Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald went looking for help before Super Bowl LX, and he made it clear that one of the people who gave him the most useful advice had a “conflict of interest.”
Macdonald discussed the buildup to his first Super Bowl on The Dan Patrick Show and said he had spoken with Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh. But he also hinted that another person played a major role in Seattle’s preparation.
"John Harbaugh and I talked. He was great. Probably can't mention one guy that really helped us out that had some conflict of interest," Macdonald said.
Macdonald did not say the person had a conflict of interest with the Patriots specifically, and he also ruled out Bill Belichick as the mystery figure.
That left fans doing what fans do best: guessing. Social media quickly turned into a game of detective work, with plenty of people settling on seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
"Definitely Brady. Since he worked with McDaniels he probably gave him all his quirks and tricks," One X user wrote.
Another user followed with, "The amount of people saying Harbough is concerning, do y’all not actually listen to the clips? I’m going to guess it was Brady since Kubiak was going to the Raiders."
One user aimed at a former Patriots head coach by posting, "It's literally Pete Carroll with a fake mustache on. He couldn’t pass up a chance to draw up a Super Bowl defense against the Patriots."
Whatever the identity of the unnamed helper, Seattle’s game plan worked. The Seahawks rolled past the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, and Drake Maye and company were held in check all night.
For now, the question hanging over the aftermath is simple: who was the mystery voice that helped Macdonald get ready for the biggest game of his career?
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