Seahawks players, coach Pete Carroll find their missing ingredient

SEATTLE — As Marshawn Lynch rumbled for a 23-yard gain — a play that started with some Russell Wilson wizardry as he escaped the relentless Arizona Cardinals pass rush — Earl Thomas couldn’t contain himself.

The Seahawks’ All-Pro safety ran down the sideline and briefly onto the field to celebrate the big play with Lynch until an official reminded Thomas that he wasn’t supposed to be out there with the offense, and moments later, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll came running in to pull Thomas onto the sideline. It was a moment of pure joy in tougher-than-expected season for the Seahawks, one of several goofy moments on a day where Seattle looked a lot more like the team that won a Super Bowl last season than the one that struggled at times on the way to a 6-4 start.

On an afternoon when the Seahawks dominated the Arizona Cardinals on the way to a 19-3 victory, the defending champs didn’t just find a way to knock off the team with the league’s best record, they might have found themselves.

“It’s a special win, because we did it together,” Thomas said after he and his defensive teammates held the Cardinals to 204 yards, their lowest output in nearly two years. “For the first time this year, I think we played for pure reasons with no motives attached. And that’s what you love about this team — we can put our egos to the side, we can admit when we’re wrong, but we got to stay true. We have different personalities, but the thing I love about this week was it was up and down, we had tough battles with each other, but it turned into something beautiful, man. I’m talking about hugs, emotions, meetings, and I love all of that, man that’s a part of the game.”

The Seahawks have been saying their locker room is fine all season, even after trading Percy Harvin and through every negative report that suggests friction between teammates or between players and coaches. But while they weren’t willing to publicly air their dirty laundry, the Seahawks have had some issues.

The way Thomas described it, the Seahawks are a family, and while that term usually suggests a positive relationship, families fight, family members bicker, they hold grudges, they don’t always see eye to eye. But last week, after a few things boiled over — believe it or not, Thomas got into it with some teammates over their eating sunflower seeds during a walkthrough practice, something he could laugh about after the game, but a scene he said got pretty heated at the time — and after a meeting between some of the team’s core players and Pete Carroll, the Seahawks found something that’s been missing this season.

“Trust,” Thomas said. “That’s what we’ve been missing, to be totally honest. I think we haven’t been trusting each other, but tonight, man, it was just pureness.”

“We’re playing for each other, that’s what make us us, that’s what makes us special.”

Apparently the healing that has been going on for the Seahawks has been more than just physical. Getting middle linebacker Bobby Wagner back after a five game absence was big for the defense. And the physical improvement in Kam Chancellor, who fought through injuries early in the season, is also noticeable.

But to hear players describe the team’s improvement following Sunday’s game, the biggest difference was the way the team came together during the week.

At the heart of the turnaround was the meeting that involved players like Thomas, Chancellor, Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman and a few others, as well as their head coach.

“It was more so just about us trusting each other, us feeling each other, feeling what it is to play like a team,” Baldwin said. “It was very evident today that we were playing like a team.

“That was the theme of the week. We had to get back to trusting each other. I spoke to Earl about it a little bit earlier this week. I told him that in order for a team or collective group to live and to thrive, the individual must die. Not necessarily die as in not breathing; it means the ego. We as a collective need to realize that if we just trust everybody on this team, if we trust each individual, each other to go out there and do their job, and then we put the put the pressure on ourselves just to do what we’re supposed to do, not doing anything out of the ordinary, not try too hard. If we just trust each other, the sky will be the limit for us and that we’ll be unstoppable because if we’re all playing collectively together, it’s like the theory of the fist and the fingers, when the fist is together it’s a lot more difficult to break than when the fingers are apart.”

Baldwin went on to describe a feeling that something was missing, and that there was just a “subtle difference” between where the team was last week and where it is now, and in a parity-driven league in which talent is fairly evenly distributed, that subtle difference can be huge.

“The subtle difference between what’s good, what’s great and what’s legendary is the mental side of it and also the emotional side of it,” Baldwin said. “You have to play this game with emotion and if you can play this game with love, with trust and commitment to each other, that’s probably the hardest thing for anybody to stop.”

Of course it’s a lot easier to talk about turning a corner after drubbing a first-place team than it would have been had the Seahawks had that same honest discussion midweek then lost to the Cardinals. And with another tough test coming in San Francisco Thursday, the Seahawks will need to back up this performance for people to really buy that a season-altering change occurred.

But for one Sunday afternoon at least, the Seahawks found joy on a football field, and more importantly, they say, they killed their egos and learned to trust again.

“You could feel the connection with these guys,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “Maybe that was the missing ingredient that we needed.”

Herald Columnist John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Arlington’s Leyton Martin (2) poses for a photo at Arlington High School on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Leyton Martin

Arlington’s do-it-all junior point guard led the Eagles to a district title and second straight Hardwood Classic.

X
Prep roundup for Thursday, March 28

Prep roundup for Thursday, March 28: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Left to right, Mountlake Terrace’s Zaveon Jones, Glacier Peak’s Jo Lee, Everett’s Isaiah White, Arlington’s Leyton Martin, Jackson’s Ryan McFerran, and Mountlake Terrace’s Jaxon Dubiel pose for a photo at Arlington High School on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 All-Area boys basketball teams

A look at the top prep boys basketball players in the area from the 2023-24 season.

Silvertips’ Andrew Petruk (26) fights for the puck during a game between the Everett Silvertips and the Tri-City Americans at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Breaking down the Silvertips’ 1st-round playoff series vs. the Giants

Everett is searching for a revenge after a shocking playoff exit against Vancouver two years ago.

Left to right, Arlington’s Samara Morrow, Kamiak’s Bella Hasan, Everett’s Alana Washington, Lake Steven’s Nisa Ellis, Lynnwood’s Aniya Hooker, and Meadowdale’s Gia Powell, pose for a photo at Everett High School on March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 All-Area girls basketball teams

A look at the top prep girls basketball players in the area from the 2023-24 season.

Everett’s Alana Washington poses for a photo at Everett High School on March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Alana Washington

The Everett senior upped her game in the postseason to help the Seagulls overcome injuries and claim their first state trophy in 41 years.

Silvertips players celebrate during a game between the Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. The Silvertips won, 5-3. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Silvertips land No. 1 pick, chance to draft generational talent

Landon DuPont is the consensus top pick in next WHL prospects draft. Everett chief operating officer Zoran Rajcic said the team intends to select him.

Dennis Williams, head coach and GM of the Everett Silvertips, shakes hands with an assistant coach at the end of a season opening victory over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, Sep. 24, 2022, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Coach, GM Williams leaving Silvertips for Bowling Green State

After seven successful season leading Everett, Dennis Williams is heading back to his alma mater. He’ll stay with the Tips through the WHL playoffs.

Stanwood High School student athletes during their signing day ceremony. (Courtesy of Stanwood High School)
Local class of 2024 athletes who have signed to play in college

A running list of 2024 high school athletes who are set to compete at the next level.

Mountlake Terrace’s Jaxon Dubiel talks with head coach Nalin Sood during the 3A boys state basketball game against Todd Beamer on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘It was just time’: Mountlake Terrace basketball coach Sood steps down

Nalin Sood guided his alma mater to 381 wins and 15 state berths in 24 seasons as head coach. He spent over four decades with the program.

University of Washington's new men's basketball coach Danny Sprinkle meets the news media, Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in Seattle. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
Taking over at Washington personal for men’s basketball coach Sprinkle

Danny Sprinkle spoke about his connection to the school during his introductory press conference Wednesday.

X
Prep roundup for Tuesday, March 26

Prep roundup for Tuesday, March 26: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.