Will coaching familiarity impact Seahawks-Dolphins matchup?

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver spent the past two seasons working together on the Baltimore Ravens’ staff.

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Macdonald was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, while Weaver doubled as an assistant head coach and the defensive line coach. During their two seasons together, Baltimore ranked third in scoring defense in 2022 and first in 2023.

On Sunday afternoon, they will be on opposite sidelines. Macdonald and Weaver will be the two defensive play-callers for a Week 3 clash between the Seahawks and Dolphins at Lumen Field.

Macdonald said that while there are some similarities between their schemes, Weaver’s defense in Miami isn’t just a carbon copy of his cutting-edge scheme.

“This is the Miami Dolphins’ defense, led by Anthony Weaver,” Macdonald said during his press conference on Wednesday. “I think they’re doing a really great job. A lot of respect for those guys and the coaches on that staff, and then obviously they’ve got some really good players too. There’s a lot of concepts that you see that are similar to what we do and things that we’ve installed here, but no, it’s their defense.”

During Thursday’s edition of Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard was asked if the familiarity between Macdonald and Weaver will impact the matchup.

“I think it does,” Huard said. “I think it helps (Seahawks quarterback) Geno Smith. As he said, it’s not a carbon copy. You’re not running the exact same thing out there, but (knowing) the base principles … it’s gonna help Geno.

“Now, both sides are gonna probably have to mix (it up),” Huard added. “(Miami quarterback) Skylar Thompson on the other side, he knows some of the base principles within this scheme. So yeah, I think it’ll be incumbent on both Weaver and on Macdonald to mix and match a little bit. I probably feel more confident that Mike can do that than a first-time coordinator down there in Miami.”

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

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• Macdonald previews Seahawks’ Week 3 matchup vs Dolphins
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