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Before yesterdayTech

Data vs. gut instinct: Seahawks coach leans into analytics to support, not drive, in-game decisions

10 July 2026 at 14:53

Seattle Seahawks head coach and self-professed football nerd Mike Macdonald just doesn’t understand why any coach or team would ignore the chance to lean into data and analytics.

β€œWhy wouldn’t we use the best information out there?” he said during an interview this week on the Dan Patrick Show. β€œWhy would you be scared about things that are going to possibly help you?”

Macdonald called himself a β€œpsycho data guy” who needs β€œnumbers and tendencies.” He has a new Super Bowl ring to show for his coaching style, but he’s also clear that while advanced technology and metrics may help support the team’s planning and in-game decisions, they don’t drive those decisions completely.

β€œYou don’t have to do what the numbers say,” Macdonald said, adding that variables such as how a game is going, the feel for your own team, and gut instinct can all cancel out data suggestions.

That data-be-damned mentality came into play at the start of last season when the Seahawks, facing a 4th-and-1 from the San Francisco 49ers’ 19-yard line, ignored the analytical model that said to go for it. Macdonald opted to kick a field goal for a three-point lead and ended up losing when the 49ers came back and scored a touchdown.

Seattle started 0-1 and six months later won its second NFL title.

This year, Seattle opens against the New England Patriots, the team they beat 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.

Macdonald hasn’t learned much yet from that game, because he said he’s only watched it once, via tape and not the standard TV broadcast.

β€œAre you worried there’s a different ending?” Patrick laughed.

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