ORLANDO - With the NFC winning the Pro Bowl Games on Sunday, a remarkable rookie season for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon has officially come to an end.
Even on a subpar Seattle defense, Witherspoon emerged as an immediate star in his debut season. The fifth overall pick out of Illinois lived up to his draft hype, recording 79 total tackles, 16 passes defended and a 97-yard pick six in just 14 games.
The NFL world at large took notice, as Witherspoon is up for the coveted Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
As the Witherspoon era is just getting started in Seattle, so is the head coaching career of Mike Macdonald, whom the Seahawks hired last week. Having previously watched Macdonald from afar, Witherspoon is thrilled to get to work with his new head coach.
"I was able to see what he was able to do in Baltimore, so I'm pretty excited to see what he's gonna do, how we're going to run the defense and just be around him and the team," Witherspoon said. "It's just a new thing coming in, it's difficult, you know when Pete was there, but I'm ready to see what he's going to bring to the table."
Macdonald, the youngest coach in the NFL at 36, may have spent just one year as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator, but his phenomenal work made him one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market.
The Ravens finished near the top of the league in many important statistics and were especially stingy against the pass. Baltimore's defensive backs like safety Kyle Hamilton, who earned first-team All-Pro honors in just his second season, took big strides under Macdonald, and the Seahawks are hoping he can work that magic in Seattle as well.
While Witherspoon had an outstanding rookie season, he is confident that the best is still to come with Macdonald leading the way.
"Just to build on Year 1," Witherspoon said. "I know I missed some games so I just want to stay healthy so I can play the whole season and hopefully get to the postseason for sure. But my goal in Year 2 is just to double up what I did this year, let them know that it wasn't a one-time thing."
More must-reads: