‘It blows me away sometimes’ – how a British coach is Super Bowl contender

Aden Durde is usually too focused on his job as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks to think about the significance of his journey.

But now and again, it hits him.

The British coach had one of those moments during Seattle’s crucial game at San Francisco 12 days ago.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I kind of take little gratitude moments,” he said.

“Like last week at the 49ers. The atmosphere was so electric. And to think where I am kind of blows me away sometimes.”

The former London Warriors coach watched his Seattle team beat the hosts 13-3 to secure the NFC’s top seed for the NFL play-offs.

Born in Middlesex, Durde began playing American football in Finsbury Park and played in the now-defunct NFL Europe League, as well as spending time on two NFL practice squads.

When he returned home he became the defensive coordinator of the Warriors, an amateur team, and had a voluntary job mentoring children in north London. He also started a company teaching children who were out of the education system.

Then on a trip to Texas with the Warriors, he was offered an impromptu interview with the Dallas Cowboys and took full advantage, earning an internship in 2014.

Durde has continued to make the most of each opportunity that has come his way and in 2018 he became the NFL’s first British full-time coach, as a defensive quality control coach with the Atlanta Falcons.

“People message me from different countries and talk to me about football, about opportunities, about ways to get there, and at those times you remind yourself of where you came from,” said Durde.

“It isn’t easy and hopefully one day it will be a lot easier.”

He has already helped NFL hopefuls from overseas by establishing the International Player Pathway with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, but Durde continues to be a trailblazer himself.

Not only could the 46-year-old taste Super Bowl glory next month, he could become Britain’s first NFL head coach having been interviewed by Atlanta and the Cleveland Browns.

“Right now, I’m having the time of my life,” he said. “Like, honestly, if things happen, they happen.

In two years at Seattle, Durde and head coach Mike Macdonald have transformed the Seahawks’ defence.

It is the first time Durde has worked with Macdonald – also a defensive coach – so his first season was “a year of real growth, understanding and adapting” in which the new coaching regime “built a foundation, we got on the right path”.

Seattle finished the 2024 season with a 10-7 record and missed out on the play-offs on a tie-breaker. In hindsight, it may have been a blessing in disguise, giving them an extra year to build.

“I’m not going to lie, we wanted to get in,” said Durde. “But once the season’s over, you self-scout, work out how you improve, and we went through that process.”

In 2023, Seattle’s defence was ranked second-worst against the run game and third-worst overall. In Macdonald and Durde’s first season they climbed to mid-table in both.

This season the Seahawks’ defence is ranked third-best against the run and has conceded the fewest points (17.2 per game).

“There’s a lot of defences that are middle of the table in the run game and still play excellent defence, they still stop points,” said Durde.

“But if you’re really trying to create an identity, a style of play, and you want to make it hard for everything [your opponents] do, it all starts with stopping the run.

Seattle’s defence demonstrated their prowess in the final game of the regular season at San Francisco, with the NFC West title and the NFC’s top seed at stake.

A week after beating the Chicago Bears in a 42-38 shootout, the 49ers were held to just three points by the Seahawks, whose seventh straight win saw them finish with a 14-3 record.

Seattle fans are known as ‘the 12s’ because they are considered the team’s 12th man and coach Macdonald has harnessed that energy.

Asked about the ethos of Seattle’s defence, Durde said: “It’s really simple. Mike says it every day, ’12 as 1′.

With the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams having won on Wildcard Weekend, it means three NFC West teams have reached the Divisional Round, and Seattle may have to beat both their divisional rivals to reach Super Bowl 60.

Having secured the NFC’s top seed, the Seahawks earned a first-round bye and home advantage, and are marginal Super Bowl favourites ahead of the Rams, who they beat in overtime in week 16.

The Seahawks host the 49ers on Saturday (01:00 GMT Sunday) at Lumen Field, where ‘the 12s’ registered on a seismometer during a play-off game in 2011, so if their recent clash in San Francisco was electric, just wait until they get to Seattle.

“People told me before I came here but you don’t understand it until you come,” said Durde. “Like, on third down, with two minutes left, you can feel it in the ground.