The British presence igniting the Seattle Seahawks on the road to Super Bowl LX

Aden Durde was aware of the 12th man before arriving in Seattle, but the British NFL coach was left shaken by the reality of the Seahawks’ home support at Lumen Field. After linking up with head coach Mike Macdonald to marshal the defense in 2024, what started as a promising journey and a new chapter for a storied franchise ready to turn the page after a legendary run under Pete Carroll, has quickly catapulted Seattle into contention for the Super Bowl in year two.

The No 1 seeds in the NFC, having skipped the wild card round, resume their road to Super Bowl LX against divisional rivals San Francisco tonight. And the exhilarating experience of the NFL playoffs has a genuine British presence entering the divisional round, with Durde, born in Middlesex, poised to confront one of the most creative offensive minds in the sport’s history: Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 46-year-old has navigated the British scene, initially as a player for the London Olympians and Scottish Claymores, before coaching the London Warriors. And the dream across the pond was realised initially with the Cowboys and progress under the bright lights of Dallas; from intern to defensive line coach. Durde has since excelled to the point of immense responsibility as a coordinator in Seattle, leading one of the premier units in the league.

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“I will be honest with you. People have said it to me before I came here, but you don't understand it until you come to like third down inside two minutes,” Durde remarks when explaining the influence of Seattle’s notorious home support. “You can feel it in the ground. And there have been times, especially the Rams game in the fourth quarter, you could feel the crowd physically changed the players. Some of the third down stops, they changed them and changed the momentum of the game. But when these fans are behind you, it's just different.”

The Seahawks will face an offense led by star running back Christian McCaffrey, though Durde’s group appears well placed to cope with his and the Niners’ rushing threat at least, conceding a league-leading 3.7 yards per attempt this term, per Pro Football Reference.

Learning under another outstanding defensive mind in Macdonald, who shot to prominence guiding that same side of the ball under John Harbaugh in Baltimore, has also accelerated Durde’s development. Indeed, working alongside one of the favourites for coach of the year has afforded him two head coaching interviews with the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s kind of been a privilege to be around Mike, I think we've all grown together,” Durde says. “I wouldn't say we're all young, but we're all new in the things that we were doing. It's been special to allow us to all grow together.

“I think Mike's leadership skills, he's honest, he's vulnerable, he demands. He chases edges, he pushes innovation. All these things make you kind of always think, how can you improve?

“How are you giving the players the best chance to win? And He guides us, and we go attack it.

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“And it's been, it's been like some of my best times coaching football, being around him. I've really enjoyed it.”

Durde’s presence has clearly been felt in just two seasons in Seattle, with defensive end Leonard Williams insisting that he is the coach he's ever had: “He allows me to play my style of football, makes me feel comfortable, confident, he breathes life into you and makes you trust your teammates, that energy he brings, his passion for the game, it's big for this defense."

So does Durde think about the prospect of one day leading his own team? The NFL’s coaching carousel produces a strange environment during the business end of the season. As the league’s best teams prepare for playoff matches, those that missed out covet and pursue some of those same coaches, disrupting their preparation.

“I would say seven years, maybe longer, 10 years ago, maybe you think about those things,” Durde candidly explains. “I think once you get here and you're doing it on a daily basis, you start understanding what's important. And what I've learned in these eight years is that the most important thing is what you're doing at that point in time.

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“And like, right now, I'm having the time of my life. I really am. And coaching the players I get to coach is some of the best times I've had doing football.

“If things happen in the future, they happen. It's just like, when I was in Dallas, I wasn't really thinking about being a defensive coordinator, like, I love the D line, and we had a blast every day. And I feel like you just go about your business, things change when they need to change, opportunities come up when they need to come up.”

The future is uncertain, but right now, Durde and the Seahawks return to what will be a raucous Lumen Field. And a wounded Niners outfit, a familiar foe after two gruelling regular season meetings, stand between them and an opportunity to advance to Super Bowl LX next week. Durde, breaking new ground for British coaches once more, is just relishing the moment.