What are the chances that we can get kafka for the OC?
BK26
Hopefully high. I think he’d be safe for a couple years and that would be the biggest indication that they are drafting a young qb.
Ashish
Yes yes – bye bye Peacock
Henry Taylor
He should be gone regardless, but is the Ravens D not one that actually kind of suits Adams?
Luis Guilherme
I’d think so. The Ravens D had the same lopsided personnel as the Seahawks (expensive off-ball linebackers and safeties, budget rest of the defense).
Anyway, the rumors are that Adams is retiring anyway, so it’s a moot point.
geoff u
I don’t think any D suits a player who’s always injured and can’t run
STTBM
He can run, he just can’t tackle. Worst technique in NFL…
Jordan
It is a little bit unfortunate to think about for sure. Under ideal health it would be great to see what MacDonald would do with Jamal. But a torn quad is so tough for any athlete to come all the way back from. We shall see, and I hope the best for Jamal getting all the way back to form, but that injury is such an athleticism suck.
BK26
I don’t think it’s his health as to why he’ll be gone….
If it is then it’s a horrible, sad excuse.
Whit21
We will find out if Jody Allen wants adams out and maybe why 1 of the reasons they asked pete out..
Palatypus
Frank Gore and Jerry Rice in the sideline tiday.
Sparky
Lots of question marks. How does he build a staff? How do we create stability on offense? Can he command a room?
But despite all that, this is at the very least an exciting addition and a fresh start. Dude is gonna bring legit innovation to the X’s and O’s on D, which has been much-needed here. It won’t be more of the same.
I’m pumped to see how he does.
KennyBadger
This will be a polarizing pick among the fan base, but I’m excited to be moving forward without Pete at HC. I too had hoped for an offensive mind but the candidates just didn’t seem to be there. Kafka at OC would be nice even if he leaves for KC in 2 years.
Pran
Hoping for a start of new era!! good luck Mike.
from the oldest HC in league to youngest HC . hurray
chavac
Awesome.
Wonder how long it will take to get answers on who the next OC will be?
Matt
Meh…good not great. This means more Geno for the foreseeable future.
cha
Says who?
Matt
Do you believe a first time defensive HC is going to want to roll with a young QB? It’s not happening – Geno is your QB for the next 2-3 years.
geoff u
You think John is happy having Geno as his QB? John runs personnel now, not the HC.
Spectator
Demeco Ryan just rolled with a first year QB to the playoffs as a Defensive HC.
Matt
Yes. That’s a rarity and they had no choice but to go QB and had the #2 pick. They literally didn’t have a QB.
Gritty Hawk
Not sure what you mean by “literally” here. They had two QBs on the roster, Keenum and Mills. I’m not saying they’re good players, but it would have been defensible to sit Stroud if that’s what they wanted to do. Everyone expected them to be terrible anyway.
hawksfan1201
Saleh also went with a rookie (albeit much less successfully). Staley had second year Herbert. Can’t actually think of a recent defensive first time HC who refused to roll with a young QB
Elmer
Quinn
1. To the Commanders?
3. Stays in Dallas?
BK26
Yeah, I doubt that….
Tatuputime
So JS who appears long overdue for drafting a guy and is at best neutral on Geno is now locked into Geno for the foreseeable future because he hired a guy with a defensive background? That’s a stretch. There also the chance that the youngest HC in the league may also feel like a QB of the future is a good idea.
Matt
If that’s the case; it’d be breaking every trend with defensive head coaches.
I hope I’m wrong. I just do not see a first time defensive guy risking his job on a young QB. His hubris will lead him to “I can win if the QB doesn’t screw up.”
Very much hope everyone can rub this in my face bc I was wrong. Trust me…I don’t want to be right on this.
JJ
Working in Houston now
Matt
Yes. That’s a rarity and they had no choice but to go QB and had the #2 pick. They literally didn’t have a QB.
hawksfan1201
Also Robert Saleh (albeit with much less success). What recent defensive minded head coaches were you thinking of?
cha
1-Davis Mills
2-They took Stroud and then immediately traded up a ton to get Anderson. It’s not like someone put a gun to their head and made them take Stroud.
mumoda
What do you mean every trend? Just recently Saleh drafted Wilson in his first year. Didn’t turn out great, but it happens.
Matthew
It’s ultimately not his decision. I’m sure they talked about it and wouldn’t have hired him if they didn’t see eye to eye on drafting a QB
Group Captain Mandrake
How do you figure? None of us has any idea what he has in mind. They may very well have in mind to draft a QB and have someone like Kafka work with him. Of course, that might mean another year of Geno while the new guy sits and learns, but I am ok with that.
Matt
I figure based on history with defensive coaches.
Again – I hope I’m wrong.
Spectator
What history are you talking about?
If a QB is there that JS likes, we are taking him.
Blitzy the Clown
Of the remaining possibilities, this is the best one.
The only question is what kind of staff will he build? Especially on the offensive side. Tee Martin has done a great job with Lamar Jackson. But would he make the move? If not him, what about George Godsey? I thought the Ravens used their TEs very well this year, and Isaiah Likely has developed into a proper pro.
The big takeaway for me though is Schneider deserves some slack. So much handwringing over it being Dan Quinn because John something something. Everything he’s done since the announcement of his ascension has been forward looking. I hope this quells some of that suspicion.
Now, LET’S FUCKING GO!
cha
He’s almost exactly half Pete Carroll’s age.
ShowMeYourHawk
So… it’ll take half as long for MikeMac to win a Super Bowl in Seattle, right? ……..right?
Clayton Russell
Like I said, no reason to fly out to Seattle unless you are taking the job. All done before, 1200pst, as I stated it would. Now for the OC..
Dubb
Any other coach would have felt like they were the 2nd or 3rd choice. But, I think he was the target all the time. Great news!!! Go Hawks!!!!
Scot04
Thanks for keeping us informed throughout the process Rob.
Well I feel excited to finally have our “NEW YOUNG HC.” We needed change.
Love your idea of Tanner Engstrand as OC.
Could we get Dennard Wilson as DC?
Seems like a nice fit if Macdonald can pull him away from Baltimore.
It would definitely be a young exciting change.
A trio of young up and comers for our coaching staff.
Although I’m guessing it will be more a blend with experienced coordinators following.
Blitzy the Clown
That would be exciting. Ravens disguise their protections as well as anyone and Wilson has to be a big part of that as DB coach.
Scot04
I’m definitely hoping we can steal him away.
Hawks4life
Fans: FIRE PETE!!!!
JS: Hires a young up and coming DC many believe to be 1a or 1b in this coaching cycle.
Fans: I guess, should have just kept Pete.
Nonetheless, I’m stoked on this. Could hardly watch the past 3 or 4 years.
Troy
Ditto. Excited and ready for a new era!
Peter
Loucity….
Bitter sweet symphony is an all time top #1 terrible opening song.
Now….
If you want to start with the first 24 seconds of Soundgardens “rusty cage,”….
