Salk: Mike Macdonald has made Seahawks downright interesting

The Seattle Seahawks had gotten stale.

They weren’t necessarily bad per se, but there wasn’t a lot of momentum. No one saw them getting better even if they weren’t likely to get worse. And that inertia dropped them from the ranks of the most intriguing teams in the NFL every year to one that wasn’t worth a lot of national attention.

That changed on Jan. 10 when they parted ways with head coach Pete Carroll and then ultimately hired Mike Macdonald.

Stale? Not anymore. Predictable? Not even close. This team became downright interesting.

The most intriguing Seahawk

For a few months, I have been saying that I have no idea what this team might do. With a first-time head coach and a roster full of players that the league has dubbed to be lacking in top-tier talent, the Seahawks could certainly regress. With a new modern scheme to replace one that was often considered outdated, they could certainly improve. I’d believe just about anything is possible.

That made this year’s annual 25 Most Intriguing Seahawks list on Brock and Salk all the more, well, intriguing than usual. There are so many on this team that have major question marks. Who will take the next step to be great? Who will live up to their promise and potential? Who will take advantage of a last chance? Who will win a battle for a key position? Who can solidify an area of presumed weakness? The unknown nature of a new scheme and a new staff has put just about everyone’s future up for grabs.

The list was fairly normal. The guys near the top were mostly new, highly paid, or the most talented. But unlike any time in recent memory, the man at the top wasn’t a player. It was the new head coach.

Mike Macdonald is the most intriguing member of the Seattle Seahawks because he represents the biggest change from what we’ve come to know. Because he is now the most important figure in the franchise. And because we know so little about him.

Breaking down NFL’s eight new coaches, including Seahawks’ Macdonald

That Macdonald is not Carroll has been evident from his first day on the job. After parting ways with the league’s oldest coach, it seemed telling that the new youngest coach in the league would wear a hoodie and blazer for his introductory press conference. When he removed the iconic basketball hoop from the meeting room and then some of the pictures of the Carroll era that adorned the walls, the point was hammered home. This is a new regime and it will have different areas of focus.

That has come more clear through training camp. Whereas Carroll’s teams spent an inordinate amount of time on two-minute offense (no doubt preparing for games that they would keep close until late), Macdonald has spent more reps in the red zone. Whereas Carroll wanted the music loud to create the energy he wanted from his team, Macdonald has turned it down to concentrate on teaching the details. Whereas Carroll’s practices tended to be shorter in order to keep his players (especially veterans) as fresh as possible, Macdonald has kept them on the field longer and heartily praised the virtue of “reps” in our first interview.

Watch: Macdonald joins Brock and Salk at Seahawks training camp

We know Macdonald brings with him a tremendous amount of mental acuity. His scheme worked like a charm as defensive coordinator at Michigan and in Baltimore. Every player has described him as “smart.” He seems to have a unique ability to put players in the best position to succeed. He expects them to learn a scheme that is as simple as possible while providing the illusion of complexity for the opponent. He is trying to get the edge through matchups rather than through emotion and confidence. And that should come with an improved sense of discipline on the field.

Culture change

We know that Macdonald can coach. We are going to learn if he can head coach. Head coaches take on the additional responsibilities of liaising with the personnel department, managing the coaching staff, challenging calls on the field, fourth-down decisions, and a host of other strategic moves on gameday and throughout the week. But as the leader of the team, they must create and enforce the culture that they want in the building. Through Carroll’s tenure, this was his greatest strength. And Macdonald has the advantage of learning from both Harbaughs, two of the best culture builders in the sport.

Culture isn’t just what you say and what you ask of your team. Sometimes it is the actions you take (or don’t take) to back that up. And Macdonald will be tested – every coach is, especially in this league. For all of Pete’s success, the final straw may have been when players were seen smoking cigars in the locker room after missing the playoffs. It sure appeared that he had lost control of the culture.

Leadership coach Kevin DeShazo wrote: “If leaders don’t live the values they preach, the team will quickly ignore any talk about values and standards. Which means leaders are losing influence, values aren’t being established, and chaos is on the way. If you talk it and expect it, you must live it.”

While we are still learning about Macdonald’s value system, he may be in the midst of his first chance to “live it.” Fighting in practice is an age-old phenomenon and I’m generally in favor of it. I love fighting in hockey and baseball and it would be hypocritical to disavow it in football, though they are different sports with different rules. But even in hockey, fights are between ready combatants and they only involve fists – swinging a stick is waaaaay off limits. Baseball players may charge the mound, but they don’t swing the bat at each other. So when a player whips a helmet at the head of a player whose head was unprotected, it could and should have consequences. Especially if the two players are teammates.

I don’t know the details of how DK Metcalf’s practice incident came to be or how it was handled behind the scenes, but I’m quite confident that each player in that locker room is watching to see how the head coach responds to a disturbance. And how he reacts will likely influence future events of the same vein.

Chippy Seattle Seahawks practice includes several skirmishes

Macdonald’s offseason and training camp have been nothing but impressive. He has a commanding presence. He is smart, engaging and he knows ball. He seems to have a clear conviction of what he expects from his team. He is willing to use the media to push certain players in a way that his predecessor did not. He represents an opportunity to get more out of a group of players that may have underachieved for too long.

He is the most intriguing person in this franchise right now because all eyes will be on him, both inside and outside the organization. I can’t wait to see how he responds.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Will new Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb’s offense translate to NFL?
• Seattle Seahawks CB: Training camp fights are ‘nothing personal’
• Huard: What Seahawks are getting in new OL Connor Williams
• Where Seattle Seahawks offense is at as first preseason game nears

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