Seattle, WA

Mike Macdonald is drawing praise as Seattle's new coach but the test starts this week vs. Denver

Published

19 mins ago

September 4, 2024

Mike Macdonald is drawing praise as Seattle's new coach but the test starts this week vs. Denver

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Mike Morris saw the field for all of one game because of an injury in his rookie season. Not a lot of time to make an impression on his teammates.

When word leaked out about Mike Macdonald becoming the new coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Morris’ phone erupted making him maybe the most popular player in the locker room.

“It was like, ‘Mike, did he coach you in college?’ And I was like, ‘yeah.’ I got a bunch of those text messages,” Morris recalled. “My mom and dad called me and was like ‘how do you feel about it?’ I was like, ‘I’m really excited.’”

Morris isn’t the only one excited about Macdonald and the possibilities of what could happen in his first season as the Seahawks head coach.

The franchise that employed Pete Carroll for 14 seasons and who had the oldest head coach in the league last year, went the opposite direction hiring Macdonald as the youngest coach in the league at age 37 and with no head coaching experience at any level.

Macdonald is a football nerd, in the most complimentary way. He worked his magic as a defensive coordinator at Michigan — where he coached Morris — before returning to the place where his NFL career started in Baltimore and turned the Ravens defense into one of the most successful and difficult to decipher in the league the past two seasons.

“Yeah, he’s smart. He doesn’t know how smart he is,” Seattle linebacker Tyrel Dodson said. “That guy is just so smart. I thought I was smart. He blows me out of the water.”

But running a team is far different than running a defense. And despite his relative inexperience, those around him in Seattle have been impressed thus far with how Macdonald has taken to the role.

“I just think Mike’s a great listener. He really is, he can take that information in and make decisions,” Seattle general manager John Schneider said. “It’s been really impressive to watch. Like I said, he’s a very direct communicator. He’s going to give me the information, I got it, I’m going to take it over here and I’m going to have the conversation and we’re going to move on.”

Macdonald will make his head coaching debut on Sunday when the Seahawks open at home against the Denver Broncos. He’s now the face of the franchise, although he doesn’t seek the spotlight that comes with being the youngest coach in the league.

He’d rather be in a film room or on the practice field “chasing edges,” — one of the tag phrases he’s latched onto describing what he’s trying to create with the Seahawks.

“We’re always trying to push the envelope. We want people chasing us,” Macdonald said. “So to kind of get to the mentality of we’re not copying anybody it’s going to be our style of play, it’s going to be our team, our way of doing things, never satisfied with where we’re at, no complacency. Kind of a relentless pursuit of creating the vision that we want to create. I think that kind of paints a nice picture.”

While Macdonald is more out front now as a head coach, his defensive mind is what put him on the radar of every team that was seeking a new leader this past offseason.

The Ravens led the league in fewest points allowed and sacks, and were tied for the league lead in takeaways last season. They held six teams to 10 points or fewer in the regular season, including a 37-3 thumping of the Seahawks.

Disguise and creating confusion were the keys to the success in Baltimore, and what Macdonald is trying to implement now with a Seahawks defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in nearly every category last season. The system isn’t overly complicated, but there is a high level of communication and understanding of what everyone else is doing to make the coverage disguises work.

Seattle played an overwhelmingly vanilla defense during the preseason. The first test of how successful it could be comes Sunday.

“I enjoy this defense because I think it’s fun,” Seattle safety Julian Love said. “It’s not monotonous, you’re not just getting to the post. You’re doing different things. The flip side of that you have to be on your stuff.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Seattle, WA

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks: Predictions, picks and odds for NFL Week 1 game

Published

8 hours ago

September 4, 2024

Press Room

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks: Predictions, picks and odds for NFL Week 1 game

Will the Denver Broncos Bo-lieve in Nix?

After a disastrous tenure, Russell Wilson is out of Denver and Sean Payton has appointed first-round draft pick Bo Nix to take over the starting duties. The Broncos have always been a defensive team, but the unit struggled last season and will need to tighten up to give its rookie some help.

It’s a new era in Seattle with Mike Macdonald the new head coach for the Seahawks after Pete Carroll stepped down. The second half of last season was disappointing and resulted in missing the playoffs. The hope is its key players remain healthy to get the team back into contending in the NFC West.

PROP TALK: These are the best prop bets for NFL games this week

Seahawks vs. Broncos odds, moneyline, over/under

The Seahawks are favorites to defeat the Broncos, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024 including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.

