SAD NEWS: The head coach of the Seattle Seahawks has angrily terminated his contract due to a serious…

SAD NEWS: The head coach of the Seattle Seahawks has angrily terminated his contract due to a serious

RENTON — Up until now, Mike Macdonald primarily evaluated a practice based on how well the defense performed.

However, Macdonald may now also feel pleased when the offense does well in his new position as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, having spent the previous two seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.

Alternatively, as demonstrated on Saturday during the second of two rookie minicamp drills held at the VMAC, it performs far better.

The players had to rapidly memorize some plays after arriving the day before, which contributed to their general incapacity to make many plays in 11-on-11 sessions during the first practice on Friday. There was also some attacking sloppiness.

“The amount of time you have to install things is limited,” Macdonald remarked.

Thus, at rookie minicamp, the offense is always allowed some leeway.

To clear things up, McDonald did pose a small challenge to the offense before practice on Saturday.

“He mentioned that communication was the main area where the defense outperformed us,” guard Sataoa Laumea, a sixth-round selection out of Utah, said. “So, the main focus for today was that.”

The offense proceeded more smoothly throughout, suggesting that the message was understood.

A few standout passing plays exemplified this, including a long completion on a go route by San Jose State’s undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Chevan Cordeiro to fellow rookie UDFA receiver Hayden Hatten of Idaho and a successful pass over the middle by Taulia Tagovailoa, a tryout quarterback, to Mount Si’s Jesiah Irish, a tryout receiver who leaped to catch the ball in traffic.

Later on, Cordeiro connected tight end Jack Westover, a UDFA from Mount Si and Washington, on a short pass that required Westover to dive to catch.

“Watching them finish a few balls today was encouraging,” Macdonald remarked. “I was a little disappointed that we didn’t force more turnovers on defense. They threw the ball well, in my opinion. We weren’t simply snapping on one every time, so we were able to run the offense with the cadences. Overall, I felt we handled the ball effectively.

“I feel like we are all on the same page, even with the little adjustments and motions,” Sataoa remarked. That was undoubtedly better than yesterday, then.

Nearly thirty players participated in the tryout process, the majority of whom are unlikely to return. However, one standard starting offensive line during camp included five rookies who were all part of the 90-man roster: Sataoa, who usually lined up at left guard; Christian Haynes, a third-round selection, who usually lined up at right guard; Michael Jerrell, a sixth-round pick, who mostly lined up at right tackle but also saw some time at guard; Mike Novitsky, a Kansas UDFA signee; and South Dakota State’s Garret Greenfield, a left tackle.

Since these sessions lack pads and contact, evaluating how lines play primarily revolves around communicating and appropriately completing assignments.

“It’s just cool to kind of get to know them,” Macdonald remarked. We’re going to be working on a few things for those guys. But we’re sort of chasing those details, just like the rest of the team.

McDonald’s elaborates on the practice environment
After 14 years under Pete Carroll’s leadership, McDonald’s approach to practices and games will be scrutinized closely from the start.

This prompted another inquiry to be posed to McDonald’s on Saturday regarding his preferred practice environment, specifically with regard to musical performance.