I can think of a few more. Something, something Seattle connection.
cha
Mad Season “X-Ray Mind” or “I Don’t Know Anything”
Alice in Chains “Check My Brain”
Pearl Jam “The Fixer” (bonus points for appropriate title)
Melvins “Honey Bucket”
Nirvana “School”
Sleater-Kinney “A New Wave”
ShowMeYourHawk
There’s no reason the Lumen PA guy shouldn’t have “Spoonman” ready to play whenever the D is on the field.
LouCityHawk
This definitely requires review and a deep dive.
Mudhoney – touch me I’m sick
LouCityHawk
Seattle/PNW Connection is great…esp Sound garden, AIC, Mudhoney…
Just wanted to get us away from Bittersweet Symphony, I’d be fine with Yah MO B there…
cha
Pelissero says it’s a 6-year deal
SimonGER
Wow, now that’s what i would call a commitment.
Curtis, how much do you guess he will be making a year? Think that would be quite interesting compared to Johnson’s demands
cha
No idea.
Coach’s salaries are cloaked in secrecy because there’s no reporting structure. There may be a leak but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
ShowMeYourHawk
Interesting. Maybe Jody has no plans to sell in the next 5 years?
cha
I wouldn’t draw that conclusion from this hire.
Dahveed
YES!!! my man! and he will probably Bring players from Baltore D like Clowney
BA
I think it’s a great hire, but then again I’m biased caused I went to HS with him
Pran
are you still friends
geoff u
Kinda excited to see what he can do with our defense.
Still concerned about his vision for the offense, but I imagine it’ll be very Harbaughesque, which would mean one hell of a run game.
And John, now please find some way to get us a franchise QB. Whatever it takes.
Film12Hawk
If we couldn’t get Ben Johnson I’m very excited about this hire. He lead a defense that was 8-0 last season against Shanahan/McVay and their pupils.
As long as we nail the offensive coordinator and the QB to go with him I have a lot of confidence in his abilities to get us where we belong. Let’s go!
BK26
Went from the oldest coach in the league to the youngest. Glad we have crossed this bridge and can move on. Hopefully John in on his way to go see Palatypus.
In the words of the Chose One: “this is where the fun begins.”
Anthony
Rob, will you invite Jeff Simmons on the stream?!
Eric47d
Hey Rob,
Awesome job this week, this has been THE place to follow this story, exciting times.
Quick question and apologies if you’ve already addressed and I missed it, busy day at work today…if Kafka wanted to come here as OC, can the Giants block that since it wouldn’t be a promotion?
Eric47d
Is that where the “assistant head coach” title could break the tie?
cha
They could dress it up as a promotion to Asst HC and clear any blocks.
Praneeth Samineni
you got it flipped.. he definitely wants the next great qb to go along and has all the time. he has seen what Lamar, Burrow, Allen, Mahomes are doing in the league
Blitzy the Clown
Can’t wait to see how Macdonald affects the scouting and drafting decisions. Notwithstanding Schneider’s final say, you gotta think Mike will influence the kind of prospect they look for.
Troy D
Leonard Williams seemed to leak it/love it . Photoshopping himself on a beach with a vuluptuous womans’ backside but instead of seeing the bikini clad backside…it was Mike MacDonald instead.
cha
C’mon man, up your game.
Link!
Dregur
That was someone else photoshoping , he never actually posted that in his Instagram as far as I could find.
ShowMeYourHawk
That was bogus. Someone else pasted Mac onto a woman’s ass that Williams was pointing to. Doesn’t appear on his IG feed.
swedenhawk
If JS still wants Seattle to be the bully of the NFC West, then this is a promising start.
Pran
this means Dan Quinn might be going to Commanders?
Mick
Unless they also do a 180 turn and hire Pete.
geoff u
Bill Belichick is back on the menu!
cha
And Tater.
And Pete Junior.
Gotta make sure everyone’s fed and changed.
MNF_Hawk
Let’s goooooo!
geoff u
I find it interesting that as soon as we zeroed in on Macdonald, Johnson and Slowik decided to stick with their current teams rather than go to Washington.
Kuya206
Super happy with this hire. Would’ve been happy with Evero or Slowik too, but not super happy. Sorry not sorry – Ben Johnson gives off Adam Gase vibes.
Dubb
If he can unleash Nuowsu, Mafe, and Hall; scheme up Witherspoon and Woolen. There are some pieces here to work with.
GoHawks5151
I think there is more to Julian Love too
Brennan
Agreed! I think Love should be one of our starting safeties next year after purging the two current bloated contracts. Jerrick Reed as the other?
STTBM
That’s what I’m thinking. Two interchangable Safeties, offenses won’t be able to scheme as well if both can play either S spot…
Love was a revelation at SS, I think he would play great at FS too. I’m excited to see what Reed can do. Time to move off Adams and Diggs. Thank gawd!
TatupuTime
Saw a comment on Twitter that I actually thought was good from John Fraley. Now JS is gonna be involved here, but this makes sense to me:
“Macdonald’s 36. He grew up in the age of modern offenses. The chance he hires a non-forward looking OC is essentially zero.”
This is actually a great thought…it is an assumption but a good one no less.
Ryan Johnson
Hey Rob. On YouTube it says the livestream is at 1:15PST. Just want to know which is correct so I can attend. Cheers!
My name is Unio
Would it be presumptuous to project SeaHawks go young across the board? With the appropriate number recognized leaders, of course. Will JS go all-in and pair the new HC with a dynamic young OC and a fleet-of-foot QBoF.? Will he and Macdonald cull the defense of the superannuated and trust their youth? I certainly hope so; no half-measures any longer, please.
BK26
I could see a soft reset of a few years: prep a young qb, weed out the waste on defense, free up cap, get the defense to what he wants/get the needed personnel.
Probably what needs to happen.
Peter
Yep. I’m already running through permutations of free agents I’d like and non ridiculous drat selections to bolster the team in one direction with a flyer type qb late.
The Fauntanu, Payton Wilson, zinter, Ruke , Jordan Travis in the 5th-6th round thing.
Or
Just do the thing. do your best with free agency and what’s left in the draft and start this year.
The: jayden daniels, zinter, van pran and bolster the defense through free agency and frankly better coaching approach.
Palatypus
Weird runor I overheard – when in Las Vegas Bill Belicick likes to stay up late and play slots at the Luxor, “something he would let his players never do.”
Patrick Toler
These types of Senior Bowl updates from you are among the things I most look forward to each year!
Commander Ga
My only advice for Macdonald: Don’t leave points on the field, kick the f’ing field goal.
Gritty Hawk
And stop punting from the opponent’s 40 yard line.
Commander Ga
I’m from Seattle. What is thing called a tight end?
GermanHawk
Does he run a 4-3 or 3-4 defense with the ravens?
Dregur
Yes.
geoff u
I look forward to all the mock drafts lazily slotting in JJ McCarthy to us now
Brennan
I am very interested to see what kind of staff Macdonald and Schneider can put together now.
nfendall
YouTube is now showing 1:15 PM PT as the start time. Did it get moved out, perhaps to include some guests?
Seahawksfan5897
Although I would’ve preferred to hire a coach with an offensive background, Macdonald is someone that brings a lot of exciting qualities.
With the draft, I’ve learned to reserve judgment until I get more details behind the thinking of the selection. You get a lot more information from John Schneider about why he likes players when he is interviewed about them.
