Macdonald's focus on defense a perfect fit for Seahawks heading into Super Bowl

SEATTLE (AP) — Long before the Seattle Seahawks reached their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, coach Mike Macdonald donned a blue, gas station attendant-style shirt with a team logo on the chest.

He made the fashion statement after the Seahawks put the finishing touches on their 2025 draft, just as he and president of football operations John Schneider did the year before.

Considering the way Macdonald has coached, and his team has played in a record-setting season, though, there is nothing phony about this workmanlike attire.

Macdonald’s shirt is representative of the kind of football team he envisioned building when he was hired by the Seahawks two years ago: a gritty, hard-nosed bunch with a focus on defense.

“It’s a testament to Mike for setting the culture,” said wide receiver Jake Bobo after Seattle’s 31-27 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game. “It’s a fun group, and it’s really fun to do this with this group.”

The Seahawks had one of the best defenses in the NFL in the 2025 season, one in which they set the franchise record for regular-season wins (14). No team allowed fewer points per game (17.2) and Seattle finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.

And now, Macdonald is just one win away from becoming the first head coach to win a Super Bowl as the primary defensive play-caller for his team. Plenty of head coaches, such as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid, Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay and others, have done so while calling plays on offense.

In many ways, Macdonald has been a perfect match for Schneider two years after the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator was hired to replace Pete Carroll.

“With Mike, it’s this really clear, thoughtful, intense, intelligent messaging,” Schneider said.

Macdonald and Schneider have worked together to develop a group that emerged from the toughest division in the league by getting contributions from throughout the roster.

Yet while the breakout season of quarterback Sam Darnold and the record-setting season of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njiba have helped, the Seahawks have reached the championship game thanks in large part to a defense led by key players such as Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones IV and Devon Witherspoon.

Though the secondary has dealt with injuries at times, they suffocated San Francisco's offense and held off the Los Angeles Rams on their way to the Super Bowl.

“To be able to go against that defense every single day,” Darnold said, “that got us better as an offense.”

Seattle finished third in the league in scoring, and when Darnold cooled off a bit down the stretch, running back Kenneth Walker III helped pick up the slack in the late stages of the season.

Still, the one constant over the past five months has been a defense that has thrived under Macdonald.

The Seahawks have limited big plays thanks in part to nickel packages that frequently feature rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who had three passes defensed in the NFC championship game. The defensive line is also one of the most rugged in the league with Williams, Byron Murphy II and DeMarcus Lawrence making life difficult for opposing offenses.

Macdonald has gotten a talented roster to buy into his vision.

“We only have one goal in mind, and obviously the job’s not done yet,” safety Coby Bryant said. “We still have more work to put in. (Macdonald) set the tone from day one, and we’re behind him.”

The city of Seattle is also hoping Macdonald can propel the franchise to its second Super Bowl victory.

Macdonald and Schneider already shared a meaningful moment together on the turf at Lumen Field after toppling the Rams two weeks ago.

They’re both hoping to repeat it Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium against the Patriots.

“The vision of wanting to get back here, produce a consistent championship-caliber football team for amazing fans, the 12s, and how loud it was,” Schneider said, “I had told him, ‘Dude, when we get this (place) rocking, you’re going to be shook.’ And I think he was.”

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Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks during the NFL Super Bowl Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald arrives, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald speaks during an NFL football news conference Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A collision between a speedboat carrying migrants and a Greek coast guard patrol vessel off the eastern Aegean island of Chios has killed at least 14 people, the coast guard said late Tuesday, while a search and rescue operation involving patrol boats, a helicopter and divers was underway for potentially missing people.

The coast guard said another 25 migrants, including about 11 children, were rescued and transported to a hospital on Chios, as were two coast guard officers who were injured in the incident. Of the 14 bodies collected, 11 were those of men and three were of women, the coast guard said.

It added that it was not immediately clear how many people had been on the speedboat, and a search and rescue operation involving four patrol vessels, an air force helicopter and a private boat carrying divers was underway for potentially missing passengers.

Video footage by a local news site showed at least one person being carried in a blanket from a boat moored on the side of a jetty into a waiting coast guard vehicle with blue flashing lights, as others appear to lead two children, one of them limping, toward the car.

The coast guard did not immediately have further information on exactly how the collision occurred, or on the identities of the casualties or the other passengers on the speedboat.

Michalis Giannakos, the head of Greece's public hospital workers' union, said staff at the hospital in Chios were all on alert to handle the sudden influx of injured and were on standby for potentially more people. Speaking on Greece's Open TV channel, Giannakos said several of the injured required surgery.

Greece is a major entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Fatal accidents are a common occurrence. Many undertake the short but often perilous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in the eastern Aegean. But increased patrols and allegations of pushbacks — summary deportations without allowing for asylum applications — by Greek authorities have reduced crossing attempts.

Greece, along with several other European Union countries, has been tightening its regulations on migration. In December, the European Union was overhauling its migration system, including streamlining deportations and increasing detentions.

There has long been a fierce debate among EU members about migration. Since a surge in asylum-seekers and other migrants to Europe a decade ago, public debate on the issue has shifted and far-right parties have gained political power. EU migration policies have hardened, and the number of asylum-seekers is down from record levels.

Greek coast guard officers carry out rescue operations at a port on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, Greece, late Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, after a collision between a migrant speedboat and a coast guard patrol vessel killed multiple people, authorities said. (Pantelis Fykaris/Politischios.gr via AP)