Mike Macdonald - Head Coach, seahawks Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-07 | Full transcript (primary source).
On September 7, 2026, Mike Macdonald addressed the media during a press conference for the Seattle Seahawks, providing insights ahead of the upcoming NFL season. The event marked a key moment for the team as they prepared for their first game, highlighting player performances and roster updates.
Transcript
Macdonald: Got a game pretty soon or what? Good to see everybody. Some fun rules at the beginning of this season, this is great. This is a fun week. I get to not answer anything.
Macdonald: So you try if you want. Nick had them is probably most work in the last couple days. Looks great. He practiced limited today.
Macdonald: Yeah, tight tie didn't practice today. Rodney had a great offseason. We're really excited to be able to acquire him in the offseason. There's a lot of range, ball skills, physicality. I thought he played really well in the games when he was out there and he's practiced great.
Macdonald: Really like everybody that's practiced with us and been here throughout camp. Would be excited to see him, you know, just excited where they're at and we feel like they could contribute to us playing great football for us.
Macdonald: Yeah, for sure, physicality. He builds also another one of those guys that's done a great job since he's been here. I know his journey's a little different than Rodney's, but again, this, you know, just 70-man roster and he's part of the 70s. So we're excited about that.
Macdonald: Yeah, tight in practice today.
Reporter: Mike, what have you seen from the guys at practice going in the first game of the season?
Macdonald: Yeah, we've I thought we've had really, really great practices. Did some good things today. I thought our intent was right. I think understanding how we want to practice on a Friday. It's Friday today.
Macdonald: How we want to practice on a Friday with a lot of the guys that haven't been here just being aligned in terms of the speed. It's a combination of like it's not as crazy a practice that we're looking for but we're looking for high-powered execution.
Macdonald: At the same time. So we're still kind of connecting those dots to a certain extent, which is okay. But I think the guys understand like that the week's not over, you know, we're we still have opportunity to really nail some of these details that we want to get to going into the game.
Macdonald: So, but very pleased with our intent, our attention to detail, but we're still not there yet. We got some things that some eyes to dot and tees to cross.
Reporter: I think before the game?
Macdonald: Yeah, I think we saw the same things you did, Bob. He's taking off, things opened up, things kind of come out of a shell bit since he got here, understand how we operate.
Macdonald: And you know, since he started practicing again, he's put himself in a great position, so he's doing a great job.
Macdonald: Zach's doing awesome, doing awesome. I think he has a certain timetable in his mind that which we won't divulge right now, but like it is a certain timetable that he's targeting and he's on target for that timetable, which is great.
Macdonald: It's an aggressive timetable from if you just kind of put the whole thing into perspective. I think that shows what type of guy he is, you know, just be able to come back and work through that process and you know, get over those hurdles that it takes to put himself in this position.
Macdonald: But I mean, it looks awesome. He looks awesome going through. Whenever I see him doing anything, he looks pretty dang good.
Macdonald: Yeah, it's business as usual and really that's really our directive to our team is the way we want to train, the way we want to play games.
Macdonald: There's a lot of circumstance that comes around with this game as did our last game. But our focus has to stay on who we are and how we play ball, you know, if we start getting affected by all the things around it, you know, we're not gonna be the best football team we can be.
Macdonald: And he's right there, you know, in terms of having the right type of attitude on the approach. So feel like he's in a really good place. And again, I'm just excited to see him play.
Macdonald: I'm the injured guys that much, but for the guys that you do have, having Tyree tonight step forward, being able to go to five-man lines and the China and the edges that you've got.
Reporter: What are you looking forward to seeing from some of those guys that can step in and take some of those reps?
Macdonald: Well, I would say that we have a lot of guys that have earned opportunities to play and we spent a lot of the offseason getting them ready to play.
Macdonald: So whoever is ready to play is gonna, we have a lot of faith in playing good football for us.
Macdonald: So how are we to play them? You know, again, we're two different football teams right now.
Macdonald: So like for us to dust off the last game plan and to say that's what we're gonna run is overly irresponsible nor is it the best thing for this team.
Macdonald: So, you know, we have a game plan that once we're gonna try to execute it to the best of our ability and as coaches we have to do a great job of understanding how the game is being played and being able to adjust more so probably in any other game in the season because of just being week one.
Macdonald: And you know, both teams are kind of, you know, they haven't really shown their cards yet.
