JOHN SCHNEIDER: Welcome. Exciting day. Welcome to Mike Macdonald day. So much excitement. That's the word for right now. It's been a long process, but I'm so excited for the former players, the current players, the our future players that will be coming in, everybody in the building, the 12s, the Seahawk community. Just everybody, the coaches that are going to be coming in here that we already started working on. Just so excited for everybody, because this is the future right here. This is where it's going.
I think you're going to learn in getting to know Mike that he's a special dude.
The process was awesome. Obviously want to thank Jody for her guidance and leadership. We had a clear directive, Chuck and Bert, everybody that was involved. We had 19 people do our DEI training so that all the candidates could feel everybody in the building and know how important it is to all of us and know what it means to be supporting the new head coach and especially all the players because at the end of the day it is all about the players.
When I think about the process, I think about faith and people. My mom would always tell me, Johnny, God helps those who can't help themselves. What a cool deal because, wow, I can't even remember now, the days are running together, but last Sunday before they played, I was at church, and people were probably looking at me like wow, that guy has really been sinning a lot; that guy is praying his tail off right now. Because I wanted the Ravens to lose and I wanted the Lions to lose.
Yeah, it's kind of probably creepy for Mike, but we've been blessed to be around, over the years, a lot of talented people throughout the National Football League and a lot of connections. It was really cool to do all the research on Mike, and I think I might have creeped his beautiful bride Steph out a little bit, too. Thank you so much for this leap of faith. It's been quick, but it's awesome.
Yeah, the people. It's just really special for all the people involved, and at the end of the day, it comes down to relationships and trust, and it happened quickly with Mike.
With Mike, I would say that what I've learned from preparing for all this is that Mike is a learning networker, not a climbing networker. There's a huge difference there. This has happened quickly for him. But when you sit down with him and you get to meet him, you understand the why. The whys of wow, he knows that guy, he knows that guy, and he knows this guy. I've been in the league for 30 years and we know a ton of the same people. So that really stood out.
Then through the process, too, I listened to a podcast where a gentleman was saying -- it was a hiring thing, and they've gotten into hiring and this and that and it didn't matter what industry it was, it's all about who's changing the marketplace, who's going to change the marketplace, and it just hit me, okay, when we're interviewing all these people, who's going to change the marketplace.
The product is the product. He's done it. We've seen it. That's why he was Assistant Coach of the Year. I've had two really strong feelings leaving Pittsburgh several years ago, like we will never, ever look like that again. I think it might have been our first year or second year, I can't remember. It was not cool. And leaving Baltimore this year. That was not cool.
But congratulations.
On behalf of Jody Allen and all the 12s and everybody that's near and dear to my heart in this building, I want to introduce Mike Macdonald as the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Congratulations.
MIKE MACDONALD: Thanks, John. This is a humbling, humbling feeling that I'm feeling right now in front of everybody, especially everybody in the organization in the back. This is pretty cool. It feels like we're in this thing together.
This is a responsibility that my wife and I, we take extremely seriously. From afar -- we're East Coast folks. We've grown up on the East Coast, but we do have family out here in the area, and we've seen this organization operate from afar, and I've had nothing but respect for the ownership, especially John and how they've operated, Coach Carroll, the ability to compete for championships at a consistent pace and how they play and the spirit of the players has been something that I respect a lot.
Going through the process and meeting John and the leadership team, I think the first thing that really popped to me was the parallels of the organization that I've been working for for 10 years and where I've really grown into the person and the man and the coach that I am today. That was extremely appealing to me.
To hear John talk about people and how important it is was the driving force of why we want to be here. It is a leap of faith, but this is a special city. This is a great football city, man, and we've got the best fans in the world.
I understand where this organization wants to go, and I feel like we're aligned on how we want to get there.
I'm just juiced to go do it. There's going to be no secrets, secret thing of scheme or secret plays that are going to get us there faster. It's going to take a lot of hard work by finding the right people and doing it the right way, treating people the right way, building everybody up throughout the building. I want everybody to feel like they are a part of this mission.
It's going to take -- we've got one day at a time, and it's that simple. It's one conversation at a time, it's one relationship at a time.
My wife and I have been talking, this feels like home already. It feels like God put us in this position. We prayed for clarity throughout this whole process, and it became clear that this is where we're supposed to be.
