Head Coach Mike Macdonald On The Upcoming Matchup at Commanders

Head Coach Mike Macdonald On The Upcoming Matchup at Commanders

be back at it. Football Wednesday, a real football Wednesday. Uh had a great morning so far. Got a great excited for the game this week. Uh really still just focusing on, you know, how how good can how how close can we get to be the team that we envision being and we’re on our way. A lot of room for for growth, but uh we know how important today is. So that’s really what we’re focused on. But Commanders are a really good team. Obviously had a great year last year. um putting up a lot of points. Uh I think the defense is playing well. Special teams is playing great, really well coached, got a lot of great players. So um great challenge ahead of us. Uh did want to give you one update on the injury front. Really the only thing that’s new is uh Julian Love had a bit of a setback with his hamstring last week. So uh he won’t practice today and uh game status right now is say in jeopardy. So, we’ll work through that the rest of the weekend moving forward. What’s it like uh preparing for kind of sounds like there’s some uncertainty with which quarterback is going to start for them. What’s it like preparing for that? Uh yeah, I don’t I don’t know if there’s a the good news is they they’ve run a they’re running the same offense. They don’t have to change offenses by the quarterbacks. I think both operate it really well. Um both have really great arm talent. Both can extend plays. Both are really fast. Uh yeah, I mean it’s kind of like it’s kind it’s a similar operation, I guess, is what I’m trying to say. So, you know, the types of plays that we’re going to be practicing against and preparing for um really wouldn’t change based on who’s playing now. You got to be ready for both. You got to be ready for both every every week, but normally you’re just focusing on the starter. So, that changes a little bit. Uh any updates on Deon Witherspoon, Derek Hall, and Dar. Uh, so the Spoon and uh, DeH Hall will practice today and uh, Dariq Young will not practice today. What’s wrong with Dique? He’s got a uh, sorry he’s got a hip. You said the other day you feel like your team has an identity and closer to it now than maybe it was last year. What does that look like to you, I guess, or what, you know, when you say that? What what do you kind of Yeah, we want Well, we say our style is trying to be We’re trying to be decisive, shocking, and relentless. And I think there’s a lot of times we’re there. Uh but we know that’s what we’re striving towards. I think it’s clear on on my front in terms of messaging about how we’re operating, but we want to be aggressive. We want to be physic without hitting all the coaching buzzwords, you know, but that really is who we want to be. We want to be um attacking and unrelenting and um you know playing exciting brand of ball. You mentioned Monday when you asked about that that this time last year you were kind of searching for that. When do you think you guys found it? Was it during the season? Was it in the offseason? When when you That’s interesting. I don’t think there’s like aha moment. Um I think we’re all I think we’re all kind of going in the in the same direction the whole time. Um, probably starts with me being clear, you know, and, uh, the offseason definitely helps having a whole off seasonason of, you know, working through it and, uh, getting people on the same page, have another year under our belt of understanding how we want to operate, who we want to be given certain situations. So, I think it’s kind of everything. I think it’s probably a natural progression. You know, me, I always want things to happen probably sooner than they actually happen. You know, I’m not the most patient guy, but um but I got really everybody in the building has been tremendous. Like more than you could ever hope for being in a new situation coming from my lens. And uh you realize it does it takes everybody. And uh it’s really important to get everybody on the same page, pulling the same direction. And it’s not easy to do, you know, it’s not easy to do when there’s a um there’s a there’s new things going on. And uh our people have been been awesome. You’ve joked at times that like, you know, left to your own devices, you’ll just keep going and and maybe you overthink things potentially. How do you uh guard against that? Who helps you guard against that? Well, our staff is is tremendous. I mean, uh, hopefully we’re creating an environment where we can keep speaking, you know, what we think about certain things and, um, I feel like we’re doing that and it’s not easy to go again, like, you know, if I say I want to do a certain thing and you don’t believe that, like, you know, it’s easier said than done to keep that keep that going and uh, but I think we’ve built the trust around our staff and our players and, um, you know, John, Leslie, those guys, I mean, they’re kind of in everything and, uh, again, we have a shared