The truth about Mike Macdonald and his fit with the Seahawks 

Here's the most important point. The Seahawks haven't interviewed him. Today is the deadline to be interviewed virtually, in order to setup an in-person interview during the Super Bowl bye week if the Ravens make it. If they were interested in Macdonald, they would've had to have done this by now. All indications are, currently, he's not on their radar.

What really surprises me is that there is no information that they are interested in Brian Callahan

I agree. People who are talking bad about Slowik now need to realize the tools he had to work with are not the same as what the Seahawks have. Sure he has CJ but hawks have way better WR’s and Running back with a comparable OL. I would be excited if he was the choice honestly

Oh! Hello Rob, good to see you this Sunday.

Diehard Ravens fan here, and I think this is an excellent point for an outsider to recognize. I've seen fans of other teams talking about Mike Macdonald as a "defensive genius." Listen, he's great. But for both Ravens players and coaches, their brilliance in Baltimore isn't individual--it's the result of being in the perfect situation to maximize their abilities. The Ravens have had myriad coaches go on to be HCs/DCs elsewhere and free agents sign elsewhere and they rarely are as good as they were for the Ravens. Here's an example. People talk about how Mike Macdonald was elite at Michigan. And he was. But you know who was more elite? Michigan's DC the year after Macdonald left when Michigan won the title: Jesse Minter. Just like Macdonald, Minter came up through Baltimore and was given to Jim Harbaugh by John Harbaugh. He ran a better defense at Michigan than Macdonald without as much talent! So if Macdonald really the genius? Are they both geniuses? My opinion is more so that the Ravens are a case study in organizational excellence and have been for 25 years now, but their sum is greater than the parts, and when you take them away from the system, the star doesn't shine as brightly.

Very well stated. 👍

That is correct! Ravens built something that doesn’t automatically translate into a winner!

A lot of good points. Watching the Ravens defense play, I can’t help but think I want a little of THAT. It’s my favorite brand of football. Offensive minded, defensive minded, I don’t care. I just want a team that hits MFers in the face. Over and over. And over and over and over and over again.

I like this video follow up on yesterday’s video talking about Johnson, Slowik, and Vrabel. I agree with you regarding coaches being able to build/bring a team of coaches/coordinators with them. I would personally feel that MacDonald would be limited in folks that would come along with him.

Great video! I would like to see a OC as a Head coach. I feel if the Seahawks hire a DC Head coach. We have to then find a good OC. Also then if they’re good they’ll leave after a year to become a Head coach elsewhere aka Bobby Slowik or Ben Johnson situation. Also it’s the strength of the team and plenty of DCs around to plug in.

Great perspective!

Excellent take on this

You are always spot on mate

Love your hat. I have one too. DJ was my favorite Supersonic.

You are correct that hiring McDonald doesn’t guarantee Raven like success the same can be said about Slowik being able to have Shanahan type of results. IMO Vrabel is the safest option

And also Rob i love that your grounded and i took another approach does Mike want to create a new culture in SEATTLE we can give him like 3 year max and see where it is whoever is the next head coach will need A year or maybe 2 no matter how good or great they are

I'm with you 100%....our roster is NOTHING like theirs and watching us try to run some things the #1 defense ran is just unrealistic. I would be so happy with Ben Johnson and Fangio or someone like that almost like the Mcvay route with Wade Phillips....I just hope it's not DQ lol

The Seahawks organization is text-book hush hush. We won’t know who the next Head Coach will be until the official press conference takes place.

Well said and I love the hat!!!

Whoever ends up being chosen as the next coach, i have confidence in Schneider making a well thought out choice with what is available to get the job done as best they can. His smarts, decision making skills, and experience after all this time gives me that confidence we will be fine over the long haul. Let's Go! 💙💚

Great video

All very valid points- we need an offensive minded head coach and a fresh approach.

You don't seem to use the same arguments for your favorites. Where will Slowik draw his staff from? CJ is not Geno. ... Etc. Poor arguments.

Would love to see more about why Dan Quinn is a good fit. Too many fans are disillusioned that he is a Pete clone and can’t bring innovation or winning mentality to this team. Others are great coordinators, but he is the most ready to provide the leadership it takes to be the face of a franchise. Offensive mind, defensive mind is an overblown topic of discussion. The best leader is getting this job. It’s his job to lose, imo.

I’m curious why ravens OC Todd monken isn’t getting looks. Did I miss something about him or his past? Multiple champ at GA, Bucs offense with Jameis (many yards), hc experience at south miss turning the program around, now ravens. Curious about your opinion.

