What Huard keeps hearing about Seahawks coach Macdonald

With a first-time NFL head coach now leading the franchise, there will be much learn during the upcoming season about the identity of the Seattle Seahawks under Mike Macdonald.

How new Seattle Seahawks coach just sent a message to the team

As past examples show, Macdonald will also have plenty to learn as he adjusts from coordinator to lead decision maker of a team. Not every coordinator turned head coach finds success. Just ask former Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who went 14-48 in four seasons as a head coach after leaving Seattle for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Macdonald is in a somewhat similar situation, going from leading one of the league’s best defenses to being the head man in a different conference and on the other side of the country. Will Macdonald find the same fate? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard doesn’t think so, and he explained why two words he keeps hearing from the Seahawks give him confidence in the new coach Wednesday during Blue 88 on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“I like both of these words, intuitive and instincts,” Huard said. “Those two things are going to serve Mike Macdonald very, very well the first time he navigates being a head coach. … With these young, talented players, you’re like, ‘dude, that guy’s just got instincts. That guy just intuitively is in the right spot at the right time.’ We talk about it a ton for a player, it’s easy for us to see. We don’t talk about that a lot with a coach because it’s really hard (to see).”

Why are those aspects so important?

“You know what happens in the first or second game of the year? Things speed up, decisions gotta be made in the fourth quarter,” Huard explained. “Clock management becomes so critical (at the) end of half, end of game, those situations and those moments. If those two words are right and we’re seeing them and feeling them in the offseason, that’s a big deal in the regular season. Intuitive and instincts, he seems to be off the charts in that regard, and I can’t wait to watch that come to life, both in the preseason and certainly the regular season.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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