understanding you know, kind of how we want to operate. I feel like we we know what our players do best. And so when you’re coming at through that lens, like, you know, those conversations are happen all the time. And so, um, I think that’s probably the best best way to describe it. Mike, on on trying to get to third magical, how do you keep first down without overemphasizing it, but yet it being important, right? That’s the key to get What was the first thing you said? third down getting to third down and manageable and making sure you don’t oversize first down, right? But yet it’s important. Well, not to avoid the every play is important. You know, every play is a is is a situation in and of itself. There’s a lot of things go into it. It’s, you know, what people we put on the field, where we’re at, what we just did, uh how they play us, you know, what people they put on the field, you know, the structures that they’re playing. So there’s, you know, intensive calls and things you’re trying to achieve and then the situation is uh dictating how you want to play that situation. Normally, you know, your your goal is to maximize yards and points. Sometimes it’s not. You know, sometimes it’s um other things are at play when you get into certain special situations. So, I think I think it’s that granular, honestly. Just it’s kind of that what’s important now mindset of just stay in the present one play at a time. Uh if we end up in a third and eight, it’s like, all right, good. You know, let’s go. It’s third and eight. It’s rock and roll. What has your whole secondary kind of game since the first drive of the season? How’s that changed how you wanted to call a game? How you call a game or has it changed? Well, we we’ve we’ve talked about how we’re always going to be designing our game plans and calling games based off of what we feel like our guys do. Well, like I’m giving you a lot of coach speak in this this presser, but it it really is that I mean that’s that has to be the lens of how you of how you build it. So, um, I think that kind of paints you a picture, but it’s also why we train the way we do. It’s why we take advantices off. We we try to maximize reps. Now, we try to, you know, lever like lever things where we can manage like player loads and things like that. But to bank all those reps for the 90 guys initially on your roster and then the eventual 70 is is incredibly important because you don’t know what’s going to happen. And you know, anybody’s a play or two away from from being in there and you got to have a great feeling for what that player can do. And the better trained up they are and the more ready that they are consistently, you feel like you can you can play the the things that you that you want to play. So when you when you do change your game plan per who’s ever in, how much has that varied from what your plan at the beginning of the season was or how you really optimally like to do it? Well, we I mean, frankly, we’ve we’ve um we’ve kind of detourred uh pretty significantly from where we thought we were going to be at the beginning of the season and and it’s that’s not really personnel driven. I think it’s really what we’re doing well and what our guys have shown that they’re good at and uh which is good. You know, it’s that to me that paints a clear picture of means we’re means we’re watching our players and we’re listening to them like we’re listening to them when they tell us through how they play what uh what they do well, you know. So, that happens every year, but I’ I’d say it’s it’s not, let me be clear, it’s not personnel driven. It’s really what we’re doing well, you know. Is pressure one of those detours or I guess you’re not Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What did you thought of the the camp that Christian Haynes had had before his injury and what’s kind of the the runway he’s going to have to get through here to get back with you and be back to being a factor? Well, I think he he put himself in position to compete at guard. Uh Anthony and Gray won those competitions. So, that’s that’s kind of how we’ll come back, you know, coming off from being injured. will be in a backup role and I’ll continually, you know, continuously compete to be for for playing time. Can you envision a scenario where you rotate guy? I mean, I know you did that last year. It’s probably not ideal, but could you imag something you would be interested in doing? I mean, like I can list off all the examples of when guys play great and they deserve to play that we’re willing to play guys. Drake is an example. Um Kobe Bryant’s an example. Uh a running back situation receiver is an example. How the guys that are playing on special teams are I mean it’s just that’s just how we roll right now. I mean there’s that’s not how we want to do it. But if if someone starts playing really great and we can’t take them off the field, then we’ll put them on the field. Uh it’s hard enough to find one nickel player that can defend the run, rush the