New Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald got a ringing endorsement from one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history.
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Matt Hasselbeck, a former three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with Seattle, was on hand for Thursday’s joint practice in Nashville between the Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. As he detailed Friday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Hasselbeck said he met Macdonald for the first time on Thursday and was impressed by the 37-year-old coach’s overall approach and demeanor.
“He’s a first-time head coach,” Hasselbeck said. “This is the first time that this coaching staff has been together. They’re on the road for like four or five days in Nashville, Tennessee, which isn’t easy to do. And I just appreciated his organized approach. He’s not too high or too low.”
During his conversation with Macdonald, Hasselbeck said the first-time NFL head coach was laser-focused on areas where his team needs to improve.
“I gave him a couple things that I was impressed with,” Hasselbeck. “And he said, ‘We have a lot of work to do.’ Even though the (preseason opener against the) Chargers went pretty well for them in a lot of ways, I think he’s looking for like, ‘Hey, how can we do pregame better? How can we do everything better? How can we do our halftime better?’
“He’s very excited about some of the things that they have (and) he understands where they need to get better.”
Hasselbeck then dished out what’s becoming a familiar comparison in the football world, describing Macdonald as the defensive version of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay. The 38-year-old McVay has developed a reputation as one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL, while Macdonald has quickly earned a reputation as one of the top defensive minds after his success as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator.
“He reminds me of a young version of a defensive Sean McVay vibe,” Hasselbeck said. “Probably less caffeinated than Sean McVay, but there’s something special there. You definitely can tell that he has it.”
Carroll’s fingerprints still there
The Seahawks’ decision to hire Macdonald this past January came after they made the stunning move to part ways with longtime head coach Pete Carroll, who guided Seattle to its greatest heights in franchise history during his legendary 14 seasons at the helm.
While plenty there are no shortage of changes and differences with the Seahawks under Macdonald, Hasselbeck said he thinks some of Carroll’s impact remains – particularly the fiery competition and never-ending energy that became staples of the program he ran in Seattle.
“I think Pete’s fingerprints are still on it,” said Hasselbeck, who helped deliver the first of Carroll’s 10 playoff wins with the Seahawks as the team’s quarterback in 2010. “The joyful energy, especially on the defensive side of the ball – or just the confidence and sort of like that moment of truth, like, ‘No, this ball is mine’ that you see from the guys on the offensive side of the ball – that competitiveness, that’s like Pete Carroll stuff to me.
“So like the fingerprints were still kind of there. But it’s almost like you get the benefits of all that like identity that’s still there, and yet there’s like a new fresh approach.”
