Mike Macdonald Bringing 'Military Mindset' to Seattle Seahawks

New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has a different approach to coaching than the franchise's long-time leader, Pete Carroll. The players are embracing it.

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Michael Macdonald walks off the field after training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

For 14 years, Pete Carroll established a culture within the Seattle Seahawks organization that was built on competition, positive reinforcement and dedicated connections with his players.

As with any head coaching change, the culture is going to shift. Not inherently for better or worse, but it will be different. With an offseason program and eight training camp practices in the books, Seattle’s current players are beginning to understand Mike Macdonald’s coaching philosophy and expectations.

“I’m learning [Macdonald] has a very, like, almost military mindset. There’s this joke that we always say ‘Hoo-ah’ when he says something. That’s an Army thing. But I think he does a great job of holding guys accountable. And I think that’s what’s really needed right now,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams told reporters post-practice on Thursday. “There are a lot of new guys on the team. It’s a new staff. So we’re kind of trying to create a new identity. And in doing that, you really have to have guys, as players and coaches, to set the standard. And if guys aren’t reaching that standard, you have to hold them accountable to raise to that standard.”

Williams, who was traded to the Seahawks mid-season last year from the New York Giants, certainly didn’t have nearly as much experience under Carroll as, say, Tyler Lockett, Jarran Reed or DK Metcalf, but he did get a taste of the legendary Seattle coach’s expectations.

Anytime a long-time coach is removed, there’s a shockwave that ripples through the organization. That was immediately apparent when Macdonald first took the reins, removing many fixtures inside the VMAC that became staples during Carroll’s tenure — to the ire of some fans and media members.

But it was clear, as a first-time head coach, Macdonald wanted a clean slate, and that should be welcomed if fans, players and coaches want the new regime to be set up for success. Macdonald can respect the franchise’s history while beginning to build his own legacy. The same can be said for his coaching style.

“It’s always an adjustment when you’ve had two different head coaches, honestly, but also, their styles were pretty different,” Williams added. “I only had Pete Carroll for not too long, so it’s hard for me to compare because I was only with him for eight weeks. We’re trying to hold guys accountable this year. We’re trying to make sure everyone rises to that level.”

To the public eye, Macdonald's changes are as granular as wearing game-like jerseys during practice. It's a small adjustment that could have a much larger impact if the players buy in. Internally, of course the players are being taught the game in a different way.

Lockett, who is the longest-tenured current Seahawks player and is entering his 10th season since being drafted by the team in 2015, agreed there has been a shift.

“It’s a little different. I mean, it’s still kind of trying to get into what it’s going to be like, but I mean, for the most part, it’s different. It feels different,” Lockett said on Monday. “We just got to continue to adapt and continue to learn each other. But I think so far practices have been great.”

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) carries the ball after making a catch during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Williams said his thought on Macdonald’s “military mindset” came from the team’s time spent at Joint Base Lewis-Mchord in June, as well as when the Blue Angels — a flight demonstration squadron of the U.S. Navy — visited the team at training camp on Wednesday, July 31.

Macdonald was “really inspired” by what he heard from both those experiences, Williams said, as was the team.

“We kind of held on to certain things that they pointed out to our team. Some of the similarities that they have in the Army, and military and similarities through football, that crossover,” he added. “So I think the guys have been doing a good job taking those words and combining it with what we do.”

Accountability has been a theme mentioned by multiple players throughout training camp thus far. It’s something Macdonald stresses and, while Carroll wasn’t devoid of accountability, he certainly had a different way of enforcing it.

It’s football. There are plenty of methods to motivate players to be at their best and to make the locker room morph into a family, with some having a higher degree of success. Carroll’s philosophy was very effective in the early 2010s, and that resulted in the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl victory. Now, Macdonald is trying to lay the groundwork for his tenure.

“We have this motto called ‘make it right,’” Williams added. “On the field, if you jump offsides, how are you going to make it right? You are going to have to get a sack or a TFL the next drive or on that same drive, something like that … I think those are small ways of how we’re trying to hold guys accountable.”