The Seahawks have removed all reminders of the success of the team that won Super Bowl XLIII and nearly repeated in Super Bowl XLIX. On Saturday, new coach Mike Macdonald explained the desire to hit the reset button.
“Our coaching staff’s respect for this place is off the charts,” Macdonald told reporters, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of TheAthletic.com. “That’s why we wanted to be here. The standard that has been set here is extremely attractive. It’s obviously a great organization. The history of success that we’ve had here, that’s what we’re chasing. We’re trying to get back to Super Bowls, playing elite defense and smashing people up front — those are all the things that we’re chasing. Obviously, we have a huge amount of respect for the coaches that have been here, the history. I think what we’re trying to do with the players in terms of messaging is, ‘Hey, we want to create our own message and our rallying cries and stuff that is ours, for this team.’ That’s all it was. You can walk around the halls and see all the history and stuff. I think it speaks for itself.”
It makes sense. The point is to turn a new page, not to disrespect the past achievements. It’s definitely a new dawn for the Seahawks, with the only common link being the General Manager who helped build the Super Bowl teams and who will try to do it again.
It’s great to have a trophy in the case. But, as Tom Brady always said when talking about Super Bowl rings, the favorite one is the next one.
That’s what the Seahawks want to get. The next one. They’ve got plenty of work to do, and they seem to be ready to do everything they can to make it happen.