On a couple of occasions heading into his first season as the head coach of the Seahawks, Mike Macdonald has stated that when it comes to his team's identity, he was Seattle to play "a style that's really tough to play."

That not only means executing well and showcasing the talent on the field, it also means playing with a physical style that, simply put, isn't fun for opponents to have to deal with for three hours on Sunday.

There have been plenty of indications during training camp and the preseason that the Seahawks are trending in the right direction to be that type of team under Macdonald, and one player who put that on tape in Saturday's preseason game at Tennessee was second-year outside linebacker Derick Hall.

And no, we're not talking about his first-quarter sack, though that play, which demonstrated his power as he drove tackle Jaelyn Duncan back into quarterback Malik Willis before finishing the sack. No, the play that really screamed, "dang, these guys are a pain to play again," came in the second quarter when Hall combined with linebacker Jon Rhattigan to tackle Julius Chestnut for no gain.

The tackle itself wasn't what jumped off the screen, however, it was all the work Hall did to get to that point. When the ball was snapped, Hall, lined up on the left edge of Seattle's defense, sees tight end David Martin-Robinson go in motion prior to the snap, heading in his direction. As soon as the ball is snapped, Hall heads right for Robinson, flattening the rookie tight end who was trying to lay a key block to spring Chestnut. And Hall wasn't done. Next up was guard Lachavious Simmons, who was pulling from the left side of the line, and who had the misfortune to lose his footing slightly just as Hall arrived, leading to another Titans blocker laying on the ground as Hall leaped on the back of Chestnut to drag him to the ground.

In real time, it's the type of play that might not stand out as much as, say, Hall's first-quarter sack, but seeing it a few times really highlights what Hall can bring to the defense. It's also the type of play coaches love to show in team meetings the next day.

"We talk about the style of how we want to play, that's it right there," Macdonald said. "Art of contact, all of the above. Just an all-time great play from him. You talk about eliminating space, that's probably the best way to do it is just knock the guy out."

Hall was glad to be able to make the type of play his coach is looking to highlight, saying, "I think it sets the tone for the defense, No. 1, just showing the physicality and the domination we're expecting to play with every single down. So being able to have the opportunity to showcase that any chance I get is a really good thing.

"That's our motto, playing the style nobody wants to be able to play, so being able to do that on a consistent basis is what we're chasing."

For Hall to make a play in the run game shouldn't come as a surprise, that's what he did best as a rookie and will be expected to do even more in 2024 as his playing time should increase. What Hall wants to do more in Year 2 is make plays like the sack he had in the first quarter, or the speed rush that nearly led to another sack, though Willis was able to escape that time. Hall put an emphasis on improving his pass rush heading into this season, and the results have been showing up in practice and now in the preseason games as well.

"I think I've grown a lot," Hall said. "I've always been a good run defender, then going into it and becoming a better pass rusher—that was the biggest thing coming off of last year and going into the offseason and into this summer—being able to develop that and being able to see the fruition of that is really good for me."

Hall made contributions as a rookie both on defense and special teams, but not quite the level he was hoping when the Seahawks selected him out of Auburn. He knows there's still work to be done, but he expects a lot more in Year 2, and early indications are he could be heading towards a breakout year.

"Personally, I don't think it was up to par for my liking," Hall said of his rookie campaign. "There's a lot of things I could have done better—being to understand the game better, being able to understand situations better, going about taking care of my body better, so now, having that year under my belt, being able to do a lot of those things on a consistent basis, I feel great, everything's rolling fast and smooth, so I feel good. I'm ready to bring more to this defense."

And while Macdonald wasn't around for Hall's rookie season, he has noticed the growth in the time he has been around Hall and he likes what he's seeing.

"I'm glad that he has improved his entire game as a football player," Macdonald said. "You can play him all three downs. His fastball is power on the edge, so use it. It's OK to do the things you're good at then have a changeup. People have all these moves these days off the edge, and that's good, but there's only so many you're going to be able to throw, so we encourage guys to have their fastball, then have a changeup or two off of it. But I think you've seen the power, then how we're running our games, and how we're kind of rushing four as one, and I think he's generating a feel for what we expect and the timing of some of the movements and things like that."