Ravens DC Mike McDonald

[Appyhawk]

I just can’t see this organization taking him over Vrabel. Assuming Mike would want the job.

Vrabel might not be the greatest choice for an exciting high potential pick, but he fits the Seattle mold of almost always having his team ready for slugfests when a contender comes to town. He seems like the type of guy to get the team in order to hammer McVay just to send that message.

Vrabel is a good coach who has achieved success on a somewhat sporadic level in spite of not adhering to the notion you must have a once in a generation talent at QB. The Henry dust cloud covered for a lot of missing offensive talent but Vrabel knows the value of winning the LOS. I don't see a lot of difference in his product from that of the Rams DC or the Ravens DC. They are all about physicality.
Drafting for size and speed can get you a long way if you can coach up the mental side.

 

[hoxrox]

Does MacDonald even want to be a head coach? Maybe he's content as a coordinator

Yes, he's already been interviewed by Tennessee and Atlanta for their HC openings.

 

[Ozzy]

I can agree with you on that, however I think the need for worry shouldn't be as high since JS will be hiring the coaching staff and I feel like he has a lot of connections that he'd reach out to that would compliment MM's coaching style and scheme.

Could be doing his due diligence right now talking to multiple DC's that probably don't have any chance of being a HC to gauge multiple avenues.

I would be pumped to get Macdonald for sure. Love what he’s doing there and it’s one of the few hires that would excite me

 

[TheLegendOfBoom]

I will say this that if McDonald is hired day one that the Hawks are drafting at least 2 ILBs for sure.

What’s ironic about this is, some Seattle fans have been saying they wanted Queen over Brooks, and McDonald has been working with Queen and Brooks may not continue to be the on the team anymore….

If McDonald is the hire, he will eventually replaced the linebacker corp to his own choosing.

Somewhat ironic, if McDonald is the hire and they move on from Brooks, McDonald will get his own “guy” and there is a possibility that the guy will be even better than Queen and Brooks…

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Macdonald.
At some point, maybe we could at least spell his name right?

I kid......(runs for cover)

 

[James in PA]

If things fall into place like they are projected to with other coaches, this man should be available. Make it happen, John!

 

[SoulfishHawk]

They can't talk to him until after he's out of the playoffs. Unfortunately.

 

[Sonichound16]

What’s ironic about this is, some Seattle fans have been saying they wanted Queen over Brooks, and McDonald has been working with Queen and Brooks may not continue to be the on the team anymore….

If McDonald is the hire, he will eventually replaced the linebacker corp to his own choosing.

Somewhat ironic, if McDonald is the hire and they move on from Brooks, McDonald will get his own “guy” and there is a possibility that the guy will be even better than Queen and Brooks…

Good point on the ILB that I was just thinking about. Wagner and Brooks may be tackle machines but neither one of them can cover and I don't think they have the sideline to sideline speed that is necessary. Wagner may have had it at one point but Brooks just doesn't seem to have that burst. Maybe it was an injury thing but he seemed to just miss on so many tackles this year.

 

[MyrtleHawk]

 

[hawks85]

Macdonald is a beast and would be a perfect fit here. His defense shut down all of the good offenses including San Fran and Detroit. There's rumors that Patrick Graham is getting an second interview with Seattle. Patrick Graham? No thank you. Dude had one good year as a DC with the Raiders, last year. Whereas Macdonald has had a top 10 D everywhere he's been as a DC. Michigan with Harbaugh and the last 2 years with the Ravens.

 

[BASF]

Macdonald is a beast and would be a perfect fit here. His defense shut down all of the good offenses including San Fran and Detroit. There's rumors that Patrick Graham is getting an second interview with Seattle. Patrick Graham? No thank you. Dude had one good year as a DC with the Raiders, last year. Whereas Macdonald has had a top 10 D everywhere he's been as a DC. Michigan with Harbaugh and the last 2 years with the Ravens.

Agree with this except that damnable McVay had his offense put up twenty-nine against the Ravens. The other two points was a safety. So McVay was one of only two offenses that performed well against the Ravens this season.

He is still my top choice.

 

[Ozzy]

He is the one defensive guy I would be excited about for sure. He's been successful everywhere and he wasn't propped up by an elite pass rusher or something to make his job easier.

 

[12AngryHawks]

Agree with this except that damnable McVay had his offense put up twenty-nine against the Ravens. The other two points was a safety. So McVay was one of only two offenses that performed well against the Ravens this season.

He is still my top choice.

Macdonald seems to adapt though, some teams might look good against him the first go-around, but he'll study that game in preparation for the next time. For example, the Dolphins beat Baltimore last season in a shootout, this year though, Baltimore had their way with them.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

By all accounts, and looking at his resume, he is an impressive coach.

 

[HawkFreak]

Macdonald seems to adapt though, some teams might look good against him the first go-around, but he'll study that game in preparation for the next time. For example, the Dolphins beat Baltimore last season in a shootout, this year though, Baltimore had their way with them.

Adaptation. Adjustments. The ability to evolve and game plan to effectively neutralize another team's strength. Oh how I long for this to happen in Seattle.

 

[James in PA]

Go get this man! Shanny and McVay's kryptonite!

 

[Dabhawk]

I think overall, there really isn’t a better option than Macdonald…. Vrabel seems like the “safe” pick, but I’m tired of screwing around playing it “safe”. Pete was a lot more aggressive earlier on and then became extremely conservative. There were so many games this year in particular where we played cute, and it bit us in the ass. Enough playing it safe. Start fresh.

The only thing unknown is how strict he is with players. This team needs some serious character evaluation, they became quite unhinged at the end of the season(woolen grabbing his nuts, smoking cigars, Jamal tweets). Vrabel seems like a serious no BS type dude, which we need. Unknown to me how Macdonald is with being tough on players but all I know is the Ravens play their hearts out on defense and that shows they believe in him.

I think at this point, it’s pretty clear JS is extremely interested in him, we have a couple good candidates ready to hire. So choosing to wait this long is telling.

 

[haroldseattle]

 

[SoulfishHawk]

I'm not buying it from that website. I'll believe when I see it from Schefter or someone like that.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

I looked all over the place. There's nothing saying that Macdonald is staying in Baltimore.