passer, and cover. You got potentially two now. whether the human worry. Uh what kind of advantages does that provide and maybe challenges as well as play call? I think I think you look at it through those lenses. It’s one it’s exciting that you have um those two players that can play that position which is awesome and we got to we got to make sure we put a tight enough plan where we can take advantage of both uh skill sets. So really that’s our that’s kind of our burden to bear as coaches to make sure that um you know it’s clean and and clear so the guys can go play the way they can play. But I we everybody you know how we feel about Spoon. The guy’s a tremendous player and and Nick is uh the beginning of a you know a great career. He’s off to a great start. Play more dime but can also defend the run. What kind of advantage can that provide a defense? I’m not sure. I don’t know how many dime teams are out there that are playing the run very well. Uh I I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it, you know. I haven’t thought about it. It sounded like Bobby Wagner almost signed with the Ravens when you were back there as defensive coordinator that year or considered it anyway. Yeah, we had him we had him in for a visit. I think I can say that. Yeah. Well, he sent it all later. Okay. All right. Well, then we’re good. Yeah. I just wonder what what you remember to that of It was great. I mean, there’s there’s a there’s a kind of a gravitas to him. You know, it’s Bobby Wagner and he’s coming in for a visit and I was first year coordinator. So, you know, I didn’t do a lot of talking. I just kind of let him talk. But, uh, look, I mean, he’s he’s a it’s it’s what you expected in terms of just the per the person and like the poise and uh, we’re excited for the opportunity. obviously he decided to go I think it was going to be a big move going to the east coast or at least he thought there was a time maybe not a few years later when he goes to Washington but um yeah it was a great visit look I we got a ton of respect for him I mean u I was hoping it was going to work out just announced that Terry McLaren’s out for this game on Sunday I’m curious if when you looked at the games that he was available versus not what kind of differences you saw in the commanders he is out for the game okay all right that’s news to me so Um, I don’t have a good answer for you right now. I didn’t know that. With Wagner to do what he does at the position he’s doing at almost 36 years old, playing 100% of the snaps. How demanding would that position be for a 26 year old 35? Yeah, I think I think you’re just speaking to his his resume, which is probably, you know, rivaled by maybe one or mean couple other people in history of the game. So, it’s probably big of a compliment I can give him. You know, just how like it’s to me it’s a meticulous attention to detail um a maniacal like way to prepare for game. You know, it takes a lot now. It’s a toll on your body. It’s probably the most impressive thing honestly. I mean, his mind is obviously as sharp as ever, but to be able to still play all those plays is um is really impressive. You cross paths with Dan Coin much in your career? A couple times. I mean, there’s a funny story that happened, you know, when I was a GA and uh some more to the story, but the the gist of it was DQ was the defensive coordinator here and the guy I was working for um I was visiting my sister in Kirkland. He set up a visit with with uh with DQ here in this I think I told Sherm this story on his might have told him on the podcast, but um yeah, walked right through the entrance right there. I was like wideeyed. I thought it was like the coolest thing of all time. He came down. He was playing Beasty Boys in his in his office and he was talking football about something. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded sweet. And uh what I remember from that visit was like how like the feeling he had with the players in the building was you could tell there was a really like special connection and the respect he had. Knew everybody’s name in the building. Um and that really stuck with me for a long time. I just I have a ton of respect for DQ and he’s obviously a great football coach, but that that was a uh that was a big time moment in my just in my life. Like it was really cool. So, I appreciate him for for doing that. What were you hoping to get out of that meeting? Well, I was trying to get in the NFL, but there wasn’t an opportunity here. So, at that point, it was just trying to network and and learn, you know, that was really it at that point. Was your connection with him? Todd Grantham and him had worked together at some point or they knew each other and he was our defensive coordinator at Georgia at the time. Is IR potential for either Julian or Jariq? Uh both I’d say are under consideration. Yeah. Uh how in terms of like your standard and your play style, how close would you say your offense is to to meeting up to both of those? I think we’re