A slew of massive moves within the NFC West, specifically by the Los Angeles Rams, might be enough to put the San Francisco 49ers into a bit of a panic.
Indeed, trying to keep up with just L.A.'s blockbuster acquisition of defensive end Myles Garrett while worrying about the possibility of star defensive tackle Aaron Donald coming out of retirement should prompt general manager John Lynch and Co. to invest heavier in the division's major arms race.
Yet the top dog within the NFC West, the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks and their head coach, Mike Macdonald, don't necessarily see things that way.
Macdonald admitted to The Athetic's Vic Tafur that he's not worrying about whatever the Niners and Rams are doing to try and keep pace with the Hawks in the divisional hierarchy.
And while that's an easier statement coming off a Super Bowl victory than not, it might actually be useful a strategy for Lynch and Co. to apply.
49ers would be wise to listen to Mike Macdonald's advice
Speaking from the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Macdonald told Tafur about how Seattle is focused on itself, not on its two division rivals.
"Yeah, I don’t care," Macdonald said about the arms race. "Don’t care. If you start worrying about what everybody else is doing, it’s just mentally taxing. It’s so much easier if you don’t.
“Let’s just worry about the Seahawks and being the best version of ourselves and getting better every day."
OK, so what can San Francisco learn here, especially when it's largely viewed as the third-best team within the NFC West? Lynch has to improve his roster and respond to other rivals' big moves, right?
Well, yes, but...
Take the Garrett pickup, for example. That move prompted many to think the 49ers should engineer their own blockbuster response: trading with the Las Vegas Raiders for All-Pro edge Maxx Crosby. It would be an equitable move, one that'd at least allow the Niners to keep pace.
But Macdonald's advice might help San Francisco pump the brakes on such a kneejerk reaction, likely leaving Lynch to evaluate what he already has rostered and how effective his currrent players are before making a panic-prompted move just for the sake of reacting.
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