At just 38 years old and in his second season with the team, Mike Macdonald will prepare his team for a Super Bowl for the first time in his career. So far, his approach has worked like a charm for the Seattle Seahawks.
However, a little help certainly can't hurt. He spent a decade learning closely from former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore, but his mentor may have a couple of pointers that could go a long way ahead of February 8.
That's why Macdonald shouldn't hesitate to give him a call and pick his brains to figure out the best way to prepare for the biggest game of his career. According to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune, Macdonald plans to reach out to the recently signed New York Giants head coach.
Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald will ask John Harbaugh for Super Bowl preparation tips
“I haven’t talked to John yet,” Macdonald told the media, “but at some point I probably will.”
Macdonald was a defensive quality control at the University of Georgia, his alma mater, when Harbaugh's Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2013. He joined Harbaugh's coaching staff the next year as a coaching intern.
Notably, this will also be the first time offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak makes it to the final game of the season. At least, defensive coordinator Aden Durde has some experience, having served as a coaching fellow for the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. This time, he'll certainly hope to get back at the New England Patriots for that heartbreaking loss.
This week will be business as usual for the Seahawks. The players will get Tuesday and Wednesday off and will resume practice at their facilities in Renton on Thursday. They will leave for California on Sunday and will practice at San Jose State University next week.
The Seahawks are slightly favored ahead of this matchup, as they should be, but they cannot afford to overlook a savvy team with a hard-hitting defense like the Patriots. Also, even if he hadn't reached the big game as a head coach, Mike Vrabel has plenty of experience with everything that comes with the Super Bowl.
At the end of the day, this team will have to approach it like just another game. They need to adapt and adjust to take the Pats' strengths away, but they can't go away from everything that has brought them to this point.