Is Mike Macdonald a good football coach?

NFL: New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks — Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

After a crushing home defeat to an average-at-best New York Giants team on Sunday, it’s easy to think about what is means for the entire season and the future of the Seahawks.

Are they good? Is Mike Macdonald a good coach?

Macdonald, coveted by several organizations after a successful stint as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, is a first-year head coach. He’s also the NFL’s youngest head coach at age 37. The full answer is we don’t know how good he will become. The NFL is littered with coordinators who couldn’t make the leap, as well as former assistants who won Super Bowls.

You just never know until you know.

He did not agree with some players indicating that the Giants wanted it more and were more ready to play. Publicly, he speaks of calling a better game on offense and defense, and making sure players are where they’re supposed to be and doing what they’re supposed to do.

“I haven’t talked to those guys about those comments,” Macdonald said on Monday. “I wouldn’t go that far. You’re emotional after the game. … We had a good week of practice, and we lost the game.
“And we didn’t do what we were supposed to do.”

Macdonald spoke in X’s and 0’s after the game, and again on Monday. It appeared the team was out of gaps at times on defense, perhaps trying to do too much with several starters missing or playing through injuries.

Macdonald shouldn’t be judged based on two losses, just as he wasn’t placed in the Hall of Fame after a 3-0 start. How much will Thursday’s home game against San Francisco tell us? A Seahawks will will buy Macdonald a lot of equity with fans. A loss, and there will be rumblings of “Is he the guy?”

It’s also important to remember that there will be some growing pains with a new head coach and a first-year NFL coach serving as an offensive coordinator. The truth is, we’ll have a better idea at the Week 10 bye week, and again at seasons end. And again next season. And so on… .

The schedule is highly unfavorable to Seattle during this stretch of three games in 10 days. A Monday Night Football game and a Thursday Night Football game against a division rival with the potential trap game with the Giants in between is tough.

Long-term, Thursday’s game against the Niners may not mean a whole lot. But, it will feel like a lot whether they win or lose.