Macdonald reflects on journey to becoming Seahawks’ head coach

It’s been more than eight months since Mike Macdonald was hired as the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

It sure hasn’t felt that long to Macdonald.

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The 37-year-old first-time NFL head coach has gone through a whirlwind stretch since replacing the legendary Pete Carroll on Jan. 31. Being a head coach at the game’s highest level is demanding enough, but it’s even more demanding for a new head coach, who has to build a coaching staff, install his schemes, establish a culture and implement his vision for the team – in addition to all the other day-to-day responsibilities that come with being an NFL coach.

“It goes by so fast, it’s unbelievable,” Macdonald told Steve Raible during Friday morning’s Mike Macdonald Preview on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. “The phrase, ‘The days are long, but the years are short,’ is not true. It goes by super fast.”

After eight months of laying the groundwork, it’s finally time for the grand unveiling. Macdonald and the new-look Seahawks open the 2024 season against the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.

“Now that we’re in game mode, yeah, you feel it,” said Macdonald, who is the youngest head coach in the NFL. “You’re excited to see the guys go execute (and) go play. I think they’re ready to go play someone for real. So yeah, it’s exciting times for sure.”

Macdonald has quickly earned a reputation as one of the brightest defensive minds in the game.

He spent nine of the past 10 seasons in the Baltimore Ravens organization, including the past two seasons as their defensive coordinator. His cutting-edge defensive scheme flustered opposing offenses and led to great success, with the Ravens finishing third in scoring defense in 2022 and first in 2023. Last year, his Baltimore defense became the first in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed, sacks and takeaways.

Macdonald has come a long way since the beginning of his coaching career in 2008, when he was a linebackers and running backs coach at Cedar Shoals High School in Georgia while attending the University of Georgia.

When asked about his coaching journey, Macdonald pointed to a moment before Seattle’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers last month.

“When we lined up on the sideline, I was like, ‘These are our guys. This is our crew. This is our team. … We’re going to football battle together, and this is our crew. We hand-selected all these people, and we’re going all in with everyone on the sideline – staff, coaches included,'” Macdonald said. “And that was a really empowering moment, so that’s stuck with me.”

Macdonald said he’s driven by the responsibility he feels to put his team in the best position to succeed.

“I see our job and our responsibility as coaches is to help empower our players, grow our players and put them in positions where they can be successful,” Macdonald said. “That’s a huge responsibility. That’s a massive responsibility. Their careers are on the line. The city’s love for the team is on the line. There’s a lot of stuff on the line, so I think we take that really seriously.

“And (we’re) proud that we can help these guys be successful. That’s probably the most rewarding part of being a football coach is to see your guys do stuff one day that they couldn’t do the day before. And then when it works, man, does that feel pretty sweet.”

Macdonald said he can’t wait to experience the famed crowd noise at Lumen Field, which has a reputation of being one of the loudest stadiums in the world.

“We have such a great track record here in Seattle over the years, so hopefully we continue the tradition, and I just can’t wait to be a part of it,” Macdonald said. “It’s going to be electric.”

Listen to this week’s Mike Macdonald Preview at this link. The Mike Macdonald Preview airs every Friday at 8:15 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

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