Rich Eisen clearly misses point while thrashing Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald
By Lee Vowell
Rich Eisen is confused. But worse, he created an opinionated rant over something he perceives as wrong that Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald may or may not have done without Eisen knowing all the facts. In other words, he momentarily turned into the kind of program that lacks any integrity.
The problem is Eisen is a likable guy who does good things. The run he does during NFL drafts helps charities even though he is not that fast. He does it to help others, not to show off. That is the kind of person Eisen is. What he isn't is the kind of person who normally spews opinion without any basis in fact, though he did this week about Macdonald.
At issue is that Eisen spoke on his show about how Mike Macdonald took down several photos of past glories - some of the great things that happened under Macdonald's predecessor Pete Carroll - at Seahawks headquarters. Eisen saw this seemingly as a way for Macdonald to make his own imprint on the current team while not paying homage to recent successes. Only Eisen got the facts all wrong.
Rich Eisen disrespects Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald without understanding the real facts
First of all, the pictures he is talking about, ones of the Legion of Boom and photos from playoff wins, have not gone away. They are simply being replaced by a video board with some of the same images. Also, the room he is talking about has another room located next to it with photos of every Seahawk who has ever played for the team. The Lombardi Trophy and other pieces of recent success remain on display in the lobby of the VMAC, too.
The other issue is that Eisen appears to think that Macdonald has a lot more power than he does. There would be nothing that happens at Seahawks headquarters that did not get the approval of general manager John Schneider and, in many cases, chairperson Jody Allen. Macdonald doesn't run the team, Rich. Schneider and Allen do.
Oddly, Eisen plays a clip from defensive lineman Leonard Williams talking about the changes and Williams says, "Everyone is (now) locked in at a different level. I remember the first day we came into (team) meetings (Macdonald) pointed out that there were empty walls...for a person like me, that made me really excited...I think it's giving us a clean foundation to create whatever we want to be." Eisen seems to only talk about what Williams said at first and apparently did not listen to the rest of what Williams said.
Eisen also mentions that Williams arrived late in the Carroll era and implies Williams has been with Seattle for a few years. Williams was only traded to the Seahawks midway through the 2023 season. This is not all that important overall, but does show further that Eisen seems to be talking without understanding the facts.
Again, Eisen gives Macdonald too much credit for any changes. If the pictures were removed and never to be found again, which is not the case, Macdonald still would not make the change with the OK from Schneider. Eisen must have just needed something to talk about to create drama. He does not usually do this and he should do better in the future.