Seahawks' Mike Macdonald Shares Advice From Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells: 'It Empowered Me!'
For a first-time head coach, there's nothing quite like learning from a legend of the game.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, the youngest coach in the league at just 36 years old, has taken an interesting approach when filling out his staff. For the most part, Macdonald has chosen to go with coaches that he's never worked with before. There are exceptions such as special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, who Macdonald worked with at Michigan, but those are few and far between.
As it turns out, Macdonald got the idea for that approach from one of the game's all-time coaches. Appearing on Sports Radio 93.3 KJR on Thursday, Macdonald revealed that the idea to branch out from his comfort zone came from none other than Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells.
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"There came a time where you had to put your money where your mouth was in terms of what your values are and how you said you were going to do it if and when you got the job," Macdonald said, per Seahawks.com. "That's easier said than done when it comes time to make those decisions. I had the opportunity to talk to Coach Parcells before this all went down, and he said, 'Hey, good football coaches are good football coaches, and they're everywhere. Find the guys you believe in, and go to war with those guys.' That really resonated with me and I felt like it empowered me to follow up on what I told everybody I was going to do."
Parcells, 82, coached the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys throughout his illustrious career. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants in 1986 and 1990, and is a two-time Coach of the Year winner. Parcells was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Parcells also boasts one of the most-robust coaching trees in NFL history, with the likes of Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin and Sean Payton learning under him.
Clearly, Parcells knows how to connect with young coaches, and Macdonald heeding his advice should only be great news for the Seahawks.
