Inside Mike Macdonald's Seahawks Defense: Modern Concepts & How They Attacked the LA Rams

Explore how rookie HC Mike Macdonald transformed the Seattle Seahawks' defense, shifting from Pete Carroll's legacy to a modern, zone-centric system with innovative blitz designs.

As a rookie Head Coach, Seattle’s Mike Macdonald had to take over a Frankenstein defensive unit. Under Pete Carroll, the Seahawks had begun to transition to a more Fangio-adjacent system. Carroll, who built the famous Legion of Boom and ushered in an era of Cover 3 dominance within the NFL, needed to pivot later in his career.

Carroll is a descendant of the Monte Kiffin Tampa 2 tree and shifted to almost exclusively Cover 3 once he returned to the NFL in 2010. Around 2022, Seattle began redirecting away from Carroll’s primary system and aligning with more Fangio-adjacent schemes that became popular post-2020.

Clint Hurtt, who worked with Fangio in Chicago from 2015-2016, was hired in ‘17 as an Assistant Head Coach and would return to coaching alongside Fangio in ‘24 after Carroll stepped down from his post in Seattle.

Karl Scott, a Saban disciple, was hired in ‘22 after a one-year stint in Minnesota. His hiring signaled that Carrol was looking to revamp his coverage menu. Together, Hurtt and Scott began to transform the scheme to match the current trends within the NFL.

After the 2020 season, NFL teams shifted to more zone coverages, but did so from a two-high shell. Post-snap coverage disguises became an essential part of the game.

Last year, the disguise rates rose to almost ~30%. Carroll had always carried Quarters tools within his Cover 3 (as most 3-Match systems do), but the strategy needed an update. Hurtt and Scott obliged, but it wasn’t enough to keep Carroll as the organization's leader. Enter Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald started with the Ravens in 2014 as a coaching intern. Baltimore has one of the best coaching silos in the NFL. The organization has developed an in-house stable of ready-made coaches as longer tenured assistants transition into other roles or leave the organization for new opportunities.

The rising coach would stay in Baltimore until 2021, before joining Jim Harbaugh in Michigan at the behest of his brother John. After only one year, Macdonald was recalled to Baltimore and tasked with completely overhauling the defense.

Like in Seattle, the legendary defensive system the Ravens had relied on since Rex Ryan became the coordinator in 2004 needed a modern update. Macdonald, who was only 34 at the time, obliged. One of the main ingredients to the update was streamlining how the system was called and primarily taught, while aligning with modern defensive philosophy.

Creating simple simulated pressures. A lesson from the Ravens.

Wink Martindale, now at Michigan, was part of the blitz-centric past. Macdonald, was part of the future: less exotic pressures, more zone coverage, and a focus on teaching the game and helping the players understand why. It was a rollercoaster at first, but around Week 10, the Seahawks hit their stride.

Seattle finished the season 10th overall in FTN’s DVOA, an efficiency metric, and sixth in Points Per Drive (PPD). Under Macdonald, the Seahawks defense was also #1 in three-and-outs and third in Stops (negative EPA play) per drive. In year one, Macdonald raised the production and efficiency of the Seattle defense from 28th overall to a top-ten defense.

A hallmark of a Macdonald system is to use different packages to match up with opponents on a weekly basis. Initially, the Seahawks brought Rayshawn Jenkins (current Brown) and K’Von Wallace (current free agent) to pair with Julian Love and Coby Bryant. Having four safeties allowed Macdonald to ‘kick’ star Nickel Devon Witherspoon outside.

Combined with Riq Woolen, the CB duo is one of the best in the NFL. Witherspoon is no slouch outside and is one of the few hybrid CBs that can play anywhere and not drop elite production. He’s also one helluva box player.

Coverage-wise, the Seahawks align with the NFL averages but lean more heavily into the split-field universe. Even though the Seahawks can run man coverage, they still feature more zone coverage, which aligns with league-wide trends.

For context, in Baltimore, Macdonald ran relatively high rates of split-field coverage. In 2024, that was no different; Seattle finished eleventh in MOFO coverage usage (41%).

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