I’m looking forward to hearing what separated Macdonald.
And I’m curious what the plan will be to have a really good offensive staff every year despite the inevitable turnover.
Andrew
Let’s bring in Kafka as the OC and let’s roll!
UkAlex6674
I very nearly made it through dry January.
But this deserves a pint.
Sneekes
It’s February somewhere
Hawks4life
Right there with you!
Gritty Hawk
At least we didn’t hire Quinn or you’d be drinking a dozen pints.
LouCityHawk
Cooper DeJean, Payton Wilson (Kyle Hamilton, Patrick Queen).
BK26
Sold!
BK26
Listening to the video gave me another thought: he made Geno Stone look terrific and lead the league in int’s. Get an even more talented player from Iowa in DeJean.
Blitzy the Clown
If Jeff Simmons is correct and Macdonald was Schneider’s top choice all along, then he played his hand very well, not requesting an interview in the pre playoff window, and waiting until he’s the last interview. And you close the deal.
Big Mike
Color me skeptical on that but if so you are correct blitzy
cha
I don’t follow on this.
This entire process the press has regularly reported that the Seahawks will be patient and wait until after the SB for Macdonald if they needed to.
Brett
The timing didn’t work out to interview him early. Seahawks fired Pete on Jan 10 and didn’t start requesting interviews until Jan 15 (and those first interviews didn’t occur until Jan 17) which was the last day they would have been able to interview Macdonald with the rules in place for coaches on #1 seed teams.
My name is Unio
I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Blitzy. Even though intent was expressed for the search to be thorough and expansive, there was some consternation over the fact that JS never even placed an interview request until after the Ravens were eliminated (I may be wrong on that). This created some doubt, at least for me, as to whether Macdonald was truly at or near the top of the SeaHawks list or if they were merely “checking the boxes”. I suspect JS would have already known of Johnson’s salary expectations (via his agent), therefore stopping in Detroit to meet with him was a final due diligence. It was always suspicious that Johnson wouldn’t come to VMAC if he was truly interested. His pulling out of all consideration even while the Commanders were en route confirms this line of reasoning. So, perhaps Macdonald, the “defensive Sean McVay”, was their #1 choice all along? If that’s the case then Schneider is again “zigging” when everyone else is “zagging”.
pdway
pretty excited….new young coach…not a re-tread….comes from a great organization, makes me feel good that the Hawks landed him.
We’ll see….but feels SO GOOD that we are moving on from the status quo of the last few Carroll years. Bring on the Macdonald era……
Palatypus
Lots of rumors flying around about Sark in Texas an Deboer here in Alabama fighting over recruits/transfers.
Balint
Very happy and excited! Compared to possible hire of Quinn/ Vrabel I think JS went for young brain, eager to prove himself to be special.
As for a possible OC, do you guys think Andy Dickerson could be in play? At least the Bengals thought he’s worth a try for that position. I think he did a pretty good job with young tackles, however IOL is a different story for the past 2 years for us. His years under McVay was great, rams o-line performed pretty well. The lack of buzz around him surprising me a bit.
Brett
Don’t think so. If a OL coach is going to become a OC, I think he should also have experience as passing game coordinator or with QBs. Dickerson has been a OL coach since 2010 and before that was doing defensive quality control. I would worry about his ability to scheme passing concepts and work with the QB.
Sea Mode
Let’s gooo!
A new beginning and solid break from PC, at least.
Welcome, Mike!
Yikes - Cut Adams Now
I agree with everyone that it’s great it’s not Pete 2.0 – Dan Quinn. Wanted Johnson or Slowik, but MM seems like a good option for the D. Would still like to see us somehow get Eviro to be the DC, he did so good at Denver 2 years ago and improved the Panthers last year even with a lot of injuries.
And Rob had a good suggestion for the passing guy from the Lions for the OC, or Kafka, or one of the Smiths, Frank or Arthur. Just started watching the current podcast, and Jeff mentioned that MM was JS’s guy all along.
Shows how John always throws out misdirection like during the pre-draft process, making a point to talk about he could be leaning towards offensive guys 2 weeks ago. Maybe that’s him being diplomatic too since both the top 2 OCs stayed at their current teams.
Corbin Smith reports that he’s hearing Tee Martin as OC and Zachary Orr as DC
STTBM
That sounds risky and uninspiring.
Was hoping to lure Kafka/Evero as OC/DC under McD but knew it was a pipe dream..
At least they’re young.
That’s all the enthusiasm I can muster. I’m glad the wait is over.
BK26
Seems like low hanging fruit.
I’ll wait until its something definitive. Too easy of choices to throw out.
Jordan
Makes sense.
In pro sports it is so important to be properly aligned from GM to HC to Coordinators/Assistants. Otherwise you can end up with whatever the Jets have going on.
352 Hawk
Thank you John Snyder! Like Rob, I was hoping for an offensive head coach BUT will be exciting to see how much our defense improves.
samprassultanofswat
Talk about a change. Seahawks go from the oldest head coach in the NFL to the youngest head coach in the NFL.
In the beginning to be honest after Ben Johnson, Mike MacDonald was my 2nd choice. I know the Ravens gave up 410 yards against the Rams. And 429 yards against the 49ers. That is true. But many of those yards were garbage yards. When the 49ers were playing catch-up. Nevertheless (don’t know if that is a word), the Ravens did win both of those games. In the 49er game the Ravens (because of their blitzing scheme) forced Brock Purdy to throw 4 ints. The fact remains that the Ravens gave up the fewest points in the NFL in 2023. That is something that is surely lacking in Seattle.
The Ravens are not afraid to blitz you. They are constantly putting the pressure on opposing QBs. Also if you watch the Raven play on defense, they hit you as hard as any defense in the NFL. They are not afraid to smack you in the mouth. K.J. Wright said that if you watch the Ravens they know how to tackle. They drive people to the ground. They don’t just tackle you. They drive you to the ground. I was listening to Mena Kimes. One thing she mentioned was the fact that Mike MacDonald is a coach that can get the best out of his players.
Also against two pretty good QBs (Mahomes and Stroud) in the playoffs the Ravens allowed a total of only 27 points. 27 combined points against Mahomes/Stroud. Mahomes has two Super Bowls wins and has won the MVP twice in the NFL. Stroud is probably going to be the Rookie of the year. This year Stroud threw for 4100 yards 23 TDs and only 4ints. Payton Manning in his rookie season had 28ints. Mahomes and Stroud are not chop liver. They are two of the best QBs in the entire NFL and the Ravens only allowed 27 total points. It don’t get much better than that.
Did I want Ben Johnson as the next head coach? Yes. But Johnson did not want to go to Seattle. So you move on. Be glad it wasn’t Dan Quinn. Think about this. MacDonald was only 34 years old when he became the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. In two seasons the Ravens had the best scoring defense in the NFL. You have to be pretty sharp to be to become the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens at the age of 34.
