Two potential candidates emerge for Seahawks HC opening
Since the Seahawks decided to move on from longtime head coach Pete Carroll, they have been the only team that we haven’t heard from in terms of scheduling interviews for candidates to replace him.
After his old employer, Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, was touted as a possible replacement, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network gave us a new name to watch in Seattle on Saturday.
Ever since Quinn was let go from his position as head coach of the Falcons in 2020, he has been seen as a potential head coach. The Cowboys have fielded a consistent top-10 scoring defence and have improved their yards allowed annually since Quinn arrived in Dallas. The team placed among the top five in both categories this year.
Quinn interviewed for head coaching positions with the Cardinals, Broncos, Texans, and Colts last year. He even went back for follow-up interviews in Arizona and Indianapolis before electing to stay in Dallas as a coordinator. Quinn had interviews with the Bears, Broncos, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants the year before. He was thought to be a finalist for the Denver position after doing a second interview in Chicago, but he ultimately decided to stay with the Cowboys once more, turning down a chance to interview with the Jaguars.
Quinn’s connection to Seattle comes from two different stints with the team. After defensive line coaching jobs with the 49ers, Dolphins, and Jets, Quinn accepted that same position coaching gig with the added title of assistant head coach with the Seahawks. He held the position for two years before taking on a defensive coordinator job for the University of Florida. After two more years, Quinn made the move back to the NFL and back to Seattle as an NFL defensive coordinator.
The Seahawks reached back-to-back Super Bowls (and were one offensive play away from winning back-to-back Super Bowls) behind a defense led by Quinn that finished tops in the league in both points allowed and yards allowed. In both years, Quinn’s defense led both categories by a relatively wide margin. His success coaching the vaunted Legion of Doom led to his first head coaching opportunity in Atlanta. Despite an overall winning record of 43-42 that included a Super Bowl appearance for the Falcons, two consecutive 7-9 seasons and an 0-5 start to the 2020 season led to Quinn’s termination.
The background of the other name that Rapoport brought up is a little different.Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator for the Ravens, has much less NFL coaching experience. After serving as a coaching intern in Baltimore in 2014, Macdonald advanced to the position of defensive assistant in 2017. From 2018 to 2020, he coached linebackers and defensive backs.Before John Harbaugh, the older, brought Macdonald back to the NFL for the same position in Baltimore, Macdonald was taken away by Jim, his younger brother, to work as defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan for a season.
In two years under Macdonald, the Ravens have finished third and first in points allowed and improved from 11th in yards allowed to sixth this year. Despite the presence of a star outside pass rusher, Macdonald’s Ravens have consistently been one of the league’s more successful teams at pressuring the quarterback thanks to unique blitzing schemes and disguises. This year, Baltimore added a league-leading 31 turnovers to the resume, as well.
Both coordinators have drawn a lot of attention as potential head coaches thus far, even while Quinn seems to have more experience than Macdonald. Quinn is now awaiting interviews with the Panthers, Chargers, Titans, and Commanders; Macdonald has already conducted interviews with the Panthers and Falcons and is awaiting interviews with the Titans and Commanders. Because they are still in the playoffs, both coordinators are only able to do virtual interviews at this time. However, after the playoffs are over, both coaches should take note of the expressed interest.
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