Principles Emerging For Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald's Team-Building Philosophy

Exuding toughness, physicality, and elite work ethic, a trio of offensive players with a special teams background have caught the attention of Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald.

Aug 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) celebrates with teammates after making a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

RENTON, Wash. - Toeing the line in his first training camp as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald has been quite guarded when presented the opportunity to praise his players during press conferences and interviews.

Most notably, Macdonald has been watchful when it comes to being too complimentary about young players such as second-year cornerback Devon Witherspoon and first-round pick Byron Murphy II, making sure to consistently point out that they have much room for improvement and that he doesn't want too much reverence to go to their heads.

But if there has been a theme that has risen to the surface over the past three-plus weeks, Macdonald has a specific set of principles that he isn't afraid to gush about publicly. Players who embody the mentality, toughness, and work ethic he demands from everyone on his team and demonstrate the ability to contribute beyond offense or defense will be far more likely to have a bone thrown their way from the podium.

On Monday, Macdonald waxed lyrical - at least by his standards - about three players in particular who had stood out in camp and Saturday's preseason opening win over the Chargers checking off those criteria, starting with running back George Holani. The undrafted rookie out of Boise State continued his strong August with an 11-yard touchdown run, but his coach was much more excited about a play where he didn't have the football in his hands and dished out a punishing lead block for Dee Eskridge on a jet sweep that netted 22 yards.

"The most excited I got during the game was on that sweep to Dee Eskridge," Macdonald said. "That's the type of plays we want. That was big time. Art of contact on that play."

Since the pads came out in late July, Holani has been a frequent standout on the practice field thanks to his tenacity and physical approach. Beyond trucking defenders as he did to fellow rookie Nehemiah Pritchett and showing off soft hands out of the backfield as a receiver, he's consistently held his own in 1-on-1 pass protection drills against linebackers and made several nice blitz pickups in Saturday's victory.

As a cherry on top in regard to Macdonald's wish list, Holani pitched in with a tackle in kick coverage on special teams, where different personnel may be deployed with new rules in place this year. Every opportunity he has had so far, he has taken full advantage, pushing him into a tight competition against second-year back Kenny McIntosh for third down duties.

Away from Holani, Macdonald also diverted from his usual press conference playbook by calling third-year receiver Dareke Young the "silent assassin" and praising versatile tight end Brady Russell, applauding both players for their all-around game and willingness to get down and dirty as a blocker on the outside and on special teams.

In Saturday's victory, Young led Seattle with three receptions for 44 yards, including producing the team's longest play of the day on a 26-yard catch from Sam Howell. But Macdonald's eyes gravitated to the former seventh-round pick's key blocks in the run game and opening up a seam for Laviska Shenault on an explosive 44-yard kick return.

"I know I always talk about the offensive line driving our offense, but it's also a wide receiver driven scheme for years," Macdonald explained. "If you have guys that can block at the point of attack, run the entire route tree, play the different positions, be able to handle the ball, block on the perimeter, it really opens up all your options. Pleased with how Dareke blocked and he made some great plays down the field as well. I was more fired up about the blocking at the point of attack frankly."

As for Russell, the Seahawks signed him off the Eagles practice squad last September and he immediately surfaced as one of their best special teams players. Suiting up for 15 games after coming to town, per Pro Football Focus, he tied for fourth on the team with six solo tackles in kick and punt coverage and wasn't charged with a single missed tackle.

With the arrival of free agent Pharaoh Brown and fourth-round pick AJ Barner, Russell entered camp with his roster spot on tenuous ground. However, he has risen to the occasion with the added competition, consistently showing off his hands as a receiver and filling the role of chess piece as a move tight end in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense.

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Brady Russell (38) catches a pass during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

In Saturday's exhibition opener, Russell opened the scoring for the Seahawks, taking a quick pivot route from Howell and breaking multiple tackles as he rumbled into the end zone. He finished with three catches for 25 yards on three targets, and though he didn't have a tackle on special teams as Young and Holani did, Macdonald views him as a cornerstone in that phase of the game.

"Another guy on the team that you just love his mentality, his work ethic. You guys get bored of me talking about special teams, but I mean this guy carries the torch for us on special teams, especially for Jay [Harbaugh]," Macdonald said of Russell. "Very pleased with where he's at. He can play all phases. He can play different spots, tight end, move him around so gives you flexibility there. I'm just more happy with his mentality and his toughness."

For Macdonald's new team to get back into contention in the NFC, like any Super Bowl hopeful, the Seahawks will have to be carried by their stars. Quarterback Geno Smith will have to shine with his bevy of weapons on the outside behind a new-look offensive line, while Witherspoon and Murphy will be called upon as foundational pieces on a defense that will be aiming to turn the corner after finishing 25th in points allowed last year. They will only go as far as those high profile names can lead them.

But at the same time, championship teams have to have junkyard dogs who excel as valuable role players and get the job done on special teams. As cut down day approaches on August 27, given Macdonald's willingness to speak highly of each of them in areas of clear importance for Seattle, Holani, Young, and Russell look to be meeting those criteria and then some, positioning them to not only make the final roster, but be key contributors once the season begins next month.