We're just extremely excited to go along with the theme of just to get to work and to get to know everybody. This is the second day on the job. It feels like I've been here two months already.
I'm just really excited that it's started already. We've gotten to work. We've already contacted a lot of coaches that we're very interested in talking with, but we'll talk about that in a minute.
I'd like to take some time and thank people that have helped us get to this point. I've referenced her already, but my wife Stephanie is an absolute rock star. I love you. You'll get to know her, and this city will fall in love with her. She is an absolute rock star and a saint of a human. So thank you.
My family, my dad, he is a great man, and he has taught me integrity, humility and determination in doing things the right way and that it'll pay off in the long run, so thank you, Dad.
My mom has taught me if you're going to do something, you'd better do it right, and that's stuck with me for a long time. Thank you, Mom.
My two heroes are my two older sisters Maggie and Kate. Kate actually has lived here in this city for quite a while. She lives in Texas now, but I've been following their example my whole life, and they're pretty incredible people, and thank you.
The Ravens organization is a special organization. There's a lot of things that these two organizations share in common. I'd just be remiss not to mention some of those folks, starting with Steve Bisciotti and his wife Renee, Ozzie Newsome.
I always tell the story that my first week as an intern I was walking down the hall and Ozzie saw me, and that was pretty daunting for a 20-something-year-old intern, and Ozzie knew my name, and he took investment into me and my experience, and that's something that I'll carry to this organization. We want everybody to feel vital and vital to the mission and feel invested in.
So Ozzie, thank you for who you are as a person and really the mark that you've left on this league and all the people in the Ravens organization.
Eric DeCosta, first class. Really all the people in the Ravens organization. It's really hard to name everybody, but you guys know who you are, and I've been in contact with some of you. Those are relationships that we'll have for the rest of our lives, and those are special people in that building and that's a special community, very similar to here. I look forward to building those relationships with everybody in our building now, and that will be something that we'll be able to cherish moving forward.
With the Ravens, the Harbaugh family, Jim, Coach Jack, Jackie, especially John and his wife Ingrid. Talk about taking a leap of faith in investing in a young buck like me back in the day and having the guts to give me opportunities over time and put his name on the line.
His investment in me, John Harbs, I really appreciate that, and obviously we've talked about it, but our relationship is very special to me, so thank you for your investment in my wife and I.
Moving here to Seattle, Jody Allen, just want to thank her for trusting the process and empowering John to go through it and having the patience to trust the fact that they were interested in me. Thank you for hanging in there. I was wishing that we would have to wait a couple more weeks, but it did happen fast, but I felt like it was a first-class operation.
Her investment in this city and how much she cares about this team became very obvious to me, and that was very appealing.
Then this man right here, John Schneider, I want to thank you for how you do what you do and the person that you are. I know our relationship is very young, but when you feel a connection with someone and you feel like your values are aligned, that's a powerful thing. I think we're going to make an amazing team and an amazing partnership, and I'm really excited to work with you for a long time. So thank you.
Then the players, both at the Ravens and here in Seattle. My guys on the Ravens, I'll reach out to you when my phone stops buzzing and the fire hose turns off a little bit, but I hope you understand this is why we do what we do is about the players. We're trying to build something special, and the players are the ones that drive the bus. They lay it on the line.
And to the guys on our team last year, they did that, and I just really thank you. Again, relationships, man; I'm honored and humbled that I was able to coach you for the time that we had, and our relationships will last for a long time.
Then our players here and the players that we'll be able to coach for the Seahawks, man, I hope you understand that you're the driving force behind everything that we do, and I can guarantee you this: You will get everything out of myself and our coaching staff every day. We will not stop until we want to get to where we get.
I hope that's very clear to you. You're the first thing that goes through our mind when we make decisions. That's the only way to do it. That's the only way to win.
I'm just very excited for the opportunity. Again, thanks, John. Thank you for your time, and we'll take questions, I guess.
Q. What was it about this position that made this work for you?
JOHN SCHNEIDER: The product, really, watching the film, feeling their defense that day, being there in that stadium. Then all the relationships and things because there's so many people that really opened their hearts, and they didn't have to. They didn't have to share all the information with me that they did. So all you people, you guys know -- everybody, tons of people in this league, cheerleaders. We found out a lot of stuff. We were doing our due diligence.
I would say the background, and then in scouting we call it checking boxes, right, and then sitting down in person, we had a lot of great candidates. The guys did a great job, and people in this building felt them.
