Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald might be a true defensive genius. He has a good group of players, of course, but Macdonald's scheme augments the players. Plus, clearly, some players are better fits in the design than others.
Too many players who have played for Macdonald, even going back to his days as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, have taken a second-year leap in productivity. Many don't even wait that long and are good immediately. Then there are players like Riq Woolen.
Woolen was meh in 2024, his first year in the head coach's scheme, and he has been terrible this year.