Data vs. gut instinct: Seahawks coach leans into analytics to support, not drive, in-game decisions
Seattle Seahawks head coach and self-professed football nerd Mike Macdonald just doesnβt understand why any coach or team would ignore the chance to lean into data and analytics.
βWhy wouldnβt we use the best information out there?β he said during an interview this week on the Dan Patrick Show. βWhy would you be scared about things that are going to possibly help you?β
Macdonald called himself a βpsycho data guyβ who needs βnumbers and tendencies.β He has a new Super Bowl ring to show for his coaching style, but heβs also clear that while advanced technology and metrics may help support the teamβs planning and in-game decisions, they donβt drive those decisions completely.
βYou donβt have to do what the numbers say,β 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 49ersβ 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 hasnβt learned much yet from that game, because he said heβs only watched it once, via tape and not the standard TV broadcast.
βAre you worried thereβs a different ending?β Patrick laughed.