Looks like MacDonald will be the new HC

[c_hawkbob]

Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
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Sources: The #Seahawks are set to hire #Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Seattle was willing to wait for him if Baltimore made the Super Bowl.

Instead, their season ended last week and he takes a big-time job. He’s currently in Seattle on a 2nd interview.

[RiverDog]

Sorry, Cbob. Biggest Seahawks news since SB 49, so I got excited and didn't check to see that you started a thread.

I still would have preferred an offensive HC, but the more I read about this guy, the more I like him. Plus, having Pete in that corner basement office will be a good resource for him. The guy is younger than my daughter, quite a change from Pete. I'm excited!

[Spohawk5092]

Not surprised. Read an article today that said as much, pretty much down to this guy or Quinn.

[Spohawk5092]

I read just today it was pretty much this guy or Quinn.

[c_hawkbob]

Sorry, Cbob. Biggest Seahawks news since SB 49, so I got excited and didn't check to see that you started a thread.

I still would have preferred an offensive HC, but the more I read about this guy, the more I like him. Plus, having Pete in that corner basement office will be a good resource for him. The guy is younger than my daughter, quite a change from Pete. I'm excited!

No worries bud. Now Pelissero is saying we're signing him to a 6 year deal, hope we're willing to stick it out if we stumble for one of them. I hate being a team that hires a new HC every time things don't go just right.

[RiverDog]

No worries bud. Now Pelissero is saying we're signing him to a 6 year deal, hope we're willing to stick it out if we stumble for one of them. I being a team that hires a new HC every time things don't go just right.

Well, we both lamented the firing of Jim Mora using that logic. Just say'in.

[c_hawkbob]

Well, we both lamented the firing of Jim Mora using that logic. Just say'in.

And I'm still OK with that. Love that we hired Pete but that doesn't make it any less true that Mora was never given a real shot.

[Spohawk5092]

I'm stoked!!!

[Stream Hawk]

I love it. He and Ben Johnson were my targets throughout. I thought DQ was more of a retread, and we went in a new direction. Pete has some huge (white) shoes to fill, but I believe this guy can do it. He is innovative, Kryptonite to Shanny, and makes adjustments.

A new era has begun.

[curmudgeon]

Now the onus is on Schneider to provide the personnel required, which has been spotty. John on the hot seat……

[4XPIPS]

Wow! I have been calling for Mike MacDonald for quite sometime, and was always my first choice. However, to be honest I thought we would never get him because of the availability(or shall I say temporary) of recent OC's. If this does happen I would be so excited. Albeit he is young and a DC, he did work under both Harbaughs and that is some good HC you can learn from. I want to get back to an effective top tier defense, and an if we can pair him up with a solid OC I think we can certainly turn things around rather quick.

[RiverDog]

I'm wondering if he only became our first choice after Ben Johnson took his hat out of the ring.

Now, the mystery will be who he hires as his coordinators. I have to think that the OC job would be pretty attractive as they'd be running the show, calling the plays, etc. Mike Kafka, one of the candidates for the HC job, might want to come out here as our OC. The word is that he and Brian Daboll are at odds with each other. He'd have a free hand out here.

[RiverDog]

This is one of the reasons why I said that the players and coaches love the guy:

"I think [Macdonald is] the best candidate out there right now," Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen said this past season. "I don't think anybody does it like him. Nobody cares like him. Nobody will do what he does. He will not rest until he has everything right. Whoever gets him, if he leaves, they're getting the best candidate out there. The guy is all-around just the best person I've ever been around, coach-wise [and] person-wise. He really cares and truly cares about the players, the people around the organization and the fans."

[Spohawk5092]

This is one of the reasons why I said that the players and coaches love the guy:

"I think [Macdonald is] the best candidate out there right now," Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen said this past season. "I don't think anybody does it like him. Nobody cares like him. Nobody will do what he does. He will not rest until he has everything right. Whoever gets him, if he leaves, they're getting the best candidate out there. The guy is all-around just the best person I've ever been around, coach-wise [and] person-wise. He really cares and truly cares about the players, the people around the organization and the fans."

thats pretty high praise!

