INDIANAPOLIS—Mike Macdonald began his Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in a suite at Lucas Oil Stadium as coaches and scouts interviewed draft prospects, listening to them break down film and talk about their game and themselves as people and competitors.
A few hours later, the Seahawks head coach was at a podium to address the media where he talked, in part, about just how different this offseason feels compared to a year earlier when he had just taken the job and did not attend the combine.
The Seahawks return the same defensive staff, led by Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and while the offense will be quite a bit different under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the staff Macdonald and Kubiak built are all familiar with Kubiak and the scheme he is running so that group should be in sync when it comes to installing an offense.
"I think we're just ahead of the curve," Macdonald said. "Just fast forward everything to now. We're at the starting point just like, hey, we know what schemes we're running. We know how it's rolled out. I've gone through this on defense where it's, 'OK, hey, we want to play quarters, but how are we rolling it out? What's the footwork? What are all the holes you got to live through,' all those things? That takes time. Everybody, coaches are on the same accord. We lived that a little bit in some of these games we were doing last year on defense. So to be able to kind of, not skip those steps, but understand what the language and how we want to do it on the front end, guys that have done it together, I think it's going to help us.
"It's like, we're not building our schemes right now. Even with our new offensive staff, we know what we're going to run. The guys that we are getting caught up are (the holdovers). We're getting Fris (WRs coach Frisman Jackson) caught up, (tight ends coach Mack Brown), (offensive passing game coordinator) Jake Peetz. Like, those are the guys we got to get (caught up). It's kind of like reverse engineering, almost. The guys that have been here are the ones that actually have to get caught up."
And because Macdonald and other coaches are in Indianapolis and leading the prospect interviews, the front office will have that much better of a feel for what it is that Macdonald and his coaches are looking for when building a roster.
"It's a lot of fun," Macdonald said of the interview process. "We're catching up, from the coaches perspective, so John and the guys have a done a great job of setting it up where our position coaches can kind of drive the interview. It's funny, each interview kind of takes a its own form, and you think 20 minutes probably isn't an optimum time for someone to get to know a player as well as you want, but it's funny how much those personalities come out in that time. So it's been a lot of fun."
When it comes to player acquisition, whether that be players selected in the draft or added in free agency, the Seahawks hope to have a better process this year because Macdonald has had a year on the job and because the coaching staff should be on the same page in a way that just wasn't possible, given the timing, at this time last year. But Macdonald also knows that being better at any process in this sport doesn't mean there isn't an ongoing process of, as he might put it, chasing edges to get better.
"I think you just look at where we're at as a football team, how we're doing everything, my thinking is, we want to be better," he said. "You look at anything we did last year, I'm going to be like, 'Aah Not good enough!' Because we didn't win the Super Bowl. You know, when we do win the Super Bowl, and look back at it, I will be like, 'Aaah, We could be better!' If you don't have that mentality about that, you can't grow from those things, then that's when you're going to get stuck and you're going to get your ass kicked."
With the Seahawks a year into Macdonald's tenure, and with a coaching staff all on the same page, Macdonald noted that "just frees up more time" in the offseason, allowing him and the rest of the staff to be part of the Combine and other pieces of the offseason calendar, such as the Senior Bowl, which Macdonald attended last month.
"It just frees up more time," he said. "It's really, really that simple. We're just further along at this point. (Last year) your head was spinning and trying to get—remember, we didn't bring anybody from Baltimore on defense, so you're doing head coach stuff, and you're building the defensive scheme and teaching everybody everything. It's like, there's a lot. So that took priority over spending a week in Indianapolis."
The NFL Combine gives the nation's best draft prospects an opportunity to showcase their talents ahead of the NFL Draft. Check out some of the best photos of current Seahawks players at the NFL Combine.
West Virginia University quarterback Geno Smith runs the 40 yard dash at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg)
West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
West Virginia University quarterback Geno Smith throws at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg)
West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith begins a news conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
West Virginia University quarterback Geno Smith on the NFL Network set at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Johnny Vy)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III (32) runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III (32) participates in the broad jump at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III (32) participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III (32) participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
Michigan State running back Kenny Walker III participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
FILE - In this March 2, 2019, file photo, Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, in Indianapolis. Metcalf is a possible pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf warms up at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett runs a drill during the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, February 21, 2015 in Indianapolis, IN. (AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg)
Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Mississippi State offensive lineman Charles Cross jumps before he runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi State offensive lineman Charles Cross runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
FILE - Mississippi State offensive lineman Charles Cross runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. Charles Cross is a possible pick in the NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Mississippi State offensive lineman Charles Cross (06) participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Mississippi State offensive lineman Charles Cross runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Washington State offensive lineman Abraham Lucas (30) runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Washington State offensive lineman Abraham Lucas runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Washington State offensive lineman Abraham Lucas runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Washington State offensive lineman Abraham Lucas (30) participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 4, 2022 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Washington State offensive lineman Abraham Lucas (30) participates in the broad jump at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams runs a drill during the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, February 22, 2015 in Indianapolis, IN. (AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams jumps before running the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
UTSA defensive back Tariq Woolen runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
UTSA defensive back Tariq Woolen runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UTSA defensive back Tariq Woolen runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
UTSA defensive back Tariq Woolen participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
UTSA defensive back Tariq Woolen runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Notre Dame defensive back Julian Love runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Monday, March 4, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Notre Dame defensive back Julian Love runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Monday, March 4, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Notre Dame defensive back Julian Love runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Monday, March 4, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Notre Dame defensive back Julian Love runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Notre Dame defensive back Julian Love runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Monday, March 4, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
