QB Using Seahawks to Move From USFL to Packers
When the Seattle Seahawks selected quarterback Alex McGough in the seventh round (No. 220 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, he was just the second quarterback drafted by the Seahawks under head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider since Russell Wilson in 2012.
Though his gridiron tenure in the Emerald City was far from memorable, the 27-year-old veteran quarterback still holds the lessons he learned as a rookie from with the Seahawks from coach Pete Carroll — knowledge he will take with him to the Green Bay Packers, with whom he recently signed.
"He has a way of getting his team to play the game for the right reasons," McGough once said of his former coach. "He has a team first, passionate approach, and stresses that every step of the way. That is an approach that I admire and complements the way I want to play the game of football. Being a Super Bowl-winning coach with the Seahawks, as well as a National Championship Head Coach at USC, he commands respect by reputation. But, his conduct on the field earns that respect."
McGough spent the entirety of his rookie season on Seattle's practice squad and was subsequently released prior to the 2019 season. After similar stints in 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, he added a second tour of duty with Seattle in 2020, Unfortunately, it also ended without his taking a regular-season snap. In fact, McGough's time with the team does not elicit fond memories within Seattle's recent draft history.
Still, McGough is hoping to recapture some of the prowess he has previously shown while away from the NFL spotlight. As quarterback of the Florida International Panthers, the 6-3, 218-pound McGough had a more-than-memorable collegiate career. He finished the 2017 season having completed 231 of 354 passes for 2,791 yards and 17 touchdowns. He set school records for 65.3 completion percentage and a passer rating of 142.8.
Following his NFL struggles, McGough was selected as the sixth pick of the first-round in the 2022 USFL Draft by the Birmingham Stallions. He earned MVP honors and led the Stallions to the league championship. McGough finished the season with 20 touchdown passes and five interceptions to go with 2,105 passing yards and a 67.4 percentage completion rate. McGough also displayed some dual-threat ability by adding 403 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
While McGough faces significant competition for the backup job to Packers starter Jordan Love — including ex Penn State Nittany Lion Sean Clifford, and fellow former Seahawk Danny Etling — his time under Carroll’s tutelage continues to shape his approach, as well as his motivation.
“For me, the most important thing is to help my team in any way that I can,” McGough recalled. “Coach [Carroll] always told us to be ‘better than you were yesterday.’ As teammates, we should compete with ourselves and not each other. I have to approach each week to do just that, and make myself ready to be active on the field.”
Should McGough remain on Green Bay’s roster, the Seahawks and Carroll will get a look at their former pupil when the two teams meet for their preseason finale on Aug. 26 at Lambeau Field.
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