Seattle Seahawks Front Office Adjusts Seamlessly With New Coaching Staff

Despite never having a new head coach since general manager John Schneider took the job in 2010, the Seahawks' front office has adjusted well to a new staff.

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald speaks with reporters following the team's second open OTA practice. /

The Seattle Seahawks have been a model of both consistency and continuity since the 2010 season. Having your head coach and front office stay in place for that long allows you to have a great level of communication and understanding of how to build a team.

The Seahawks saw a high level of success during Pete Carroll's tenure with a record of 137-89-1 during that time. It was impressive, but the last three years of his tenure saw a shift with just a 25-26 record and no playoff wins. That led to both sides parting ways, but the front office remained intact with John Schneider at the helm.

After the coaching change this offseason, the front office has rolled with the punches with Mike Macdonald and company taking the reins from Carroll.Vice President of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner spoke with our Corbin Smith about that challenge and how Carroll factors in on the Locked On Seahawks podcast.

"I think it kind of takes me back to 2010 when Pete [Carroll] came in, came in with him [Schneider], you got to just learn the coaches, figure out what they're asking each person, position to do on the team. And they have to communicate really well to us in order to get an idea of what the responsibilities are of each player, each position on the field. So just really getting to know them is the biggest thing. And how they're going to coach and what responsibilities each player has."

- Trent Kirchner

It does help that the front office has built a relationship from the ground up with Carroll since they came into the organization together. They can get it done, plus they have continued to get to know numerous assistants over the last 14 seasons.

One other element that Kirchner mentioned when talking with Smith is how consistent Schneider is with his process, which has been critical in the Seahawks' success.

"I think that's one of the great things about John is just, he's so consistent. He is who he is each and every day. Not too high, not too low. And he's consistently trying to be innovative and come up with new ideas, whether it's analytics, telemetry, the game speed stuff, anything we can do to get better each and every day, that's what he wants us to do. So I can't say he's changed a whole lot as a person. I think the process has changed through the years and I think analytics and the telemetry stuff - a lot of that stuff has brought the most change to scouting."

- Trent Kirchner

The biggest thing with building a team is consistency. Having a good and consistent process is really important, even if the results don't always hit. It's okay to slightly adjust your process with new data as Kirchner mentions, but how thorough you are should never waver and that is pivotal.

The Seahawks' front office is in great position to build a great relationship with new coach in Macdonald, and if the past few months have been any indication, Kirchner and his peers have done a fine job acclimating to what the new staff wants personnel wise. It will be interesting to see how free agency and draft moves play out on the field this fall as a result.