right on our way. I think our whole our whole team is is on its way. Um, we’re doing a lot of great things in terms of finishing plays. Um, and there and there’s there’s more to be had and really in all three phases, but the best way I can explain is I’m excited about where we are and where we can go. How does that show up? Maybe maybe when you did your self scout maybe in the numbers or just the film in terms of the standard and the style. Yeah, you feel like you feel like it’s really not it’s not the numbers, it’s watching the tape and watching like if you go through and watch individual efforts on each play, there’s um there’s some great effort out there and um again in all three phases, but you’re asking about offense specifically and you see that you see our receivers blocking. Um all of our linemen are trying to finish blocks for the most part. You know, there’s times where you want more from guys, but the effort and the uh the selflessness is there. What do you guys like about Bis Jones? He brought in Well, he helped us in the return game. Special teams um maybe outside at Gunnar, but a lot of great speed. You know, we felt it when we play against him. So, special teams team to team translate enough that a guy could come in and contribute right away. I think that Yeah, that’s a possibility. Yeah, you you saw it with with Chaz going into the first game. Mike, uh almost the halfway point of the season. What do you make of Gray’s start to his career through seven? Yeah, really really solid start. I think I think the best compliment you can give Gray is we’re not really talking about him much. Like he’s he’s very steady. Um he’s one of those guys that has an identity to how we want to play and finish his plays and he’s got an attitude about him. Got some swag to him, you know? Sounds like a Seahawk to me. You mentioned before that like Joe Joe presses really well. So, I mean, he gets to do it because he’s good at it. Was he better there than maybe you thought when you guys initially claimed him? Look, I I didn’t have a great I didn’t I mean I knew who Josh Joe was, but I haven’t watched a ton of tape on him. Um so that that’s a really that’s a shout out to our personnel people and understanding what he did does well and how that fits into our scheme. And there there’s there’s several examples of that. So um you know, I appreciate appreciate those guys bringing him in, but he’s been he’s been great at the line of scrimmage. How has that maybe helped the the defense particularly when you guys have shuffled in the secondary? This ability that he’s bringing being able to press up on Yeah. Well, we we want to A lot of the pass games disrupt timing. We want to be able to press as much as possible and uh and when you can do that, I mean, it it helps how you how you operate. Some teams play great ball by playing off and letting Ralph distribute. That’s not really our philosophy. And he’s able to he’s able to make that come to life. If Robbie makes it through the week, Robbie, does he have a chance to play this week or are you guys looking more for for future? No, Robbie has a chance to play this week. Anything else? Thank you. Okay. All right.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald discussed the Seahawks’ preparation for their upcoming game against the Commanders. He provided injury updates, noting Julian Love’s hamstring setback (0:40). Macdonald emphasized the team’s focus on developing their identity as decisive, shocking, and relentless (2:18). He addressed the challenges of preparing for uncertainty at the Commanders’ quarterback position (1:08). Macdonald also highlighted the importance of situational football (5:06) and the team’s adaptability in game planning (7:26). He praised rookie offensive lineman Grey Zabel’s solid start to the season (15:40) and discussed cornerback Josh Jobe’s strong press coverage skills (15:57).

Subscribe and hit the bell to see the latest Seahawks press conferences » https://shwks.com/SeahawksPressPass
Subscribe to Seahawks Podcasts:
https://shwks.com/youtube
Seahawks Insiders » https://shwks.com/SeahawksInsiders
Hawk Talk » https://shwks.com/HawkTalk
Seahawks Stories » https://shwks.com/SeahawksStories
The Huddle » https://shwks.com/TheHuddle
Seahawks Rewind » https://shwks.com/SeahawksRewind
Hawks Live » https://shwks.com/HawksLive
Big Ray’s Garage Grind: Mental Health Edition » https://shwks.com/GarageGrind
All Seahawks Podcasts » https://shwks.com/Podcasts
#SeattleSeahawks #Seahawks #NFL
The official Youtube of the Seattle Seahawks. Member of the NFC West in the National Football League.
Instagram » https://www.instagram.com/seahawks
TikTok » https://www.tiktok.com/@seahawks
Twitter » https://twitter.com/Seahawks
Facebook » https://www.facebook.com/Seahawks
Snapchat » https://snapchat.com/add/Seahawks
You might also enjoy some of the following NFL Channels.
NFL Films » https://bit.ly/2MDSCKf
NFL » https://bit.ly/1C8BDFd
NFL Network » https://bit.ly/29yN2HA
NFL Throwback » https://bit.ly/2PhvhQ6