Coach Mike Macdonald learns how to practice Seahawks. Players say they need to focus more
Their rookie head man is still learning. Mike Macdonald says he's reassessing how he and his assistants coach their players in practices.
The longest-tenured Seahawks player says he wants his teammates to change how attentive they are in those practices.
"Got to focus on the next game. This ain't college, where you lose three games and now you're out of the playoffs, right?" 10th-year wide receiver Tyler Lockett said last week following Seattle's third straight loss, 36-24 to the San Francisco 49ers . "You can lose three games, six games, seven games — as long as you win your division, you're in."
Lockett spoke before the Seahawks' three days off that ended Monday with a practice for their game Sunday (10 a.m., channel 13) at Atlanta (4-2). The Falcons are the co-leaders in the NFC South.
"We've just got to fix the...pre-snap penalties, stuff like that. We've got to fix some of those little things, so we can figure out where we're at when we're not getting penalties.
"We know holding might happen, interferences might happen. But the pre-snaps, the little things like that, we can fix that to where it doesn't shoot us in the foot."
So how do they do that? How, with the "bonus" practice Monday plus practices Wednesday, Thursday and Friday do these Seahawks fix this issue before they play Atlanta?
How do they end the false starts, alignment errors, delays of game and these pre-snap penalties that have ruined drives, and games during their losing streak?
"It's on us to be able to understand how we line up, understanding the (quarterback's) cadence," Lockett said.
"A lot of that can be focus. We can be more focused-oriented when it comes to walk-throughs, not just in (full-pads) practice. Just the little things. We've got to treat walk-throughs as the game.
"I think we already do that, as it is. But learning from the mistakes and being able to correct the mistakes in walk-through. And you'd be surprised, if you correct them in walk-through they start to get corrected in practice, which then gets corrected in the game."
Lockett, 32, said that following a short week between games last week. The 37-year-old Macdonald gave his players a break from pads between their home loss to the New York Giants the previous Sunday to the 49ers game Thursday. The first-time head coach had his Seahawks in walk-through practices in shorts and T-shirts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week.
Then the Seahawks lost to San Francisco for the sixth consecutive time.
Running back Kenneth Walker was walking almost in place at the end of his motion out of the backfield to outside left as a wide receiver, before a snap in the fourth quarter. Instead of remaining set, motionless for a count before the snap, as by rule, Walker got penalized for illegal motion.
That negated Geno Smith's 48-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf. It would have made it a one-score game with still 5 minutes remaining.
By the time the Seahawks did score, only 1:44 remained. The 49ers only needed a first down to secure the win, which they got on the first play following Seattle's later-than-it-should-have-been touchdown. The Niners then scored a late TD for the game's final points.
The lost cost the Seahawks all of the lead they had atop the NFC West with their 3-0 start last month.
After it, Macdonald said the Friday into Monday the players had off in their mini-bye before practicing for Atlanta would be a time for introspection from Seattle's coaches.
"We've got to look at what we're asking and how we're coaching it, and how teams are attacking us," Macdonald said, "and then go from there. That's really just going to be the thought."
Tyrel Dodson is taking this reassessment of how Macdonald practices the Seahawks personally.
"I mean, you would think the mental edge would be more, because the physical, the physical edge is less," Seattle's middle linebacker and signal caller said this week.
Dodson said the players need to find a way to get and stay mentally sharp on defense and offense during lighter practices that are likely to stay, "because I know some guys, we're feeling nicked up."
Dodson was a part-time linebacker and special-teams player with Buffalo. Seattle signed him this spring to replace Bobby Wagner. The Seahawks let the six-time All-Pro's contract expire after last season. He signed this spring with Washington .
Dodson called players preserving themselves physically while needing to get sharper mentally in practices "a fine balance."
"And I've got to do a better job, as the leader of this team, leader this defense, trying to find that balance," he said.
"So it's my first go-around. So I'm gonna get better at it and just just keep leading these guys."
More players to start practice
The beginning of practice Monday was notable for what the Seahawks were wearing, and who was at it.
The Seahawks were in helmets for the first time since Oct. 4, two days before their loss to the Giants.
Rookie first-round draft choice Byron Murphy was participating fully for the first time in almost a month. The 16th pick in this spring's NFL draft has missed the last three games. The defensive tackle injured his hamstring in the second quarter of the Seahawks' home game against Miami in week three , Sept. 22. That remains the team's last win.
The start of practices, the first 10 minutes, thus far this season have been what the strength and conditioning staffers leading it have termed "optional" stretching and warm-ups. Smith takes snaps with center Connor Williams. The three QBs throw. Special-teams players and some reserves are regulars at those optional stretches.
But Monday, just about the whole team was there for them. More than 60 players — starters and most of the 53-man active roster, plus the practice squad — were on the field for the "optional" pre-start. Dodson was there. Lockett was catching passes from a JUGS machine, as he also does after practices. Metcalf was there.
Notable for not being on the field at the start, as he usually is stretching on the side: Riq Woolen. The starting cornerback sprained his ankle in the team's loss to the 49ers last week. He remains a question mark for playing Sunday at Atlanta. Woolen is usually out during the option pre-practice yukking it up with fellow defensive backs Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins.
Metcalf laughed with the quarterbacks. He playfully greeted safety Jerrick Reed, the second-year special-teams mainstay who returned to practice off the physically-unable-to-perform list Monday.
The spirits were refreshed.
To Lockett's point, they'll find out if the focus is better by the time they play the Falcons in Atlanta Sunday.
"Yeah, of course you're going to be upset and worried about losing three straight. Of course," Macdonald said. "But we are 3-3. We are six weeks in. So, we started fast. Obviously (have) not played good football in the last three games. And onward we go.
"The mentality always has to be 'Hey let's move forward, attack this thing, and let's fight like hell to make it right.' That's the message to the guys. There is no novel idea, but that's just got to be the mentality."