The Seahawk defense the last 3 or 4 years was garbage. One thing I kept hearing about the Seahawk defense was that the players were lost. Why was Riq Woolen in zone coverage. Woolen is a man-to-man cornerback. He was lost playing zone defense. Clint Hurtt might be a good defensive line coach. At least right now he is not DC caliber coach. The players were lost and they were not put into a position to succeed. That is what an NFL player wants. They want to be in a position to succeed. Defensive line might be Clint Hurtt’s specialty as an NFL assistant. But at this time is he not a defensive coordinator. Big difference between being a defensive line coach. And being a defensive coordinator. As a defensive coordinator you have to be able to see the whole picture. It’s obvious that at least on defense Mike MacDonald can see whole picture.
Think about this. Washington is next door to Baltimore. But yet Mike MacDonald choose to move all the way to Moscow(I mean Seattle) to become the head coach of the Seahawks. Not only that but Washington has the 2nd overall pick in the NFL draft and MacDonald choose to move cross country. That in itself tells you Seattle is a much better situation than Washington Commanders.
Hand of God
I’m all in on the new coach, based on currently available information – good move by the Seahawks. Whatever happens next we shall see, but today I celebrate! Hopefully we can find a star OC
BK26
Listening to the podcast, talking of Geno Stone and Tyler Linderbaum. My takeaway:
Draft from Iowa…
LouCityHawk
*in football
BK26
Only in football. I know you watched the bball game the other night….
BK26
Also with talking about JJ McCarthy. When MacDonald was there, he was the backup. So he wouldn’t have shown much in person to him.
Then again, he didn’t show much while he’s been the starter as well. That would be a nice bucket of cold water for the draft by taking him, though.
Brennan
I’m interested in what Macdonakd may know or think of Michigan’s defense line and linebackers.. that are in the draft this year.
Peanut
if anything, we atleast now know who is the coach and can start thinking ahead. Another interesting offseason, lets go!
HawkFanGA
It seems to me that Mike Macdonald may have been their top choice all along. Adam Shefter reported on ESPN that Seattle was willing to wait another 2 weeks to talk with Macdonald had the Ravens advanced to the Super Bowl. That very telling in my viewpoint!
Seems like BJ was 1a and MM 1b, JS tried to butter BJ up but in the end he decided to stay with Detroit.
Seems like JS had a plan and executed it perfectly.
Peter
While I’m very stoked.
One guy who must be beaming right now is Dave Wyman. Here’s to you, Dave. May your comments in games finally match the plays that are actually happening.
Yikes - Cut Adams Now
Do you think they keep Tater to hold MM accountable?
geoff u
No. Tater will advise Pete who will be advisor over MM
Cysco
One would hope so
BK26
I was JUST thinking, what do you think MacDonald’s response will be to the following question:
“Mike, who is going to be your Tater?”
“Uh…what is that? Is that a Seattle thing?”
“Follow up question: how good do you think Bobby Wagner is?”
“Well, I’m…not really sure…? We kind of ate him alive when we played him. We’ll have to see what happens with the position. Always looking to upgrade.”
Cue the confused looks on the faces of the local media, as well as Mike MacDaniel with the softball questions.
Peter
Perfect
STTBM
Bk, awesome comment! Good thing I wasn’t drinking anything, I’d have spewed!
geoff u
I look forward to all the mock drafts lazily slotting in JJ McCarthy to us now
Sea Mode
Mike Garafolo
@MikeGarafolo
·2h
So many people here at the @seniorbowl have positive things to say about Mike MacDonald. Around the league, this will be viewed as a home run hire by the #Seahawks.
ShowMeYourHawk
It does seem that we got the prettiest gal left at the party, though the Prom Queen called it an early night and drove herself home.
Seattle Person
I hope it’s the sweetheart that ends up being the one and not the hot girl that ends up breaking your heart.
SeattleLifer
The thing I like about getting McD is I think it’ll go either quite good or quite bad and I’m fine with that.
He’s either going to come in and surprise us and show that he is a defensive wunderkind with X’s and O’s etc to turn things around even culture wise and have an overall great impact – orrrr he’s going to go about things wrong, find the cupboard is really bare on defense and just fail and sink.
So we either do well and are really happy with a new young coach who brings great changes and modern NFL approaches with success or we have a few bad years, clean up cap and get some higher draft picks for a few cycles and then look for another coach while doing a reset and gaining some good drafted talent.
Could John have done better? Was he too diligent and measured? Did he overvalue Seattle’s attractiveness for hiring who he wanted? Does’nt matter now I suppose, hopefully McD is the real deal and everything meshes and John drafts as well as he ever has in the next few years~
Sea Mode
PFF SEA Seahawks
@PFF_Seahawks
·2h
The Ravens defense generated 397 total QB pressures this regular season under Mike Macdonald
It’s the most recorded in the PFF era (since 2006)
ShowMeYourHawk
As to the stream, I suggested trading Geno to ATL a few threads back and was quickly shot down. Jeff mentions it and it’s suddenly plausible. 😒 Gonna pat myself on the back despite the potential slings and arrows. 🤣
I could also see him to MIN, LV or PIT, three other teams with needs at QB that are otherwise near playoff ready. Even if it’s only a 3rd or 4th, it’s some value for a player with limited future in our building.
HOUSE
I live near the Atlanta area and I could see a trade to the Falcons. They are in a similar situation to where they need to build up the trenches and a serviceable QB could help them build through the draft at other positions because they’re probably not getting a premium QB where they are currently picking.
BK26
Curtis will have to confirm, but I think we have to eat a lot of money to trade him.
I’d still STRONGLY consider it even to just get a third rounder.
Sea Mode
I like it.
“I just think he’s a wizard,” Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. “He more so finds out what teams struggle with, [what] a team’s weakness is, and [knowing] our strength and being able to make those into a game-plan situation. It’s pretty sweet.”
LouCityHawk
Like the anti-Belichick way of attacking an offense. Curious.
Ishmael
No issue with this. On paper one of the two best candidates this cycle alongside Johnson. Understand the advantages to hiring an offensive-minded coach, but if this is the best guy out there you’d be silly not to give him a go.
Looking forward to seeing what he builds. Hopefully can go rescue Kafka from Daboll and start putting something pretty exciting together.
HOUSE
I have a question regarding peoples thoughts on quarterback Tyler Huntley. He is an unrestricted free agent, leaving the Baltimore Ravens and we can say that Mike Macdonald has familiarity with him regarding playing against him in the second unit during practice.
Any chance he could be brought in on the cheap while we are building the trenches up here?
Brodie
Interesting thought. Macdonald won’t be the one guiding the offense though. I think when we lock in our OC, we might have a better idea of FA targets for that side of the ball.
BK26
I think they’d rather stick with Lock and a rookie. Baltimore will probably want to keep him since his skills are somewhat close to Lamar’s/
Orcas Viking
Adding to this thought…Tee Martin has been identified as possible OC…if Martin becomes OC then perhaps your Tyler Huntley take has legs…
HOUSE
That was my thought as well. As soon as I heard Martin’s name, that is where I made the connection. When Lamar missed time, Huntley was the guy playing against MM’s defense. I do think that Lock is the most likely option. We will have to see what happens…
I personally am just excited to see us not settling in the muck that is mediocrity.
Ishmael
Imagine having a team that can tackle again. That would be nice.
geoff u
What is this tackling thing? Is it not when you lunge in the general direction of a guy as they run past?
