Why Brian Eayrs Got A Game Ball, Injury Updates, & Other Takeaways From Mike Macdonald’s Monday Press Conference
2. How director of football analysis and special situations Brian Eayrs had a big hand in Sunday’s win and got a game ball as a result.
As the Colts drove for what ended up being a go-ahead field goal in the final minutes on Sunday, the Seahawks had a decision to make on how to handle the clock. Use timeouts to stop the clock despite having a one-point lead, or burn them to make sure they would have some time back even if the Colts scored. Ultimately, Macdonald, with input from director of football analysis and special situations Brian Eayrs, decided to use all three timeouts. That decision paid off, because after the Colts kicked a 60-yard go-ahead field goal, the Seahawks still had 47 seconds left on the clock, which was enough time for Sam Darnold and company to get in range for the game-winning kick.
“It’s kind of a function of like, ‘Hey, as this kind of declares as the last possession, even though they still had three timeouts, you’re trying to figure out a way if it doesn’t go your way you have a chance to come back and win it,’ Macdonald said after the game. “Brian Eayrs did a phenomenal job managing it and he was really decisive, and I gave him a lot of the credit. He got a game ball in the locker room because he really put us in position to go still have a chance to win the game.”
Eayrs, who was hired by Pete Carroll in 2013, was one of many people on the football support staff that Macdonald kept when he was hired last year, and Eayrs’ role has evolved under Seattle’s new coach in a way that makes him a key part of Macdonald’s decision-making process on gameday. And after Sunday’s win, Macdonald presented Eayrs with a game ball during the postgame celebration to recognize his contributions to the win.
“He came very highly recommended by John (Schneider) and everybody else in the building,” Macdonald said Monday. “That obviously carries a lot of weight as you get to know him. Just like what I said to the team yesterday, talking about chasing edges, it’s just really that mentality that you have to have in that position. It was just clear really early that this was his mentality about how he wanted to approach these things. It’s a job that he has initially had like the full scope of that responsibility before, and he’s just really attacked it. From my perspective, when you try to give people responsibility, that’s what I’m looking for. It’s what’s the attitude like? Are we really just diving deep and trying to make it come to life the best we can to help the team in any aspect? You name the job, that’s what we’re looking for. Brian’s (Eayrs) been a great example of how to attack it, make it his own, and add his personality to it and his own flavor. And he’s just done a great job.”
