Mike Macdonald: "I'm Excited To See Our Guys Play" | Press Conference - September 6, 2024

all right great uh great to see everybody um good fast Friday so stole the guys but the prep's still not done we still don't play for another 48 hours or so so um it'll look a little bit different mentally and physically and we'll have a great Saturday tomorrow and uh be ready to play uh Sunday at 1 hey coach there how different is the week of prep doing game planning at this point after on your own I think I think the the biggest change is everybody understanding our weekly cadence once now that we're in game week um a little bit differently on defense you know offense um Grub's kind of going by his Cadence to what how we operate as a team but uh being a new staff on defense you know we've done we've done some some mock weeks but it's hard to actually um match that Cadence because you're in Camp and in the springtime and things like that so uh you it's a little bit of an adjustment but now that you know got a week under our belt should go uh smoother moving forward was the communication piece on defense youday well you know we we did the crowd noise this week and stuff and tried to go louder with the music just to somewhat simulate uh what it's going to be like so um I think it's been good you know we haven't you know we had we had a couple things couple things we need to change here and there but it's not because we're um not on the same page in the past how much have you had to re on been a linebackers or or secondary guys in hand signals at the snap is that something you've used a lot there there's time and place for it a lot of a lot of things that we're moving anticipation just rules based off distribution and um how the offense aligns things are understood but yeah there's some verbal and non-verbal communication going on should be at all times coach uh Baltimore had a bunch of illegal formations in last night's game is that something you talked about with your team today uh we we did a NFL kind of update around the league and our team meeting today but what we haven't we'll address that one specifically tomorrow morning Mike how do you see jome kind of get back in think this week can get up to speed how ready do you think he is to to Let It Go on I mean uh looks good looks good I think he's confident um you know me it's just not having to do an actual have a bring someone to the ground uh is something a little bit new for him but I mean he's a pro um he'll be fine excited to see him play Dodson talked about the time they've spent together off the field because of the time they've missed on it together have you seen that pay off that they're on the same page even though they necessarily got the practice reps yeah it's great I mean we want all our guys hanging out out outside the building it's uh it's cool to hear that they that they do that a bunch and um guys are working well together it'll be a relationship that'll be grow that hopefully grow for a long time and you're right there has to be a chemistry between those those two guys so um but yeah you can you can tell that it's uh it's paying off out there Mike you're an even Keel guy but just how I wouldn't say excited but you looking forward to that game starting and then you know the ball the game part of it the coaching I'm excited to see our guys play I just they've been working really really hard um they've earned the opportunity to go out there and and and showcase the you know the work that they put in and um me personally I still got some work to do you know for between now and the game so I'm focused on that and then uh when the game hits I'm sure it'll uh it'll hit pretty hard but um not time yet you going to be nervous I'm always nervous do you have you met I mean what is that work that you do between now and the and the game it's just part it's part for the course uh you know late game situations uh really finalizing what we're going to what we're going to lead the game with and how we're going to call it but um I'm sorry yeah just nor normal operating procedure U you coached there in 2019 at L with Baltimore if iall right do you remember anything that kind of the the atmosphere then and and what that was like to coach again I was in the booth so that was a bummer uh it's good for me I guess uh but yeah is all the all the things I mean we had talked about it you know it's an issue so it's something that you talk about as a team throughout the whole week about the noise and what it's like and the atmosphere and electricity uh didn't necessarily hear it you know but you you still can feel it from being inside the booth so um yeah just I'm I'm glad we're on this side now in terms of like fourth down decisions and stuff is that only a discussion between you and Brian or is r in there as well well so you know we're all part of it throughout the week but when we happen in real time some certain situations we'd um you'd go to grub on like confidence level because there's some numbers involved but for the most part we we kind of know going throughout the drive and it's uh ultimately be my decision who's your point person up in the booth for like replay situation Brian s is uh is doing a great job with all that type of stuff but yeah he's the guy in my ear we're talking constantly which wonder I'm Sor in this I guess we're excited too in this defense how important is spacing just you know even on the three blocks I mean in terms of the D line setting that's the