Sea Mode
Cameron Wolfe
@CameronWolfe
·2h
“He’s super cerebral. Probably the smartest guy in the building. Don’t tell him I said that… Whatever is coming in his future, he deserves it.”
1 hour before news #Seahawks to hire Mike Macdonald as HC, Ravens Pro Bowl DB Kyle Hamilton told me what makes Macdonald special.
One underrated aspect to moving on from Carroll is losing all his crony/nepo hires. Hiring the best people for jobs instead of Pete’s kids and mates from USC should make an enormous difference. How good would getting a real S&C team in be?
STTBM
As long as we don’t end up with McD cronies who gets promoted past their ability. Cronyism is rampant in the NFL. When it works, nobody cares…
Palatypus
Stat Du Jour from the Jumbotron today.
Day 1 Ball Metrics
Longest air distance pass – 60 yards, Joe Milton III Tenessee
Fastest air speen – 76.4 mph Joe Milton III (yes you read that right)
Highest initial rotation – 735 rpm Joe Milton III
Farthest Kick /Punt – 70 yards P Tory Taylor (this is probably the one that ended up in the stands and nearly hit me)
Longest hang time – 5.20 seconds Joshua Karty
Joseph
I like the hire. Hopefully there will be the return of sb winning defensive head coaches again.
DAWGFan
My ideal OC candidate would be Frank Reich.
McDonald needs to add some experience to the staff and in my opinion can’t risk a hire like Tanner Engstrand, who has no coordinator experience. It would be very similar to McVay hiring of Phillips as his DC when he took over the Rams.
Yes!!!
Quick post rob!
Very glad its not Quinn.
What are the chances that we can get kafka for the OC?
Hopefully high. I think he’d be safe for a couple years and that would be the biggest indication that they are drafting a young qb.
Yes yes – bye bye Peacock
He should be gone regardless, but is the Ravens D not one that actually kind of suits Adams?
I’d think so. The Ravens D had the same lopsided personnel as the Seahawks (expensive off-ball linebackers and safeties, budget rest of the defense).
Anyway, the rumors are that Adams is retiring anyway, so it’s a moot point.
I don’t think any D suits a player who’s always injured and can’t run
He can run, he just can’t tackle. Worst technique in NFL…
It is a little bit unfortunate to think about for sure. Under ideal health it would be great to see what MacDonald would do with Jamal. But a torn quad is so tough for any athlete to come all the way back from. We shall see, and I hope the best for Jamal getting all the way back to form, but that injury is such an athleticism suck.
I don’t think it’s his health as to why he’ll be gone….
If it is then it’s a horrible, sad excuse.
We will find out if Jody Allen wants adams out and maybe why 1 of the reasons they asked pete out..
Frank Gore and Jerry Rice in the sideline tiday.
Lots of question marks. How does he build a staff? How do we create stability on offense? Can he command a room?
But despite all that, this is at the very least an exciting addition and a fresh start. Dude is gonna bring legit innovation to the X’s and O’s on D, which has been much-needed here. It won’t be more of the same.
I’m pumped to see how he does.
This will be a polarizing pick among the fan base, but I’m excited to be moving forward without Pete at HC. I too had hoped for an offensive mind but the candidates just didn’t seem to be there. Kafka at OC would be nice even if he leaves for KC in 2 years.
Hoping for a start of new era!! good luck Mike.
from the oldest HC in league to youngest HC . hurray
Awesome.
Wonder how long it will take to get answers on who the next OC will be?
Meh…good not great. This means more Geno for the foreseeable future.
Says who?
Do you believe a first time defensive HC is going to want to roll with a young QB? It’s not happening – Geno is your QB for the next 2-3 years.
You think John is happy having Geno as his QB? John runs personnel now, not the HC.
Demeco Ryan just rolled with a first year QB to the playoffs as a Defensive HC.
Yes. That’s a rarity and they had no choice but to go QB and had the #2 pick. They literally didn’t have a QB.
Not sure what you mean by “literally” here. They had two QBs on the roster, Keenum and Mills. I’m not saying they’re good players, but it would have been defensible to sit Stroud if that’s what they wanted to do. Everyone expected them to be terrible anyway.
Saleh also went with a rookie (albeit much less successfully). Staley had second year Herbert. Can’t actually think of a recent defensive first time HC who refused to roll with a young QB
Quinn
1. To the Commanders?
3. Stays in Dallas?
Yeah, I doubt that….
So JS who appears long overdue for drafting a guy and is at best neutral on Geno is now locked into Geno for the foreseeable future because he hired a guy with a defensive background? That’s a stretch. There also the chance that the youngest HC in the league may also feel like a QB of the future is a good idea.
If that’s the case; it’d be breaking every trend with defensive head coaches.
I hope I’m wrong. I just do not see a first time defensive guy risking his job on a young QB. His hubris will lead him to “I can win if the QB doesn’t screw up.”
Very much hope everyone can rub this in my face bc I was wrong. Trust me…I don’t want to be right on this.
Working in Houston now
Yes. That’s a rarity and they had no choice but to go QB and had the #2 pick. They literally didn’t have a QB.
Also Robert Saleh (albeit with much less success). What recent defensive minded head coaches were you thinking of?
1-Davis Mills
2-They took Stroud and then immediately traded up a ton to get Anderson. It’s not like someone put a gun to their head and made them take Stroud.
What do you mean every trend? Just recently Saleh drafted Wilson in his first year. Didn’t turn out great, but it happens.
It’s ultimately not his decision. I’m sure they talked about it and wouldn’t have hired him if they didn’t see eye to eye on drafting a QB
How do you figure? None of us has any idea what he has in mind. They may very well have in mind to draft a QB and have someone like Kafka work with him. Of course, that might mean another year of Geno while the new guy sits and learns, but I am ok with that.
I figure based on history with defensive coaches.
Again – I hope I’m wrong.
What history are you talking about?
If a QB is there that JS likes, we are taking him.
Of the remaining possibilities, this is the best one.
The only question is what kind of staff will he build? Especially on the offensive side. Tee Martin has done a great job with Lamar Jackson. But would he make the move? If not him, what about George Godsey? I thought the Ravens used their TEs very well this year, and Isaiah Likely has developed into a proper pro.
The big takeaway for me though is Schneider deserves some slack. So much handwringing over it being Dan Quinn because John something something. Everything he’s done since the announcement of his ascension has been forward looking. I hope this quells some of that suspicion.
Now, LET’S FUCKING GO!
He’s almost exactly half Pete Carroll’s age.
So… it’ll take half as long for MikeMac to win a Super Bowl in Seattle, right? ……..right?
Like I said, no reason to fly out to Seattle unless you are taking the job. All done before, 1200pst, as I stated it would. Now for the OC..
Any other coach would have felt like they were the 2nd or 3rd choice. But, I think he was the target all the time. Great news!!! Go Hawks!!!!
Thanks for keeping us informed throughout the process Rob.
Well I feel excited to finally have our “NEW YOUNG HC.” We needed change.
Love your idea of Tanner Engstrand as OC.
Could we get Dennard Wilson as DC?
Seems like a nice fit if Macdonald can pull him away from Baltimore.
It would definitely be a young exciting change.
A trio of young up and comers for our coaching staff.
