New England Patriots
The Seahawks coach’s Massachusetts roots are “near and dear” to his heart, but New England is the only thing between him and a Super Bowl title.
SAN JOSE, Calif — There will be a Massachusetts native roaming the sidelines and scheming up ways to shut down the Patriots offense during the biggest game of his life this Sunday.
Mike Macdonald has coached the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl rematch with the Patriots. Before that, the 2023 Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in fewest points allowed, sacks, and takeaways in the same season under his watch as defensive coordinator.
He was born in Boston and spent some of his childhood in Scituate before his family moved to Georgia.
Macdonald grew up a Patriots fan, but now New England is the opposition. He has a job to do, and it’s to ensure Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and Co. don’t bring a seventh Super Bowl championship back to Foxborough.
“Scituate is near and dear to my heart,” Macdonald said. “I still have family that live there and in New Bedford. It’s an awesome part of the country. I’ve got a lot of respect for the people in New England.
“They’re great fans, really passionate about their team. I was one of them one day, back in the day. My job right now, my job since forever is to be a steward for the people that I’m responsible for and get our guys ready to play and create a team that the 12s are really proud of. So that’s where my focus is, but a lot of respect for those people.”
His childhood dream was to run the Red Sox as the team’s general manager. During his press conference at the Super Bowl LX opening night, he said he has switched allegiances to the Mariners.
“I’ve evolved since then,” Macdonald said. “I grew up a huge Sox fan, but I’m a pretty big Ms guy right now.”
At age 38, Macdonald is the third-youngest head coach in the NFL behind newly-hired Bills coach Joe Brady and Saints coach Kellen Moore.
He has the Seahawks back in the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl XLIX, when the Patriots triumphed after Malcolm Butler etched his name into history with his famous goal-line interception. Seattle missed the playoffs last year, despite finishing with a 10-7 record in Macdonald’s first season.
This year, they’re the NFC’s top seed. They beat a pair of NFC West division rivals to earn a spot in this game with the Patriots.
Macdonald’s smarts are a big part of why Seattle is here in California competing for a championship this weekend.
“I just know that I can go to him with anything and he’ll have an answer,” safety Julian Love said. “He’s probably the sharpest football mind I’ve been around and as a DB, as a guy in the secondary who is asking a lot of questions and communicating, it’s important. There’s just such a trust there that whatever he’s saying, you fully believe and that’s not as common in this league as you think.”
“He is laser-focused on the details to the point where it’s sometimes a little scary,” Seahawks offensive lineman Grey Zabel said.
There was a moment during the team’s organized team activities during the offseason when the defense wasn’t performing at its best, and Zabel could see from the fiery look in Macdonald’s eyes that getting on his bad side probably wasn’t the best idea.
“I think the fear factor comes into play,” Zabel said. “Wanting to make sure you’re doing everything that you can possibly be doing because one — he’s an unbelievable coach and two — he’s such a unique competitor as well.”
“He wants to win at everything, and I think that’s the coolest thing about playing for him, understanding that he’s a guy that wants to win and doesn’t accept anything else, I think. Mike is an unbelievable coach to play for and I’m super fortunate to play for a guy like that.”
Several Seahawks described Macdonald’s sense of humor as corny, and sometimes awkward, but also a sincere attempt at lightening the mood and building relationships.
“We were heading to a team meeting when I first arrived in Seattle and he tries to tell me a Harry Potter joke,” defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said. “And I’m like yeah Mike, I know we’re from the same timeline, I know we ain’t too far apart (in age), but it’s like, ‘Who knows any Harry Potter jokes?’ So, yeah, I’ll remember him for that one for sure.”
In a locker room full of guys who love football, there’s no one who enjoys the game more than Macdonald, linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. It shows in his preparation.
“The way he studies the game, the way he puts guys in position to make plays, the way he communicates out there,” cornerback Devon Witherspoon said. “It’s everything you want in a coach, literally. He does a great job of getting us to stay calm, stay in the moment, and don’t let the outside factors factor in.”
The Seahawks allowed the fewest points in the NFL (17.2 per game) during the regular-season. They were sixth in takeaways and yards allowed per game.
The “Legion of Boom” is long gone, but defense is Macdonald’s specialty and it’s a major part of the Seahawks’ identity.
“Once I got here, everything that you know about Seattle is defense,” Jones said. “When you put on those pads and wear that Seahawks jersey and you’re on the defense, you want to mimic and be as close to the ‘Legion of Boom’ as possible.”
“In our own right, we’re doing our own thing, but having that stature to look up to, guys in that locker room, we’ve lived up to it and we’re just excited for the next opportunity.”
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