Bump: The great decision Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald made

The Seattle Seahawks wrapped up their first mandatory minicamp under new head coach Mike Macdonald this week, and it concluded with a decision that former Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus praised.

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What exactly did Macdonald do that earned an effusive response from Bumpus? He decided to end the camp a day early, canceling Thursday’s final scheduled practice.

“Just couldn’t be happier with the effort,” Macdonald said Wednesday after sharing with media he had canceled Thursday’s session. “… All the things we’re asking them to do, they responded every day. Just really excited about where we’re at.”

Bumpus explained why that was a smart decision by the first-year Seahawks leader Thursday during Four Down Territory on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“That’s a great move, man,” Bumpus said. “Yesterday, we talked about buy-in. Are these guys gonna buy into what he’s selling? This is how you get some of those dudes, man, especially these vets who know the playbook already, who are comfortable in their position and saying, ‘Look, man, go ahead and let these youngsters get these reps. I’m good to go.’ You pull a move like this, Mike Macdonald, you’re gonna grab a few more guys who are probably on the fence about you a little bit.”

Bumpus noted that a canceled camp practice like that is something that would happen from time to time while he played in college for the WSU Cougars, and that it was something the players greatly looked forward to.

“We knew that there was one day where we weren’t gonna practice in our training camp, and how we knew we were gonna practice is we would go on to the fields and the cameras wouldn’t be up in the towers,” Bumpus explained. “So toward the end of camp, man, we’re looking at those towers and saying, ‘Please, no cameras.’

“So Mike Macdonald went back to college and said, ‘You know what? I’m gonna give these guys this day off, and he let them loose.'”

Macdonald, the defensive coordinator in Baltimore the past two seasons, has spent most of his coaching career in the NFL. However, he does have a few years of college experience, most notably being Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021.

“This is the new NFL,” Bumpus said. “I could never see (former New England Patriots head coach) Bill Belichick doing this. I can’t even see (San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle) Shanahan doing this. … Great move by (Macdonald). He also has these guys going to Tennessee to practice with the Tennessee Titans. He’s making this thing his own. Little things like that is what gets guys to buy in a bit more than they would without just that one practice off.”

Listen to the full Four Down Territory segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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