Although I’m guessing it will be more a blend with experienced coordinators following.
That would be exciting. Ravens disguise their protections as well as anyone and Wilson has to be a big part of that as DB coach.
I’m definitely hoping we can steal him away.
Fans: FIRE PETE!!!!
JS: Hires a young up and coming DC many believe to be 1a or 1b in this coaching cycle.
Fans: I guess, should have just kept Pete.
Nonetheless, I’m stoked on this. Could hardly watch the past 3 or 4 years.
Ditto. Excited and ready for a new era!
Loucity….
Bitter sweet symphony is an all time top #1 terrible opening song.
Now….
If you want to start with the first 24 seconds of Soundgardens “rusty cage,”….
I can think of a few more. Something, something Seattle connection.
Mad Season “X-Ray Mind” or “I Don’t Know Anything”
Alice in Chains “Check My Brain”
Pearl Jam “The Fixer” (bonus points for appropriate title)
Melvins “Honey Bucket”
Nirvana “School”
Sleater-Kinney “A New Wave”
There’s no reason the Lumen PA guy shouldn’t have “Spoonman” ready to play whenever the D is on the field.
This definitely requires review and a deep dive.
Mudhoney – touch me I’m sick
Seattle/PNW Connection is great…esp Sound garden, AIC, Mudhoney…
Just wanted to get us away from Bittersweet Symphony, I’d be fine with Yah MO B there…
Pelissero says it’s a 6-year deal
Wow, now that’s what i would call a commitment.
Curtis, how much do you guess he will be making a year? Think that would be quite interesting compared to Johnson’s demands
No idea.
Coach’s salaries are cloaked in secrecy because there’s no reporting structure. There may be a leak but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Interesting. Maybe Jody has no plans to sell in the next 5 years?
I wouldn’t draw that conclusion from this hire.
YES!!! my man! and he will probably Bring players from Baltore D like Clowney
I think it’s a great hire, but then again I’m biased caused I went to HS with him
are you still friends
Kinda excited to see what he can do with our defense.
Still concerned about his vision for the offense, but I imagine it’ll be very Harbaughesque, which would mean one hell of a run game.
And John, now please find some way to get us a franchise QB. Whatever it takes.
If we couldn’t get Ben Johnson I’m very excited about this hire. He lead a defense that was 8-0 last season against Shanahan/McVay and their pupils.
https://youtu.be/SCgxNHkjnvw?si=fn8rY8q-fvr56kEb
I was very impressed also by this video with him.
As long as we nail the offensive coordinator and the QB to go with him I have a lot of confidence in his abilities to get us where we belong. Let’s go!
Went from the oldest coach in the league to the youngest. Glad we have crossed this bridge and can move on. Hopefully John in on his way to go see Palatypus.
In the words of the Chose One: “this is where the fun begins.”
Rob, will you invite Jeff Simmons on the stream?!
Hey Rob,
Awesome job this week, this has been THE place to follow this story, exciting times.
Quick question and apologies if you’ve already addressed and I missed it, busy day at work today…if Kafka wanted to come here as OC, can the Giants block that since it wouldn’t be a promotion?
Is that where the “assistant head coach” title could break the tie?
They could dress it up as a promotion to Asst HC and clear any blocks.
you got it flipped.. he definitely wants the next great qb to go along and has all the time. he has seen what Lamar, Burrow, Allen, Mahomes are doing in the league
Can’t wait to see how Macdonald affects the scouting and drafting decisions. Notwithstanding Schneider’s final say, you gotta think Mike will influence the kind of prospect they look for.
Leonard Williams seemed to leak it/love it . Photoshopping himself on a beach with a vuluptuous womans’ backside but instead of seeing the bikini clad backside…it was Mike MacDonald instead.
C’mon man, up your game.
Link!
That was someone else photoshoping , he never actually posted that in his Instagram as far as I could find.
That was bogus. Someone else pasted Mac onto a woman’s ass that Williams was pointing to. Doesn’t appear on his IG feed.
If JS still wants Seattle to be the bully of the NFC West, then this is a promising start.
this means Dan Quinn might be going to Commanders?
Unless they also do a 180 turn and hire Pete.
Bill Belichick is back on the menu!
And Tater.
And Pete Junior.
Gotta make sure everyone’s fed and changed.
Let’s goooooo!
I find it interesting that as soon as we zeroed in on Macdonald, Johnson and Slowik decided to stick with their current teams rather than go to Washington.
Super happy with this hire. Would’ve been happy with Evero or Slowik too, but not super happy. Sorry not sorry – Ben Johnson gives off Adam Gase vibes.
If he can unleash Nuowsu, Mafe, and Hall; scheme up Witherspoon and Woolen. There are some pieces here to work with.
I think there is more to Julian Love too
Agreed! I think Love should be one of our starting safeties next year after purging the two current bloated contracts. Jerrick Reed as the other?
That’s what I’m thinking. Two interchangable Safeties, offenses won’t be able to scheme as well if both can play either S spot…
Love was a revelation at SS, I think he would play great at FS too. I’m excited to see what Reed can do. Time to move off Adams and Diggs. Thank gawd!
Saw a comment on Twitter that I actually thought was good from John Fraley. Now JS is gonna be involved here, but this makes sense to me:
“Macdonald’s 36. He grew up in the age of modern offenses. The chance he hires a non-forward looking OC is essentially zero.”
https://x.com/johndavidfraley/status/1752763065337307354?s=20
This is actually a great thought…it is an assumption but a good one no less.
Hey Rob. On YouTube it says the livestream is at 1:15PST. Just want to know which is correct so I can attend. Cheers!
Would it be presumptuous to project SeaHawks go young across the board? With the appropriate number recognized leaders, of course. Will JS go all-in and pair the new HC with a dynamic young OC and a fleet-of-foot QBoF.? Will he and Macdonald cull the defense of the superannuated and trust their youth? I certainly hope so; no half-measures any longer, please.
I could see a soft reset of a few years: prep a young qb, weed out the waste on defense, free up cap, get the defense to what he wants/get the needed personnel.
Probably what needs to happen.
Yep. I’m already running through permutations of free agents I’d like and non ridiculous drat selections to bolster the team in one direction with a flyer type qb late.
The Fauntanu, Payton Wilson, zinter, Ruke , Jordan Travis in the 5th-6th round thing.
Or
Just do the thing. do your best with free agency and what’s left in the draft and start this year.
The: jayden daniels, zinter, van pran and bolster the defense through free agency and frankly better coaching approach.
Weird runor I overheard – when in Las Vegas Bill Belicick likes to stay up late and play slots at the Luxor, “something he would let his players never do.”
These types of Senior Bowl updates from you are among the things I most look forward to each year!
My only advice for Macdonald: Don’t leave points on the field, kick the f’ing field goal.
And stop punting from the opponent’s 40 yard line.
I’m from Seattle. What is thing called a tight end?
Does he run a 4-3 or 3-4 defense with the ravens?
Yes.
I look forward to all the mock drafts lazily slotting in JJ McCarthy to us now
I am very interested to see what kind of staff Macdonald and Schneider can put together now.
YouTube is now showing 1:15 PM PT as the start time. Did it get moved out, perhaps to include some guests?
