How Seahawks powered Mike Macdonald’s trademark awkward pause into the secret ingredient that crushed Drake Maye and the Patriots

McDaniels told Maye: “You gotta confirm it once the ball’s snapped.” But waiting to confirm the Seahawks’ defensive plan left Maye exactly where the Seahawks wanted him. “Once he [gets] on point, he get[s] the ball out very early, it’s very hard to stop him,” cornerback Devon Witherspoon said as cigar smoke and Champagne bottles signaled the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl LX victory. “So I think we had a great game plan for that. … “Just make him hold the ball a little bit longer than he normally do.”Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Make Maye pause just as Macdonald regularly does in conversation. Better yet, force that hesitation and then attack a quarterback who’s no longer in rhythm....