Seahawks players are likely nodding at Aidan Hutchinson's words about Mike Macdonald

We don't yet truly know what the Seattle Seahawks will be this year. They have begun the season 3-0 and lead the NFC West by two games. There is a decent chance they lose in Week 4, however, since they will be without so many key defensive players. In other words, Week 4 against the Detroit Lions might not educate us much about the team, either.

What we do seem to have learned about the 2024 version of the team under new head coach Mike Macdonald is that the defense appears to be playing freer. Opposing ball-carriers are being attacked in the open field and there is a lot less miscommunication in the secondary. Things fell apart in those departments in the last few seasons under former coach Pete Carroll.

There might be a reason for this, and that could simply be that the players are having more fun. Not that Carroll wasn't a good coach to play under because he was certainly player-first, but he did not appear overly proactive in terms of personnel changes or discipline. Sometimes, players need a little bit of tough love to understand that they are appreciated.

Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson "thankful" for Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald

When Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was in college at the University of Michigan, he was good before his senior year, but possibly he could have been better. The problem was that he wasn't having a lot of fun playing. A happy player is most of the time a better one.

In the lead-up to the Lions and Seahawks Week 4 game, Hutchinson told the press what it was like to play under Macdonald for his senior season at Michigan. Macdonald had been a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens before spending one season as the defensive coordinator at Michigan. After that, Macdonald went back to the Ravens to be their DC.

Hutchinson said, "Bringing that Ravens defense in when I was a senior, it felt like I was having fun again in football. I'm very thankful for him."

They might not say so, especially the Seahawks veterans who played under Carroll, but there is a great likelihood that several Seattle players would understand and agree with Hutchinson. The defensive aggressiveness implies the players better understand what they are supposed to be doing. They also seem to be having more fun with the playing style. That hopefully will become a long-term success.

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