The Seattle Seahawks took a huge chance this offseason. The team decided to move on from long-term head coach Pete Carroll and replace him with another defensive-minded coach, Mike Macdonald. Carroll's defenses had become some of the worst in the NFL, had tackling issues, and couldn't stop the run.
The problem is that while Macdonald had fantastic defenses with the Baltimore Ravens when he was the defensive coordinator there, was his success mostly due to the excellence of his players or the design of his scheme? One thing is certain. Macdonald's scheme has not worked with the Seahawks so far.
In fact, Seattle has the same problems this year that they had when Carroll was the head coach. The defense has tackling issues, cannot stop the run, and doesn't get enough consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Through six games, Seattle has allowed the same amount of average yards per play (5.5) as they did in 2023. The Seahawks are giving up more points per game than last year as well - 25.0 in 2024 and 23.6 in 2023. That last part is the case, even though Seattle started the season by facing three teams with extremely limited offenses. In the last three games, Seattle has allowed an average of 35.6 points per game.
Has Seattle had injury concerns? Sure. The same was true last year as well when the team lost Uchenna Nwosu in Week 7, to name one.
Plus, while Devon Witherspoon was expected to blossom in Macdonald's scheme, he was better as a rookie under Carroll. Boye Mafe had nine sacks last year and is on pace for 8.5 this year. At least Derick Hall has been better, though Jarran Reed has been worse.
There might be a bigger issue afoot than just the defense, however. Under Carroll, one rarely heard of players feeling as if the team could not come from behind to win games and certain relationships between key players appearing to break down. During the end of the Legion of Boom, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas complained about Carroll, but overall the team never seemed to stop believing.
After Seattle lost to the New York Giants in Week 5, Leonard Williams said he was "tired of seeing the guys lose confidence throughout the game." Under Carroll, the team came from behind to win games a lot. In 2023, quarterback Geno Smith led the league in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks. That doesn't happen if the team doesn't believe in itself.
So what happened? What approach is Macdonald taking so that players are beginning to notice other players losing hope? This implies if Seattle doesn't get off to a fast start, players will begin to give up a little. That certainly didn't happen under Carroll.
This is not to say that Macdonald will not be successful. He is a first-time head coach and might just need time to settle into the job. That doesn't help the Seahawks now, however. The truth is that Seattle is most likely no better off with Macdonald at this point than they would have been under Pete Carroll.