I don't know how to describe it other than it's a feeling, it's a connection. There's clarity. Then everything that everybody says about his great reputation came to life very quickly. It was very evident. They drove all the way from Baltimore down to Dulles and jumped on a plane and came out here, and the rest is history.
Q. (No microphone.)
JOHN SCHNEIDER: He's a disruptor. He's changed it. You look at their product, you look at their defense, you look at the Ravens organization -- Ozzie and I and now Eric, as well, we always used to joke with each other like we have a spy in our draft room or something because they keep picking all the players we want to pick and vice versa, and Ozzie would send me a text or Eric would send me a text like dangit, like you took our guy or whatever.
We've always just joked about that. It's a great organization.
When you're hiring somebody, you look at the background. That means a lot. You're talking about a great organization. You're talking about the Ravens and John Harbaugh, the Harbaughs, and then Jim and Michigan, I mean, fantastic.
Q. (On football IQ.)
JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah, we weren't talking schematics and moving shifting -- how coaches do coach-speak. We didn't get into that. It was communication, leadership, clarity. I think that jumps off with Mike. I talked to several people that interviewed him already, and they're like, wait until you look in this guy's eyes, man. He's there. He's present. He's on it.
He was. Everybody in that room felt it.
Q. What can you tell us about the process (indiscernible)?
JOHN SCHNEIDER: Well, Patrick Mahomes was doing his thing, and I apologize again. I've apologized to him several times. To be able to send in our slip -- we went through our situation, what, it feels like several months ago now. We got through that process, and then there's a lot of things at the league office you need to take care of. Mike and the Ravens and the Niners did such a great job, they had the first seed, so you can only speak to those individuals until that Monday.
We went through a job description. That needs approval. All of our DEI training, and then organizing ourselves; what are we looking for, the clarity of our questions, how are we going to find the answers as quickly as we can. We were unable to interview Mike on Monday.
Like I said, we were just really hoping that we'd be able to -- if the Lions lost and the Ravens lost, it wasn't personal at all. Yeah, it was.
No, we'd be able to fly to -- we had a plan in place to fly to Detroit. We flew to Detroit on Monday night or Monday afternoon, flew to Baltimore Monday night, had our interview with Mike at 9:00 on Tuesday morning, and he crushed it, and yeah, we flew back here, and it was on. Tracy and I picked Steph and Mike up at the airport and had a great evening when, like Mo says, we chopped it up a little bit and hung out for a while, and it was just natural, easy, clear.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOHN SCHNEIDER: Congratulations? What do you mean? Yeah, the reputation was really strong. I can't tell you like 100 percent, but the reputation was so strong, we didn't have to get there. I don't have to answer that question because we didn't have to get there.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, like I said, there were opportunities to talk with teams before, understanding there possibly was interest, but given the time frame and when that opportunity would come. But our mentality going in was let's go in with an open mind, and if there's an opportunity with a great partnership that feels like it's the right thing, then that would be something you're willing to pursue.
We had some great conversations throughout the process, but like I said, when we started talking about vision and how we wanted to play and the direction that we felt like -- that I felt like how I'd like to take the team and how that paralleled what they saw, it just became very clear that the thing that -- that was the thing you were looking for. It made sense at that point.
Q. I think a lot of people are curious about your offensive philosophies. You've played for a few guys that like to run the ball a lot. Is that your offensive philosophy, as well?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, the percentage of when you run the ball and how much and all that, that's all adjustable. To me, it's going to mirror our football team. We're going to be a physical football team. We're going to have answers. We're going to try to be explosive and really build it around the players that we have.
We're going through the process right now of who's going to be helping design that and ultimately calling plays. To have a specific answer for you what it's going to look like, I can't do that now, but that'll come into focus here sooner than later.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, we had a great job in Baltimore. Like I referenced earlier, there was a lot of great people there. I loved our players. You're always going to have a chance to be successful. We have a lot of family on the East Coast and things like that, so moving out west and moving away from those folks, it's a leap of faith.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: No, we're not going to translate that, but what the spirit of that is will come over and we'll be able to manifest that as we have conversations with the coaches and John and try to get our vision aligned and moving forward, and obviously get input from the players, as well, of what's important to them, what do they want to see when we turn on the tape. We're not going to translate that saying over, no.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, right now the plan is I'll be calling the plays. Now, depending on who the defensive coordinator is and when that becomes -- ultimately I'm the head coach of the football team, so I want to coach the football team. Right now, the best way that we can win in my opinion is for me to call the plays, and then when it becomes obvious that someone else is ready to go and we see it the same way, then we'll make that change.
