Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald: John Harbaugh, Ravens Part of 'Who I Am'
Former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald has promised to bring a little bit of Charm with him to the Pacific Northwest.
Macdonald's extended stay with the Ravens has finally paid off, as the 36-year-old is now at the helm of the Seattle Seahawks as the youngest head coach on the active NFL ledgers.
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Thus ends Macdonald's time as one of the sideline staples of the John Harbaugh era, as he had worked with the Ravens since 2014 save for a brief stop as the defensive overseer for the University of Michigan two seasons ago (working under John's brother Jim).
Speaking on Seattle Sports' "Brock and Salk" program, MacDonald believes that the impact of working with both Harbaugh's will be hard to shed.
"It’s a lot of who I am," Macdonald told hosts Mike Salk and former Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard. "That’s been my experience the last 10 years. I’ve really been shaped through those two organizations."
"They’re as real as it gets, and the players realize that. Their motive is what’s best for the team and what’s best for the players. They have their players’ backs, and they’re ready to go to war."
Seahawks fans certainly hope Macdonald has studied up on the lessons and philosophies that Harbaughs have passed onto him: both are now proud owners of championship rings after Jim joined John in the victorious gridiron brotherhood with Michigan's college football national championship win over Washington.
Under Macdonald's brief watch at Michigan, the Wolverines' defense ranked in the Big Ten's top five in nearly every major defensive category en route to a conference title and College Football Playoff appearance.
After moving to the same role with the Ravens (where he held a variety of assistant coaching spots between 2014 and 2020), he oversaw defenses that ranked third and first in points allowed over the past two years respectively.
That was enough for the Seahawks to come calling, as Macdonald steps in for Pete Carroll.
