Seahawks on ‘Hard Knocks’: Brock & Salk’s 2 big takeaways

The Seahawks' "culture of respect" and focus on the long-term stood out over the five-episode series.

Sep 2, 2026, 10:15 AM

Seattle Seahawks Mike Macdonald JSN look on OTA practice 2026...

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald (middle) looks on with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (left) during an OTA practice on June 4. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

HBO’s “Hard Knocks” featuring the Seattle Seahawks concluded with the series finale on Tuesday night.

What stood out from Seahawks’ ‘Hard Knocks’ finale

What themes stood out across the five-episode series? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard and Mike Salk shared their big-picture takeaways Wednesday morning on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

‘A culture of respect’

Salk’s biggest takeaway was the “culture of respect” the Seahawks have built under head coach Mike Macdonald and longtime general manager John Schneider.

“I just thought the word that I came away with was respect – how much respect the coaches, the coaching staff, John Schneider, his group had for the players and how much respect they got back. There was a culture of respect and you see it in any number of ways throughout all of the episodes.

Salk pointed to how Macdonald handled Derick Hall’s frustration over not being able to fully rush the quarterback in practice. He pointed to Brady Russell’s apology to Macdonald for his comments to Hall, which sparked a training camp scuffle. And he pointed to way Schneider and Macdonald treated players throughout the roster cutdown process.

“The way Mike handled the stuff with Derick Hall and his frustration with him and the back and forth, there was respect,” Salk said. “It didn’t mean he didn’t raise his voice. At one point he did, but he calmed down and they had a back-and-forth conversation and there was a lot of respect shown.

“Brady Russell apologizing and showing respect back to his coach. The respect they showed to all of the guys that were cut and the conversations that went with it. … It’s just a culture of true respect.”

Huard agreed, using a term the narrator said toward the end of the finale: “builders, not bullies.”

“John cares for the players,” Huard said. “And 25 years ago (in the NFL), it was not that way. And in other programs, it’s still not that way. It’s builders, not bullies. That was a line that the writers of HBO shared at the very end. They’ve been to all these different (teams over the years) and they’ve heard the demeaning, dog-cussing, debilitating, tear-down, because that’s the old ethos of the NFL.

“And that’s not these guys. They are truly builders, not bullies.”

A long-term focus

Huard’s top takeaway was how the Seahawks are taking a big-picture approach to this season, with an eye toward being at their best down the stretch.

It’s evident with standout safety Nick Emmanwori, who the Seahawks want to get healthy for the long run as he works back from July ankle surgery.

It’s evident with their recent signing of former two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs, who’s currently on the practice squad but could be an important addition once he ramps up and gets accustomed to Seattle’s scheme.

And it’s certainly on display with their signing of former first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold, who probably won’t see the field any time soon after being placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list on Sunday as his legal proceedings unfold.

“The most constant, repetitive messaging over those five episodes was: We’re in this for the long-term. We’re in this for the journey. We’re in this for December and January and February,” Huard said. “Every single episode – when you heard messaging from John and you heard messaging from Mike and you heard messaging of the big picture of this season – it was about we’re in this for the long term.

“Terrion Arnold and Trevon Diggs and Nick Emmanwori – these are decisions for December and January. A confidence that you’re gonna be there and it’s gonna matter. Why? Because they have proof of concept. Because they did it. They have that shared experience through almost everybody in that building.

“They know what the proof of concept is, and it’s for the journey and needing 70 of them on that journey. I thought that was a repetitive thread throughout that was stamped home last night.”