Heed the Call NFL Podcast with Dan Hanzus & Marc Sessler How the Seahawks Built a Title Contender
Feb 3, 2026
Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks reporter and team historian, and Andrew Marchand, sports-media writer and broadcast observer, join to discuss Seattle's rapid rebuild under Mike McDonald and the roster moves that fueled it. They also dig into broadcast booth shakeups, Mike Tirico's move, Tony Romo's struggles, and Tom Brady's second-year bounce in the booth.
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Early Seahawks Fandom And Reporting
- Michael-Shawn Dugar recalled covering the Seahawks around their 2014 Super Bowl run while working in college and local papers.
- He described the Legion of Boom era turning Seattle into a national story and Richard Sherman becoming a household name.
Low Profile, High Impact Coaching
- Mike McDonald's low-profile personality masked a high-impact coaching method that won Seattle fans over through on-field results.
- The Seahawks' return to prominence coincided with local sports success and shifted casual fan attention toward Mike McDonald's team.
Sam Darnold's Redemption Moment
- Michael-Shawn Dugar admitted surprise at Sam Darnold's NFC Championship performance and called himself 'right outside the door of the hive.'
- He praised Darnold's growth and said the Seahawks' playoff win made him a very different player than in prior stops.
