Seattle, WA
‘Going to Get There’: Mike Macdonald Optimistic About Seattle Seahawks’ Trajectory
RENTON, Wash. – Enduring the first major adversity of his head coaching tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald has lamented his team’s struggles with everything from losing the turnover margin, drawing too many flags, and surrendering too many explosives on defense among other things.
But in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Macdonald hasn’t lost hope or confidence in his team, reiterating on numerous occasions since Thursday’s defeat to the 49ers that he believes in the talent and leadership in the Seahawks’ locker room to carry them through to better days ahead. As for reasons behind his persisting optimism, he has loved the fight and resiliency exhibited by his players clawing back into each of the last three games after slow starts.
“I think in order to be great, it starts with a solid foundation,” Macdonald told reporters on Friday morning. “Probably outside the New York game, the effort and the physicality and the intent of how we’re playing is there. That’s a reason to be optimistic.”
To kick off three games in 10 days, Seattle fell behind 21-7 at halftime to Detroit, but Macdonald’s team fought back to within one score multiple times in the second half with chances to win. Six days later, they nearly erased a 10-point lead in the second half to New York, only for Jason Myers’ game-tying field goal attempt to be blocked by linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
Then on Thursday night, the 49ers looked to be on their way to a prime time laugher when Brock Purdy hooked up with George Kittle for a touchdown to open the second half, extending their lead to 23-3. But receiver Laviska Shenault followed up with a much-needed spark for the Seahawks by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and after making a defensive stop, Ken Walker III scored from a yard out, suddenly making it a six-point game late in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, digging such large holes by playing sloppy football with subpar execution on offense, defense, and special teams created what proved to be insurmountable deficits in all three of those games. Despite their resilient efforts in the second half, they never led in the final two quarters over the past three weeks, a sign of how close and yet still so far they are from getting to where they want to be drawing closer to the midpoint of the season.
With that being said, considering the Seahawks had a chance to win all of those games despite their litany of mistakes in all three phases that put them in an early bind, Macdonald’s faith in his team remains unwavering. Still with 11 games left to play, he’s bullish on players and coaches working in unison to fix the issues that have plagued them in the first six weeks and start playing their best ball as the team they aspire to become.
“We’re going to get there. We’re going to get to the point where we want to be. I think our guys are bought in, and they’re convinced of it. They’re going to be part of the solution, and it’s my job and the coaches’ job to make it come to life. We’re going to be resilient. We’re just going to do it. At some point, it’s going to happen. I hope it’s this week. We’ve got the guys and the resolve to make it come to life.”
(Photos courtesy Brenda Hatley)
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Dozens of youth robotics teams from elementary and middle schools across the district gathered on December 6 at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School for this year’s FIRST Lego League qualifier. By the end of the day, three teams from West Seattle – Madison Middle School, Lafayette Elementary School, and Alki Elementary School – emerged triumphant, with their sights set on the next round of the tournament.
Of the schools who competed that day, nine were from West Seattle, including Genesee Hill Elementary, Fairmount Park Elementary, Gatewood Elementary, Arbor Heights Elementary, West Seattle Elementary, and the aforementioned teams that are moving up to the next round.
A local parent tipped us about the students’ achievement, so we set out to get details. We spoke with Brenda Hatley, a coach for Madison Middle School, the only West Seattle middle-school team to advance to the next round, and she says the turnout at the qualifiers was impressive. Hatley first became a coach for her son’s 4th-grade team and was one of the founding parents for Lafayette Elementary’s Lego Robotics team.
She says the program, which pairs engineering with LEGO, coding, and real-world projects, is a fantastic program for students who are less interested in athletics but still want to capture the excitement of a pep rally.
“It’s not a sports team, but they’re still getting so hyped up. The kids were cheering for each other, and the pressure was there; coaching through that was an incredible experience,” Hatley said.
Madison’s team, the Madbots, will play their next match on December 26th, at a to-be-determined location. The teams that do well this month will move on to the city-wide competition in Downtown Seattle, before moving to the regionals at Washington State University, and beyond to the international finals. Regardless of how they perform, Hatley says she and the other parents are planning to travel with their team to the city-wide and regional competitions.
“I’m really proud of the team,” Hatley said. “Last year, the fifth graders didn’t move on, and we had lower expectations; we just went in to learn more and get better. This year, we get to move on and see what the next level looks like.”
Seattle, WA
Redhawks Upset Huskies 70-66, Win Second Straight ‘Battle for Seattle’ — Emerald City Spectrum
With neither team shooting well from the outside at Climate Pledge Arena, the Redhawks outperformed the favored Huskies driving the ball to the paint in the second half, making more plays down the stretch to beat their city rivals for a second straight year.
There were Seattle Seahawks injury updates on Friday regarding three defensive backs coming out of the Hawks’ overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.
Seahawks’ Derick Hall suspended one game for stepping on player
Here’s a look at the updates, as well as insight from head coach Mike Macdonald and additional information from ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler.
• The biggest concern for the Seahawks coming out of the game is safety Coby Bryant, who has a knee injury. Macdonald said in a press conference Friday that Bryant would “get imaged,” meaning undergo an MRI. Fowler reported on social media that, per sources, Bryant is “expected to miss ‘some time’ based on initial tests.”
• Cornerback Riq Woolen has a knee concern of his own, but Fowler reported that it’s “not considered serious” and that, per a source, Woolen “more so got ‘banged up.’”
• Versatile defensive back Nick Emmanwori was evaluated for a concussion late in Thursday’s game, but Macdonald said he cleared concussion protocol.
The Seahawks improved to 12-3 with their win over the Rams, giving them a one-game lead over Los Angeles for both first place in the NFC West and the No. 1 seed to the postseason out of the NFC. The Seahawks also clinched a playoff spot with the dramatic comeback victory.
The next Seahawks game will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28 on the road against the Carolina Panthers (7-7). Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 7 a.m. that day with the pregame show.
More Seattle Seahawks coverage
• Macdonald explains Seahawks’ game-winning 2-point decision
• Brock Huard: The reason Sam Darnold was able to beat Rams
• Where Seahawks’ No. 1 seed odds stand after epic win
• Stacy Rost: Seahawks dramatically flip script to beat Rams
• Anatomy of a comeback: How Seattle Seahawks stunned Rams
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