What Mike MacDonald Will Do for Seattle Seahawks
Photo Credit: Stephen Brashear/AP photo
The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with head coach Pete Carroll ending the 2023 season going 9-8 and missing the playoff opportunity. The decision did not come easily as Carrol is a hall of fame coach and beloved by the team, but something needed to change. After a long debate and consideration of many talented candidates the Seahawks chose Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as the new head coach for the Seattle Seahawks.
At a press conference following Coach Macdonald’s arrival General Manager John Schneider joins him to reiterate the importance of getting the interview with Macdonald and how he will be an asset to the team moving forward. Macdonald notes that he is excited to be in the Pacific Northwest, and that he is confident about his opportunity to lead this team. He was able to work alongside legendary coach John Harbaugh providing him with a unique mindset. His career with the NFL started as he gained his masters in sports management at Georgia University, he was offered an internship with Baltimore in 2014. In 2015 he was promoted to defensive assistant and stayed with the Ravens for three seasons. He left for Michigan in 2021 to become the defensive coordinator and lead the Wolverines to the Big Ten Championship alongside another legend coach Jim Harbaugh. He returned to Baltimore in 2022 and helped lead the Ravens to the playoffs for two straight seasons. He has had great success in coaching and will bring a lot of wisdom to the program.
Seattle struggled defensively despite its clearly capable offense. The idea of hiring a defensively controlling coach is a good one. Macdonald will contribute to what this team is lacking defensively and offer a fresh take on how to coach this star-studded team. Macdonald notes Seattle is a very young team that is full of talent, and that he looks forward to learning more about all of them. Macdonald says that this will have to be a very physical team moving forward, and that the best way for them to win is for him to do the play calling.
It will be interesting to see who he chooses for his offensive and defensive coordinators. Early experts say that he needs to hire someone with extensive experience and that could mean hiring former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman or former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier. Macdonald could also choose to hire someone he is familiar with like Ravens QB coach Tee Martin and linebackers coach Zach Orr. Whatever he decides will be in the best interest of the team, and I am hopeful that this will be the year we see the Seahawks back as Super Bowl contenders.
