Seattle Seahawks to have joint practices with Titans
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 24: Seattle Seahawks guard Damien Lewis (68) and Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Charles Cross (67) prepare to block as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) takes a snap during a game between the Tennessee Titans and (Matthew Maxey / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks will have a pair of practices with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville ahead of a preseason matchup between the two teams in August.
The Seahawks will practice with the Titans on August 14-15 at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park, and then play their second preseason game on August 17 at Nissan Stadium before returning to Seattle.
"We know a lot of the coaches over there, how they operate, and really it's an opportunity to kind of put it in a setting where you can control the tempos, control the drills, get some high intensity for the guys so they're ready to roll come the opener time," head coach Mike Macdonald said after practice on Tuesday.
It's one more sign of the changing times for the Seahawks under Macdonald. Joint practices are something the team did not do at any point during Pete Carroll's 14 years heading the program.
"I think we control practice better the way we do it," Carroll said last August. "Look how hard we were running against each other the other day. More than that, we cherish the preseason games. We use the preseason games. I’ve done those practices before, but we feel like we can keep our focus and stay within the stuff we need to do.
"There’s been a couple of teams that’s asked over the years. I think they know we don’t do it, so we don’t get a lot of it. I don’t want to travel and stay in somebody else’s place for a week. It’s crazy to me. We’re always open to it. We do talk about it. It’s not like we’re closed-minded about it. We haven’t had the right setup."
The Seahawks haven't held joint practices with an NFL team since hosting the Atlanta Falcons for a scrimmage in Portland in 1991.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan told reporters on Tuesday they had reached out through the league about hosting joint practices with Seattle and Macdonald was onboard with the idea.
"Excited about it. It's great work. I love joint practices. We'll get two days of really good work against Seattle. … It's great. I'm looking forward to it," Callahan said.
The plan for the Seahawks is to practice on Monday and Tuesday in Seattle following their preseason opener with the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, August 10. They will fly to Tennessee on Tuesday night and practice with the Titans the following two days. Friday will consist of their typical walkthrough the day before a game.
"We've played against Brian for years," Macdonald said. "Dennard Wilson is the defensive coordinator who was with us last year (in Baltimore), so that's really where the tie ended. It was an opportunity to get away as a team during camp. It's hard to go against yourself all the time, especially all the way through OTAs. Good to see another offense, and for our offense, would be good to see what they're running on defense. Good to see different styles, for us to get away a little bit as a team and have some team building as well."
While both teams had different head coaches, the two teams met last December in Nashville with the Seahawks earning a 20-17 victory.
"It's interesting," outside linebacker Boye Mafe said. "For my career, I've never had a joint practice, so this is going to be my first time doing a joint practice. I'm excited. You know, some new opportunity. We'll see how it plays out and, you know, how honestly what it will feel like to go to travel to Tennessee, practice with them for a couple of days."