[Agent 86]

="c_hawkbob" Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
·
Follow
Sources: The #Seahawks are set to hire #Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Seattle was willing to wait for him if Baltimore made the Super Bowl.

Instead, their season ended last week and he takes a big-time job. He’s currently in Seattle on a 2nd interview.

Like most on here, very excited about this hire. So nice to go with someone so young and sounds like they gave him 6 years. He has alot of work to do to get things fixed up, I am not expecting a 1 year turnaround, but who knows in the NFL. Will be interesting now to see who he brings in to fill out his staff, especially the OC.

Great job by Schneider, first box is checked for him.

[Aseahawkfan]

This is probably the most excited I can possibly be for a new hire out of the all the candidates not named Jim Harbaugh.

MacDonald coached for both Harbaugh brothers and I'm assuming came highly recommended by both of them. John Harbaugh told his brother Jim that Mike MacDonald was going to be his new DC when Wink Martindale retired. Jim hired Mike on his brother John's recommendation. Sure enough, John brought him back when Wink retired. For the one year DC at Michigan he built one of the best defenses in the nation and the Ravens defenses have been good both years he was DC. So it makes sense to hire a defensive coach since defense seems to be our biggest problem.

Not sure how well he is schooled on offense other than stopping them. I'm sure he either has an OC in mind or John will help him find a good OC to work with. His offensive philosophy and ability to develop a QB are complete unknowns, though I'm sure he's heard from both the Harbaugh brothers this is a key factor in being head coach.

The man is young. John seems to have liked him. If this is who John is taking his shot with, I have to say I like it. If he thinks he can help Mike MacDonald assemble a good staff and Mike can get the defense turned around while maintaining a quality offense, could bode well for us.

This is a guy from the John Harbaugh coaching tree. Though Harbaugh isn't Mr. Super Bowl dominant, he generally fields competitive teams and has won a Super Bowl.

Be interesting to see how this guy does. Job number one is the get defense respectable again while not letting the offense fall off a cliff.

[Aseahawkfan]

No worries bud. Now Pelissero is saying we're signing him to a 6 year deal, hope we're willing to stick it out if we stumble for one of them. I hate being a team that hires a new HC every time things don't go just right.

Ruskell was a putz. We never should have hired Jim Mora Jr. to start with. Glad Allen fixed that quickly. I never liked Ruskell again after he messed up the Hutch deal. Such an egregious screw up that I'm surprised Ruskell survived it to hire Jim Mora.

If Riverdog had his way, we would never have hired Pete. He hated Pete, talked about him like you two talk about Jim Harbaugh. I still remember RD telling me Pete would run back to college in two years after the NCAA USC investigation was completed. RD said he was fleeing USC to escape NCAA sanctions. I never believed Paul Allen was stupid enough to fall for some slick salesman. Paul Allen wanted the best coach he could get and lured Pete from college because he was confident Pete could get the job done. That paid off big.

I hate seeing people hammer on a great coach for reasons other than their coaching ability.

I'm glad Paul Allen saw a dud coach early and swept Ruskell and his handpicked hire he could control out. Not Jim Mora's fault sure, but Ruskell hired him because he knew he had power over Mora. That's a bad reason to hire a head coach.

[jshawaii22]

Well, we blew it on not getting Harbaugh, but McDonald, the youngest coach in the NFL was DC for BOTH Harbaughs during his short career, so I guess that qualifies. Now that that's out of the way, we need to deal with finding a real QB guru OC and then drafting our new QB of the future.
I understand it's a rumor about Chip Kelly looking to vacate UCLA due to the school not having the NIL funds to recruit, but given his intimate knowledge of the Pac 10's QB's he wouldn't be the worst choice even if he is 10+ years older then the new coach. Not uncommon anymore, by the way.

[Agent 86]

One little interesting tidbit is Ravens LB Patrick Queen is a UFA this off season. He went 1 pick after we selected Jordyn Brooks, who is also a UFA. Possibly a replacement for Brooks? Or try to sign both? It would be one piece of the puzzle to fix the D. It appears Queen thrived this year under Macdonald in his contract year. He may want to follow Macdonald to Seattle.