Macdonald: Yeah, we've had really good competition at the guard position and there's several guys on our team that have done a great job. Christian's one of them. I think he's really taken his game to another level. So he should be proud of himself. He's done a really nice job.
Reporter: Coaches, you were prepared to work with Adam dirty for the third season. Discuss the qualities of your British defensive corners.
Macdonald: I discussed the web. Had to miss one at least one question at least one where I loved it.
Macdonald: Yeah, AD is a cornerstone piece of our club, you know, he's been there every step of the way since day one and he's a heck of a football coach.
Macdonald: He really is how he sees the game I think complements how I see it in terms of how we've built our team and built our scheme.
Macdonald: His probably his best quality is just being a connector and a leader and communicator. There's three, not just one.
Macdonald: But we love him. He's done a tremendous job and we trust him, you know, he's running the operation 99% of the time.
Macdonald: And one of the cool things about AD is like I think if you came into our defensive team room, I don't know if you'd be able to figure out who the coordinator is or who the DB coach is or who the head coach is.
Macdonald: It's just kind of everybody pulling in the same direction. He definitely sets the tone for that feeling and that's what we're trying to create.
Macdonald: So I can't say enough good things about like since the Dallas preseason game.
Reporter: Where have you guys grown operationally the things you want to be?
Macdonald: Yeah, I get the guys have been on it. They've done a really nice job. Coaches, players included. Sam's really driving the bus on that front.
Macdonald: Offensive lines bought in, they see it. I'm excited to see them do their thing.
Macdonald: Well, he has a clear vision on what he expects and he communicates in his way, which is effective.
Macdonald: And you know, any time we kind of see something that we want to improve on and we kind of put our intention behind it, you want to see growth, you know, from really everybody involved.
Macdonald: And Brian really helped push that offensively. And so I appreciate the way he went about it with the coaching staff and with the players.
Reporter: Where do you feel that helps the most in terms of the menu you can call?
Macdonald: Time that it takes to get a game plan and where do you see the difference?
Macdonald: I don't know how much quicker it's got on defense. I do think we understand the things that we want to get to sooner.
Macdonald: To look just it's just a shared understanding about how we do all the things like do what schematics we want to get to.
Macdonald: What answers do we feel like we want to maybe we find something that we need to be able to fix how we can get that coached.
Macdonald: There's just there's a cool moment the other day where we were in special teams.
Macdonald: And I told our staff this but I just felt like it's probably this is probably a good time to share it.
Macdonald: But like during special teams period the guys, you know, we have an operating procedure on who needs to be out there and win and all that type of stuff at the beginning of practice.
Macdonald: But like our entire defensive staff I think might have been working with another part like another position like a different position group they normally work with.
Macdonald: And so it's just this really cool synergistic 12 was one type of idea of hey, we coach everybody all the time.
Macdonald: There's no again, there's no such thing as like we only farm each other's land, you know, it's a team effort.
Macdonald: And just a great attitude and the players, you know, the players are getting developed and they're learning stuff and it's just it was a really cool moment.
Macdonald: That was just like man, this is awesome.
Reporter: How important is it to you to have coaches with like cross distance stuff like you could have a tight ends being coached be a tight ends coach for 30 years?
Macdonald: No, not that important. It's really just a spirit about how you go like you just got to just gotta be one of us, man.
Macdonald: You can't just operate in a silo. No, don't just close your door and worry about your guys that doesn't go over here pretty well.
Reporter: That there's sort of an unknown element in the opener where teams haven't shown their cards and there's uniqueness to that.
Reporter: So how do you prepare yourself to be able to overcome the unknown element?
Macdonald: Well, I think you have to stick to your core competencies at the beginning of the game and then you know you're gonna build out some possible answers as it goes.
Macdonald: But it's just a really have an understanding of what you can do, who you guys are, how you feel like what they're trying to do and then get to it.
Macdonald: You're doing that every game anyways, but I think the first game it's just it is different just probably because it's just you know, they could do anything.
Reporter: What are you looking forward to most?
Macdonald: No, I really thought I mean it's Friday right now. Right now I'm thinking about the things I'm doing right after this and then working on a little red zone and then getting home.
Macdonald: It's up to them, it's up to them, they're the boss.
Reporter: Anything else?
Macdonald: Okay. Thank you.