Mike Macdonald returns to Seahawks as a new dad

RENTON — After two days away that changed his life and perspective, forever, Mike Macdonald rejoined the Seahawks.

You could see and hear the pride maxing out of the rookie head coach, the NFL’s youngest head man, husband to Stephanie — and now, as of Tuesday night, father to Jack David Macdonald.

“Steph had our boy last night,” the Seahawks coach said Wednesday. “And both are happy and healthy.”

The 37-year-old new Papa then paused.

“Man…,” he said, sighing. “It’s kind of a crazy statement to say, out loud.”

Fatherhood has hit Macdonald like a middle linebacker in the ear hole.

And he loves it.

“We’re really excited. Really blessed, obviously,” he said.

Then he showed again how smart he is.

“Man, what a woman can do is just an unbelievable thing. What a warrior she is. And she’s awesome,” Macdonald said.

“See her later on at the hospital. But it was an incredible, incredible night.”

Macdonald left the team Monday, the afternoon after the first-place Seahawks (7-5) beat the New York Jets in the New Jersey Meadowlands. He then shuttled back and forth down Interstate 405 Tuesday from his wife’s side to team film sessions, team meetings and a practice. He was back Wednesday, four days before the Seahawks play the second-place Cardinals (6-6) in Arizona for the NFC West lead.

He came back with a new appreciation of hospital delivery doctors, nurses and support staff, too.

“Just thankful for everybody at the hospital. The doctors, the nurses, I mean, A-plus-plus in what they do,” Macdonald said. “Pretty awesome that’s what they do every day, and the stuff they work through.

“Just really blessed, really excited. Can’t wait to see him again tonight.

“And, here we go. For this football team, it’s a big week. …This is obviously a huge week for us.”

That week began with a issue at punter.

Michael Dickson still hurting

Michael Dickson, Seattle’s All-Pro and Pro Bowl punter as a rookie in 2018, left the win over the Jets last weekend with back spasms in the second half. He was unable to punt the rest of the game.

Wednesday, Macdonald said Dickson was still not 100% ready to punt.

“We’re still working through it right now. Optimistic for the week,” the coach said. “We’re pretty sure we’ll have him on Sunday. We’re not sure right now.”

But when asked if that means he doesn’t need sign a punter for the game Sunday, Macondald said: “That’s on the table right now, yeah.”

That was about an hour before Dickson watched from a couple yards away as placekicker Jason Myers takings snaps from Chris Stoll and punting balls 40 or so yards at the start of practice Wednesday.

The Seahawks listed Dickson as a limited participant in practice.

The team has an open spot on its 53-man roster. That’s after Seattle waived kickoff returner Laviska Shenault Monday, the day after he fumbled two kickoffs against the Jets.

On top of possibly adding a punter to fill the open roster spot, the Seahawks are considering how ready outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is to play Sunday at Arizona.

Nwosu has been practicing for a week on his return from a second time on injured reserve this season. Practices this week will determine if the team activates Nwosu to the 53-man roster by Saturday’s deadline for him to play in the game Sunday.

Dickson went into the locker room late in the third quarter of the Jets game with his back spasms. The coaches decided he would not punt the rest of the game. Myers got loose to possibly do it on the sidelines during an offensive drive midway through the fourth quarter. By then Macdonald had decided the Seahawks were going for it on fourth downs instead down 21-19.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf was all for that.

“They told us on the side that we may not punt, so I didn’t ask any questions after that,” Metcalf said Wednesday. “We go for it on fourth down, I’m not coming out the field, so that’s just like a plus in my mind.”

Without Dickson available Macdonald had the Seahawks go for it on fourth and 6 from Seattle’s own 33-yard line with 9 1/2 minutes left down by those two points. The 3-9 Jets then Jets-ed. They committed consecutive penalties for 12 men on the field and defensive pass interference tripping Metcalf as Geno Smith’s fourth-down pass arrived.. That gifted the Seahawks a first down and 25 yards, across midfield. That was the drive to Zach Charbonnet’s go-ahead touchdown run with 5 1/2 minutes left.

Former Seahawks Super Bowl-champion punter Jon Ryan was skeptical Tuesday when asked on KJR radio in Seattle about how viable the placekicker would be as the punter in a game.

Asked how often a placekicker dabbles in punting in practices, just in case, Ryan told KJR’s Ian Furness: “I think it’d be pretty rare. It definitely wouldn’t be every week.

“I know I’d kick a few field goals maybe once a month. It’s such a different motion that it starts bothering different parts of your body. You don’t need to blow up something in practicing because it comes up so rarely.”

So, if Myers had to punt in the Jets game “it would not be a good thing?” Furness asked Ryan.

‘Uh, no,” Ryan deadpanned. “It would not have been good.

“I’ll leave it at that.”

Holder issue, too

Dickson is also the holder for Myers’ extra-point and field-goal kicks.

He limped out to do that after Charbonnet scored late in the win at the Jets last weekend.

Backup tight end Brady Russell is the number-two holder, if necessary.

Russell told The News Tribune Wednesday he’s been practicing taking snaps and holding for kicks this week, as he did in a rush on the sidelines Sunday at New York

Russell was the holder a few times during training camp. That was after special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh asked for players to try that emergency role behind Dickson.

Russell, a free spirit, volunteered. He reasoned the more he can do makes it more difficult for a team to cut him.

This week will tell if that’s a decision that ends up paying off for Russell and the Seahawks in a key game for the division lead.