[c_hawkbob]

Mike Macdonald on being the Seahawks new Head coach per John Boyle on Seahawks. Com.

"What an honor," Macdonald said after he and his wife, Stephanie, were greeted by team employees upon their arrival at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
"We are super excited to be here. Just getting to know John and the rest of the folks, the reputation of this place, what drew us here was the people. That's why we're here, to bring a championship back to Seattle and the 12s.
"We're going to have a lot of fun, we're going to work our tails off, and it's going to be an incredible ride. We're going to be here for a long time, and we're going to win a lot of football games."

Sounds like a young Pete Carroll to me.

[RiverDog]

There's been some speculation that one or two current coaches on the Ravens staff might follow Macdonald to Seattle:

Possible coaches who could follow Mike Macdonald to the Seahawks as OC/DC

OC:

- Tee Martin
- Greg Lewis

DC:

- Zach Orr
- Anthony Weaver
- Dennard Wilson

https://twitter.com/koestreicher34/stat ... _&ref_url=

Apparently, the Saints might be interested in Lewis becoming their OC, so now that his buddy Mac got the Seahawks job, is he going to be our new OC?

NFL Rumors: Saints Eye Greg Lewis as OC; Ravens Coach Won 2 Super Bowls with Chiefs

Two weeks after announcing Pete Carmichael Jr. wouldn't return in 2024, the New Orleans Saints are adding Baltimore Ravens wide receivers coach Greg Lewis to their list of offensive coordinator candidates.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/101 ... ith-chiefs

[RiverDog]

One little interesting tidbit is Ravens LB Patrick Queen is a UFA this off season. He went 1 pick after we selected Jordyn Brooks, who is also a UFA. Possibly a replacement for Brooks? Or try to sign both? It would be one piece of the puzzle to fix the D. It appears Queen thrived this year under Macdonald in his contract year. He may want to follow Macdonald to Seattle.

Well, we didn't pick up Brooks' 5th year option and he didn't do anything in 2023 that would make a person change their mind about him, so odds are that we won't offer him an extension. If Queen wants to come here, he'd be a welcome addition.

Just a FYI....PFF had Brooks ranked 69th out of 82 LB's who got the minimum number of snaps. Queen was ranked #23.

[Aseahawkfan]

Gonna be interesting. The more I read on him, the more I like since I prefer a tough defense.

Now just want to see who he gets as his OC. That will tell us something about his offensive philosophy. A little surprised John went this young, but everything I'm reading is this guy wants to be a great head coach and lives for football. He's not Josh McDaniels either who calls what Bill B tells him to call. He ran the defense in Baltimore and knows how to call a defense and make adjustments.

So far, I'm feeling positive. I love having a hard defense in Seattle. Nothing makes me happier than seeing another team shutdown with the 12s bringing the noise.

I will be absolutely giddy if he rebuilds the front seven into a hard unit that crushes people again.

[RiverDog]

Outside of a handful of fans who thought that we should have hired Hairball, I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about this hire.

Having Pete in the building is going to be a huge plus for Macdonald, not because he'll be of much help in the X's and O's as Pete's style has definitely gone out of vogue and Mcdonald knows how to run a defense, but Pete has acquired a lot of knowledge about the other players and coaches around the league that should prove to be invaluable. As sharp as he is, he's still just 36 years old and has a lot to learn about coaching in the NFL, and Pete will be like Yoda was to Luke Skywalker.

We'll see if Seattle is a preferred destination or not. This guy Greg Lewis should be a good test. He'd be a perfect fit for OC. If he chooses NOLA over the Hawks, then it will say something about our attractiveness to other players and coaches.

The other thing that will be interesting will be Macdonald's game management philosophy. Will he rely on Analytics like the other young coaches tend to do and pass up a 46 yd FG on 4th and 3 and opt for a 50/50 ball 30 yards downfield? Or, will he be more conservative like Pete has been?

Oh, and BTW, we need to get used to the correct spelling of his last name. It's "Macdonald", with a lower case 'D' starting the 2nd syllable.

