Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp has a clear read on what makes Mike Macdonald’s team tick, and it starts with a style that looks a lot different from what he knew with the Los Angeles Rams.
Kupp laid it out on The Pat McAfee Show, describing Seattle’s approach as built around force, toughness and straight-up competition. “You get to Seattle, and it’s like, ‘Hey, there’s a piece of this.
We’re just going to play harder than you. We’re going to outcompete you.
We’re just going to play more physical than you,’” Kupp said. “I’m not seeing the data sheets.
I’m not seeing the Excel spreadsheet that says this is how we’re going to win games. It’s like, ‘No, no, we’re just going to come and hit them really, really hard, and we’re just going to will ourselves to win.’”
That’s a sharp contrast from the analytics-heavy environment Kupp spent his entire career in with Sean McVay and the Rams. It didn’t stop him from thriving there, either. Kupp had his best years in Los Angeles, led the league in all major categories, and was a key piece in McVay’s first Super Bowl title.
But Seattle clearly fit his game, too. Kupp’s style leans gritty and physical, and he also pointed to Macdonald’s emphasis on one-on-one work during training camp. The idea was simple: make every rep feel like a battle, so the team is ready when the real thing arrives.
That kind of approach helped define Seattle’s rise, and now the rest of the league will be studying it. The Seahawks are moving from hunter to hunted, and other teams will be trying to figure out what made Macdonald’s formula work.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, isn’t likely to change its identity. McVay has built a tight operation and found plenty of success doing it his way.
The Seahawks won’t see the Rams until late in the season, but Kupp’s familiarity with both sides gives Seattle a useful window into how that matchup might look. For Macdonald and his staff, every week between now and then will likely be treated as a dress rehearsal for that moment.
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Mike Macdonald Just Delivered The Tory Horton Update Seahawks Needed
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For a team looking to add more juice to the air attack, Hortons health matters because every rep counts for a player trying to carve out a role. The Seahawks have other intriguing targets in the mix, but Horton was brought in with the kind of upside that can change the shape of a receiver room if he can stay available and keep stacking practice time. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Camp Just Took On A Very Different Feel
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The timing only adds to the intrigue, because the football operation is unfolding alongside a major ownership transition that still needs NFL approval. For a franchise used to a relatively stable backdrop, the combination of a national TV production and a pending sale to the Khosla family gives camp a very different feel, even if the focus inside the building remains on the same daily work. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fans Have Every Reason To Worry About Kenny McIntosh
Kenny McIntoshs summer took a hard turn on July 26, when the Seahawks running back suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during training camp and has not played since. For a player already trying to carve out a role in Seattle, the injury only deepened the uncertainty around his place on the roster, especially with the team building its backfield around healthier options.
Mike Macdonald has made clear there is no easy timeline here, and McIntoshs rehab will be the story for a while. The injury history, combined with his current spot on the depth chart and the fact that he is scheduled to hit free agency next offseason, leaves Seattle with a familiar football question: how much patience is left for a player whose promise keeps running into setbacks? [Read more 🡒]