Flash Breda Report: On The Precipice Of A New Era

[MORGULON]

Spot on with regards to the impact of Leslie Frazier.

Fun fact: Frazier was the token minority interview the Seahawks did before they hired Pete Carroll.

I was talking to a friend (not a 12) who thought the Frazier hiring was huge. MM brings in a top notch coach and defensive mind who has seen it all. Savvy move with all the youth and assistants first time at the pro level

 

[MORGULON]

Great post and agree 100%. Not only does he say the right things, but by all accounts, and judging by his record, he does the right things as well. Both in terms of football smarts and more importantly, people smarts.

Much was made of his introverted style of leadership. I think its actually going to be a key to his near term success. Introversion isnt as much about being quiet as much as it is about having a way of thinking thats based more on observation, and a way of being that is driven more by internal mechanisms than external stimulus. The classic introvert is happy to live in their thoughts and sit, watch, learn and extract gobs of information and data from a subject that others who arent that way might. They have a tendency to be more adept at seeing the nuance of a thing or a person. This makes them quick studies and very good at reaching others at a perosnal level and understanding the mood of a situation or the subtle cues a person gives off that provides insight into who they are and how to communicate with them.
The challenge is that the introvert can at times become too comfortable living inside their own minds and not develop the skills of leadership that require one to exude conifidence, communicate well, and, in turn, gain trust. Mike seems to have taken the time to nurture that part of himself from a point of beginning that is rooted in his greatest strength - his ability to connect with his players. The fact that hes stepping into the Seahawks culture (by culture, i dont mean Pete's style of leadership) where interpersonal relationships and valuing eachother..., seeing eachother in a genuine way, trumps everything... that can only help to give him the confidence he needs to grow himself and get the job done... quickly.

He still does things like hangs onto catchphrases like 'growth mindset' and ' chasing edges ' too much, but i chalk that up to him leaning on those things he was taught by the Harbaughs and making them his own here in Seattle.

I dont think it HAS to take a long time to change the winming ways in a place, nor does a wholesale coaching staff change mean you have to take a step back. Take the name out of the equation, and what we've done more than anything in maintaining whats made this organization great, is tweaked the culture to be moe accountable, and adjusted the scheme to be more flexible, responsive and aggressive. When seen that way, i think its easy to see the greener pastures are likely closer than we might want to let ourselves believe.

The part that gives me pause is the OC And DC and how well Mike can adjust things in 2024 if they dont function as well as they should. Im less concerned with the offense because i think Mike's brilliant and can step in to make sure the unit maximizes its potential. But the OC? Grubb doesnt seem to me to be cut from the same cloth as Mike in terms of his leadership ability or his ability to connect with players - just my intuition. I also dont know how well he will translate his concepts to the NFL. So, if the wheels begin to squeak and then fall off on the offensive side, will Mike be able to step in and make whatever corrections are necessary and lead through that adversity? Especially if hes consumed with leading the defense? I know that Durdy is the DC, but that side of the ball will 100% be Mike's bag, in the same way Holmgren led the offense when he was here... often at the expense of the quality of coaching and performance on the other side of the ball.

But yes, i have positive vibes as well. We weren't that far away from having a really good year last year. Great thing is that the weaknesses that brought us down (i think) have been directly addressed with everything Mike seems to be and with what he wants to do. Here's to hoping he's all he seems to be.

Cant wait for week1!

Yeah.

 

[AROS]

Great post and agree 100%. Not only does he say the right things, but by all accounts, and judging by his record, he does the right things as well. Both in terms of football smarts and more importantly, people smarts.

Much was made of his introverted style of leadership. I think its actually going to be a key to his near term success. Introversion isnt as much about being quiet as much as it is about having a way of thinking thats based more on observation, and a way of being that is driven more by internal mechanisms than external stimulus. The classic introvert is happy to live in their thoughts and sit, watch, learn and extract gobs of information and data from a subject that others who arent that way might. They have a tendency to be more adept at seeing the nuance of a thing or a person. This makes them quick studies and very good at reaching others at a personal level and understanding the mood of a situation or the subtle cues a person gives off that provides insight into who they are and how to communicate with them.

The challenge is that the introvert can at times become too comfortable living inside their own minds and not develop the skills of leadership that require one to exude confidence, communicate well, and, in turn, gain trust. Mike seems to have taken the time to nurture that part of himself from a point of beginning that is rooted in his greatest strength - his ability to connect with his players. The fact that hes stepping into the Seahawks culture (by culture, i dont mean Pete's style of leadership) where interpersonal relationships and valuing eachother..., seeing eachother in a genuine way, trumps everything... that can only help to give him the confidence he needs to grow himself and get the job done... quickly.

He still does things like hangs onto catchphrases like 'growth mindset' and ' chasing edges ' too much, but i chalk that up to him leaning on those things he was taught by the Harbaughs and making them his own here in Seattle.

I dont think it HAS to take a long time to change the winming ways in a place, nor does a wholesale coaching staff change mean you have to take a step back. Take the name out of the equation, and what we've done more than anything in maintaining whats made this organization great, is tweaked the culture to be moe accountable, and adjusted the scheme to be more flexible, responsive and aggressive. When seen that way, i think its easy to see the greener pastures are likely closer than we might want to let ourselves believe.

The part that gives me pause is the OC And DC and how well Mike can adjust things in 2024 if they dont function as well as they should. Im less concerned with the offense because i think Mike's brilliant and can step in to make sure the unit maximizes its potential. But the OC? Grubb doesnt seem to me to be cut from the same cloth as Mike in terms of his leadership ability or his ability to connect with players - just my intuition. I also dont know how well he will translate his concepts to the NFL. So, if the wheels begin to squeak and then fall off on the offensive side, will Mike be able to step in and make whatever corrections are necessary and lead through that adversity? Especially if hes consumed with leading the defense? I know that Durdy is the DC, but that side of the ball will 100% be Mike's bag, in the same way Holmgren led the offense when he was here... often at the expense of the quality of coaching and performance on the other side of the ball.

