Seahawks fans got their first look at new head coach Mike Madonald's defense in Saturday night's preseason win over Jim Harbaugh's Chargers. Any victory over Harbaugh is satisfying, but this one was especially so thanks to an exceptional performance by the defense, especially the starting unit that got a few series in the first quarter.
In just a matter of three hours, all the glowing anecdotes and high expectations stemming from this offseason's big change at the top of the organization came into focus. You can love what Pete Carroll did for this franchise while recognizing that his game had gone stale and the Seahawks needed a sharp young schematic mastermind to keep pace in the NFC West, which already features two of the greatest young coaches in the league in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, who are both under 45 years old.
It was only one preseason game, but it's also clear that Macdonald knows what he's doing and his young defense is buying in. This reflects the most recent reporting coming out of the building, courtesy of Gregg Bell at the Tacoma News Tribune, who says players are beyond impressed with the job Macdonald is doing.
What keeps standing out to me each day of this #Seahawks preseason:
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 12, 2024
Mike Macdonald is supremely intelligent. He is thinking 3 steps ahead, at all times. His leadership principles, for never having been a head coach: extraordinary.
The players I talk to are beyond impressed.
So far, so good. Macdonald's next test will come later this week as his team participates in two joint practices with the Tennessee Titans ahead of Saturday's preseason matchup.