Although I would’ve preferred to hire a coach with an offensive background, Macdonald is someone that brings a lot of exciting qualities.
With the draft, I’ve learned to reserve judgment until I get more details behind the thinking of the selection. You get a lot more information from John Schneider about why he likes players when he is interviewed about them.
I’m looking forward to hearing what separated Macdonald.
And I’m curious what the plan will be to have a really good offensive staff every year despite the inevitable turnover.
Let’s bring in Kafka as the OC and let’s roll!
I very nearly made it through dry January.
But this deserves a pint.
It’s February somewhere
Right there with you!
At least we didn’t hire Quinn or you’d be drinking a dozen pints.
Cooper DeJean, Payton Wilson (Kyle Hamilton, Patrick Queen).
Sold!
Listening to the video gave me another thought: he made Geno Stone look terrific and lead the league in int’s. Get an even more talented player from Iowa in DeJean.
If Jeff Simmons is correct and Macdonald was Schneider’s top choice all along, then he played his hand very well, not requesting an interview in the pre playoff window, and waiting until he’s the last interview. And you close the deal.
Color me skeptical on that but if so you are correct blitzy
I don’t follow on this.
This entire process the press has regularly reported that the Seahawks will be patient and wait until after the SB for Macdonald if they needed to.
The timing didn’t work out to interview him early. Seahawks fired Pete on Jan 10 and didn’t start requesting interviews until Jan 15 (and those first interviews didn’t occur until Jan 17) which was the last day they would have been able to interview Macdonald with the rules in place for coaches on #1 seed teams.
I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Blitzy. Even though intent was expressed for the search to be thorough and expansive, there was some consternation over the fact that JS never even placed an interview request until after the Ravens were eliminated (I may be wrong on that). This created some doubt, at least for me, as to whether Macdonald was truly at or near the top of the SeaHawks list or if they were merely “checking the boxes”. I suspect JS would have already known of Johnson’s salary expectations (via his agent), therefore stopping in Detroit to meet with him was a final due diligence. It was always suspicious that Johnson wouldn’t come to VMAC if he was truly interested. His pulling out of all consideration even while the Commanders were en route confirms this line of reasoning. So, perhaps Macdonald, the “defensive Sean McVay”, was their #1 choice all along? If that’s the case then Schneider is again “zigging” when everyone else is “zagging”.
pretty excited….new young coach…not a re-tread….comes from a great organization, makes me feel good that the Hawks landed him.
We’ll see….but feels SO GOOD that we are moving on from the status quo of the last few Carroll years. Bring on the Macdonald era……
Lots of rumors flying around about Sark in Texas an Deboer here in Alabama fighting over recruits/transfers.
Very happy and excited! Compared to possible hire of Quinn/ Vrabel I think JS went for young brain, eager to prove himself to be special.
As for a possible OC, do you guys think Andy Dickerson could be in play? At least the Bengals thought he’s worth a try for that position. I think he did a pretty good job with young tackles, however IOL is a different story for the past 2 years for us. His years under McVay was great, rams o-line performed pretty well. The lack of buzz around him surprising me a bit.
Don’t think so. If a OL coach is going to become a OC, I think he should also have experience as passing game coordinator or with QBs. Dickerson has been a OL coach since 2010 and before that was doing defensive quality control. I would worry about his ability to scheme passing concepts and work with the QB.
Let’s gooo!
A new beginning and solid break from PC, at least.
Welcome, Mike!
I agree with everyone that it’s great it’s not Pete 2.0 – Dan Quinn. Wanted Johnson or Slowik, but MM seems like a good option for the D. Would still like to see us somehow get Eviro to be the DC, he did so good at Denver 2 years ago and improved the Panthers last year even with a lot of injuries.
And Rob had a good suggestion for the passing guy from the Lions for the OC, or Kafka, or one of the Smiths, Frank or Arthur. Just started watching the current podcast, and Jeff mentioned that MM was JS’s guy all along.
Shows how John always throws out misdirection like during the pre-draft process, making a point to talk about he could be leaning towards offensive guys 2 weeks ago. Maybe that’s him being diplomatic too since both the top 2 OCs stayed at their current teams.
https://twitter.com/CorbinSmithNFL/status/1752782182328713399
Corbin Smith reports that he’s hearing Tee Martin as OC and Zachary Orr as DC
That sounds risky and uninspiring.
Was hoping to lure Kafka/Evero as OC/DC under McD but knew it was a pipe dream..
At least they’re young.
That’s all the enthusiasm I can muster. I’m glad the wait is over.
Seems like low hanging fruit.
I’ll wait until its something definitive. Too easy of choices to throw out.
Makes sense.
In pro sports it is so important to be properly aligned from GM to HC to Coordinators/Assistants. Otherwise you can end up with whatever the Jets have going on.
Thank you John Snyder! Like Rob, I was hoping for an offensive head coach BUT will be exciting to see how much our defense improves.
Talk about a change. Seahawks go from the oldest head coach in the NFL to the youngest head coach in the NFL.
In the beginning to be honest after Ben Johnson, Mike MacDonald was my 2nd choice. I know the Ravens gave up 410 yards against the Rams. And 429 yards against the 49ers. That is true. But many of those yards were garbage yards. When the 49ers were playing catch-up. Nevertheless (don’t know if that is a word), the Ravens did win both of those games. In the 49er game the Ravens (because of their blitzing scheme) forced Brock Purdy to throw 4 ints. The fact remains that the Ravens gave up the fewest points in the NFL in 2023. That is something that is surely lacking in Seattle.
The Ravens are not afraid to blitz you. They are constantly putting the pressure on opposing QBs. Also if you watch the Raven play on defense, they hit you as hard as any defense in the NFL. They are not afraid to smack you in the mouth. K.J. Wright said that if you watch the Ravens they know how to tackle. They drive people to the ground. They don’t just tackle you. They drive you to the ground. I was listening to Mena Kimes. One thing she mentioned was the fact that Mike MacDonald is a coach that can get the best out of his players.
Also against two pretty good QBs (Mahomes and Stroud) in the playoffs the Ravens allowed a total of only 27 points. 27 combined points against Mahomes/Stroud. Mahomes has two Super Bowls wins and has won the MVP twice in the NFL. Stroud is probably going to be the Rookie of the year. This year Stroud threw for 4100 yards 23 TDs and only 4ints. Payton Manning in his rookie season had 28ints. Mahomes and Stroud are not chop liver. They are two of the best QBs in the entire NFL and the Ravens only allowed 27 total points. It don’t get much better than that.
Did I want Ben Johnson as the next head coach? Yes. But Johnson did not want to go to Seattle. So you move on. Be glad it wasn’t Dan Quinn. Think about this. MacDonald was only 34 years old when he became the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. In two seasons the Ravens had the best scoring defense in the NFL. You have to be pretty sharp to be to become the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens at the age of 34.
