Seahawks start 3-0, but Mike Macdonald is not satisfied

RENTON — One look at the standings makes it appear the Seahawks are perfect, care-free and rollin’.

Mike Macdonald knows better.

Seattle’s exacting new coach, the youngest head man in the NFL, is just three games into changing and establishing all new offense, defense and special-teams systems in his first-place team. He’s nowhere near done with all that.

So the coach leading one of the NFL’s four 3-0 teams entering Monday is in no way satisfied with this fast start.

“I think the tape is going to tell the story,” Macdonald said with a knowing chuckle Monday, one day after Seattle’s flawed, 24-3 win over inert Miami at Lumen Field.

“We’re in a great position in that we’ve done enough to win each game that we’ve played. There’s a lot of great stuff on tape. But we are also at the beginning stages of this team and who we are going to become.

“And the guys know that. It’s very clear when you watch tape on where we need to improve — and there’s a great opportunity to improve.”

Seattle’s next one is their biggest one yet: Next Monday night at Detroit (2-1). The Lions were runners-up to San Francisco for the NFC title and Super Bowl last season.

“So I think the message is: Take advantage of this opportunity that we have,” Macdonald said. “We have the opportunity to learn so much about who we are, how we are going to grow, our operation throughout the week, how we are going to prepare.

“We can be so much better.”

Seattle’s offensive line

The offensive line struggled for the third consecutive game. Has for the last four seasons.

The interior of the line, guards Anthony Bradford and Laken Tomlinson flanking new center Connor Williams, has had problems.

Against Miami, previously strong-starting left tackle Charles Cross got beaten three different times in pass rushes. In the second quarter Cross missed his block on edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah, who crashed into quarterback Geno Smith in the end zone. Smith desperately heaved the ball as he was falling to the turf for what would have been a safety. The pass went high off running back Zach Charbonnet’s hand into the hands of Miami’s Kader Kohou for an interception at the Seattle 6-yard line.

The resulting field goal were the Dolphins’ only points.

At right tackle, George Fant went on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury. Stone Forsythe started for the second consecutive game. Forsythe has been at times solid, particularly considering he is the third-string right tackle.

Archbishop Murphy grad Abe Lucas was supposed to begin the season there following knee surgery last winter. He still hasn’t played since January. He continues conditioning drills on the turfed, indoor practice field and remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

Lucas becomes eligible to go off the PUP list onto the active roster next week after the Detroit game. Will he?

“I don’t want to put a timeline on Abe right now,” Macdonald said. “We have kind of an in-house timeline with him, and we’re working through it. But, I’m not going to put a timeline on him right now.”

Bradford, the right guard, had his fifth and sixth accepted penalties in three games Sunday. That’s twice as many flags as any other Seahawk. It’s tied for the second-most penalties in the league.

Bradford allowed Dolphins defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand to punch him in the chest then move past him to the inside to sack Smith. That ruined Seattle’s opening drive of the game. Instead of a march to a touchdown, it forced Jason Myers to kick a 57-yard field goal.

Bradford’s holding penalty in the second quarter negated a 6-yard run by Kenny McIntosh to the Miami 30-yard line. Instead of a third and 4, the Seahawks go stuck in a third and 17. Smith threw a 9-yard pass to tight Pharaoh Brown. Myers then missed a 53-yard field goal that Bradford made longer. Instead of 20-3 lead Seattle maintained a closer-than-it-should-have-been, two-score edge from the second quarter well into the fourth.

Miami defensive tackle Calais Campbell beat Bradford on a pass rush inside in the third quarter. Campbell would have sacked Smith if the quarterback hadn’t thrown the ball off Campbell’s arm into the air. Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler intercepted that freebie to again keep the score 17-3.

Rookie third-round draft choice Christian Haynes played one series in each half the previous week at New England. Seattle drove to a touchdown on the one drive Haynes played before halftime against the Patriots. Last week at this time Macdonald said Haynes “probably deserves more reps” in games at right guard.

