HBO’s first trailer for its new Hard Knocks training camp edition puts the Seattle Seahawks front and center, and the biggest presence in the clip is head coach Mike Macdonald.
The Seahawks are being featured on the series for the first time, something plenty of Seattle fans already knew was coming. The expectation is simple enough: the team will be shown with respect, but viewers probably shouldn’t expect much in the way of scheme secrets.
That’s fine for the audience this show is really built for. Seahawks fans are likely more interested in seeing the people behind the helmets - Sam Darnold, Devon Witherspoon, AJ Barner and the rest of the roster - than in getting a peek at the playbook.
From the trailer, though, Macdonald comes through loudest. His voice opens the clip, shows up again in the middle, and closes it out. Darnold and Cooper Kupp are heard as well, and Witherspoon is both seen and heard, but the coach clearly dominates the first look.
That fits the image Macdonald seems to project. He’s not the kind of coach who’s going to manufacture drama, and the team doesn’t seem built around that sort of energy either. What comes across instead is a more positive, grounded tone - and, at least in this telling, a sense of reality that wasn’t always there before.
The article’s comparison points back to Pete Carroll’s run in Seattle, which was largely successful but changed after the loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Some players seemed to tune out Carroll’s messaging, but that’s described as far less likely with Macdonald. It also helps, the piece notes, that his version of the team beat the Pats in Super Bowl LX.
Beyond Macdonald, the trailer hints at a cast of characters worth watching. Barner gets singled out because of the kind of energy that should play well on camera, and he’s also viewed as someone who could make a bigger name for himself around the league. The piece says he’s going to be a long-term factor in the Seahawks offense.
Witherspoon and Leonard Williams should also be natural draws, while Jarran Reed appears in the trailer and could be part of the fun as well. Darnold, as the quarterback, is obviously going to be a focal point. The rest of the appeal will be in seeing who else emerges when the series debuts Tuesday, August 4.
In Other News...
Seahawks Add Brandon Johnson As Harrison Bryant Becomes First Camp Cut
The Seahawks made a small but telling camp move by bringing in cornerback Brandon Johnson and opening a spot by waiving veteran tight end Harrison Bryant. Johnson, who played at Duke and Oregon before reaching the NFL with Philadelphia, saw action in three games last season and now gets a chance to compete on Seattles 90-man roster as the team keeps sorting out its early depth.
The timing suggests the addition is at least partly about coverage and competition while Nick Emmanwori works through a minor injury. For a team in the middle of camp, these are the kinds of transactions that rarely dominate the conversation but can matter a lot in the short term, especially when the Seahawks are looking for healthy bodies and enough flexibility to keep practices moving. [Read more 🡒]
Another Seahawks Assistant Is Suddenly Drawing Outside Attention
The Seahawks have already seen one assistant climb the ladder this offseason, with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak leaving for a head coaching job with the Raiders. Now another member of Mike Macdonalds staff is getting a fresh look from the outside, as Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic pointed to defensive coordinator Aden Durde as one of the leagues more intriguing coaching names after the work he has done in Seattle.
Durde still has not drawn the kind of head coaching buzz his reputation might suggest, even after a season that has put him on the radar of evaluators around the league. Rodrigue also noted special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh as another promising assistant with a strong coaching background and recent success in Seattle, a reminder that the Seahawks may be building more than just a good staff for the moment. [Read more 🡒]