first time i' ever gotten that question that's a pretty good question uh it's extremely important it's it's a matter of space um you're trying to restrict space at the point of attack um the spacing between your underneath and your and your third level players in coverage is really important too so if you get out of whack there then there's levels in the defense there's vertical seams up front that you're trying to eliminate um on how we play blocks up front uh pass rush you know it's tough you only got four guys there's more than four gaps uh how you rush together eliminate eliminate gaps restrict space for the quarterback so I mean you could name a play and it's that's the name of the game so um open field T I mean I I go on forever but yeah it's exciting to talk about is that where the communications important in uh I think it's just I yeah I think like uh what what your expectation is what your job description is based off of like the reaction that the offense gives you um I wouldn't I wouldn't say communication is on the list but it's kind of like yeah you know how did you come to decide on Brian Brian was already here I so how did you kind of come to decide on him to be your guy for that well yeah I mean everybody needs um someone that does it Brian is a great passion for um for for the Seahawks one which I really appreciate came highly regarded from John uh when we got here and just uh great spirit about him just unbelievable enthusiasm um works incredibly hard uh so he's done a lot of work between February 1 and now on you name it so he's been um been a tremendous asset for for our team for me um just a f awesome guy to be around I mean just he loves football and he's really really smart and he's a great communicator puts together a ton of presentations for the team um always looking around corners chasing edges I love his attitude so not enough good things to say about Brian do you have any U like pregame routines or rituals for uh yeah yeah I mean I go for run um get there early uh kind of finalize some things talk to you know talk to the coaches but yeah I'm it's games are like tests it's like you gota you have to like it's hard for me to turn it off so you're just constantly working on it um situationally and then when we kick it off then you kind of it's like getting the test in your hand then you kind of see what the questions are and see if you know them and if you don't know them you try to figure them out you know before the before times up up that's pretty much how it goes you run the stadium steps no I just oh I got to figure out a place around here yeah this facing issue is there a way to scheme fix that during the game without leaving something else open or is that players just got to know that from their what is there like a spacing thing going on like is there like that's the first I've never gotten I've never gotten one question on space and I got two um yeah I think you know if there's voids in the defense or if there's a timing issue on second level types plays um you can adjust people's alignments things like that but um which we've done a couple times I I really still think it's just like hey just follow the love of your training you know go play ball and um things are going to happen you know like they're going to have at some point something's not going to work let's just let's go to the next play let's try to fix it moving forward and then just keep plugging away obviously you're focused on the task at hand but at any point this week or maybe it'll be Sunday you take a it to just reflect on everything that's transpired going back to last winter and job moving out here you broke some more news on the radio of other life it's been a big year for you you just reflect on that at all you think I I I I want to be like yeah of course I'm going to sit down and you know meditate but like no I'm not going to no we got a big job ahead and our focus is literally just trying to get our guys ready to play and um and and and play the best you know just make the right decisions throughout just to help the guys it's really I just can't it's hard for me it's hard to think like a multiple things at once just hey like what's the best with a team um how can we put our guys in the best spot what what you got to do next that's that's really is that's how I that's how how it goes coach uh a lot of preseason rankings have the Seahawks as one of the bottom 10 teams do you utilize bulletin board material at all um I haven't yet I didn't I didn't I wasn't aware of that that ranking but do you remember the rankings between LA before last season uh I don't no I don't think a lot of people do so we know how it ended though how Tyler look this week uh Tyler looks good Tyler looks good um we expect him the play he's been limited all week but uh expect him be out there you know T is from your time in Baltimore with him it's been a rough couple years with him for the injuries how how did he look kind of getting back on the field for you guys out here and and how you kind of seen him progress yeah I'm happy for tus he's he's been been through a lot um so he look he's just like just a good spirit just he feels like it's nice for him to be back and running around playing ball again so uh just happy for him just in where he is in his uh career Journey you know so he's got a great opportunity here we're excited for him and uh he's working hard we got a good plan to bring him back anything else thank you okay thanks guys luck