What We Learned from Aden Durde’s 1st interview as Seahawks DC
Feb 15, 2024, 1:33 PM | Updated: 1:35 pm
The Seattle Seahawks have a new-look coaching staff, and that includes a defensive coordinator in Aden Durde who has made some history.
Why Seattle Seahawks OC Grubb can be ‘very successful’ jumping from UW
Durde, who comes to Seattle after spending three years in Dallas and three years in Atlanta, was born and raised in England. After being hired by the Falcons in 2018, he became the first full-time British-born coach in NFL history, and he’s now the first British-born coordinator in the league.
Durde was officially introduced as the Seahawks’ new defensive coordinator this week, and on Thursday he joined Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy for his first sit-down interview in town.
“I think when you do anything you should have some sense of pride,” Durde said when asked if he was proud of his accomplishments to date. “… I’ve always got that chip on my shoulder … I’m going to make mistakes – I know that. I’m trying to learn, I’m trying to grow, I’ve got that growth mindset and I’ve gotta push. And I think if I’m fearless then the players will be fearless … When you’re not afraid to put yourself in a really uncomfortable position – and I’ve kind of been doing that since I started playing football – I think people see that off of you and they feel it and you can influence them in positive ways.”
Durde said there are a few different types of players he loves to coach, starting first with those who have “a thirst for knowledge.”
“When a guy pushes you to find things that you may not have thought about, that excites me,” he said.
Durde told Bump and Stacy that he’s had that experience over the last few years where players pushed him to really “think outside the box.”
Another characteristic Durde loves? Guys that are “just dogs” on the field.
“I’ve coached some guys and you just know when it comes down to the end of the game, you want them in the game. Those kinds of players really excite me,” he said.
Ultimately, Durde thinks a lot about how to create a good environment for the players he coaches.
“Through my career, I always think about how am I creating the environment that we love being here? We know the mission that we’re trying to achieve, but we want to be here and then we grow it from there,” he said.
Aden Durde on joining Mike Macdonald’s Seattle Seahawks
Durde has never coached in Seattle, but he’s coached with people that have, namely Dan Quinn, who was head coach during Durde’s time in Atlanta and was Dallas’ defensive coordinator the last three years.
Durde told Bump and Stacy that he heard a lot of glowing things about the Seahawks organization over the last few years.
“I’ve worked with guys that have coached here. Everyone said such positive things about this organization and what it represents and how you feel when you get here,” he said. “And I would say now that I’ve got here, it’s more than what they said.”
Durde isn’t expected to call plays for Seattle’s defense, but he will be working hand-in-hand with new head coach Mike Macdonald.
Those two never crossed paths working together, but Durde explained why the two hit it off.
“We do see it the same way, but I think it’s more of a kind of a really higher conceptual level,” he said. “We’re both into thoughts of how we attack certain situations, how do we make the QB play out of rhythm, how do we do certain things in the run game to affect certain parts of the line of scrimmage, how do we situationally think about the game? These are the conversations we’ve had. And then the growth mindset. We’ve both got areas and expertise we can learn of each other. And that’s exciting, you know like. When we watch film together, I love listening to him. The guy is ultra smart, like ultra smart, and I love listening to him.”
Durde also shared that it’s important for him to “really support” Macdonald as well.
“He’s the head coach of this team, so I’ve got to make it so that he can be the head coach. That’s my job, you know?” he said. “And as I go through it, just supporting him, him supporting me, and we’re growing together.”
Report: Seattle Seahawks keeping Geno Smith, guaranteeing ’24 salary
