Mike Macdonald liked the atmosphere at the Seahawks’ first home game of the season. He didn’t like much else.
Seattle opened preseason with a 17-7 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday night, and Macdonald made clear afterward that the performance fell well short of what he wants from his team.
“We owe them a better performance, to say the least,” Macdonald told reporters. “I just told the team, it’s - we’re gonna learn a lot from this game, whether, you know, take the result out of it.
Obviously, it’s disappointing to lose the game any time you run out at anything competitively, we’re trying to win, but right now, our process needs to improve. That’s really the biggest takeaway, is on really in both phases on offense and defense.
Our operation is not up to par, and how we’re finishing plays is not up to par.
“So that’ll be a focus move forward, but it’s good to know, you know, I’m glad we know now on the things we need to be able to do to take our team to the next level, and we have a great opportunity to go, go figure it out.”
Asked what specifically bothered him, Macdonald pointed to the details that shape everything else.
“Just all the things,” Macdonald said. “How we get calls in, how we take the line, how we motion, how we shift, how we get lined up on defense, how we communicate, all those things need to take a very big jump, very quickly.
So it’s good to know. Now we know it, so let’s go get it.”
The result could make for a revealing third episode of Hard Knocks, depending on how much of Macdonald’s message to the team ends up in the final cut.
For a coach trying to keep a Super Bowl-winning group from settling in after reaching the top, Saturday gave him a blunt reminder that the climb back won’t be any easier. Macdonald now has plenty to point to as he tries to get the Seahawks’ attention moving forward.
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