Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll put together the best defense in modern NFL history and then kept his team competitive for several more years after the band broke up. Carroll deserves all the credit in the world for making Seattle relevant in this league and he'll no doubt earn his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day.
All that being said, the Seahawks front office made the right move to go in a different direction this offseason. As much as players enjoyed Carroll's care-free, let them be themselves kind of style, this team needed a boost of discipline - and that's exactly what they're getting from new head coach Mike Macdonald.
Earlier this week cornerback Tre Brown was a guest on Seattle Sports radio and he explained how Macdonald runs a much tighter ship at his practices.
"We got a little less leeway, I'll tell you that. He'll make us re-start a play 4 times. He don't really care about none of that so it makes guys lock in. We hold each other accountable right then and there."
Good stuff. While Carroll got guys fired up and playing with a sense of urgency and fun, he also allowed them too much leeway. During the peak Legion of Boom years the team frequently led the league in penalties, a problem that persisted even into last season, when they drew the fifth-most flags in the NFL.
The details matter and the more that Macdonald gets this team focused like they need to be the more competitive they will be against the contenders that have been pounding them the last several years.
Brown himself seems to be responding well to the tighter reins. Reports coming out of training camp have been overwhelmingly positive on his work at left cornerback, where he's projected to start as Devon Witherspoon takes over full-time in the slot. Brown has been targeted frequently and has matched up one-on-one with all of Seattle's best receivers and held his own.