Spread: Seahawks (-6)
Moneyline: Seahawks (-250); Broncos (+200)
Over/under: 42

Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered with Thursday Night Football odds and Monday Night Football odds.

New to sports betting? USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with the best online sportsbooks and sports betting sites.

FEELING LUCKY? Here are the best parlay bets and odds for NFL games this week

NFL Week 1 odds, predictions and picks

Lorenzo Reyes: Seahawks 24, Broncos 17

I would tend to avoid this game, given the variables on both sides. Seattle has a rookie head coach in Mike Macdonald, the Broncos have a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix. But if I had to pick, I trust Seattle more with its experience on the roster and playing at home.

Tyler Dragon: Seahawks 21, Broncos 16

Bo Nix’s first NFL start is in a rowdy environment at Lumen Field, one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. The Seahawks are entering the season under the radar. But they have a playoff-caliber roster and new defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald should improve Seattle’s defense.

Safid Deen: Seahawks 23, Broncos 16

It’s life well after Russell Wilson for both of these teams. The Seahawks even have a new coach, too. And Mike Macdonald’s defense will give Broncos coach Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix fits in Seattle during their opener.

Richard Morin: Broncos 23, Seahawks 21

Don’t go against Bo!

Jordan Mendoza: Seahawks 24, Broncos 16

Bo Nix has been nothing but impressive since he’s arrived in Denver, but going into a raucous Seattle home crowd will be a tough task for a first regular season game. The Broncos couldn’t stop the run last season, and that’s something Kenneth Walker has to be looking forward to exposing. Seattle limits Denver in a convincing win.

MOST VALUABLE BET: Who is the favorite to win NFL MVP in 2024?

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Seattle, WA

Seattle weather: Summer heat returns Wednesday, highs in the low 80s

Published

14 hours ago

September 4, 2024

Press Room

Seattle weather: Summer heat returns Wednesday, highs in the low 80s

Seattle weather: Warming back up Wednesday

FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Ilona McCauley has your latest western Washington weather forecast!

After morning clouds started the day, the sunshine returned with warmer temperatures back into the low to mid 70s.

After morning clouds started the day, the sunshine returned to warmer temperatures back into the low to mid 70s.

Lows tonight will be slightly cooler as we will see clearer skies. Overnight temperatures in the mid to low 50s.

Lows tonight will be slightly cooler as we will see clearer skies.

After a few patchy morning clouds, plenty of sunshine is expected Wednesday with highs in the low to mid 80s.

After a few patchy morning clouds, plenty of sunshine is expected Wednesday with highs in the low to mid 80s.

Fire concerns will increase on Wednesday evening, with a Fire Weather Watch going into effect Wednesday evening through Friday evening. Hot temperatures, unstable conditions and low relative humidity will increase fire risk for the Cascades and Olympics.

Fire concerns will increase Wednesday evening, with a Fire Weather Watch going into effect Wednesday evening. (FOX 13 Seattle)

High pressure starts to build Wednesday, which will be the beginning of the late summer heat wave.

High pressure starts to build Wednesday, which will be the beginning of the late summer heat wave.

With the warmer temperatures expected, a Heat Advisory will go into effect Thursday morning through Friday evening for western Washington.

With the warmer temperatures expected, a Heat Advisory will go into effect Thursday morning through Friday evening for western Washington. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Sunny skies and warm temperatures will continue into the weekend. The highs will peak Thursday, with many spots reaching the low 90s. We will start to see more onshore flow and a few more clouds by Sunday.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures will continue into the weekend. High’s will peak Thursday.

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Seattle, WA

'Double Trouble Weekend': Seattle traffic closures coming to I-405, I-5

Published

19 hours ago

September 3, 2024

Press Room

'Double Trouble Weekend': Seattle traffic closures coming to I-405, I-5

article

I-5 and I-405 closures WSDOT

SEATTLE – Drivers beware as WSDOT issues a reminder for a so-called “Double Trouble Weekend” on the way for September 6-9.

The roadwork will address improvements as crews continue their summer-long push to complete western Washington projects during favorable weather months.

I-405 closures

I-405 will be fully closed for southbound lanes in Bothell between SR-527 and SR-522.
The closure will last from 10 p.m. on Friday, September 6 until 4 a.m. on Monday, September 9.
Cause: Paving and brickyard work related to SR-527.

I-5 closures

I-5 will have a lane reduction between Albro Place and mid-Boeing Field in South Seattle.
The closure will last from 9 p.m. on Friday, September 6 until 5 a.m. on Monday, September 9.
Cause: Expansion joint repair. This will temporarily decrease I-5 South in the area to two lanes.