The Seahawk defense the last 3 or 4 years was garbage. One thing I kept hearing about the Seahawk defense was that the players were lost. Why was Riq Woolen in zone coverage. Woolen is a man-to-man cornerback. He was lost playing zone defense. Clint Hurtt might be a good defensive line coach. At least right now he is not DC caliber coach. The players were lost and they were not put into a position to succeed. That is what an NFL player wants. They want to be in a position to succeed. Defensive line might be Clint Hurtt’s specialty as an NFL assistant. But at this time is he not a defensive coordinator. Big difference between being a defensive line coach. And being a defensive coordinator. As a defensive coordinator you have to be able to see the whole picture. It’s obvious that at least on defense Mike MacDonald can see whole picture.
Think about this. Washington is next door to Baltimore. But yet Mike MacDonald choose to move all the way to Moscow(I mean Seattle) to become the head coach of the Seahawks. Not only that but Washington has the 2nd overall pick in the NFL draft and MacDonald choose to move cross country. That in itself tells you Seattle is a much better situation than Washington Commanders.
I’m all in on the new coach, based on currently available information – good move by the Seahawks. Whatever happens next we shall see, but today I celebrate! Hopefully we can find a star OC
Listening to the podcast, talking of Geno Stone and Tyler Linderbaum. My takeaway:
Draft from Iowa…
*in football
Only in football. I know you watched the bball game the other night….
Also with talking about JJ McCarthy. When MacDonald was there, he was the backup. So he wouldn’t have shown much in person to him.
Then again, he didn’t show much while he’s been the starter as well. That would be a nice bucket of cold water for the draft by taking him, though.
I’m interested in what Macdonakd may know or think of Michigan’s defense line and linebackers.. that are in the draft this year.
if anything, we atleast now know who is the coach and can start thinking ahead. Another interesting offseason, lets go!
It seems to me that Mike Macdonald may have been their top choice all along. Adam Shefter reported on ESPN that Seattle was willing to wait another 2 weeks to talk with Macdonald had the Ravens advanced to the Super Bowl. That very telling in my viewpoint!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGAecmV2rc4
Seems like BJ was 1a and MM 1b, JS tried to butter BJ up but in the end he decided to stay with Detroit.
Seems like JS had a plan and executed it perfectly.
While I’m very stoked.
One guy who must be beaming right now is Dave Wyman. Here’s to you, Dave. May your comments in games finally match the plays that are actually happening.
Do you think they keep Tater to hold MM accountable?
No. Tater will advise Pete who will be advisor over MM
One would hope so
I was JUST thinking, what do you think MacDonald’s response will be to the following question:
“Mike, who is going to be your Tater?”
“Uh…what is that? Is that a Seattle thing?”
“Follow up question: how good do you think Bobby Wagner is?”
“Well, I’m…not really sure…? We kind of ate him alive when we played him. We’ll have to see what happens with the position. Always looking to upgrade.”
Cue the confused looks on the faces of the local media, as well as Mike MacDaniel with the softball questions.
Perfect
Bk, awesome comment! Good thing I wasn’t drinking anything, I’d have spewed!
I look forward to all the mock drafts lazily slotting in JJ McCarthy to us now
It does seem that we got the prettiest gal left at the party, though the Prom Queen called it an early night and drove herself home.
I hope it’s the sweetheart that ends up being the one and not the hot girl that ends up breaking your heart.
The thing I like about getting McD is I think it’ll go either quite good or quite bad and I’m fine with that.
He’s either going to come in and surprise us and show that he is a defensive wunderkind with X’s and O’s etc to turn things around even culture wise and have an overall great impact – orrrr he’s going to go about things wrong, find the cupboard is really bare on defense and just fail and sink.
So we either do well and are really happy with a new young coach who brings great changes and modern NFL approaches with success or we have a few bad years, clean up cap and get some higher draft picks for a few cycles and then look for another coach while doing a reset and gaining some good drafted talent.
Could John have done better? Was he too diligent and measured? Did he overvalue Seattle’s attractiveness for hiring who he wanted? Does’nt matter now I suppose, hopefully McD is the real deal and everything meshes and John drafts as well as he ever has in the next few years~
As to the stream, I suggested trading Geno to ATL a few threads back and was quickly shot down. Jeff mentions it and it’s suddenly plausible. 😒 Gonna pat myself on the back despite the potential slings and arrows. 🤣
I could also see him to MIN, LV or PIT, three other teams with needs at QB that are otherwise near playoff ready. Even if it’s only a 3rd or 4th, it’s some value for a player with limited future in our building.
I live near the Atlanta area and I could see a trade to the Falcons. They are in a similar situation to where they need to build up the trenches and a serviceable QB could help them build through the draft at other positions because they’re probably not getting a premium QB where they are currently picking.
Curtis will have to confirm, but I think we have to eat a lot of money to trade him.
I’d still STRONGLY consider it even to just get a third rounder.
I like it.
Like the anti-Belichick way of attacking an offense. Curious.
No issue with this. On paper one of the two best candidates this cycle alongside Johnson. Understand the advantages to hiring an offensive-minded coach, but if this is the best guy out there you’d be silly not to give him a go.
Looking forward to seeing what he builds. Hopefully can go rescue Kafka from Daboll and start putting something pretty exciting together.
I have a question regarding peoples thoughts on quarterback Tyler Huntley. He is an unrestricted free agent, leaving the Baltimore Ravens and we can say that Mike Macdonald has familiarity with him regarding playing against him in the second unit during practice.
Any chance he could be brought in on the cheap while we are building the trenches up here?
Interesting thought. Macdonald won’t be the one guiding the offense though. I think when we lock in our OC, we might have a better idea of FA targets for that side of the ball.
I think they’d rather stick with Lock and a rookie. Baltimore will probably want to keep him since his skills are somewhat close to Lamar’s/
Adding to this thought…Tee Martin has been identified as possible OC…if Martin becomes OC then perhaps your Tyler Huntley take has legs…
That was my thought as well. As soon as I heard Martin’s name, that is where I made the connection. When Lamar missed time, Huntley was the guy playing against MM’s defense. I do think that Lock is the most likely option. We will have to see what happens…
I personally am just excited to see us not settling in the muck that is mediocrity.
Imagine having a team that can tackle again. That would be nice.
What is this tackling thing? Is it not when you lunge in the general direction of a guy as they run past?
One underrated aspect to moving on from Carroll is losing all his crony/nepo hires. Hiring the best people for jobs instead of Pete’s kids and mates from USC should make an enormous difference. How good would getting a real S&C team in be?
As long as we don’t end up with McD cronies who gets promoted past their ability. Cronyism is rampant in the NFL. When it works, nobody cares…
Stat Du Jour from the Jumbotron today.
Day 1 Ball Metrics
Longest air distance pass – 60 yards, Joe Milton III Tenessee
Fastest air speen – 76.4 mph Joe Milton III (yes you read that right)
Highest initial rotation – 735 rpm Joe Milton III
Farthest Kick /Punt – 70 yards P Tory Taylor (this is probably the one that ended up in the stands and nearly hit me)
Longest hang time – 5.20 seconds Joshua Karty
I like the hire. Hopefully there will be the return of sb winning defensive head coaches again.
My ideal OC candidate would be Frank Reich.
McDonald needs to add some experience to the staff and in my opinion can’t risk a hire like Tanner Engstrand, who has no coordinator experience. It would be very similar to McVay hiring of Phillips as his DC when he took over the Rams.
I think Reich might be essentially retired. He hinted at that