As opposed to coaches like Bill Belichick when he was with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks fans never have to doubt head coach Mike Macdonald's humanity. He's football-first in his job, of course, but he doesn't let that get in the way of being a real human being. Many times, the classy way is the right way.
On Sunday, just days before his Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round of the 2025 postseason, Macdonald talked with NBC Sports' Maria Taylor soon after the 49ers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. The 49ers got the gift of traveling to play Seattle at Lumen Field on Saturday.
But the 49ers won't have tight end George Kittle, a key part of San Francisco's offense. He tore his Achilles tendon and will miss not only the rest of this season, but probably a lot next year, too.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald takes the high road about 49ers tight end George Kittle's injury
Macdonald could have simply made a passing comment on Kittle and moved on, but he didn't. Instead, he did something high-end competitors don't always do: He spoke the truth with rightful respect about one of the players who is toughest for his own team to stop.
Macdonald said, "Hate to see it happen to George Kittle. He’s such a great player (and a) great competitor. We got a ton of respect for him, and (it) just really makes you sick that that happened to him. But to come back and rally and make those plays late as they did, that was a really impressive win."
It is those kinds of words that should make it unlikely for fans of opponents to viscerally dislike Mike Macdonald. If someone does say that, they almost certainly don't know much about the Seahawks' head coach. Macdonald appears to be a good person, but he does want to beat the favorite team of non-Seattle fans.
For Seattle Seahawks fans, not only has Macdonald turned into a perfect replacement for longtime head coach Pete Carroll (and, let's be honest, an upgrade over Carroll), but he has handled himself as if he doesn't think he is better than other people. He has a job to do, and he does it well.
His humanity, however, comes through when he comments on injuries to opposing players. He stops coach-speak and simply talks like a real person would. To be sure, the San Francisco 49ers losing George Kittle stinks because when the Seattle Seahawks beat them in the playoffs, one does not want the 49ers to have any injury reasons for why they lost.