Seahawks show shades of Legion of Boom in Mike Macdonald’s debut

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In his first game as a head coach, an easy 16-3 win over the Chargers on Saturday, Mike Macdonald said he took pages of notes that he'll use to improve his game-day procedure.

But make no mistake, a Seahawks defense that had not been up to snuff the past two years under Pete Carroll showed glimpses of being a hard-charging, aggressive unit. And while that came against an anemic Los Angeles offense led by backup quarterback Easton Stick replacing an injured Justin Herbert, Macdonald still liked the way his group played in his debut on the Seattle sideline. 

"I always expect us to go out and play hard, play physical and be clean," said Macdonald, the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, No. 1 in the league last year. "If it's not the way we want to look, then we're going to want to make that right. It wasn't a perfect showing by any stretch, but it was a solid start. 

"I think the guys know that we should be able to take a jump here moving forward. We've got a big week ahead of us practicing against Tennessee and then having a game against those guys. So we're looking forward to that."

Most of the Seattle starters played the first two series on defense, which included two three-and-outs. The Seahawks held the Chargers to 21 total yards and no first downs in the first six possessions of the game. The Chargers finished an embarrassing 2-of-13 on third down.

Safety Coby Bryant corralled an interception and almost came down with another one. The Seahawks kept the Chargers out of the end zone and held them to 3.7 yards per play. Seattle also heated up the pass rush, with three sacks, five quarterback hits and six pass deflections. 

Bryant said Macdonald is very detailed in his approach and