Mike Macdonald's approval rating

“Rome wasn’t built in a day. I have confidence that he will chip away at these obstacles and the Seahawks will rise.”

“I like listening to him after games. He sounds like a guy who will figure things out eventually.”

“He has obviously got the respect of the players and we can see why, he is coaching always and not into the highs and lows. He respects them, too. His team-centered approach and grasp of the fundamentals of modern football is equally obvious. He's a good father figure for the team.”

“Way too early to make an evaluation”

“Just too early to tell. Too many changes and adjustments. He needs to get his own guys in place and stabilize the learning.”

“I’d like to make the playoffs this season. But I wasn’t holding my breath this season either. First-timers at all significant positions is exciting, but not without predictable challenges. I always figured they were rocking an ‘on the job training’ situation and have been excited for what next season will bring. As to Geno, I could go either way, but I would rather have a cheaper Sam Howell than an expensive Geno.”

“Knowing that John Schneider has a track record of not valuing the O-line, once the team got to the end of training camp I had major concerns on the O-line. That has been proven correct. My other main concern was their LBs. Now that they have addressed that midseason, I believe we will see a consistent improvement in the run game if nothing else on D.”

“Starting 3-0 was an aberration that got us all giddy, but it you would have asked me before the season where we'd be, I probably would have said about 5-4 or 4-5. Too many new coaches in new positions, too many coaches with no NFL experience and a roster that has some good skill players, but is crap at the O-line.”

“Defense has been a disappointment but have had a few injuries so will see how it plays out as season progresses. Offense if much more exciting although still needs improvement.”

“It's a work in progress. He is still learning his players, their strengths, and how to fit them into his scheme. I'm more concerned about Ryan Grubb. Not seeing progress in play-calling or personnel usage. At least the defense is improving. Offense looks like it's regressing. Unlike Macdonald, don't think Grubb is coaching guys up. Too reliant on complicated route combinations that take too long to develop. Not the strength of his personnel.”

“Mike's track record has shown year two is where his defense makes the jump, Michigan and Baltimore. This team will likely finish around .500. Where I expected. If the defense isn't better next year then I'll begin to question it.”

“Given the personnel, about what I expected. Obviously the offensive line is where it starts as far as disappointments. Thought they would be a little better there. Never been a Geno fan. There’s a reason he was a backup for so long and now it’s starting to show. McDonald’s defense will come around as well Grubb’s offense. First year for both definitely shows some growing and learning pains. Don’t know many first year coaches who have not suffered thru inconsistencies.”

“Learning on the job was expected. Players do need time to adjust to new schemes. I am surprised how few players have risen to the opportunity. Roster is more of a rebuild than I initially assumed.”

“Too many new chiefs in positions they haven't done before. It is a learning curve and with experience hopefully they get better together.”

“I was hoping before the year to win about 4-5 games, with a couple new coordinators and new head coach. So this year is about what I expected. Maybe MacDonald can mold this team in the upcoming years to something resembling a better team than what we have now. Fingers crossed.”

“It is probably more precise to say, ‘About what I should have expected.’ The defense feels like it is learning a new system and still adding players who fit Mike's concepts. Just not there yet.”

“Macdonald will be a great coach. But! We need to invest real money into our offensive line and continue the plan of reinforcing our D line through the draft. I hear you that DK has unique skills that create problems for opponents. But we will need to pull the money from somewhere to build a line and I would prefer that we pay for a bone-fide offensive line and use every second round pick on a WR. The learning curve for WR is lower than OT. I'm reminded of the Patriots in their prime.”

“Learning curve just like other new head coaches went through like in Arizona, Philly, Minnesota. The real problem is the most overrated GM in the NFL. Schneider hasn’t done anything amazing since early on with Pete and the LOB. Plenty of terrible draft choices and horrible trades. The awful OL for years is his fault.”

“I think the Seahawks erred in dumping Pete Carroll. The ongoing problem is the offensive line and their inability or unwillingness to invest there. There needs to be balance between the run and the pass and both need a functional, preferably dominant O-line, which hasn't been there in many years. Seems silly to keep drafting elite running backs just to get chewed up behind a leaky O-line. Also, the Hawks seem to be stuck in this doom loop of mediocrity viv-a-vis the draft.”

“You see flashes of potential at times only to suffer through some obvious growing pains associated with establishing new systems, new culture, etc. That puts a lot of pressure on an experienced staff let alone the collective welcome to the NFL (or B1G) moments for our new staff. Overall, I'm optimistic that we will look back on this season as a building block that was necessary to establish the next great era of Seahawks (Husky) football. Rinse and repeat the same thoughts for Jedd Fisch on Montlake. Go Dawgs! Go Hawks!”

“Maybe this is a year that Macdonald needs to evaluate the players etc. I guess the question is whether a year will make Schneider better at handling the offensive line or drafting better in general.”

“He’s a new head coach, I never expected the Hawks to immediately get way better. I see sparks of good in the defense, I see promise for Mike Macdonald. John Schneider is the guy to me that needs to be held accountable. Ten years of very questionable team-building strategies. He needs to be better or be replaced.”

“Too many new chiefs in positions they haven't done before. It is a learning curve and with experience hopefully they get better together.”

“I didn't think the team would be very good, and they're not. He is a first-time coach and the team has some big talent gaps. I've been impressed by the progress they have seemingly made on defense, and disappointed by the lapses in focus that have led to penalties and turnovers. I think the team will improve, but it might take an offseason of revising the roster.”

“I expected it to take some time (up to two seasons) to get some traction, with a new head coach, new OC, new DC, and less than good talent in the trenches, especially on offense.”

“Rather like the Mariners: while the coach and the staff may be a problem, the true fault lies with the front office. This is 100% on Schneider.”

“I was hoping for better. I do think his demeanor is suited to being a head coach, but he needs to pull things together better. Just by the eye test Seahawks look ‘poorly coached.’ This was somewhat similar to Carroll the last few years. I loved Pete but got very tired of the same seemingly fixable issues happening repeatedly. Cannot keep giving up progress.”

“He looks like a deer in the headlights during games. Like his mind is spinning and he doesn’t know how to respond. Kind of like me this morning after the election.”

“He has taken on too much responsibility for a first year coach. He should have more experienced coordinators.”

“Should have kept Pete.”

“Haven’t seen much improvement on either line.”

“Macdonald seems to have a very top down style, works great when he's making the right calls, but when he slips up his player just look confused, unable or unwilling to adapt to what's actually happening on the field.”

“I expected our defense to be more consistent. If we could have just an average O-line year after year we would be OK.”

“Where is Pete Carroll when you need him.”

“There's potential in the roster, but not in the coaches. These guys can't even coach the center to not snap the ball over the QB’s head. First drives in a game defines coach quality and Seahawks are worst in the league. And the penalties, worst in the league! Why not mention that? In general the coaches do nothing to inspire their team because the head coach shows zero enthusiasm, as if he can make up for it by thinking a lot (being smart). Seahawks fans have no idea how good Mike Holmgren and Carroll were for past couple decades. Having good NFL seasons for that long is rare and we're gonna learn the hard way how bad perpetually bad teams can really get for years to come.”