[mykc14]

Could Eric Bieniemy be a candidate for our OC position? Dan Quinn had his most success with Kyle Shanahan as his OC, is he going to look to one of his guys in Washington, freeing up Bieniemy???

[RiverDog]

Could Eric Bieniemy be a candidate for our OC position? Dan Quinn had his most success with Kyle Shanahan as his OC, is he going to look to one of his guys in Washington, freeing up Bieniemy???

There's something about Bienemy that's scaring teams off. He's been up for HC openings for several years yet no one has bit. He has had some brushes with the law, but that was decades ago, so there has to be something that's holding him back. He wasn't even mentioned in this latest head coaching sweepstakes.

One of the raps on him was that he was just piggy backing off of Andy Reid, and his move to the Commanders was done in order for him to create his own offense, but that didn't work out so well as Washington was ranked 24th in total yards, 25th in total points while his quarterback, Sam Howell, was one of the worst rated QB's in the league, throwing as many interceptions as TD's.

Edit: Here's an article that discusses a few of the issues surrounding Bienemy:

Another missed opportunity proves Chiefs were right about Eric Bieniemy

The Kansas City Chiefs let Eric Bieniemy walk with the hopes that getting out from under Andy Reid's shadow would put him under the spotlight. Bieniemy signed on as the new Washington Commanders offensive coordinator just last offseason. When Ron Rivera was fired, Bieniemy was granted an interview he'd earned the hard way.

However, it's become clear that for some reasons teams do not view him as a top-tier coaching candidate despite his experience with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, and now Sam Howell in Washington. What gives?

As Dean Jones of Riggo's Rag noted, Bieniemy's tenure with the Commanders hasn't gone completely according to plan:

"Bieniemy reportedly rubbed some players the wrong way with his high demands and tough-nosed approach. There was a clear unwillingness to alter his methods - ones that had been so successful throughout his coaching career. More importantly, the Commanders' offense lacked balance and stuttered - especially over the second half of 2023."

What worked in Kansas City didn't have the same impact with the Commanders, and it's fair to wonder if Bieniemy's window as a possible head coach is closing altogether. Thus far, he either hasn't been given a fair shake or has failed at various points in the interview process.

Bieniemy was overlooked for gigs when his stock was highest, notably during his time with the Chiefs. Because he worked closely with Reid, some front offices didn't give him the necessary credit for the Chiefs success on the offensive side of the ball. Instead, Reid received the hype. Yet, in Matt Nagy's first year as OC, Kansas City's offense hasn't quite looked the same.

Hopefully Bieniemy receives his chance one day, but for now there's a reason the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl without him.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/an ... dea6&ei=36

[c_hawkbob]

Hearing Ryan Grubb rumors for OC.

[Agent 86]

Hearing Ryan Grubb rumors for OC.

Good find C_bob. Found this article linked below.

https://footballscoop.com/news/ryan-grubb-a-reportedly-a-candidate-for-seahawks-offensive-coordinator-opening

[Stream Hawk]

That would be excellent! I bet he still has a house here. But his schemes are pretty next-level innovative, something I've been waiting to see for years. Perhaps we would somehow land Penix with that hire; I've seen his draft status as mid-first to not drafted.

Grubb would also screw over coach DeBoer (I'm still bitter).

[Aseahawkfan]

After listening to the press conference, sounds like this is the guy John wanted. I figured he was waiting for either Detroit OC Johnson or Mike Mac. Mike Mac was the guy. If Quinn were the guy, he would have hired him earlier. That became apparent the longer John waited to hire someone.

Press conference was good. I like this guy. He isn't like Hackett. Quieter man than Pete. Family oriented and has a clear partnership with a supportive wife. Respectful of the organization and opportunity.

After this press conference, I like this hire. This guy doesn't seem like a talker, he's a doer. He wants things done like he wants. He seems to have an idea of what he wants and it meshes with what John wants.

Damn. I am really starting to like this hire. This guy seems serious. He studies the game extensively.

[RiverDog]

Damn. I am really starting to like this hire. This guy seems serious. He studies the game extensively.

