INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Macdonald’s presence at the NFL scouting combine this year says plenty about how different things are in year two for the Seahawks coach.
Macdonald skipped last year’s combine to stay in Seattle. He was just hired on Jan. 31, 2024, and was putting the finishing touches on his staff and devising the team’s schemes and how to implement them in offseason meetings and practices.
“Your head was spinning,” Macdonald recalled Wednesday. “… Remember, we didn’t bring anybody from Baltimore (where he had been the defensive coordinator) on defense (as coaches last year). So you’re doing head coach stuff, and you’re building the defensive scheme and teaching everybody everything. It’s like, there’s a lot. So that took priority over spending a week in Indianapolis (at the 2024 combine).”
This year, Macdonald has a defensive staff that had only one change, and an offensive staff that, while undergoing major changes, has some continuity with new coordinator Klint Kubiak bringing five new coaches that he has worked with previously.
“It’s like, we’re not building our schemes right now,” Macdonald said. “Even with our new offensive staff, we know what we’re gonna run.”
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That means Macdonald and other coaches can attend the combine, which consists of not only watching workouts (which begin Thursday), but maybe more importantly being present for official meetings teams can hold with potential draftees. Teams can host up to 45 players for 20 minutes at a time in suites at Lucas Oil Stadium. While coaches can take part in such meetings virtually, most generally prefer being in person.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Macdonald said. “(General manager) John (Schneider) and the guys have done a great job setting it up where our position coaches can kind of drive the interview. It’s funny each interview kind of takes on a form of itself and you think 20 minutes isn’t an optimum time for someone to get to know a player as well as you want, but it’s funny how much those personalities come out in that time.”
Macdonald has taken part in plenty of such interviews during his time as an assistant with the Baltimore Ravens for all but one season from 2014-23. But now he’s a head coach, which he said requires a more detached involvement.
“I did it as a position coach, I did it as a coordinator,” he said. “Now being a head coach, you’re taking a little bit more of a back seat, more of an observation role, just (a) different perspective. But obviously your role in terms of when you’re going to make decisions I carry (a) little bit more weight now than I did in years past.”
Macdonald: Calling plays went smoothly
The offseason has meant time for reflection for Macdonald on how his rookie season evolved. It was a year that featured a 3-0 start, losses in five of six, followed by wins in six of the final eight to finish 10-7 and just out of the playoffs.
Macdonald noted Wednesday he made some significant changes along the way that are likely to carry over into 2025.
He said he began the year spending significant time with the offense during the week. But he felt that helped lead to some of the defensive struggles at midseason, and he adjusted his schedule as the year went on, notably after the team’s midseason bye to assure he was giving the defense the attention it needed.
He also switched up some of the team’s schedule, notably changing the players’ day off from Monday to Tuesday.
One thing that didn’t change was Macdonald calling the plays on defense, something he said will continue in 2025, though with some minor refinements.
“I thought the process was pretty smooth,” he said. “… We did better as a defensive staff (as the year went on), and something where we want to be better at next year, of having more plays keyed up for the next series, where like, if you’re just calling the defensive plays, you can kind of tee some of those things up again.
“It’s just a process of sharing a vision of how we want to call the game, how we feel like we’re being attacked, the kind of leverage we can pull defensively. Of how we want to answer the bell. But I felt like we got better throughout the year, getting those things ready and communicated.”
Seahawks 15th in NFLPA rankings
The NFL Players Association released its annual team report cards on Wednesday, and the Seahawks were again in the middle of the pack overall — 15th compared to 14th in 2024, the first year of the grades.
The NFLPA asks players to grade teams on various categories, such as the training staff, travel, weight room, locker room, treatment of families and coaching.
The report noted the Seahawks have already begun to improve what players considered as the team’s biggest issue — its training room and hot tub.
The report summarized the Seahawks this way: “The Seahawks remain steady, ranking 15th this year, just slightly down from their 14th-place finish last season. New head coach Mike Macdonald receives strong reviews, with 100% of players agreeing he uses their time efficiently.
“The team made significant strides in family accommodations, improving their family treatment grade from a C last year to an A- this year, thanks to the introduction of a family room during games.
“At the time of the survey, players identified two key areas for improvement. Their top priority was upgrading the training room and expanding the available treatment modalities. The second concern was the tub room, as only about half of the players felt the current facilities were adequately sized. Following the survey, the team shared positive news: both the training room and tub room will be renovated, with completion set for this offseason.”
A team spokesman confirmed that the renovation is underway.
The training room received a C grade, 26th of 32 teams, and the training staff a B-minus, 23rd. The strength coaches received an A-minus, 11th.
They got a C-plus in ownership, 23rd in the NFL.
The report stated that “owner Jody Allen’s average rating for perceived willingness to invest in the facilities is 7.52 out of 10 from the Seahawks players, a ranking of 23 out of 32 owners in the league” and that “the players feel that Allen moderately contributes to a positive team culture, a rank of 21 out of 32.”
The report stated: “100% of Seahawks players feel their head coach Mike Macdonald is efficient with their time. He is one of six coaches across the league to receive a perfect score.” It also noted: “The players feel that Macdonald is moderately receptive to locker room feedback on the team’s needs, ranking him 21 of 32 head coaches in the league.”
They also received an A-minus for team travel, with the report stating, “98% of the Seahawks players believe they have a comfortable amount of personal space on team flights, ranking them 4 out of 32.”
The Seahawks have made changes in travel recently, using a bigger plane that allows most players first-class seating.
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