For the first time since 2009, the Seahawks have someone other than Pete Carroll coaching their team. Mike Macdonald, who is in his first season as a head coach, said at his introductory news conference that he isn’t Carroll and won’t try to be.
Macdonald made sure the Seahawks are looking forward and not backward, having had all the pictures of the Super Bowl era team removed from the team facility. Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake run, Richard Sherman’s tip and all the celebratory photos from the 2013 season are gone. Carroll’s slogans of “Always compete” and “All in!” also no longer remain.
Macdonald even had the basketball hoop in the main meeting room taken down.
“I think it’s given us a clean foundation to create whatever we want to be. We’re not chasing to be like any other team that’s been here before,” Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams said, via Matt Calkins of The Seattle Times. “I mean, it definitely feels different. Mike, he’s serious about being something different and creating our own identity.”
The Super Bowl championship banner, division title and NFC championship banners remain, but Macdonald wants his team to be his team and the Seahawks to create some new history.
“Right when you walk around the corner from the indoor facility, I mean, we have the plates [with names] of every player that’s played here, and the pictures from all the guys, like more recent guys and all that,” General Manager John Schneider told Seattle Sports, via Calkins. “Really in Mike’s mind, it’s kind of, ‘Hey, we’re celebrating our history. Guys get that, but we’re not coming in here with certain slogans and leadership mottos and that sort of thing. We’re going to build our own as a team.’”