Thursday, offensive line coach Scott Huff told The News Tribune the Seahawks are going to continue to alternate at the spot until the line improves.

“It’s just until we feel like we got it right,” Huff said before the Miami game.

Against Miami, Haynes got as many snaps on Seattle’s offense as you did.

Monday, Macdonald reiterated Haynes has earned more playing time. Maybe.

“It’s going to be the same answer until we start fortifying that spot. So it’s a week-to-week thing right now,” Macdonald said. “I think Christian deserves an opportunity to go compete a little bit more. How much so we’ll kind of let the practices decide at this point.”

Consistency on defense

Following the Miami game Macdonald sounded more positive than he had yet about his defense, almost assured his new unit was getting what he wants it to do. He loved how the defense pursued the ball and tackled the Dolphins’ fast receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle after short catches.

He praised his defensive front that lost Leonard Williams and top rookie Byron Murphy to injuries in the first half for how it played.

Macdonald said Monday he did not know the severity of Williams’ and Murphy’s injuries.

He loved Mike Morris’ hustle in his most extensive playing time in two NFL seasons after Williams hurt his ribs and Murphy injured his hamstring. He lauded nose tackle Johnathan Hankins, who stopped three Miami plays in a row after the Dolphins had first down at the 4-yard line in the fourth quarter.

“That’s why we brought him here, to play games like that,” Macdonald said. “So we’re going to need another big game out of him this week.”

The coach and defensive play caller continues to lean heavily schematically on the defense’s strength, defensive backs Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Tre Brown, Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins. Those five combined for 20 tackles including one for a loss against Miami, plus a pass defensed by Woolen on third down.

Yet Macdonald knows there’s much more he wants to do with this defense, and much more his players can do better.

They know the quarterbacks they’ve faced go from Denver rookie Bo Nix in his NFL debut, veteran league backup Jacoby Brissett in New England and Miami’s second- and third-string QBs to now three-time Pro Bowl passer Jared Goff with the Lions.

“We’ve done what we needed to do to win all three,” Macdonald said. “But like the New England game: Not to our standard. But we bowed up when we needed to this past game.

“So, we’re always going to have stuff that we’re chasing. Every team’s going to have a new challenge. The guys are going to come in here tomorrow, we’re going to introduce the Lions to them. It’s a whole new slew of issues every week, and it just takes that type of mentality and that preparation to go execute every week at a high level.

“So far, I’d say so good because we’ve been able to do what it takes to win. But we’re still on our way.”

Penalties

The Seahawks had 11 of them against Miami for 92 lost yards.

“The only thing that stopped us (against the Dolphins) was the stupid penalties that we had,” wide receiver DK Metcalf said after his 104-yard receiving day with a 71-yard touchdown from Smith. “False starts. Holdings.

“Good thing we won, so we clean it up … and move on to the Lions.”

Asked about the penalties, Macdonald said Monday: “Which ones?”

“All three phases … way too many. We categorize penalties because if you’re going to toe the line and play on the line, then there are going to be some penalties that you have to be willing to accept to a certain extent.

“The ones (against Miami) probably don’t fall into that category. …

“Some of them are decisions that we’re making in real time, so that we can be smarter.”

In all, as wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said following the win over Miami, “We’ve got a lot of work put in.”

“Happy with being 3-0,” Smith-Njigba said. “Happy to learn from wins rather than losses.”

As is his head coach.

“It’s so early in the season. Obviously, we are in a great position. It’s so much better than the opposite, so we’re excited about that, too,” Macdonald said.

“But there’s a sense of urgency on where this football team needs to go.”

Uchenna Nwosu practicing

The Seahawks are getting back their best linebacker this week.

For practice, at least.

Uchenna Nwosu is going to practice for the first time since he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee Aug. 24.

“We’re going to put him out there at some point this week and see how it goes,” Macdonald said. “So (he) should get some team activities here in the next couple of days.”

The team did not put Nwosu on injured reserve to return after a minimum of four games missed on their belief he could return before or for the fourth game. That game is Detroit on Monday.