Seahawks’ Macdonald: Players have ‘done everything we’ve asked them’

After the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks wrapped up their fourth straight win on Sunday night, quarterback Geno Smith said something about the team that is worth hearing.

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“I tell the guys, man, it’s one of the closest teams I’ve ever been on,” said Smith, who is in his 12th NFL season. “Everybody pulling in the right direction, everyone pulling together, and that’s the reason why we can sustain these wins. It doesn’t matter who we play, where we play. All that matters is that we do it together, and I think as long as we continue to do that, we will be alright.”

What makes that especially stand out is the fact that the Seahawks are achieving this closeness while under a completely new coaching staff led by 37-year-old Mike Macdonald, who is in his first year as a head coach.

During Macdonald’s weekly Monday morning show with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard played the clip of Smith’s comment, then asked if the Seahawks’ coach has “felt the team’s closeness grow?”

Macdonald responded that he has, while showing some self-awareness of his standing as the first new Seahawks head coach in over a decade.

“I think so. Yeah, man, our guys – we love our guys,” Macdonald said. “… They’ve literally done everything we’ve asked them to do since we walked in the door, and that is not easy to do when it’s some random guy in front of you, trying to tell you whatever. And I’m trying to figure what’s the best (method of) messaging.”

As Macdonald continued, he elaborated on the last point about messaging. Perhaps it speaks somewhat to the up-and-down path this season has taken – although Seattle has made several key changes to the roster that have clearly helped the Hawks bounce back from a six-game span where they lost five times, having since won four in a row to re-take first place in the division.

But Macdonald’s candid thoughts on the team’s evolving communication are an indication of the coaching staff’s role in “everybody pulling in the right direction,” like Smith said.

“I’m figuring it out too as we go. So we’re kind of this amoeba just kind of growing and doing it together,” Macdonald said. “Being consistent, though, and like the spirit of what we’re trying to achieve, sometimes the words change – you talk about principles versus methods, the principles have stayed consistent. Just constant communication about how we see things, what we expect, keeping it real with one another without overdoing it. We talk about just kind of hitting each other between the eyes when we’re communicating so we’re not going around stuff. I think you build trust that way.”

That trust seems to be playing out with the progression the team has followed. First, the defense found its stride. And after several strong games on that side of the ball, Seattle’s running attack and special teams provided valuable contributions on Sunday in the Seahawks’ most balanced win of the season.

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“The amount of work that our guys do on a day-in and day-out basis, the intent of what we’re doing, I really believe if you do it that way and as coaches we can kind of keep it moving forward, there’s just no way you’re not going to get better,” Macdonald said. “If it’s a good rep and you stack it with another good rep, you have to be better than you were two reps ago. And that’s kind of our job as coaches, to make sure that we’re on that path, and our guys are doing a great job of that.”

The result as of now is an 8-5 record and a one-game lead in the division with less than a month to go. That’s a spot the Seahawks are feeling good about.

“We’ve got four games left, this is exactly where we want to be, and so this is what we’ve been working for,” Macdonald said. “These two home games coming up against some great opponents, and an opportunity to close out the division.”

The Mike Macdonald Show airs at 9:30 a.m. each Monday after Seahawks games during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Hear this week’s edition in the podcast at this link or in the players near the top of this post.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Observations from Seattle Seahawks’ pivotal win over Cardinals

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