Navigating the Shift: Mike Macdonald's Camp vs Pete Carroll's
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00:00What, um, what is it like to go to a camp without Pete Carroll there?
00:12It is different, Scott, for sure.
00:15Mike McDonald is almost the opposite personality wise of Pete Carroll.
00:18Carroll was really loose and free and everyone knows his persona and not to
00:22mention he was the oldest coach in the league at age 72, Mike McDonald's
00:24the youngest, just turned 37.
00:26McDonald is very direct.
00:28I saw a scene of players after a practice, 10 young players go straight
00:33into the locker room after they adjourned practice while the rest of
00:36the veterans would go signing autographs for fans at training camp.
00:39And McDonald angrily told one of his assistants to fish those 10
00:42guys right back out of the building.
00:44They did.
00:45They ran out to McDonald and McDonald roughly said, go get on the wall to
00:49the fence where the fans were getting autographs from players, that was the
00:54standard, he said, as everyone does it and nobody gets out, he wants to be
00:57very consistent and disciplined on those types of messages, even down to that level.
01:01Pete Carroll would have put his arm around those guys later inside away
01:04from everybody and said, hey, come on guys, you need to be out there for that.
01:07You know how it goes.
01:09This whole fight thing you may have seen yesterday, GK Metcalf flinging a
01:13helmet at a teammate and Jake Bobo getting an uppercut from a teammate.
01:17Well, it was Mike McDonald who set this tone from the first day the pads went on.
01:21He wants them to be tougher and physical and this camp has been both.
01:26And then it culminated in yesterday's practice.
01:27Scott, yesterday was the first time I've seen a practice at the Seahawks look
01:31like the Legion of Boom days in 10 years.
01:34I thought Richard Sherman was out there beating up an undrafted
01:36rookie wide receiver again, like it was 2013 when the Seahawks were
01:40the number one defense in the league.
01:42I'm not saying they have the talent for that, but McDonald's trying to get
01:45them to get back to that mentality, tougher, if it causes fights, so be it.
01:50They finally drew the line yesterday with throwing a helmet or swinging a
01:53helmet, GK Metcalf had a teammate, McDonald brought them all together in
01:57the middle of the field and said, no more of that, and there was a fight
01:59between two linemen in the pass rush drill and he kicked them out of there
02:02off the practice field and put them in the, in the locker room for the first
02:05time all camp, but make a mistake.
02:07Mike McDonald wants it this way and he wants them to push the envelope, but
02:11if it causes some fights, so be it.
02:13Starting Saturday, they can go do that against another team for a change.
02:17Respectfully.
02:17I have a minute.
02:18They obviously I think made the right choice.
02:22I think that guy can flat out coach and his defense was sickening.
02:28And I'm a Steeler fan.
02:29I hate the Ravens and I know how good they are.
02:31Uh, there are arch rival and that guy was a pain in my ass.
02:35The other thing I'm worried about though, is frankly, to have Metcalf, to have
02:40Lockett, to have Njigga, to have that much talent at receiver, even tight end.
02:47And then I just don't buy that.
02:50Frankly, a good enough quarterback to light up that kind of talent.
02:54I, they have all the talent in the world catching.
02:57Uh, and, and I don't believe they have it throwing eventually here.
03:01I'm going to run out of time.
03:02Uh, Greg.
03:03So I just want to say, I'm excited that they got McDonald.
03:06It's going to be interesting to see if they win with him here in this first
03:11season and if Gino can get going again, they got a lot happening out in Seattle.
03:16Nobody thinks they're going to do anything.
03:18So I think it's going to be fun to follow them.
03:20We'll catch up again, get you back on the show as the season starts and progresses.
03:24Always good to see you, Greg Bell.
03:25Thank you, my man.