Seattle, WA

Salk: 7 words that stick out with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2024

Salk: 7 words that stick out with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald

It has been a long time since the main stage in the Seattle Seahawks meeting room belonged to someone other than Pete Carroll. Walking into that room was somewhat surreal. Remember, it had been just three weeks since it was stuffed to the brim with applauding employees thanking Pete for all he had done. The basketball hoop was still in the corner and all of the other faces were familiar. But once John Schneider and Mike Macdonald took their pictures and sat at the table, it was an entirely new world.

What Mike Macdonald plans to do with Seattle Seahawks’ defense, QB

I’m glad I went. I haven’t made much of a secret of my skepticism. Macdonald clearly has the brainpower and successful resume of a top-tier coordinator. But for years I have argued that NFL teams do a disservice to their fans by simply hiring the top coordinator on whatever team had a good season and assuming that person will also have the skills and talents that translate to the new job.

I was perfectly willing to believe Macdonald had the soft skills to go with the obvious ones. But it struck me as a little premature to assume he had them before we got a chance to know him and hear about the process.

There was no way for him to answer all of those questions in just a short press conference, and obviously it’s a whole lot more important that he show the players, coaches and everyone in that building how he leads rather than proving it to a media chump like me. But as far as first impressions go, this one couldn’t have gone much better.

Here are seven key words that stood out from the day:

As Schneider introduced Macdonald, it didn’t seem like an accident when he said “this is the future.” It seemed like a clear message that the organization was looking forward, getting younger, and concentrating on what is to come. And if you are more of a visual learner, you couldn’t miss the slim fit hoodie under Macdonald’s suit (or the Jordan’s on his feet). It was very clear that they were demonstrating that this was a new day and about the future.

It makes sense and it’s exactly what I would want in their situation. The ghosts of Pete Carroll are going to haunt those halls for a while. His impact was so thoroughly felt in that building that it would be impossible to eradicate that energy even after you take down the signs and messaging. But for Macdonald to have a chance to succeed a legend, it needs to be about the future. And while it may not have been a conscious decision, it doesn’t seem like an accident to have gone from the oldest coach in the league to the youngest. Nor did it seem accidental to emphasize that in the introduction.

Macdonald is intense. Very intense. As much as his fashion choices screamed youth, his demeaner was more that of an old soul. He took every question seriously, and you could just feel the intensity emanating off him. He didn’t offer a full philosophical mantra nor even any slogans – in fact, he bristled at the odea of co-opting “the Ravens Way” in Seattle – but he did say they would work by “giving all we got, one day at a time.” It struck me as the kind of process that has helped him climb so quickly to the top of his chosen profession.

Similarly, he struck me as very methodical. We had heard he was detail-oriented, and that’s hard to judge in a press conference environment. But it sure wouldn’t surprise me based on the way he answered questions. He considered the question, took them seriously, and answered at his own pace. He was polite and forthcoming, but didn’t give away any more than he chose to. I got the sense that he had a plan and would stick to it.

He commanded the room. This might be the No. 1 thing I was looking for, and it was evident. All eyes were on him and he was very comfortable with that. He didn’t blabber on and he didn’t deflect with jokes. He was just straight up in charge. Whereas Pete would fill up a room with words upon words upon words, Macdonald let it breathe. He let the room come to him. And that made me feel a lot better about his jump from coordinator to head coach.

He wants the team to be physical. He wouldn’t commit to an offense and he was adamant that his defensive style isn’t about reaching specific percentages or blitz rates. Instead, it is all about doing what needs to be done on that day , for that play, or in that moment. As much as we heard the name “Harbaugh” invoked throughout the morning, in some ways his defensive scheme sounded more like something we would attribute to Bill Belichick. But he wants the team to be physical, and I think every Seahawks fan would agree that has been missing for the past few years.

He is modern. Yes, that is similar to the bit about the future, but this more about how he twice mentioned “growth mentalities.” In fact, he went so far as to say that was what he was looking for in an offensive coordinator. For all of the contrasts with Pete Carroll, this was where they were most similar. It was from Pete that I first heard this term (along with his emphasis on “grit,” and it’s one that we often use at my house in raising out two daughters.

Macdonald struck me as a student. And Schneider addressed that by calling him a “learning networker rather than a climbing networker.” Interesting distinction! But I think he’s saying that Macdonald has sought out other coaches to learn from them rather than just to get noticed for the next job.

