LINKS!
Thursday already.
What makes Seattle Seahawks' CenturyLink Field the loudest stadium in NFL? | Audibles - SI.com
Think of Seattle’s CenturyLink Field like a child, one that grows up and graduates from law school. That is how AECOM’s Jon Niemuth views his design and the recognition it now gets for creating pure noise. He did all that work to get it there, but never quite knew how it would all turn out.
What is the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, and How Do They Grade NFL Draft Prospects? | The Big Lead
Since the end of the college football season, some of the best underclassmen have been declaring for the NFL Draft on almost a daily basis. With each decision comes a ‘grade’ from something called the NFL College Advisory Committee. Tre Mason, a Heisman finalist and star running back for Auburn, received a third round grade. So did Florida State running back Devonta Freeman. Depending on who you believe, Blake Bortles of Central Florida got a first round grade or a second round grade. Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M QB, reportedly received a first round grade. Numerous other players asked for and received information from the committee that they would not likely get drafted in the first three rounds, or at all.
Colin Kaepernick: San Francisco 49ers quarterback of the future? | The MMQB with Peter King
The NFL game is set up for great pocket passers to flourish. Case in point: on Sunday, this generation’s best two pocket passers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, will appear in the AFC Championship Game for the fourth and eighth times, respectively.
Seahawks defense: This is who we are, try to beat us | HeraldNet.com - Sports
RENTON — After watching his team's season come to an end in Seattle, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton gave a variation of the same...
2014 Shrine Game: Wednesday East Practice Notes
Jay BromleyA productive day for the East practice after being rained out on Tuesday, I focused on the offensive and defensive line as best I could today, but also had plenty of notes on the receiver-defensive back match-ups.
College Football 24/7 Rankings | NFL.com
Top 50 College Football Players, College Football, NFL Draft, Based on weekly performances, NFL Network Draft producer Charlie Yook ranks the top 50 players in college football.
Mike Glennon, Bucs QB, recalls the deafening roar of CenturyLink Field | The MMQB with Peter King
The home-field advantage at CenturyLink Field, where Seattle will host the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, needs little introduction. The Seahawks are 16-1 there over the past two seasons, and the famous 12th Man twice set the Guinness World Record for noise at an outdoor season this s...
Seahawks-49ers: The NFL's Nerd Bowl - WSJ.com
Sunday's NFC Championship between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will renew the fierce rivalry between a flashy outfit that has won big the last few years and a group looking for its first big win since George W. Bush was in office. We're talking, of course, about the cities' tech communities.
2014 NFL draft Big Board 3.0: Jadeveon Clowney sits No. 1 - NFL - Chris Burke - SI.com
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2014 NFL draft hit on Wednesday, with a record number of players opting to skip their final season or two.
Shrine Game Winners: Day 2
St. Petersburg, FL -- Torrential rains forced the East squad indoors today at Shrine week, where they participated in a walk-through workout. On the other hand, the team from the West put on the pads for the first time and saw real action. Here are the standouts from their two-hour workout.
Playoff dreams coming true for D-Line trio - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
Tony McDaniel played in 95 NFL games before finally getting a chance to take part in the playoffs. It took Michael Bennett 66 NFL games to get here. And Cliff Avril only played in one playoff game in his five seasons at Detroit.
Mebane comes up with standout season for Seahawks
Brandon Mebane holds a special distinction in the Seattle Seahawks' locker room.
2014 NFL Mock Drafts - CBSSports.com NFLDraftScout.com
Dane Brugler's expert 2014 NFL Mock Draft -- provided by CBSSports.com and NFLDraftScout.com.
Key for Seahawks could be stopping Frank Gore | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
San Francisco running back Frank Gore has had some big games against the Seahawks. His success against Seattle — or lack of — is usually an indication of who will win the game.
Officiating crew has plenty of 49ers-Seahawks experience | CSN Bay Area
Referee Gene Steratore has been assigned to officiate the NFC Championship game on Sunday that matches the 49ers at the Seattle Seahawks.
49er coach Jim Harbaugh’s wife says the khakis have to go | The Today File | Seattle Times
You can forgive a lot of things about Jim Harbaugh, coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but even his wife gets critical when it comes to his long-standing love affair of pleated khakis.
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Scramble for the Ball: The Value of Field Goals
Mike: One thing that has really stuck out at me this year, for no particular reason, has been the commentators' insistence that teams must be adept at turning drives into touchdowns rather than field goals to be successful. Granted, I believe every team would rather have seven points than three (we can ask the AT&T kindergarten panel for confirmation of that one), but this seems to be downplaying the positive value of scoring some non-zero number of points on a drive. While drives are a scarce commodity, it does seem that there are a number of non-awful teams this year –- the Ravens spring to mind -– that at first blush seem to have relied an inordinate amount on their kicker to score. While the Ravens backed out of the playoffs in rather spectacular fashion, they were a contender, and they were a contender largely on the strength of All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker.
49ers emphasize protecting the ball against takeaway-causing Seahawks | CSN Bay Area
The Seattle Seahawks generated a league-high 39 takeaways during the regular season. And Colin Kaepernick was a repeat victim.
49ers Blog and Q&A: Jim Harbaugh Q&A: Coach talks Johnny Cash and Dickies khakis
Super-fast transcriber, Matt Kawahara, got the jump on Jim harbaugh's Wednesday transcript today. The 49ers head coach was loose, funny and -- for him -- expansive. That tends to dminish as the week goes on, so enjoy....
