Tag: Pete Carroll

Seahawks fans react to news Mike Macdonald will be new head coach

Here’s how 12s are reacting to the news on Twitter.

The Seahawks got their guy. After waiting three weeks for the Ravens to get bounced from the playoffs, they are hiring Baltimore’s 36-year old defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their next head coach. He’s going to be here a while too, as NFL Network is reporting he’s signing a six-year deal.

Macdonald was arguably the best defensive playcaller in the league this season, which should help this current Seattle team where they need it most. Despite having talent at all three levels, they got disappointing results on this side of the ball in 2023. Let’s see how fans are taking the news.

Here’s how 12s are reacting to the news on Twitter.

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Seahawks giving Mike Macdonald a 6-year deal as their head coach

According to Tom Pelissero at NFL Network, Macdonald is getting a six-year deal with Seattle.

The Seahawks have a new head coach. News just broke that the team is expected to hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to replace Pete Carroll, although the deal is not officially official as of yet.

According to Tom Pelissero at NFL Network, Macdonald is getting a six-year deal with Seattle.

Macdonald got his first coaching gig at the high school level, serving as linebackers and running backs coach for Cedar Shoals in Georgia. From there he moved up to Georgia as a graduate assistant, then two years as their defensive quality control assistant.

In 2014 he got his first job in the NFL as a coaching intern with the Ravens. From there, he worked his way up to defensive assistant, then defensive backs coach, then linebackers coach. In 2021 he spent a year under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan as his defensive coordinator, then he returned and spent the last two seasons as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator.

At just 36 years old, Maconald is now the youngest head coach in the league.

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Seahawks to hire former Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as their new head coach

The Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald to be their new head coach, and to fix a defense that lost its way. They got the right guy.

In 2010. the Seattle Seahawks hired Pete Carroll, a defensive mastermind, to be their new head coach.

14 years later, the Seattle Seahawks have hired another defensive mastermind to replace Carroll.

Mike Macdonald, the former Baltimore Ravens and Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator, was tabbed for the job right around the time he flew to Seattle for his second interview with general manager John Schneider, per multiple reports.

It’s a massive hire for a team that had absolutely lost its way on defense under Carroll and former defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt. Last season, the Seahawks ranked 28th in Defensive DVOA, a number once thought impossible under Carroll in the Legion of Boom days. But bad draft picks and free-agent signings on that side of the ball, as well as a lack of coaching oversight, left Seattle’s defense in a bad way.

That will certainly change now. The Ravens finished their 2023 season ranked first in Defensive DVOA, and it was the ways in which Macdonald was able to raise the profiles of relatively unknown players that pushed him into status as perhaps the most coveted coach in this hiring cycle.

The 36-year-old Macdonald becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL, and he’s exactly half Pete Carroll’s age. He began his coaching career at Cedar Shoals High School in Georgia in 2008 as a running backs/linebackers coach, and then became a member of the Ravens’ coaching staff in 2014 as a coaching intern after four years on the Georgia Bulldogs’ staff. He worked with the Ravens as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach before becoming Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021, and then, Baltimore’s defensive coordinator in 2022.

Seahawks interviewing Ravens DC Mike Macdonald again today

Apparently they liked Macdonald enough to invite him for a second interview today in Seattle…

After three weeks of high drama and speculation, the search to replace Pete Carroll and find the next Seahawks head coach may be drawing to a close.

Seattle waited until after the Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs in order to interview their sharp young defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, which they did on Tuesday. Apparently they liked Macdonald enough to invite him for a second interview today in Seattle, this according to a report by Tom Pelissero at NFL Network.

Macdonald helmed the NFL’s top defense this year, with the Ravens coming in first in sacks, points allowed, yards allowed and defensive DVOA.

While nothing has been reporetd about an actual offer as of yet, for the Seahawks to bring Macdonald right back for another interview the next day is a strong sign that they are seriously pursuing his services. With Ben Johnson bowing out of the search and sticking with the Lions, Macdonald should be considered the clear favorite to win the job.

Other candidates who are rumored to still be in the mix include Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

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ESPN: Giants OC Mike Kafka could be legitimate option for Seahawks

While the field has narrowed general manager John Schneider still has plenty of high-quality options, including a few wild cards.

The Seahawks’ head coach search began three weeks ago today when they removed Pete Carroll from that position after a successful 14-year run. Since then six other teams around the league have filled their vacant head coach positions, taking several options off the table for Seattle. Yesterday two more came off the board when Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik decided to stay in Detroit and Houston, respectively.

While the field has narrowed general manager John Schneider still has plenty of high-quality options, including a few wild cards. One of them to watch may be Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. According to ESPN’s Giants beat reporter Dan Graziano, he may be a legitimate option for the Seahawks’ head coach job.

The Giants offense was awful this year – finishing in the bottom three in both yards and points scored. However, Kafka may have playcalling potential hidden by a lack of tools. New York had the worst offensive line in the NFL this season and Daniel Jones remains a well-below average starter at quarterback. With a few personnel upgrades (like he’d have in Seattle) he might be able to produce a far better offense.

The search continues…

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Why Dave Canales is the right hire for Bryce Young and the Panthers

He wasn’t the most well-known candidate, but Dave Canales can prove to be the right hire for the Carolina Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers dropped a bit of a surprise on Thursday. But surprises aren’t always a bad thing, even in an NFL head-coaching search.

