RENTON — Mike Macdonald is doing competition in an entirely new way.
The young, new Seattle Seahawks coach decides a champion of the day, offense or defense. On the field immediately following practice he presents the winning side a heavyweight-champion-of-the-world-style belt. That unit takes bragging rights into the locker room and meetings rooms for the next 22 hours or so, until the next practice.
Monday, Pro Bowl safety Julian Love was parading around with it after he intercepted a pass from Geno Smith and the defense won the first day of camp in shoulder pads.
Tuesday, in full pads, the offense won.
The winning began on the first play.
First time the offense went against the defense in the sixth practice of Seahawks training camp Tuesday, Smith threw deep down the left sideline to DK Metcalf. Riq Woolen, the team’s Pro Bowl cornerback in 2022, was step for step with the hulking, sprinting Metcalf. As Smith’s perfectly placed throw arrived, Metcalf separated himself from Woolen’s tight coverage with an extended arm and a lean back into the left sideline. Metcalf tipped the pass to himself over Woolen and caught it for a 40-yard gain.
“Oooohhh!” the nearly 1,000 fans sitting on the grass berm watching practice uttered.
The second time it was Metcalf versus Woolen on a pass from Smith, the cornerback grabbed Metcalf around the shoulders to prevent another separation. Woolen then knocked away the pass.
The offense’s winning continued when Macdonald stopped the scrimmaging and introduced a new drill in the middle of practice: One-on-one and situational drills in the center of the field, with the entire team behind watching.
Sam Howell completed a pass to tight end Tyler Mabry with rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett tightly covering him.
Wide receiver Cody White beat cornerback Lance Boykin on a fly route to the end zone, then caught No. 3 quarterback P.J. Walker’s slightly underthrow pass for a touchdown.
Cornerback Tre Brown defended wide receiver Dee Eskridge from making a completion from Howell.
Rookie guard Christian Haynes, Seattle’s third-round draft choice from Connecticut, held his ground to repel rookie first-round pick Byron Murphy’s ultra-quick first step and pass-rush charge. Rookie right tackle Mike Jerrell, the sixth-round pick from Findlay, then dominated undrafted rookie edge rusher Nelson Ceaser in his pass rush.
All the offensive players in blue roared.
Then rookie guard Sataoa Laumea, another sixth-round pick from Utah, stopped undrafted rookie defensive end DeVere Levelston. Rookie running back George Holani, a free agent from Boise State who has impressed, did again by stuffing rookie fourth-round pick and linebacker Tyrice Knight’s rush off the edge.
Seven plays, six wins, one loss for the offense.
Former coach Pete Carroll did that offense-versus-defense on the field at times, but to end Seahawks practices, and often in lighthearted contests such as linemen kicking field goals, free-throw shooting contests on the sideline hoop, or guys trying to throw the football onto the crossbar of the goal post from 60 yards away.
Macdonald on Tuesday became the first Seahawks coach in at least a generation to do football, offense versus defense, one-on-one contests in front of the entire team in the middle of practice.
“Just an opportunity to give the young guys the chance to shine in front of their teammates,” Macdonald said. “You know, competition and spice it up a little bit.”
The head coach held another new competition Tuesday: a “mystery situation” session of more offense versus defense, 11-on-11. Players and coaches reacted on the fly to declarations of scenarios determined and only known by assistant head coach Leslie Frazier and team research analyst Brian Eayrs: third-and-8, goal to go, last minute no timeouts, etc.
Instead of scripted series, as is customary, players and coaches learned in the moment what they were going to do.
The defense fared better there. Veteran cornerback Artie Burns, playing nickel inside Tuesday with Devon Witherspoon outside at right cornerback, raced over and broke up Smith’s pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Brown swatted away Smith’s throw-back pass to the back-right of the end zone to Tyler Lockett.
Macdonald said the “mystery situation” session is to keep the players ready and adaptable on short notice, and for him as the defensive play caller and offensive play caller Ryan Grubb to work on quickly relaying calls to players on the field to run plays.
“It’s just something now that most of our situational install (on offense and defense) is in, it just keeps us on our toes,” Macdonald said. “It’s more reps for myself, Ryan … just identifying the situation, the guys understanding what they are in, and then just applying the tools that we’ve installed up to this point, where everyone has got to stay on their toes.”
The NFL’s youngest head coach at age 37, formerly the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, is six practices into his first training camp as a head coach at any level. He identified this week his defense wasn’t communicating effectively enough the calls and changes he wants at the snap.
This “mystery situation” drill is another way to practice communicating quickly from sideline to huddle to players in formation.
“It’s fun,” Macdonald said. “It’s a good situation. Yeah, we will probably do that the rest of camp.”
When the usual, 11-on-11 scrimmaging resumed Tuesday, in the red zone, so did the offense winning the day.
Metcalf took on Witherspoon, the 2023 Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback, one-on-one outside. Witherspoon jumped Metcalf’s fade route to the end zone. Smith threw another brilliant pass, over Witherspoon to where only the 6-foot-4 Metcalf could catch it. He did, with one hand while falling away from Witherspoon leaping in front of him and onto the end zone sideline.
The play of the day cemented the offense’s clear win.
When Macdonald called the team together at the end of practice, he presented the Total Nonstop Action Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion belt (that’s what is stamped in metal on its face) to Smith, the incumbent captain of the offense. Smith, in turn, presented it to his starting left tackle, Charles Cross.
Cross paraded around the field with the brown, gold and silver title belt draped around his shoulder like a modern-day Hulk Hogan. He talked to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb with it; Grubb heartily congratulated him for the award.
Cross even signed autographs for fans while displaying his title belt.
“Yeah, it’s some braggin’ rights. You know braggin’ rights,” Cross said, with a big grin.
“Braggin’ rights, for sure.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a real belt, too.”
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