He is authentic. He isn’t Pete Carroll, nor do I expect him to be. He isn’t John Schneider nor John Harnaugh. He seemed very comfortable being Mike Macdonald. He is going to succeed (or not) by being himself. And hopefully that is what will make him relatable to the players. It’s the only way to be.

It’ll be some time before we find out what kind of coach we have here in Seattle. And the comparisons to his legendary predecessor are almost unavoidable. But on day one, he showed the public everything we would want to see. That’s all any of us can ask right now.

More on new Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald

• Seahawks hope ‘disruptor’ Macdonald can make them contenders again
• What Stood Out: New Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald joins Bump & Stacy
• Key takeaways from Mike Macdonald’s 1st Seahawks press conference
• The File: Who is new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald?
• A Ravens insider breaks down strengths of Seattle Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald
• What Macdonald must do when making jump to Seahawks head coach

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Seattle, WA

Seattle weather: Wet start to Tuesday with breezy winds

Published

9 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Seattle weather: Wet start to Tuesday with breezy winds

SEATTLE – A wet start to the day Tuesday with widespread showers and snow in the higher elevations. Snow levels will start low around 3000′ with a mix of rain and snow in the Cascade passes. Snow levels will start to rise to around 6000′ later in the day and evening.

A wet start to the day Tuesday with widespread showers and snow in the higher elevations.

Wind Advisory

There is a Wind Advisory for the coast and the north interior on Tuesday for gusts between 40-50 mph. Winds will remain strong along the coast, continuing the advisory through Wednesday afternoon.

There is a Wind Advisory for the coast and the north interior Tuesday for gusts between 40-50 mph.

Winds will be gusty for all of western Washington Tuesday with the Puget Sound seeing gusts up to 40 mph as well.

Winds will be gusty for all of Western Washington Tuesday with the Puget Sound seeing gusts up to 40 mph as well.

Highs Tuesday will be a few degrees below seasonal average, only reaching the low to mid 50s.

Highs Tuesday will be a few degrees below seasonal average, only reaching the low to mid 50s.

What’s next:

Showers will linger Wednesday with highs only in the upper 40s, then we will dry out for Thursday with milder temperatures. The Mariners home opener Thursday is looking dry with mostly sunny skies in the afternoon. This could mean the roof is OPEN! Showers will be gone by Friday into the weekend for a more spring-like forecast.

Showers will linger Wednesday with highs only in the upper 40s. (FOX 13 Seattle)

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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.

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Seattle, WA

Why the potential return of the Sonics to Seattle has never felt closer

Published

21 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Why the potential return of the Sonics to Seattle has never felt closer

A fan hold up a sign in the stands urging the former Seattle Sonics basketball team to return to Seattle before a preseason NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

SEATTLE — October 25, 2006. April 18, 2008. May 15, 2013.

March 25, 2026?

Those dates on the calendar — three in the past, one still yet to come — represent four seminal moments in the history of NBA franchise stability as it relates to Seattle.

The first three are dates fans of the green and gold would rather forget.

The first was the day Clay Bennett’s purchase of the SuperSonics was approved by NBA owners. The second, the day his relocation request to move the franchise from Seattle to Oklahoma City was given the OK, prior to the lawsuit and subsequent settlement that finally allowed the organization to bolt.

And the last was the day Chris Hansen’s efforts to purchase and relocate the Sacramento Kings were thwarted and voted down by the league.

Three moments that went to define the opinion of the NBA in the minds of many sports fans in the Pacific Northwest.

But that last date — Wednesday — might end up being a date that gets circled and remembered in a different light. The NBA Board of Governors will wrap up two days of meetings in New York on Wednesday with the expectation that the league’s owners will give the green light to start conversations with interested ownership groups who want to bring expansion franchises to Seattle and Las Vegas.

After years of posturing, and fits and starts, the return of the NBA to Seattle has never felt closer. But there are significant questions that remain. Here’s a look at a few of them with Wednesday’s meeting on the horizon.

Is this real or just another tease?

It sure seems real.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver set the stage for what seems likely to happen next when he unexpectedly announced at the NBA Cup that expansion was going to be addressed sometime in 2026.

What comes from the meetings Tuesday and Wednesday is expected to be a vote of approval from the league’s owners allowing Silver to start holding substantive talks with potential ownership groups in Seattle and Las Vegas that could lead to a vote for expansion approval later this year. For the initial vote and for the final approval, 23 of the league’s 30 owners must vote in favor for approval.