Richard Sherman: 'There's no love lost, there's no love found' | HeraldNet.com - Seattle Sidelines
You're not going to believe this, but Richard Sherman was very comfortable in front of a large media contingent Wednesday, soaking in the extra attention that comes with the NFC championship game.
49ers break tradition to stick with successful playoff routine | CSN Bay Area
After taking successful business trips to Green Bay and Carolina in back-to-back weeks, the 49ers are preparing as if they’re traveling a couple time zones away this weekend.
Seahawks notebook: Thursday key for Percy Harvin - 710sports.com
Coach Pete Carroll had no news on receiver Percy Harvin, which may not be good news when it comes to his recovery from the concussion he suffered Saturday against New Orleans.
49ers vs. Seahawks point spread and pick – Vegas bookmaker convinced the line is light - Linemakers - Sporting News
Ed Salmons, head football oddsmaker at the LVH SuperBook, is convinced the point spread on the NFC Championship Game is short. Early in the week, bettors disagreed.
Updated mock draft: 15th January | Seahawks Draft Blog
With Mike Zimmer being named Head Coach in Minnesota today, one vacancy remains.
Earl Thomas: The Total Package
Most of the candidates for NFL Defensive Player of the Year are one-dimensional when it comes to their statistics. Then there’s Earl Thomas, who had five interceptions and 100 tackles for the league’s No. 1-ranked defense.
Hawk Talk highlights: On the Seahawks' run defense - 710sports.com
Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright broke a bone in his foot during Seattle's Week-14 loss to San Francisco, the injury occurring sometime before Frank Gore broke free for a 51-yard run that put the 49ers in position for the game-winning field goal.
Sherman says he plays old-school football - Seattle Seahawks Blog - ESPN
“I think that’s the way the game of football is built,” Sherman said Wednesday. “When the rules were created, the game was allowed to be physical. That’s old-school football.
Will officials’ let-them-play style in playoffs favor Seahawks? | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
The past four years, fewer penalties have been called in the playoffs than the regular season. That could be an advantage for the Seahawks’ defensive backs, who play an aggressive, physical style.
In NFL playoffs, West is best | Jerry Brewer | The Seattle Times
Sorry, East Coast. Out of the way, New York — for now. Before you return to hogging all the attention, you’re required to turn your eyes west this weekend for the NFC and AFC championship games.
Frequent-flier Niners ready for Seattle trip | Seahawks | The Seattle Times
Jet lag hasn’t hit the San Francisco 49ers, at least not on the scoreboard as they’ve piled up playoff wins and frequent-flier miles.
Seahawks vs. 49ers: And the edge goes to . . . | Sportspress Northwest
Seahawks and 49ers are about as close statistically as two teams can be. Who has the edge Sunday? As the numbers suggest, both of them do.
49ers vs. Seahawks: Who Has the Edge in Key Matchups? | Bleacher Report
er the last two years, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers have formed one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. There is no love lost between these two teams. Head coaches Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh absolutely despise one another. They have since their days in the collegiate ranks.
Roddy White: Seahawks perfect holding on defense - NFL.com
The Seattle Seahawks defensive backs are so imposing that Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White defined their physical play as "holding."
NFL names Terry McAulay referee for Super Bowl XLVIII - CBSSports.com
Terry McAulay was named the referee for Super Bowl XLVIII
2014 Shrine Game: Receivers standing out on the East squad - CBSSports.com
Coastal Carolina's Matt Hazel and Michigan's Jeremy Gallon have performed well for scouts this week in St. Petersburg
All Star games and the Draft | National Football Post
The Senior Bowl, the Shrine Game and the NFLPA Bowl offer a stage for players to rise and fall.
NFL prospect focus: Kony Ealy | National Football Post
Another year, another stud defensive line prospect from the University of Missouri.
Earl Thomas on San Francisco 49ers, Seattle's emerging secondary | The MMQB with Peter King
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FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Futures: Senior Bowl Preview
There will be hundreds of Senior Bowl Previews available within the next seven days. Most of them will explain why the game is important to the NFL and the participating player. Only a few writers won’t provide 3-4 sentence summaries of the prospects.
Ahmad Brooks misses practice with illness | ProFootballTalk
Tom Brady isn’t the only NFL player who’s home sick from practice.
Cromartie says Sherman’s the best corner in the NFL | ProFootballTalk
“I think what he does at the line,” Cromartie said while explaining what makes Sherman special. “He’s lanky, he’s a long guy like myself. He gets his hands on the receiver and he pays attention to the receiver. He pays attention to what that receiver is doing down the field and he knows once that receiver gets 15 yards down the field he’s not coming back for the ball, the ball’s going to be down the field so he plays the leverage of what he has and he also uses the sideline to much of his advantage to try and get the receiver as much to the outside as he can. Most quarterbacks you see that are throwing it to him, most of those passes are underthrown balls because of the pressure on the quarterback in the pocket also.”
Super Bowl XLVIII Preview Generator
The Super Bowl is still 18 days away, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to write a preview of The Big Game. In fact, only suckers wait until the conclusion of the conference championship games to write their preview article. So prepare yourself for your first Super Bowl XLVIII Preview:
49ers-Seahawks injury report: Carlos Rogers, Will Tukuafu practice, Percy Harvin sits out - Niners Nation
The 49ers and Seahawks released their first practice participation reports of the week. Carlos Rogers and Will Tukuafu returned to practice, while Percy Harvin sat out practice. We break down what it all means.
Jim Harbaugh shows off his personality for now - Niners Nation
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media Wednesday afternoon, and displayed all sorts of personality. We've got a transcript, and discuss how things will change by the end of the week.