Head Coach Mike Macdonald Recaps The NFC Championship Win, Talks Super Bowl Prep

Mike Macdonald (0:00)

All right, don't we have anything for you, so go ahead.

SPEAKER_2 (0:05)

Mike, it's another Victory Monday. You have said the process stays the same. Does anything about this Victory Monday feel or look different?

Mike Macdonald (0:13)

Well, I think that's part of the message this week with the guys is there's going to be a lot that's under our control, that we can keep it within our process, but there's going to be some things that are going to be different, and that's okay. But the things that is going to stay the same is like our approach to every day and like what the intent of the day or the walkthrough or whatever we're trying to achieve that day is. So today is kind of one of those things like we had to go over some logistics, which is some exciting stuff, but it's also something that we want to get out ahead of. So when it's time for football, we can be focused on football.

SPEAKER_3 (0:46)

What does this week look like for you guys schedule wise?

Mike Macdonald (0:49)

The guys are going to be off, well, they're in today for some logistics stuff. We just kind of put last night's game to bed, got the food trucks out there, which is exciting. Off for a couple of days, and then we'll start like a normal week cadence on Thursday. I believe we're traveling on Sunday, so.

SPEAKER_3 (1:05)

Then it seems like with Super Bowl coaches, there's different schools of thought about, like, how much of a game plan do you want to give them that first week before they take off?

SPEAKER_4 (1:11)

What's your...

Mike Macdonald (1:13)

We're working through that. We're working through that. Definitely different schools of thought, to your point. I'm talking to some folks today, talking to our coordinators on how we want to operate. We're still working through how exactly we want to do it. And frankly, I think it's going to be something that we're going to navigate as these two weeks kind of present itself, too. So, you know, the bulk of the work will be happening this week, and then we'll go from there.

SPEAKER_5 (1:37)

Are you going to consult with John Harbaugh on how he did Super Bowls?

Mike Macdonald (1:41)

I haven't talked to John yet, but at some point I probably will, yeah.

SPEAKER_6 (1:47)

What kind of, when you went back and watched the table, what's something that kind of caught your eye, and you kind of, when you saw it from above, kind of made you stand out, you know?

Mike Macdonald (1:57)

I just think the way our guys play is just, just proud of our effort and how we play, you know, just really you can kind of go through each position group, each guy, and point to plays where, you know, maybe as insignificant as it seemed in that moment and how it played into the bigger picture, and that's really cool, you know, it just shows you the power of, like, the collective effort that the guys had, so really proud of their effort.

SPEAKER_7 (2:21)

Have you had the fourth downplay from that, or the extra shake in point of view?

Mike Macdonald (2:26)

Oh, yeah. It was electric, and even after, during the celebration, I don't think anybody left, you know, the whole stadium was still packed, just cheering for everybody. It was just an incredible show on by the 12s. Do you have to look at New England or anything like that? I think I've watched like five plays.

Well, no, because normally, you know, the way that the schedule is, at some point, you know, where everyone's kind of mix and match the same way, where you end up playing like common opponents throughout the year or so. And even in the playoffs, it might happen to you where you're playing another division that you weren't like matched with. So this one, this is kind of unique from my experience at least, but you know, you're only talking about 10 to 12 years here.

SPEAKER_8 (3:30)

You said, I think, last week that you guys wouldn't be here if you didn't have the participation during OTAs or any camp that you did. Why do you think you had that kind of participation?

Mike Macdonald (3:41)

Well, I think it's a tribute to our guys. I mean, it was something that like at this point last year, as we were finishing up the season, I think the buy-in of understanding of what we were trying to achieve was there and the guys were excited about it. I felt like maybe towards the last part of the season, they started to feel like maybe what we could build and the possibility of doing it. And so maybe like the initial intention was there. And then really, it's a team effort. Coaches included, strength staff included once they're in the building, create an environment where they feel like they can really take it to the next level.