Industry sources have told the Seattle Times that the buzz during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles last month was momentum quickly growing behind the thought that expansion was going to take place. With word emerging earlier this week of the pending vote, it would seem highly unlikely for that kind of information to leak without an expectation that a vote of approval is coming and would allow Silver to start the real conversations.

Assuming that approval comes, the next few months will be filled with conversations and negotiations, and ultimately a final decision on whether to formally expand or not. The vote for that could come as soon as the NBA Summer League owners’ meeting that’s held in Las Vegas in July. If there are delays or hiccups in the talks, the vote on formal expansion could be pushed to the annual BOG meeting held in September. Either way, as long as the vote is sometime this year and the league gives the thumbs up, the expansion franchise should be able to start in time for the 2028-29 season.

Is this going to become a bidding war?

That is one of the significant unknowns about how many parties are going to get involved in the bidding. To date, the only group locally to express their interest in pursuing expansion once the league gives the green light is the Kraken ownership group. They have decided advantages over any other group as a stakeholder in Climate Pledge Arena and the owner of the primary tenant that uses the facility. But questions remain about who all would be involved in any sort of investment group that would put forth a bid. To date, there have been behind-the-scenes conversations, but reserved public-facing campaigning by the Kraken group in jockeying for the lead position.

That has created a little bit of that uncertainty about whether another group could swoop in and get involved. The NBA likely wouldn’t mind that. The more groups, the more demand. The more demand, the more likely the expansion fee could be pushed upward.

Does the Seahawks sale factor into all of this?

Just like with the question about the bidding war, the fact the Super Bowl champions are for sale and in the same market adds a wrinkle to the situation around the NBA. The primary figures in each situation are likely committed to staying in their lanes — the folks who will be providing most of the money in the pursuit of each franchise likely should not change. But the money that comes in on the fringes could be a little in flux. Ultimately, it’s a small piece of the much larger pie.

The higher likelihood is whoever is committed at this point to being financially involved in either potential transaction isn’t changing.

What about the Sonics history?

Should this continue in the direction it seems to be heading, yes, the history of the SuperSonics would return to the expansion franchise. That was part of the settlement agreed to when the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 — when a team returned to the market, the 41 years of history that accompanied the Sonics time in Seattle would be reinstated and no longer claimed by the Thunder franchise.

Many of the stars of the past — Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp to name a pair — have stated they did not want their past accomplishments in Seattle recognized by the Thunder franchise.

What’s the Vegas angle to all this?

Nine months ago, the momentum behind Las Vegas wasn’t dead, but it certainly had quieted significantly. There was uncertainty about possible ownership groups, including whether LeBron James’ longstanding want to be involved with a Vegas expansion team was still there. There were major questions about the arena situation and if T-Mobile Arena — home of the NHL’s Golden Knights — would be the home of an NBA team as well or if a new building would be in the offering.

Clearly a couple of those questions have been answered. There appear to be at least two ownership groups positioned to be involved in the bidding, although the most prominent name linked to team ownership there seems to be out. The Athletic first reported and James later confirmed that he and his partners with Fenway Sports Group would not be involved in the bidding process for a Las Vegas franchise.

The other two groups, per reporting from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, are a group that includes Magic Johnson and another that includes Golden Knights owner Bill Foley.

The arena … well that remains perhaps the biggest unknown in Sin City. The NBA has indicated upgrades to T-Mobile Arena might be good enough to satisfy needs. But the building is already home to the Golden Knights, UFC and concerts, and there are valid concerns about congestion and potentially a viable path toward a new building. Whether a building could be ready in two years should the reported 2028-29 timeline be applied to both teams is unknown.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Weather: First Spring storm arrives on Tuesday

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Weather: First Spring storm arrives on Tuesday

Seattle – The weekend brought a much-needed break from the rainy atmospheric river. We enjoyed a mainly sunny and dry sky. Monday will see a few more clouds around the area ahead of our next rainmaker, which is forecast to arrive on Tuesday.

Increasing clouds on Monday, but still dry.

After enjoying a dry an mainly sunny weekend, more clouds will move inland throughout the day Monday.

Grab an extra layer on Monday morning as morning lows will be chilly, near freezing in some spots. Partly cloudy and slightly cooler in the afternoon with highs near 50.

Forecast highs Monday around our region.

Afternoon highs remain cool to start the week.

After the latest atmospheric river sent snow levels up near 8000 and 9000 feet, much of the beneficial snow we picked up was melted. This next round of will lower snow levels back down, where a light dusting of snow is forecast to fall.