My new favorite for Seahawks HC after watching this: 1. Bobby Slowik for his experience on both sides of the ball 2. Ben Johnson helping the Lions Offense become one of the league’s best and a few playoff wins 3. Mike Vrabel is a safe option. Players loved him a Tennessee and he’s a Defensive Coach and Defense is a huge area of need for us. He probably mainly ran the ball over there without a star WR and an aging QB which the GM is responsible for

I kind of agree, though it would be nice if it did work out. I remember back when we were going to super bowls we could identify players who "were Seahawks". Hopefully John can get us back to that. For me, I want an offensive guy, it just has a higher chance for success.

I was impressed with Slowik - the D and his inventive calling kept that competitive as it could be until the Ravens strength showed...think he's my preference - shame we can't package him in Vrabel's body!

What D coordinator is Bobby Slowik bringing with him? Or even a Ben Johnson? Neither of the two will fix the poor tackling that that this defense has showed over the last 3 seasons. There’s a saying in the NFL offense wins games DEFENSE wins championships and last I saw Geno did have 5 game winning drives this year.

I’m pretty sure he could teach their defense but I understand what you mean, it takes more than the scheme to be dominant like they are. The ravens really became the Ravens when they signed a couple of Seahawks defensive linemen Holmgren let walk when he took over. That Seahawks defense had set the team record for sacks until then the year before. It was those players, most notably Sam Adams, who set the tone for what the Ravens identity has become.

I think this is a problem that is easy to parse out in interviews. Does your system require an extensive overhaul to the roster and/or scouting system? And based on how he answers that question, make a decision.

Ben Johnson, Dave Canales, Mike Vrabel is who I want.

Safest bet - Mike Vrabel Highest for defensive improvement - Mike Macdonald Best to reuvinate Geno- Bobby Slowik

LB Patrick Queen and a top defensive lineman from the Ravens are going to be free agents this year. Why not bring them over too and make a better transition. Just a thought. I would bring him in and bring in a good OC too.

You can say the same exact thing about ben Johnson

Wow, you really did your homework dude!

Slowik is still my favorite option. He's an offensive focused coach, but also has experience on the defensive side of the ball and he's a numbers guy. I feel that leads to the most well rounded option, and his background + JS should allow for a solid supporting cast around him for oc/dc and coaching staff.

DQ Vrabel and Morris all have the network to build a staff around themselves. Johnson, Slowik, and Smith I’m not sure. Not saying they can’t or won’t. Just saying I’m not sure. But I do believe what JS said about having hotshot play callers poached was a genuine take. He tends to lead with honesty then he likes to follow up with a devils advocate comment to keep you guessing. Still trying to figure out where John and Vrabel’s paths crossed. The news about them being close is too random to be smoke.

I'm guessing Schneider is going to follow the trend in the NFL and hire an OC, likely Bobby Slowik as I think Ben Johnson is on his way to Washington. The interviews with Ejiro Evero are probably to determine his suitability as a DC. A hot take on DC is Al Harris. Both of them are D-back coaches by trade. One of the best ways to improve a defense is to have fast and willing tacklers in the back end (ref. Hamilton, Kyle and Branch, Brian and Witherspoon, Devon). This D has a ton of holes. It needs 2 new off-ball LB's, 2 DI (one if we resign Big Cat Williams), 2 Safeties and 1 EDGE. It will take a couple of years to reload on D.

I kept thinking what if Houston had a healthy tank dell and a stud RB….i would be excited to see slowik as HC and pairing him with a savvy D coordinator.

I hope they give Macdonald an interview, just to pick his brain atleast. See his thoughts on our Defense and how he would fix it; as well as his thoughts on staff. Too good a defensive mind to skip having him go through the process altogether. I'd guess if they miss on Johnson & don't feel good about Slowik after his interview; Macdonald enters the mix. I'm hoping we somehow steal Johnson from Washington, regardless how unlikely. Go big or go home.

Don’t know if it was just the tele coverage but that Ravens crowd was LOUD 🎉🎉 Sloik is a good 2nd choice still

SLOWIK no please yesterday his offense do not ANYTHING againts the Ravens Defense BELICHICK is better option

i want mcdonald or ben johnson. we have so much young talent on both sides of the ball.

I would like Kellen Moore as OC if we can get Macdonald.

Good points Rob. I think Wink Martindale might be another name to add to the list of 'Raven DC hired and could not deliver' for his time in New York. He had some success there but even with a great DL struggled to elevate them to where they needed to be. It didn't help that he went from Lamar to Daniel Jones on offense.

U should get a mic holder and add pics like the news does, i think pictures really add alot to the stream 👍

This is one time I hope and think you're wrong Rob.

