In case you haven’t noticed, there is a new sheriff in town with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. ESPN’s Brady Henderson just dropped a riveting longform story on the differences in Macdonald and the Pete Carroll era in Seattle.
One of the biggest changes is how the two coaches choose to hold players accountable. Macdonald threatened to cut an out-of-shape Seahawks player after failing an intense conditioning test during training camp.
“‘Macdonald was pissed,’ a source close to a player said,” Henderson wrote in the September 25, 2024, article titled, “How Mike Macdonald is guiding the Seahawks post-Pete Carroll.”
“Macdonald chewed out the players individually, according to a team source and a source close to a player, and then brought up the issue in front of the rest of the team in order to drive the point home: You owe it to everyone else to show up in shape,” Henderson continued.
“He told at least one of the players that he’d have been cut on the spot if not for the guaranteed money in his contract, another source close to one of them said.”
Mike Macdonald Got Onto to Seahawks Players for Skipping Signing Autographs for Fans: Insider
Heavy on Seahawks Mike Macdonald is bringing accountability to the Seattle Seahawks.
The ESPN report did not specify who the player was, but it is safe to assume the player got in better shape. As the Seahawks approach the one-month mark of the season, Macdonald has yet to lose as the team’s head coach.
Seattle is about to face much more of a test with upcoming games against the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. The Seahawks are hoping this new approach can lead to sustained success. During a training camp practice, Macdonald chastised a group of players for not signing autographs for fans.
“One such moment came at the end of a practice early in training camp, when Macdonald saw a group of young players heading inside in defiance of instructions to sign autographs,” Henderson noted. “He caught up to one of them and gave him an earful, sternly ordering an undrafted rookie to the berm across the field, where fans were waiting.
“… Those who played for Carroll and worked under him say they never saw him dole out discipline that way, even behind the scenes.”
What Happened to Pete Carroll?
Heavy on Seahawks Former Seattle Seahawks Pete Carroll is not ready to coach again.
In addition to the differing styles, the other thing that is clear is that Carroll is no longer involved with the team. As Heavy Sports took a look at weeks ago, Carroll revealed he is not working with the Seahawks despite the team initially insisting he would be an advisor. Carroll admitted he does not have a desire to coach right now and has been focused on spending time with his family along with non-football interests.
“I could coach tomorrow,” Carroll said during an August 20, interview with interview with KJR Seattle’s Dave “Softy” Mahler and Doug Baldwin. “I’m physically in the best shape I’ve been in in a long time. I’m ready to do all the activities I’m doing and feeling really good about it.
“I could [coach], but I’m not really desiring it at this point. This isn’t the coaching [hiring] season. We’ll see what happens. I’m not really waiting on it at all. I’m going ahead. I’ve got other things that I want to do that I’m excited about.”
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