The Seattle Seahawks are still having trouble stopping the run.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald recently stated that, despite the team’s struggles to maintain a strong defense in recent weeks, the issues do not stem from coaching or the defensive scheme. This suggests Macdonald believes any shortcomings are on the players rather than his system, which he feels is effective.
Macdonald has reason to hold this confidence; his defenses with the Baltimore Ravens were among the league’s best over the past two seasons. Hired by Seattle this offseason to succeed Pete Carroll, he was expected to quickly improve the team’s run defense, linebacker pass coverage, and tackling—all areas that remain problematic.
Seattle has now lost four of their last five games, with their only win coming in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons, a victory that feels less significant after a heavy defeat by the Buffalo Bills in Week 8. The defense has been a major issue, leading analysts to examine scheme fit and alignment. However, Macdonald insists the problem isn’t with him.
Mike Macdonald not ready to take blame for recent Seahawks defensive failures
At a Friday press conference, Macdonald addressed whether pre-snap alignment had been problematic this season. He responded, “I don’t think so. Not in the last few games. Maybe Weeks 2-4, that would’ve been a fair assessment, but not recently.” In other words, the head coach is suggesting the players themselves are responsible for the issues.
If Macdonald’s assessment is accurate, the defense’s struggles likely won’t be resolved this season. If the players are primarily responsible for Seattle’s 29th-ranked run defense, it’s unlikely they’ll improve much until next year. Seahawks fans might need to brace for more games where the defense struggles against the run—a familiar scenario over the last few seasons.
Did Pete Carroll make excuses for the defense too? Yes, though he rarely pointed to individual players as the problem, and he never implied it was solely the players’ fault over the scheme or pre-snap alignment. This approach highlights a key difference between Carroll and Macdonald, perhaps due to Carroll’s extensive head coaching experience.
This isn’t meant to be a critique of Mike Macdonald’s coaching. With only eight games as a head coach, it’s too soon to judge his potential. He might be presenting one perspective to the media and a different one to his players. Seattle’s defensive struggles likely stem from a mix of players adapting to a new scheme and the scheme itself adjusting to opponents.
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