Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Friday

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SETTING THE STANDARD  - The Official Web Site of Earl Thomas | NFL Safety . Seattle Seahawks
Anyone who is trying to change the face of anything has to set a new standard.

Key summer questions for Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams - ESPN
Training camps are just around the corner, with the Buffalo Bills getting things started when players report on July 18.

Agent's Take: 30 big-time players heading for contract crossroads - CBSSports.com
Starting with Eli Manning, Ndamukong Suh and Rob Gronkowski, here are 30 big-time players who are entering key contract seasons.

Finding the Fits: Dependable Crichton could be Vikings' safest pick - CBSSports.com
This article is one of a 32-part series in which the goal is to identify one relatively unheralded player selected in the 2014 NFL Draft who appears to be an especially good schematic fit with his new NFL team.

Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Doing the Math on Rookie Quarterback Expectations | RotoViz
This quarterback research article is a continuation of a RotoViz piece I wrote on rookie QBs last August.

Top 5 Positional Units: Defensive Fronts | Football Savages
In the NFL, it all starts up front on both sides of the ball. For defense, having a strong front is the key to success in terms of disrupting the passing and running games. A secondary’s job becomes so much easier if pressure is happening up front and a linebacker really appreciates if he can  run free at a play because the line is occupying the blockers.

Who will be the next Roger Goodell? - SBNation.com
The Ginger Hammer won't be around forever. Who's going to step up when Goodell retires?

How much damage can Aaron Donald do as a rookie? - Turf Show Times
There's no question that the Rams drafted a really good player in Aaron Donald.

Seattle Seahawks Blog - Hawk Blogger: The Path Back To The Top: The 1990s Dallas Cowboys

LaVon Brazil suspended for at least a year for | ProFootballTalk
If it’s after 4 p.m. the day before a holiday weekend, it’s time for the NFL bad news dump.

Dion Jordan claims he took banned stimulants | ProFootballTalk
Former Dolphins defensive Jason Taylor recently raved about current Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan, twice calling Jordan a "sponge."

Divisional QB Rankings Part 1: The NFC East | Football Savages
No division in football has fans as perennially delusional about the state of their football teams as the NFC East. Every year fans from the four corners of cities I’d never want to live in gather to watch the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, & Washington offensive team name square off in an epic battle to see who can be just "not-mediocre" enough to make the playoffs.

Dave Dameshek apologizes to the Seattle Seahawks - NFL Videos

Seahawks have high hopes for "redshirt" class | ProFootballTalk
The Seattle Seahawks had to watch several members of their Super Bowl championship depart for new homes this offseason. Receiver Golden Tate (Detroit), tackle Breno Giacomini (NY Jets), defensive tackle Clinton McDonald (Tampa Bay) and cornerback Walter Thurmond (NY Giants) are just a handful of the...

Sights and Sounds - Seahawks at JBLM
Take a behind the scenes ride with the Seahawks players and staff as they head to Joint Base Lewis-McChord for the Heroes of 12 Tour and the kickoff of the 12 Tour.

Arizona Cardinals' tight end room flourishing after minicamp - ESPN
Sometimes bigger is better. At least when it comes to tight ends. One priority for the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason was to improve their ti

In time, Russell Wilson will settle the ‘elite’ debate on his terms | Jerry Brewer | The Seattle Times
Russell Wilson is the new benchmark for what an NFL quarterback can accomplish by age 25. He has no true historical peer. The Seahawks begin training camp in three weeks, and amid the boredom of this calm period, a period of manufacturing conversation has commenced.

Catching up on NFL Network player ratings | Seahawks Blog | Seattle Times
I was off-line last 24 hours or so, and I know this may be old news to many of you. But since we have been monitoring the NFL Network's Top 100 rankings of Seahawks players, wanted to pass along that three were named last night in the latest installment —  QB Russell Wilson at 20, S...

Seahawks safety Earl Thomas expresses commitment to commitment in latest blog post - Seattle Seahawks & NFL News
Any fans believing Seahawks safety Earl Thomas might rest on his laurels following 2014′s All-Pro season and Super Bowl victory need not worry. Thomas — and the rest of his "Legion of Boom" brethren — believe their journey has just begun.

Get a sneak peek of ‘Madden 15,’ Richard Sherman’s game - Seattle Seahawks & NFL News
Seattle Seahawks fans are surely amped to get their hands on a copy of "Madden 15," as beloved Hawks cornerback Richard Sherman will be on the cover.

Retired NFL players object to proposed concussion settlement | HeraldNet.com - Sports
In the first objection to the revised National Football League concussion settlement, seven retired players claim the proposed agreement is riddled...

Jesse Williams Can Make Instant Impact in Seahawks Defense After Redshirt Season | Bleacher Report
When the Seattle Seahawks drafted defensive tackle Jesse Williams with the 137th pick in the 2013 NFL draft, pundits proclaimed that general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll stole the 325-pound monster out of Alabama.

Making the Leap, No. 6: Jaguars' Johnathan Cyprien - NFL.com
Lacking star power on defense, the Jaguars desperately need safety Johnathan Cyprien to "make the leap" in 2014. Chris Wesseling analyzes his chances of pulling off that feat.

Colts' LaVon Brazill suspended for at least one year - NFL.com
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver LaVon Brazill has been suspended for at least one year, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. How much does this hurt Andrew Luck's wide receiver corps?

Josh Gordon appeal hearing scheduled for late July - NFL.com
Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Josh Gordon's suspension appeal hearing will be held at the end of July, according to a source familiar with the appeal's timing.

Dion Jordan suspended four games for PED violation - NFL.com
The Miami Dolphins announced Thursday that defensive end Dion Jordan has been suspended four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Chiefs OL Rokevious Watkins suspended four games - NFL.com
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Chiefs reserve blocker Rokevious Watkins has been suspended four games for violating the NFL's policy on substance abuse.

Top 100 NFL players: Top-ranked Tom Brady thrives despite obstacles - CBSSports.com
Forget all the talk about Tom Brady taking a step backward. Pat Kirwan ranks Brady at the top of his list of top 100 players because he succeeded against long odds in 2013.

LeSean McCoy: This is the year Nick Foles "blows ‘em out" | ProFootballTalk
Eagles running back LeSean McCoy may be pondering a run at 2,000 rushing yards, but he's not being selfish when it comes to thinking big about the 2014 season. McCoy is offering a robust prediction for quarterback Nick Foles, whose 2013 campaign split most observers between two camps.

Best AV-Weighted Winning Percentages of Offensive Players — FootballPerspective.com
Yesterday, I looked at the weighted career winning percentages for running backs, with the weight being based on each player’s yards from scrimmage in each season of his career. Today, I want to do the same thing but for all […]

Are Hybrid Defensive Fronts the Future of NFL Defenses? | Bleacher Report
Atlanta Falcons fans everywhere want to know the answer to one simple question: Will they be running a 3-4 or 4-3 base defense in 2014? Head coach Mike Smith is being obtuse about it.

Salary Cap Fantasy Quarterback Rankings | The Daily Spot
As June turns to July, we’ll begin our multi-part Salary Cap Fantasy Rankings series, assessing the best financial values heading into the 2014 season, starting with the Quarterbacks. We’ll assess 2013 true value statistic ratings, with 2014 salary cap dollars, and projected fantasy auction prices

Carson Palmer stats: Breaking down his numbers by type of dropback - Revenge of the Birds
More numbers on Palmer.

A fair breakdown of Matthew Stafford vs. Colin Kaepernick - Pride Of Detroit
We attempt to break down the young careers of Matthew Stafford and Colin Kaepernick to determine who is actually the better quarterback.