Q. A lot of coaches that sit in the new head coach chair (indiscernible)?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, that was definitely a part of it. We went against Seattle this year, and there's a lot of great players on this team. We've done a great job of drafting. It's a young core. We've got a great opportunity to build these guys and build a really competitive team sooner than later.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, there's a combination there. We're watching the defense on a lot of crossover tape throughout the season, so you realize there's a lot of talent there and there's a lot of guys that have great reputations on the team, as well. Don't know a lot of them personally, so I'm interested in who they are as people and kind of what drives them there.
Then there's a lot of guys like Spoon, guys that we evaluated throughout the draft and guys were really excited about but obviously weren't able to be picked when we were picking in Baltimore.
Q. (On the defense.)
MIKE MACDONALD: This is an interesting answer if John Harbaugh is listening, but it's something that we built in Baltimore with the coaches that we have, and you're going to draw inspiration from things that you think is -- from schemes and people that you feel like are doing some cool stuff out there and have answers for things.
I think going to college and being able to reach out to a lot of different programs, and there's a lot of different programs throughout the country that I really respect and coaches that were really helpful translating the game to college, and I think what that did is it streamlined a lot of the things we were trying to do at the pro level. It was just a constant evolution of kind of the basics, the fundamentals that Rex Ryan and Jim Johnson have done 20, 25 years ago, and then all the great coordinators that we've had in Baltimore that we've been able to evolve the scheme, and ultimately the coaches that we had last year, we decided -- we took it a certain direction given the players we had.
So I'd say it's adaptable, but we're always going to be aggressive on how we want to do it. People ask about our blitz rates and all that; that's not important to me. It's about putting yourselves in positions to win the down, affecting the quarterback, putting your guys in position to have success.
Q. You have such a unique background. How did you end up coaching on the defensive side of the ball?
MIKE MACDONALD: That's a great question. I don't know really the answer to that. I think initially when I got the internship in Baltimore, they told me I was going to be on offense, and then I showed up and they said I was going to be on defense, so that's probably the easiest question to answer.
But I think it just fits my mentality, frankly. Offensive guys, sometimes we don't get along too well.
But yeah, it just started when I coached high school football at Cedar Shoals and had an affinity for the linebacker position, and it went from there.
Q. (Indiscernible) was there something you saw in him?
JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah, I think talking to -- there's a feeling that we all were there and felt it, but in talking to the players, several of the offensive players were like, what was that? What just happened?
I talked to -- tried to pick the players' brains here and there throughout the season, and that totally stood out.
I forget which player it was, but they were like, what was that, who is that. A lot of players aren't like, who was the coordinator over there, who was that all about.
Q. Have you crossed paths with Coach Carroll?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, I've never met Pete. I've always admired him from afar. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his track record. He's probably a Hall-of-Fame coach.
Pete has a great personality, but it's his and it's authentic to who he is as a person. I think that's why the players resonate with him and why he has such a great reputation, and his track record is what it is.
I have a different personality, and you'll get to know me, but my plan is to be myself every day. You're just going to get me.
It's not a facade. There's no altered agendas or anything like that. It's all about what's the best interest for the team, what's the best interest for the players, and how we can be successful.
There's a sense of humor in there, I promise. Some people like it more than others. But it'll come out.
If you're trying to be somebody that you're not, one, it's exhausting, and two, people see right through it.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: I'm glad you asked that question. Those guys are some of the most authentic, competitive people I've ever been around, and the players know when it's real, and they love their players, and they have their players' backs, and they're willing to do whatever it takes, put them in position to succeed.
Sometimes it's tough love, but it's telling them the truth, being respectful. They go about it two completely different ways, but they end up in the same spot.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, they're just incredibly courageous people, have had just a great effect on me. They're older than me. They're four and six years older than I am, and anyone with older siblings, you're always looking up to them and how they do things, but talk about people that have taken leaps of faith throughout their careers and with their families and who they are as people, it was just easy. You're just chasing them. I love them. They're pretty awesome.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, when I hear people tell me you've risen really fast, it makes me a little uncomfortable because that's not really the goal. You're trying to be in the role that you are to help the team the best you can. Ultimately as your roles and your responsibilities increase, your ability to do that is greater.
