The first episode of Hard Knocks featuring the Seattle Seahawks dropped Tuesday night, and it answered the biggest question surrounding this team heading into 2025: Do the Seahawks have the right mindset to repeat as Super Bowl champions?

I think that question got answered pretty quickly.

Mike McDonald is setting the tone

The most impressive thing from this premiere was seeing coach Mike McDonald operate behind the scenes. The way he leads that coaching staff and connects with his players stood out immediately.

McDonald is in a meeting room with all of the coaches on the staff, and he laid out the challenge ahead of them:

“The challenge for me is the thing. What’s the new shiny version of the thing? How far can we take it?”

That tells you everything you need to know about where his head is at. He’s not content with winning one Super Bowl. He wants to push this thing further, and that mentality is exactly what Seattle needs as a hunted team rather than the hunters.

Later in the episode, McDonald gave a powerful speech to the entire roster about repeating, using the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s as a reference point for the power of being team-first and ignoring individual numbers, stats, and accolades. And look, you could see it in the room. Every player was locked in, listening intently. Guys love playing for this coach, and that matters. It also shows an emphasis on becoming a dynasty as opposed to a one-hit wonder.

The offense is already cooking

Hard Knocks showed some practice footage from day one of training camp, and even without pads on, quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense were rolling. He was hitting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, connecting with Cooper Kupp. Darnold looked confident, like a player who has had a massive weight lifted off his shoulders after winning a Super Bowl.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the defense did rally. Linebacker Ernest Jones and cornerback Devon Witherspoon were leading that unit, being vocal and setting the standard in practice. Patrick O’Connell grabbed an interception that got the defensive side of the ball back in gear, which is important to note because the defense is still playing at a high level. 

Jadarian Price is one to watch

One of the key storylines I was watching for was the running back competition. With Zach Charbonnet currently on the PUP list, first-round rookie Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame is splitting reps with George Holani.

We got a deep dive into a running back position meeting with running backs coach Thomas Hammock, the former Northern Illinois head coach. He was emphasizing physicality with the group, and Price seemed to take that message straight to the practice field because he was cooking early in camp. Price also shows a unique burst and great vision that I’m sure the coaching staff is very excited to have.

Hammock also gave a brief rundown on Price in the coaches’ meeting, noting that “no one has covered him yet”. That tells me Price could potentially be featured heavily in the Seahawks’ passing attack as well, and that’s a big deal for a rookie running back with his kind of talent.

Cooper Kupp’s impact goes beyond the field

You could see just how powerful and impactful Kupp is on this team. He still sits in on quarterback meetings every morning with Darnold and the rest of the group. He’s such a veteran leader and all-around presence in that locker room, which was also shown with him talking to JSN during meetings. I’m ecstatic he’s sticking with Seattle because he can still play, too. He was making plays in practice on day one and showing that he has not lost much of a step if any. 

And lastly, it was brief, but general manager John Schneider did emphasize wanting to get a long-term deal done with CB Devon Witherspoon. Schneider mentioned that Witherspoon was spooked by a false report from Ian Rapoport on Twitter that the Seahawks were planning to make him the league’s highest paid corner which hadn’t been accurate at least at that point in time. It is also a good reminder for us on the outside that not everything we see reported is the truth, even when it comes to contracts. Nonetheless, it’s good to know the front office and the player are on the same page about his financial future.

The verdict

This was an outstanding first episode of Hard Knocks. The production quality was phenomenal, and it gave fans a truly unique look at what goes on behind the scenes in an NFL locker room and coaching staff meetings. The Seahawks look like a team that knows exactly who they are heading into this season, and have the coaching, culture, and talent to back it up and create a new dynasty.