practices open on Thursday. We break down what this means.

NFL tells officials to get in shape to keep up with Chip Kelly's offense | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports
The NFL is moving at a faster pace, and the league realizes its officials need to keep up.

ADP First Look: Overvalued - Yahoo Sports
We can’t underestimate how important Average Draft Position (ADP) is when preparing for the greatest day on the fantasy calendar. It’s the hand that guides us through the draft, forcing us to reach in some instances and shy away in others.

The Top Quarterbacks And The Receivers They Threw It To — FootballPerspective.com
Last week, I looked at the top receivers and the quarterbacks who threw it to them. Today, we flip that question around and look at which receivers the top quarterbacks threw to. I used the exact same methodology from the previous post, so please read that for the fine details.

The Ghosts of Pro Football Weekly Past, Present and … Future? | The Tailgater

A friendly ghost is appearing on newsstands all around the country. On the cover, it looks like the Pro Football Weekly annual preseason preview, right down to the fonts and layouts. Thumb through the pages, and the eerie resemblance only grows, from the table of contents to the tone of the writing.

NFL Power Rankings: Usual suspects start up top -- but that will change - NFL - CBSSports.com

It's late July and NFL training camps open this week, which means it's time for another batch of Power Rankings, a way to set you off before some of your teams even hit the field.