I think that's the mentality you have to have. The more you're in this business and you're around these great people and the competition is so high, you realize there's no way it can be just you. There's so much. There's so much power in the effort of the group and it kind of unlocking the people around you. So the whole goal is about empowering those folks and trying to bring the best out of them, and then ultimately as an organization, that's really how you go far is together.
Q. Earlier you talked about being a players' coach. How do you bring that mindset to the organization?
MIKE MACDONALD: I haven't actually heard I'm a players' coach that often, so that's a little surprising to me. Like I said, I think it's about generating the relationship with them, constant communication, telling them the truth, telling it to them with love, and I think it's a consistency that you have to have, where again, the players will know. They'll know whether we're consistent or not in our approach and whether we have their backs.
Now, we're going to tell them the truth and there's going to be a standard here about how we're going to play, but everybody is going to understand that from day one, and ultimately I think where you have success is the players start to hold each other accountable, as well, because they understand what the standard is, as well.
I think if you're consistent and you're honest, I think they respect that.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, talk about why, going through your career, I did want to be a defensive coordinator at some point, and it was a great opportunity to do that for a coach and a person that I really respected in Jim and how he ran his program.
It was the University of Michigan. That's big-time football. They were hungry to win.
What I learned when I showed up is we had some awesome people in that building, some great players. I don't know if Mike Mo is here, but Mike was part of that. They were hungry to win, and that was an awesome experience to bring people together, generate a common goal and just go chase it every day, and that's what we're going to do here.
Q. Your defensive philosophy, when did that become the most important thing to you?
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, the offenses out there are too good to just run through things and say, hey, we're going to beat you. Philosophically, again, I think we're all in this thing together, and the players need to know that we're trying to put them in advantageous positions. We're constantly trying to give them little margins of advantages. If you're not doing that, then what are you doing as a coach, whether it's through technique or fundamentals or communication or scheme.
The system that we run is built on concepts that are adjustable, and we can layer it together, and we're not going to get there overnight. It's going to be a process. But we understand what that takes and the cadence will vary based on how fast the guys can pick it up and what they can do.
The spirit of how we play and the principles of how we play, what you've seen on the tape in Baltimore will be the same, but I can't guarantee you the schematics will be the same here because we're not sure what we're good at yet.
Q. (Indiscernible).
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, we've played against Geno. He's a really good player. Pretty sure he's at the Pro Bowl right now. But we're going to build around the quarterback. You've got to. Just like we say on defense, we build the system around the players on defense, we're going to build it around the players on offense, and the most important player is the QB. We'll see how the whole situation shakes out over time.
But excited to get to meet those guys. I talked to Geno briefly after our game and told him how much I respected him, not anticipating I'd see him in six months or three months or however long it's been, but yeah, really just excited to meet the rest of the guys, especially the QBs, and get to know them and kind of see what makes them tick so we can start to build the system around them.
Q. In your offensive coordinator is it important to find somebody that has played in the NFL? Does that matter?
MIKE MACDONALD: It's not near the top of the list. We're looking for the right person to come in here and build this thing, so we want somebody that's open-minded, that has a growth mindset, that can connect with their players, and build a system that's unique to the Seattle Seahawks that's going to live here for a long time and who's going to be the one spearheading it.
Q. How close were you to taking that job with KPMG?
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, I initially signed the letter, and then didn't feel right when I did it, but I did sign it, and then you know the story, but when Baltimore called, I called the recruiter and said, thanks but no thanks. He goes, you realize you can't work at KPMG anymore, right? I was like, I think I'm okay with that.
Q. Where do things stand on (indiscernible)?
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, this is a funny story. We met everybody initially in the entryway yesterday. We literally walked upstairs and we went to work on staffing.
JOHN SCHNEIDER: He hasn't even been on a tour yet.
MIKE MACDONALD: I couldn't tell you where the in door is. That's full disclosure. Locker room, I've got no chance.
Q. What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for you taking on a head coaching spot and the duties that come with that?
MIKE MACDONALD: There's going to be a lot of challenges. We're going to have adversity. What's the biggest one? I can't answer that. But I just know that if we're going to take the approach we have every day and attack it head on, then we'll be able to get through it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports