Preparation is the key to success, but not everyone or every team prepares the same way. In the Pete Carroll era, the Seattle Seahawks sometimes broke the rules and had too much contact in pre-training camp activities, but they rarely had contact with another team until the preseason.
Carroll eschewed joint practices. Maybe he did not want another team to figure out what his team was planning on doing heading into a new season, or perhaps he simply did not want to expose presumed starters to potential injury.
The considerable difference between preseason games and joint practices is how much the starters play. Preseason games are more like glorified practices, except they mostly feature backups versus backups. The games are great opportunities for players hanging on to the bottom of a roster to prove their worth.
Seahawks and Packers to hold a joint practice ahead of preseason Week 3
Joint practices do not allow for scheming against an opponent, but that is not the point. Coaches want to see how their teams will do in certain situations, and many times, the players involved are starters. Instead of going up against one's own team, where everyone knows what to expect, practicing against another team opens up fresh possibilities for making different decisions.
Mike Macdonald took over as the Seahawks' head coach after the 2023 season, and he is clearly a fan of joint practices. Seattle held one last year against the Tennessee Titans in the days before the teams played in the preseason.
Macdonald and his team will have another joint practice in 2025, but the scenario is relatively the same. According to Matt Schneidman, a Packers beat reporter for The Athletic, the Seahawks and Green Bay will hold a joint practice ahead of preseason Week 3. That game will also feature Seattle playing the Packers in Green Bay.
The game might be mostly meaningless. In the final preseason game, hardly any presumed starters will have a rep. There is certainly no need to risk the players getting hurt. The joint practice will allow each team's starters to see how they match up against their opponents.
With good luck, the Seahawks and Packers will battle for a playoff spot this coming season. This means the teams will see quality take on quality. There will be no real score, and the practices won't be structured like a game, but if Seattle does well, confidence will build.
No matter what, Pete Carroll is clearly long removed from the Seahawks. Mike Macdonald runs the on-field show, which should mean good things for the franchise in the future.
