Chris Petersen knows NFL talent. He coached 31 players drafted by NFL teams. With Kellen Moore at quarterback, Petersen went 50-3 from 2008-11 at Boise State. So Petersen’s words carry weight when he lauds Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
In fact, Petersen is high on Macdonald primarily for three reasons.
“He’s extremely, extremely smart,” said Petersen recently on the Brock & Salk show in Seattle. “I’ve had a chance to talk to him a couple of different times and you can tell. I think of him as laying in the weeds and he’s just listening and taking it all in – and sometimes doesn’t say a whole lot and he just processes and digests it. And then when he does say something, it’s usually really well thought out.”
Secondly, the former Boise State and Washington head coach also cited Macdonald’s training under John Harbaugh, where as defensive coordinator last year Macdonald and the Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in sacks, takeaways and scoring defense in the same season.
Macdonald, 37, is the NFL’s youngest head coach entering the season, but also learned under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. And, finally, Petersen said Macdonald is replacing a proven winner in Pete Carroll, in a Seahawks organization with a winning culture under general manager John Schneider.
Moore, now with Jalen Hurts as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator, also has Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert on his NFL reference list. Don’t be surprised to see him joining Macdonald as an NFL head coach in the near future.