It’s about 10 minutes into my interview with Mike Macdonald, and I get the sense that the Seattle Seahawks head coach is a little geeky.
“Geek is a compliment,” he said. “I’ve been called a football nerd.”
Macdonald, 38, became the NFL’s youngest head coach when he joined the Seahawks last year. He was also a straight-A student in high school and graduated summa cum laude with a finance degree from University of Georgia.
So it’s not a big surprise that Macdonald embraces innovative tools and strategies.
In an interview with GeekWire earlier this year at Lumen Field, Macdonald described his approach as a hybrid of traditional football fundamentals and modern technology.
“We have a philosophy in Seattle: old school principals, new school methods,” he said. “We’re going to build on a strong foundation, but whatever we can do to give us an edge — we’re going to get after it.”
Thanks to advanced tracking and analytics, NFL teams have more data than ever — and it’s changing how the game is played. One clear example: how coaches approach fourth down decisions.
“We have a way to measure the advantage you get for going for it on fourth down,” Macdonald said. “Every team has that.”
That data can shift play-calling not just on fourth down but throughout an entire drive, Macdonald said.
Macdonald doesn’t see analytics and instinct as mutually exclusive — instead, he views data as a decision-making tool to support what coaches already know from film, practice, and experience.
“It’s a constant balance,” he said.
We spoke to Macdonald as part of an event showcasing Microsoft’s partnership with the NFL, which now includes use of the company’s Copilot AI software for scouting, allowing teams to get immediate insights by simply asking questions versus waiting for analysts to crunch spreadsheets.
“Earlier information is better,” Macdonald said.
Macdonald, who was previously the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, last year became the first coach in franchise history to reach 10 wins in his first season. He’ll try to top that mark as the Seahawks kick off their 2025 season next month.
We ended our chat with a little quick-hit Q&A.
Mac or PC? “I had a PC in college. I switched to Mac. But ever since I’ve been working in football, I’ve been on a PC.”
Favorite video game: “Madden. I’ve stopped playing the last couple years, but I love Madden. Loved NCAA back in the day. MVP Baseball 2005 was a great game.”
Favorite app: “Text message app. I get more text messages now, holy smokes.”
What should GeekWire readers know about you? “I’m an open book on this stuff. I think it’s cool to be into stuff that is high-tech, data-driven. You’re telling me you’re smart and you’re trying to find edges and trying to find new frontier — that’s cool to me. It sounds like a winning formula.”
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