Tag Archives: Mike Macdonald

Coaches, X's & O's

If Grubb can’t turn offense around, will he be one & done?

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When Mike Macdonald hired Ryan Grubb to be his offensive coordinator back in February, we looked back through modern NFL history to find success stories from guys who had made the jump from college coordinator to NFL play caller. There were few to find.

In fact, a notable failure involved another former Husky, Steve Sarkisian, who joined Dan Quinn in Atlanta and promptly took that once vaunted offense backward.

We wrote then:

Grubb’s success or failure will come down to whether he can maximize his players. The biggest challenge for most play callers – certainly for Seattle’s last few – has been adjusting within games to what defenses are stopping. Grubb and company faced an NFL-style defense – one put together by Macdonald, in fact – in the title game against Michigan, and they had major trouble against it. Grubb will need to show he can adjust when his script fails. … It won’t be a shock if Grubb ultimately doesn’t have the answers.”

Well, Grubb has not proven to have the answers in his rookie season. And, if his unit continues to fail, it would not be a surprise if Macdonald followed Pete Carroll’s path and fired his OC after his first year as Seattle’s coach.

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Week 12: Arizona, X's & O's

Defense is now ‘locked in,’ but can Hawks find key to offense, too?

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Mike Macdonald finally has his defense playing the way we all expected. After three pretty dominant weeks against NFC West foes, including a 16-6 clampdown of Arizona in Week 12, that unit looks capable of holding down most offenses the rest of the way and helping the Seahawks make the playoffs.

But the offense is going to have to start doing its part.

Before we get to the offense’s problems, let’s start with the defense’s turnaround, which hopefully has not come too late.

Continue reading Defense is now ‘locked in,’ but can Hawks find key to offense, too? →
Coaches, Week 11: At San Francisco

Win vs. 49ers pauses deserved criticisms — Can Hawks end them for good?

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John Schneider, Mike Macdonald and Geno Smith had been under fire for several weeks – dating back to the bad loss to the Giants that dropped the Seahawks to 3-2.

Since then, they had fallen to 4-5 – with the defense getting gashed game after game and Smith and the offense making tons of self-defeating mistakes.

The reputations of Schneider, Macdonald and Smith were waning along with their season as they prepared to play the 49ers, who had beaten them six straight times (counting playoffs). But Macdonald’s recalibrated defense and Smith’s rediscovered comeback mojo gave the desperate Hawks a much-needed 20-17 upset win, putting the Seahawks back in the NFC West race.

Back at .500 with a streak-busting win, the Hawks now need to take that confidence into a battle for first place against Arizona in Week 12.

The question is whether this big win over the 49ers foretells more big wins to come in a season that still presents a lot of tough challenges – the ninth-toughest remaining slate.

Let’s look at the role of each of the three central figures in how this team sank to 4-5 and then finally beat the 49ers.

Continue reading Win vs. 49ers pauses deserved criticisms — Can Hawks end them for good? →
Week 7: At Atlanta

Have Hawks learned enough about selves to start a new streak?

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Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks finally got themselves a quality win – and they needed it big time.

With a surprising 34-14 blowout of a red-hot Falcons team that had won three straight, the Hawks avoided the dreaded four-game losing skid that might have been the death knell for any playoff hopes (just one team out of 15 in Seattle history had overcome a streak of four or more losses to make the playoffs).

And now the question is whether they can sustain it.

“It was inevitable that (adversity) would happen, so you want to see a rebound,” Julian Love said. “We’re still learning how to win as a team. … We’re still building; we’re still learning who we are as a team.”

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State of the team, X's & O's

Predictable problems and historic lack of takeaways are hobbling Hawks

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Before the season, we projected the Seahawks would win nine games. It was fewer than many optimistic fans were picking, but we saw a tough schedule and had big questions about the offensive line and run defense.

After a soft 3-0 start, the Hawks have come back to Earth against better teams and sit at 3-3 largely because their offensive line and run defense have failed them.  

They gave away the game against the Giants with mistakes in every phase, and then they followed that up by making a bunch more mistakes against the 49ers in a game they could have won if they had played it more cleanly.

“Right now, we’re just coming up short,” Mike Macdonald said. “We’re just not doing the things that good football teams do to win football games.”

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Week 4: At Detroit

It was a memorable game the Hawks should just forget; better days ahead

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Now we know what happens to Mike Macdonald’s defense when you subtract five starters: It becomes latter-day Pete Carroll’s defense.

Without Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Byron Murphy and Jerome Baker, Seattle simply did not have the talent to stop Detroit’s complex and well-stocked offense Monday. The result was a rather predictable shootout win by Detroit, 42-29.

It was a memorable game, but one the Hawks and their fans are better off forgetting. Better days are ahead.

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Week 2: At New England

Hawks are 2-0 with work to do, but odds and schedule favor them

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“I think the past two weeks we’ve really shown how close of a team we are when battling adversity. I know we are only going to get stronger and play better throughout the season.’’ – DK Metcalf

As we expected, the Seahawks are off to a 2-0 start following wins over seemingly lesser teams. As we also expected, the Hawks have serious flaws up front to work out if they are going to be any better than the nine wins we predicted for this season.

On the bright side, they have made the playoffs all six previous times they have started 2-0 over the last 25 years, per Gregg Bell. And there is plenty of time to fix an offensive line that has had some major struggles in both games and a defensive front that allowed 185 rushing yards to the Patriots in Week 2.

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Contracts

Smith is paid as the NFL sees him, so he needs to change minds in 2024

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Mike Macdonald seems open to keeping Geno Smith as Seattle’s starting quarterback beyond 2024. But the Seahawks are not considering an extension at this point, John Schneider recently said in response to a report that Smith’s agent has asked for a new deal.

Smith still needs to prove he is worth a raise and extension.

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Trades

Hawks traded Taylor a year too late; Metcalf only 2019-20 pick left

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Michael Jackson and Darrell Taylor always seemed destined to move on before Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks ever played a real game, so it was no surprise the backup defenders were traded on consecutive days this week.

Taylor’s departure, which really comes a year too late, marks the end of John Schneider’s 2020 draft class – none of whom made it to a second contract in Seattle as Taylor’s $3.1 million returns to the Hawks’ salary cap.

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Contracts, The roster

If Geno plays well, could he stick around for a ‘few years’?

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Everyone keeps wanting to kick Geno Smith to the curb, replacing him with a draft pick or Sam Howell — or anybody really.

But it sure seems like he is growing on new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald. Not enough to get a new contract yet, as Smith reportedly would like, but it sounds as though the door could be open to a new deal after the season – if Smith plays worth it.

During camp, Macdonald hinted that Smith could indeed be in Seattle beyond 2025.

“I think that relationship is blossoming,’’ Macdonald told SI’s Albert Breer. “We’re not there yet; it’s still six months in or whatever. But we’re looking forward to seeing where it evolves over the next few years.’’

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