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How do Mike McDonald and Pete Carroll compare after the first 8 games leading the Seahawks?

Posted on by L. Dreeye
How do Mike McDonald and Pete Carroll compare after the first 8 games leading the Seahawks?

Since going 3-0 in his first-ever tenure as head coach, Mike McDonald’s Seattle Seahawks have lost four of their last five games and are coming off their most lopsided loss of the season, a 31-10 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. .

There is no longer an official midseason mark for NFL teams as a 17th game was added to the schedule in 2021, but eight games into the campaign is about as close as it gets. The Seahawks have now split the first half of the season and are 4-4.

Especially after a tough loss like Sunday’s, the first-year head coach and his team will receive most of the blame. Things get even more complicated when, in McDonald’s case, he replaced the winningest coach in Seahawks history, the one who brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Seattle for the first time.

But how does MacDonald’s resume compare to Pete Carroll’s through his first eight games as Seattle’s head coach? Should McDonald be the focus if the team fails to turn things around this season, or does he deserve more time to see if he can become the team’s next long-term head coach?

Here’s a look at the 2024 season and the roster McDonald inherits compared to the 2010 season, Carroll’s first to lead the Seahawks.

First 8 games: 4-4

Final 9 games: TBD

Average number of points scored: 23.8 (13th place)

Average scores against: 24.4 (19th)

Team record for the previous 3 seasons: 7–10 (2021), 9–8 (2022), 9–8 (2023)

Average age of the cast: 26.3

Average roster experience in NFL: 3.3 years

Former professional bowlers included: 10

(P Michael Dixon, WR Tyler Lockett, WR DK Metcalf, S Julian Love, K Jason Myers, QB Geno Smith, LG Laken Tomlinson, DL Leonard Williams, CB Devon Witherspoon, CB Rick Woolen)

Former professionals included: 3

(P Michael Dixon, WR Tyler Lockett, WR DK Metcalf)

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll (right) and defensive end Matt Hasselbeck (8) react during the game.

November 14, 2010; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll (right) and defensive end Matt Hasselbeck (8) react during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 36-18. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

First 8 games: 4-4

Final 8 games (before adding a 17th game): 3-5

Average points scored for the entire season: 19.4 (23rd place)

Average points for the entire season against: 25.4 (25th place)

Team record for the previous 3 seasons: 10–6 (2007), 4–12 (2008), 5–11 (2009)

Average age of the cast: 27

Average roster experience in NFL: 3.9 years

Former professional bowlers included: 7

(QB Matt Hasselbeck, RB Marshawn Lynch, C Olindo Mare, S Lawyer Milloy, LB Lofa Tatupu, CB Marcus Trufant, RB Leon Washington)

Former professionals included: 4

(C. Olindo Mare, S. Lawyer Milloy, L.B. Lofa Tatupu, R.B. Leon Washington)

Future professional bowlers included: 9

(S Kam Chancellor, RB Justin Forsett, RB Marshawn Lynch, LT Russell Okung, FB Michael Robinson, WR Golden Tate, S Earl Thomas III, K Max Unger, RB Leon Washington)

Future professionals included: 5

(S. Kam Chancellor, RB Marshawn Lynch, S. Earl Thomas III, C. Max Unger, RB Leon Washington)

One thing should be clear: Despite all the numbers listed above, Carroll inherited the Seahawks during an undeniably darker period in the franchise’s history. Mike Holmgren led the team to its first Super Bowl in 2005 and left after posting a 4-12 record in 2008, the franchise’s worst season since 1992 (2-14) and still its lowest record since then.

Jim Mora, Holmgren’s defensive backs coach, took over in 2009 and was given just one season to try to turn things around. Seattle finished 5-11. Carroll brought a whole new philosophy aimed at empowering players and their unique personalities. This, combined with his innovative defensive scheme, gave the team two more wins than Mora in Carroll’s first season, while he and general manager John Schneider began a run of the best drafts the franchise had ever seen.

But neither of those players are there anymore, and Carroll and Schneider have become much less effective at attracting talent in recent years. As a result, the team ended 2021 with a losing record for the first time since 2011, Carroll’s second season in Seattle. Two average seasons with little improvement prompted the team to move on from Carroll.

Only three players drafted out of Seattle through 2021 are still on the team and have only played for the Seahawks: Panther Michael Dixon and receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Sure, McDonald inherited some talented young players, but there’s no getting around how terrible some of the team’s drafts were from 2013-2021.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald (left) talks with wide receiver DK Metcalf.

October 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald (left) talks with wide receiver D.K. Metcalf (right) warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagne Images

The biggest current difference between this team and the roster Carroll inherited in 2010 remains unknown as it remains to be determined: How many of Seattle’s current players will become All-Pro caliber players? Is there talent currently on the team, or do MacDonald and Schneider need a few good drafts to get the roster the way they want?

After all, Carroll went 4-4 in his first eight games as Seattle’s head coach and was even worse in the second half of the season. The team was lucky enough to make the playoffs in a rotten NFC West and beat the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the most stunning game in team history. They missed the playoffs the following year, again finishing 7-9.

With the Seahawks winning the last two seasons, it’s understandable to expect continued growth. But taking a step back while the team embraces the new culture, scheme (on both sides of the ball) and finding players who fit the building may not happen right away. Like McDonald, Carroll was a defensive-minded coach and still allowed the seventh-most points per game of any NFL team in his first season. There will be growing pains.

New head coaches in the NFL are too often given the shortest of leashes and condemned to purgatory as the franchise is rebooted over and over again. Short-term disappointment after a blowout loss midseason is understandable, but before you overreact, remember this: Carroll and the Seahawks lost by a combined score of 74-10 in Weeks 8 and 9 of the 2010 season to fall to 4-4 .

Imagine the anger at that time. Three seasons later, Carroll won the Lombardi Trophy. This may or may not be in MacDonald’s plans, but it’s too early to say for sure.

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