I think they should go with vrabel

The thing is we’ve seen McDonald be a DC without the ravens and have elite success. He led a top 8 defense in the country with Michigan, I know that it’s college but when you have that much success in both college and NFL it’s hard not to see him as an amazing defensive mind

If the logic of getting a defensive coord to come in as HC to make a top teir defense then all the other def head coaches would have succeeded more than just a handful of coaches.. Dan quinn and gus bradley would have had a top tier defense. They were good defenses.. but not elite.. asking a rookie headcoach to build an entire team is a longshot

How is bringing in Ben Johnson from the Lions or any other coordinator be any different? Coordinators had success because of the players on his teams and the direction of the head coach. When you bring in the hot shot coordinator, you are hoping they learned enough from their predecessor. Additionally, we have no idea what coordinators Johnson would bring in too. The difference between Johnson and Vrabel/Quinn is we have no idea what we are getting out of Johnson except offensive scheme.

It’s not the X’s and O’s it’s the Jimmy’s and Joe’s.

Side note, but I can't believe the Packers let that game slip away last night 😢

Nice

Does he want to leave that's what im starting to realize he might not even want to leave NOT EVERYBODY wants to be a Head Coach and maybe we need to realize that

Your last video I didn’t even consider Slowik. After hearing your argument if we don’t get Johnson we need Slowik and then Vrabel.

Could it be as simple and petty as his affiliation with Jim? Like a last thumbs up to Pete that he's not replaced by a Harbaugh protege? I would certainly hope not.

Well what is your brilliant idea ? huh? I still say Mike Macdonald despite you.

Rob has the worst takes. He would rather have the guy 4-5 best OC, that up up 3 points against McDonald, than the guy who has beat all the best OCs in the league. All you coaching staff questions go both ways

🎉🎉

Gary Kubiak?

Rob I dont know if u talked about this or not but why don't we just PROMOTE Shane and let him assemble a staff have him pluck guys from The rams/Packers/lions/ hell even Ravens

He’s going to get the Michigan job once Harbaugh vacates.

Could John see that Mike McDonald is not ready or willing to be a HC this next season and could take another year to be a better candidate. If he was ready to be a HC the buzz around him in the NFL front offices would talk about him more but not a lot of buzz.

Maybe if Waldron gotta use his actual playbook he would’ve been better. I’m okay with giving him another year without Pete in his ear.

Mike Macdonald's success is the Harbaugh's success. The Ravens have exactly zero holes in that defense. Even with Humphrey out. Take away the punt return for a td and the vaunted Texans offense scored 3 points. The MVP quarterback (Jackson) is the only weakness on this team. I only say this because I've seen brilliant capable quarterbacks crumble under dominant defenses you can face in the cold of January. This is the part of the story where I tell you Chris Jones is more valuable in January than Tyreek Hill. Andy Reed knew this and so did I. If the defensive player of the year isn't strong safety Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens it should be. People don't remember the Michigan TCU game from last year. TCU shouldn't have been able to score 51 on Michigan's defense. That was a bad showing by a good defense and that is on the coach. The refs favored TCU but 51 points against a team that was pretty much 1 dimensional run team with one receiving threat doesn't look good. When looking at coaches it's real easy to point to the teams with all the talent and say that's the best coach. Often this is not the case. I like coaches that take 5th round pick Richard Sherman and 4th round pick Kam Chancellor and turn them into All-Pro players. Pete Carroll did that. Michael Bennett is another name that comes to mind. He was undrafted. I also like coaches that can coach up their quarterback. Almost every quarterback with the exception of Carson Palmer (he balled out at Arizona) that has played under Carroll has played their best football under Carroll. That goes for Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez Matt Hasselbeck Tarvaris Jackson Russell Wilson Geno Smith and Drew Lock. People might disagree with Hasselbeck but I remember him lighting up the New Orleans defense in the Beast Quake game, one of his best. Rehire Pete Carroll and apologize. 😂

Every minus he just offered about Macdonald was actually a plus if we make him a Seahawk. I'd take that mentality in a HEARTBEAT, along with a top 5, and often #1 rated defense!

thanks go hawks

I agree Macdonald could struggle with this roster. But it’s because the Ravens draft well & Seahawks don’t. Because “Little Finger” Schneider should’ve been shown the door with Pete, because he’s as much to blame for the mess the Seahawks are in now. But mostly don’t want Macdonald because, I think the Seahawks should hire a coach that can maximize the talent already on the team and that is on offense. So Slowik or Johnson would be my choices.

❤ Raid the Georgia defensive staff.

Slowik, Johnson, and Quinn are definitely not a good fit.

Why are the Ravens loaded? Oh they drafted their players. Seems like a good fit to me. Seahawks are soft

MacDonald is coming to Carolina. Hawks fans can keep dreaming.

This guy is the most negative fan boy. This is not analyst it's past stats and politics. Sorry to say this but macdonald is the best selection. YOU like to Google instead of reading portfolios? This is just a rant. You get an A for creativity though!

Nice hat!