He graduated summa cum laude from UGA with a bachelor's in finance and a master's in sports management. That doesn't necessarily translate into being a good football coach, but it does show that he's no dummy and speaks to his work ethic.

Next to Eric Bienemy, of whom I know enough about to know that I don't want him, I know next to nothing about Grubbs or any of the other candidates whose names have been bandied about.

[Aseahawkfan]

This guy definitely has head coach demeanor. This is not at all like I felt when I listened to Hackett. I can see why John Schneider was waiting to interview this guy. He screams head coach material, serious about football, and understands what the head coach position entails and how to build a good football team. It was all about team, putting players in position to succeed, and tailoring offense and defensive schemes around player capabilities. Nothing about following hot hands or that kind of trash. There was a standard that needed to be set, accountability, and building trust between coaches and players so players understand the coaches have what is best in mind for them while having a high expectation for success and teamwork towards a goal.

I think John is taking his shot with a young unproven head coach with a lot of potential that seems ready to take that next step. Very solid hire. After listening to him, he would have probably been number 2 on my list after Jim Harbaugh. He projects very well for what you are looking for in a head coach. If the press conference went this well, I bet the behind closed doors interview was even better.

Now I'm interested to see how John works in free agency and the draft with full control. My feeling has always been Pete drove all the strange trades and focus on players with a high SPARQ score. I'm hoping John is more interested in proven performance with fewer high risk-high reward types of players. I'd rather a middle risk-middle to high reward player in the early rounds unless you have an obvious great player there like a Spoon.

[RiverDog]

The draft is nearly 3 months away. The next step is filling out the coaching staff.

After he assembles his staff, he's going to have some decisions to make as to whom on our roster he keeps, which free agents he resigns, and which UFA's he goes after in free agency. My guess is that they'll be a pretty big turnover, although not as much as there was when Pete first took over. Once that's done, then we can start thinking about the draft. Both he and JS have their work cut out for them.

[Agent 86]

Linky to the presser......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpaIHnhjRZ8

[Rambo2014]

Just a reminder boys!

Its still boils down to the Xs and Os and the Ws and Ls

So you have an new piece of jewelry? Now what? LOL

Yawn

GO RAMS

[Spohawk5092]

Just a reminder boys!

Its still boils down to the Xs and Os and the Ws and Ls

So you have an new piece of jewelry? Now what? LOL

Yawn

GO RAMS

slow day in smell A today? lol

[c_hawkbob]

So we interviewed Chip Kelly for OC last night. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sea ... nator-job/

[Oly]

So we interviewed Chip Kelly for OC last night. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sea ... nator-job/

If they want to kick the tires and see if he has come to some sort of "aha" moment as to why he failed in his first stint in the NFL, then okay. As I said earlier, Pete had this same path and it worked for him. But Pete was by far the exception and not the rule. I'm not interested in anything resembling Kelly's first stint in the pros, and the odds suggest that he's more likely to suck this time than he is to turn it around.

I've liked the process thus far, and if they hire him I'll give JS the benefit of the doubt, but not for long if Kelly reverts to his old production levels.

[c_hawkbob]

I'm no fan of Kelly either, don't like the position his quick strike offenses leave the defense in when they don't succeed. But I also recognize that he could have adjusted that philosophy some by now. Hopefully this is just due diligence.

Also reading that we're talking with Cowboy D-line coach about our DC position: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/101 ... n%20Dallas.

[Oly]

I'm no fan of Kelly either, don't like the position his quick strike offenses leave the defense in when they don't succeed. But I also recognize that he could have adjusted that philosophy some by now. Hopefully this is just due diligence.

I'm less concerned about that part, which was a problem when he was a head coach. Even though Macdonald has said he'd give playcalling duties to the OC, being a defense guy I'm sure he'd say "you can call the plays, but the tempo is my call to protect the defense."

I'm more worried about how Kelly would often get too cute for his own good and end up with a ton of 3-and-outs. I want a saner, pro-style offense that doesn't try to win on the back of explosive plays alone or on hoping that the defense is confused by misdirection. A disciplined, smart defense will shut down Kelly's offense so I'd want to see that he's modified his playcalling to rely on building steady drives.