As most highly successful people do, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald sought counsel on how to approach preparing for the Super Bowl. One of the people he spoke with was a former head coach of his. Another, however, is much more of a mystery.
Speaking with Dan Patrick on Patrick's eponymous show, Macdonald said he talked with John Harbaugh before the game to try to understand best how to emotionally and technically be ready for the biggest moment of his career, as well as that of many of his players. Harbaugh was Macdonald's head coach when Seattle's current head coach was with the Baltimore Ravens.
Beyond Harbaugh, though, who else might Macdonald have spoken with? Patrick tried to pry the person's name from the Seahawks coach, even guessing Bill Belichick, former coach of the New England Patriots, the team Seattle played in the Super Bowl, and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Macdonald said no to both.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has people guessing as to his mysterious mentor was
The coach also said he wouldn't give out the person's name because it could mean a "conflict of interest" for that person. This would appear to make the obvious choice of whom Macdonald is referring to: Tom Brady.
The conflict of interest wouldn't stem from Brady playing for the Patriots during his career, of course. Many former players talk to other teams after their careers have ended.
Brady is now a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but even that might not be a conflict of interest because of Brady's clout.
What could cause an issue for the legendary quarterback is that Brady also works for FOX as an NFL analyst, and even though Brady wasn't part of the broadcast crew for the Seahawks and Patriots (the game was carried by NBC), he wouldn't want to be seen as favoring one team over another in the biggest game of the season.
The part-owner of the Raiders also would have had a good reason for assisting Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks.
By the time of the game, Vegas had fired head coach Pete Carroll (a former Seattle coach, of course) and was about to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to be their new head coach. It was likely just one team taking from another, but helping them out along the way.
Of course, Macdonald isn't saying whether a voice of reason for him entering Super Bowl LX was Brady. And maybe it wasn't. The answer could have been someone like Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, John's brother, whom Macdonald worked with at the University of Michigan for a season.
Still, Brady is a far more interesting guess, and one that makes sense. What matters most is that the Seahawks defeated the Patriots to win their second title.
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