Dave Canales, a relative unknown in the grand scheme of this year’s hiring cycle, was officially named the seventh full-time head coach of the Panthers last night. He had spent just one season as an offensive coordinator and his previous 13 nestled away in Seattle. (Oh, and the Panthers were the only team to request an interview with him.)

The Harbor City, Calif. native, nonetheless, has stacked up an impressive track record to this point. He served as the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach for eight years, then worked his way into a more prominent role in the offensive attack as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

Although it took him a bit to finally prove his talents as a play-caller, which were rather evident in 2023, Canales was behind the scenes of some career ball from the likes Russell Willson and Geno Smith. The same happened for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who just hit bests in completion percentage (64.3), passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28).

Canales’ hand in the resurrections of Smith’s and Mayfield’s careers was likely one of many draws for the Panthers, who are trying to get last year’s No. 1 overall pick kickstarted. He brings the right style of a West Coast offense and the right style of coaching, inspired by mentor Pete Carroll, to extract the very best out of soon-to-be second-year passer Bryce Young.

Now, it is imperative that owner David Tepper exercises a new level of patience with that pairing. If he allow his new general manager to manage, his new head coach to coach and his young quarterback to quarterback, Canales can prove to be exactly what these Panthers need from here on out.

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Jim Harbaugh returns to NFL as Chargers head coach

The Seahawks’ greatest adversary from the Legion of Boom era is back in the NFL.

The Seahawks’ greatest adversary from the Legion of Boom era is back in the NFL.

According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Chargers have hired Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach, replacing Brandon Staley.

Harbaugh just spent several years as the head coach at Michigan, where he just won a national title over Washington. Before that Harbaugh had previously been the head coach of the 49ers. During his tenure in San Francisco, the team was the toughest competition for the Seahawks. For several years the loaded Niners dominated Seattle, and at their best they made it to the Super Bowl in 2012, losing to the Ravens. The following year they lost to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game in dramatic fashion and were never quite the same after.

Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was rumored to be in the mix for the Chargers head coach job, but he never seemed to be a true a candidate and was never interviewed.

There are now four head coach openings around the league, including Seattle, Atlanta, Carolina and Washington. The dominoes should begin to fall now that Harbaugh and the Chargers are off the board.

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Snoop Dogg says Pete Carroll wanted to go to the Chargers

According to Snoop, there was one team in particular Carroll wanted

It is a time of transition in the NFL for several teams no longer competing this season. For the first time in over a decade, the Seattle Seahawks are firmly on the coaching carousel after moving on from Pete Carroll. While Seattle is still searching for their new head coach, it seems as if their old one might be looking for a new team of his.

Rumors have been floating out there that Carroll had interest in the current Los Angeles Chargers job opening. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported he was making a push, but Corbin Smith of All Seahawks clarified that while Carroll put out “feelers” for the job nothing has come to fruition. That hardly sounds like a major “push” from Carroll if you ask me.

However, it does seem as if Carroll’s interest in the Chargers was legitimate, as another source is backing it up. This source is none other than Snoop Dogg himself.

No, really.

In a report from Fox Sport’s Martin Rodgers, Snoop Dogg called his friend after he was let go from the Seahawks. Now, if you’re like me, you’re both equally surprised, yet not at all by the fact Pete Carroll and Snoop are friends. But beyond that, Snoop mentioned Carroll was in good spirits and was eager to have another team reach out to him.

According to Snoop, there was one team in particular Carroll wanted:

“He wanted to go to the (Los Angeles) Chargers,” Snoop replied. “That’s what he wanted. But I don’t know if they want him.”

It’s hardly surprising why Carroll would have interest in the Chargers job. Carroll’s legacy as a great head coach was forged in the Los Angeles area when he was the head coach at USC and won two national championships. Not to mention having Justin Herbert at quarterback is certainly more than appealing for any candidate.

But a Carroll hire by the Chargers does not seem likely. For the moment, Carroll seems likely to remain in the Seattle area as an advisor for the Seahawks in whatever capacity that entails.

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Analysis: Seahawks might be leaning towards defensive head coach

The team’s quickest path back to the playoffs is improving their defense.

The Seahawks are setting up a second round of interviews with five head coach candidates that they interviewed last week. Most of them have something in common – aside from Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka they all work on the defensive side of the ball.

Here are the four defensive coordinators they’ll be speaking with again:

  • Raheem Morris (Rams)
  • Patrick Graham (Raiders)
  • Dan Quinn (Cowboys)
  • Ejiro Evero (Panthers)

In addition to those names, the team has also been reported to be interested in speaking with former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel as well as Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

There are almost certainly other names involved in the search that have not and will not be reported. Two highly-qualified potential candidates we haven’t heard anything about are Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh, also defense-first guys.

Add it all up and you’ve got a heavy defense-first field – although we shouldn’t assume that hot young offensive coordinators like Bobby Slowik and Ben Johnson are out of the mix yet – even though they aren’t among the second round interviewees.

However, it certainly looks like this team is going to replace Pete Carroll with another defense-first head coach – and that’s an indictment of Carroll’s last several years at the helm more than anything else.

There’s an argument that Seattle’s relatively loaded offensive skill players make an offensive hire more appealing. However, the team’s quickest path back to the playoffs is improving their defense.

Despite having the most-talented defensive unit since the breakup of the Legion of Boom, this season the results on that side of the ball were terribly disappointing. After a strong start they finished ranked No. 30 against the run, No. 25 in scoring defense and and No. 28 in defensive DVOA.

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