But yes, i have positive vibes as well. We weren't that far away from having a really good year last year. Great thing is that the weaknesses that brought us down (i think) have been directly addressed with everything Mike seems to be and with what he wants to do. Here's to hoping he's all he seems to be.

Cant wait for week1!

Fantastic post!

 

[SocialParasite]

Michigan's defense also improved after MM left.

Based on reports though, Jesse Minter & the co-DC were still running Macdonald's defense with their own spin on it.

I've heard from numerous podcasts/articles that 4 teams with new DC's are gonna be implementing Macdonald's system, and the Chargers with Minter are one of them. It's interesting that they call it his system. That tells us that Macdonald is a trend-setter, not just some random copy & paste coach.

 

[pmedic920]

Spot on with regards to the impact of Leslie Frazier.

Fun fact: Frazier was the token minority interview the Seahawks did before they hired Pete Carroll.

I agree, Frazier will be a key component EVEN IF he doesn’t get the public recognition/accolades.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

^^ Low key could end up being the biggest addition of the off season, other than Coach Mike.

 

[chris98251]

When I see Introvert it is with Media and the press, take historical coaches who were not big media guys, Knox, Grant, Lombardi, Landry, Shula, Belichick, or Don James, these guys didn't have an issue communicating with their teams players and Coaches, they just either did not like a Camera on them, having to answer stupid questions from Mediots, or maybe thought the appearances were a waste of time and energy.

Grubbs and Mac both communicate well with their players and rest of the staff or they would not have been looked at as they are for their positions and in doing so had to have great success. That comes with good schemes and being able to communicate what is needed to run them to coaches and players.

 

[NoGain]

When I hear the terms introvert and extrovert, I tend to focus more on the processing element of what those terms mean or imply, how people best learn and come to better understandings of whatever their mind's are preoccupied with. I've known people who were extreme extroverts, almost as if their learning would cease without interpersonal engagement. These terms, however, are not mutually exclusive to me by any means, but rather more speak to natural tendencies of people in this way.

It does seem that PC was more of an extrovert in this way, and MacDonald more of an introvert by all that I've been able to gather. I think we're going to see a very different style and approach from our new coach than our old one, not better or worse, just different.

Anyway...just babbling.

 

[LeveeBreak]

It depends on how you look at it. While it's true the Ravens' defense was bad the year before MM took over (2021), they were also a top-three defense the three preceding years (18, 19, 20) and a top-ten defense every year dating back to 2015.

Everything indicates he should be a great defensive coach, but that fact has worried me since before he was hired.

Yea, but he did it in Michigan as well.

I have high hopes...and don't forget Grubb. I think he's gonna get the O-line squared and properly utilize our plethora of weapons.

 

[LeveeBreak]

It's really hard to change results immediately with limited cap and Draft resources. The priority should be changing the culture. The team needs to be physical, aggressive, smart, and technically sound, without losing discipline. Do that and they'll be well on their way.

Don't be too hard on a rookie HC. Coaches make mistakes.

Gotta love Brian.

 

[knownone]

Yea, but he did it in Michigan as well.

I have high hopes...and don't forget Grubb. I think he's gonna get the O-line squared and properly utilize our plethora of weapons.

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The same is true with Michigan. MM took over the defense after an aberration of a year, during which they gave up 15 points more than they had in any other Jim Harbaugh season. MM brought them back to their historical averages. However, it's worth mentioning Michigan's defense also improved after MM left.

Michigan's defense gave up 16.5 PPG during Harbaugh's tenure. The lone exception was the pandemic-shortened season when they gave up 34.5 PPG in 6 games. Macdonald took over after the pandemic, returning them roughly to their average (17.4). So much like Baltimore, he helped an already established defensive culture return to form after one lousy season.

As I mentioned, I'm also optimistic. He seems like an intelligent kid. But I've seen this wunderkind narrative fail so often that I'm hesitant to buy into the offseason hype.

 

[chris98251]

Michigan's defense gave up 16.5 PPG during Harbaugh's tenure. The lone exception was the pandemic-shortened season when they gave up 34.5 PPG in 6 games. Macdonald took over after the pandemic, returning them roughly to their average (17.4). So much like Baltimore, he helped an already established defensive culture return to form after one lousy season.

As I mentioned, I'm also optimistic. He seems like an intelligent kid. But I've seen this wunderkind narrative fail so often that I'm hesitant to buy into the offseason hype.

Tempered expectations, turning around a defense and having them get better the next year if using the same system is a plus, teams getting familiar the first year and excelling the second is expected if the scheme and coaching sound.

 

[GemCity]

It’s like that feeling you get when you finally bang the girl you’ve always wanted. Straight up bewilderment.

Dang…still don’t know that feeling.

Someone tell J-Lo and/or Halle Berry I’m still waiting.

P.S. don’t tell my wife

 

[OneLofaTatupu]

When I hear the terms introvert and extrovert, I tend to focus more on the processing element of what those terms mean or imply, how people best learn and come to better understandings of whatever their mind's are preoccupied with. I've known people who were extreme extroverts, almost as if their learning would cease without interpersonal engagement. These terms, however, are not mutually exclusive to me by any means, but rather more speak to natural tendencies of people in this way.

It does seem that PC was more of an extrovert in this way, and MacDonald more of an introvert by all that I've been able to gather. I think we're going to see a very different style and approach from our new coach than our old one, not better or worse, just different.

Anyway...just babbling.

Intro extro it’s all made up silliness. Everything is on a spectrum and everything is changing.

Buddha out