RENTON — If you can’t tell already, Mike Macdonald is not at all like Pete Carroll.
Unlike his predecessor, the Seahawks’ new head coach is going to play his starters in preseason games this month. That includes Saturday, his first one as an NFL head coach, when Seattle plays at the Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood, California (4:05 p.m., KONG TV channel 6 or 16).
And unlike Carroll, who used to coyly say we’ll have to wait and see who might play in these exhibitions each August, Macdonald flat out told us following the team’s 14th practice of training camp Thursday who is playing Saturday against the Chargers.
“I think defensively you are going to see the starters out there to start the game. We’ll see how long that lasts,” the NFL’s youngest head coach at age 37 said.
“And then offensively, I don’t believe as of right now Geno (Smith) is going to go. A couple other starters aren’t going to go, as well.”
The new offense is about 80% installed, per coordinator and play caller Ryan Grubb this week. Grubb and Macdonald want, and need, the starters to play in a game for the communication and synchronization of the new scheme.
Smith probably would be doing that Saturday in Los Angeles if he hadn’t injured his knee and hip last week, causing him to miss four practices. Thursday was the fourth practice for Smith since returning from those leg issues.
Instead, Sam Howell is likely to start at quarterback Saturday against the Chargers.
Last year’s starter for the Washington Commanders filled in for Smith running the starting offense in four practices.
“What we saw with Sam was the ability to make plays, be a quick processor,” Grubb said. “And just have to refine the decision-making.”
Grubb and the Seahawks will also be seeking more consistent accuracy than Howell’s shown in training camp.
The starting offensive line, at least what Grubb and line coach Scott Huff are trying to find as one, is likely to start Saturday. That’s Charles Cross at left tackle, Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Olu Oluwatimi and/or Nick Harris at center (until newly signed veteran Connor Williams joins the team next week), Anthony Bradford at right guard and George Fant and/or McClendon Curtis at right tackle.
Fant, 32, and Curtis, 24, have been alternating as starters while regular Abe Lucas remains out indefinitely. Lucas had offseason surgery on his knee. He hasn’t been on the field since January.
Wide receiver Tyler Lockett, the 10th-year veteran wide receiver who missed two practices this week, is likely going to join Smith as starters on offense Macdonald mentioned may not play.
On defense, Macdonald wants his starters to begin nailing down the communication of his new schemes. The way to accelerate that is a game setting. So expect to see Jarran Reed, Johnathan Hankins and top rookie Byron Murphy at defensive tackle, defensive end Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Tyrel Dodson and rookie fourth-round draft choice Tyrice Knight (for Jerome Baker, hamstring injury) at linebacker. In the secondary, Devon Witherspoon, Tre Brown and Riq Woolen are likely to start at cornerback. Rayshawn Jenkins and Julian Love are likely to start at safety against the Chargers
“A couple things driving the decision (about who plays Saturday) is, one, the science of getting the exposure with, obviously, new systems and new schemes,” Macdonald said. “Guys wanting to knock the rust off, so to speak, make sure we are sharp going into week one.”
The new coach said Smith’s key ramp-up time will be next week when the Seahawks have joint practices against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville Wednesday and Thursday.
“There’s two things going on. Yeah, we want to get the starters out there,” Macdonald said. “And we have individual decisions on certain positions that guys we might hold back or we don’t put them out there until, maybe, week three (of the preseason, the Aug. 24 exhibition game against Cleveland at Lumen Field) after the Tennessee practice.”
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