The Seahawks were back on the practice field Monday for what head coach Mike Macdonald called "a really sharp practice" coming out of the team's bye week.

And while players had a chance to get rejuvenated physically and mentally, the bye week was a busy one for Macdonald and his coaching staff as they tried to look at ways to improve following a 4-5 start to the season.

"It was an opportunity for us to look where we're at," Macdonald said. "Some of the big takeaways were, it's not the what we're doing, it's the how we get it done. We've talked a lot about process in this setting, and the same thing goes. Everything was on the table.

"We continue to move forward. The guys are excited and in good spirits, and we've got a big week of prep ahead of us, and onward we go."

That everything on the table Macdonald mentioned included the decision to part ways with starting linebacker Tyrel Dodson, but there are a lot of other big-picture things the team is focused on aside from that roster move.

"Coming in Monday, it stings from the past game, but then saying, 'Hey, this is where we're at, this is what we're going to do over the course of the week.' Macdonald said. "Players getting away, refreshing their minds and their bodies was good for them. Their spirit today was great. We had a really energetic practice, we'll put a great gameplan together tomorrow, and onward we got for the second half of the season. Then coaches wise, I think it alleviates some pressure of putting game plans together, and taking a big-picture approach about where we're at what we're doing and how we do it I think is the biggest thing we attacked of how we're putting things together, how we're detailing it out. It gives us clarity on where we're moving forward with. I think that's the biggest takeaway, improved clarity for a vision of where we're going in all three phases."

For Macdonald, a big focus over the bye and moving forward is on how he and the coaching staff can best help players get from the stage of getting a game plan early in the week to practicing it to executing it on gameday.

"I think it's all about the how of what we're doing," Macdonald said. "The Xs and Ox are important, but how we make it come to life is the secret sauce. When you see it on all levels of the assembly from how we gameplan it, how we package it, how we coach it, how we drill it, how we practice it, how it shows up on game day, when that system is right, we play really good football. When that system is kind of jacked up on any part of the process, I feel like that's where we're falling short. So from top to bottom, we've got to do a great job of packaging it and making it come to life out here on the practice field and on Sundays."

There were plenty of positives Macdonald and his coaching staff could focus on, including, as he noted, situational football and the recent improvements shown on defense.

"We are doing a lot of really good stuff," he said. "Situationally, really all three phases are locked in on those situations. We've had a lot of big-time point swings at the end and the beginning of halves, so it's about being consistent, being efficient offensively on early downs, taking advantage of some things that we're getting from looks that we're seeing. Defensively, I think we've seen a steady improvement in our process and our play on early downs that can help us create some more of those pass situations where we can start to affect the quarterback."

But ultimately the first nine weeks of the season weren't good enough, which is why the Seahawks hope they have maximized their time off in order to help them take a leap in the final eight weeks of the season.

"By no stretch of the imagination are we happy or satisfied with where we're at," Macdonald said, relaying the message he shared with the team. "As a matter of fact, it's OK to be kind of mad about where we're at, just because we expect more from our football team right now. But you've got to be proud of the mentality and the drive and the resiliency that we've shown mentally to keep looking at our process and try to make the best we can possibly make it."