Seahawks players were welcomed back to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Monday for their offseason program which mostly consists of workouts, training and conditioning, and amongst veterans like Tyler Lockett, Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, are some new teammates and coaches.

"For me the familiarity is the same," Lockett said. "The strength and conditioning coaches are the same, the athletic training staff, [Vice President of Player Affairs] Mo Kelly, [Director of Equipment] EK, the equipment staff, the third floor, a lot of stuff is still the same it's just the coaches are new."

The new position coaches included 24 new faces with just one of them remaining the same, defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Karl Scott.

"It's nice, just some familiarity," safety Julian Love said on having Scott back this season. "He knows our personalities, knows how we go about things, he's a good one… it's tough, a lot of these guys haven't gone through coaching changes before."

Lockett, who is going into his 10^th season is one of those players that hasn't gone through a head coaching change before but being a veteran leader, he says he has to continue to meet his teammates where they're at during this period of newness. "Not every transition is the same, not every transition is normal but I've been here for nine years … you have to be able to help people along when it comes to different types of coaching, the different styles of coaching, the different ways that coaches may talk to players, the different ways that they might teach the game, different names that they call the routes. Sometimes you have to be able to carry players with you, sometimes you need players to carry you. And so, whatever [my teammates] need me to do, I will try to find ways to do it."

Love, coming off a Pro Bowl season and headed into his second season with the Seahawks, will also be a leader on the team.

"It's a blank slate, these people are making impressions off of you," noted Love. "[The coaches] are learning your personalities, and you have to be OK with that. You have to understand who they are as well. That's the first thing I feel is important if you want to go where we want to go. That sense of mutual understanding. I'm stressing that to the young guys…so we can really mesh as quick as possible to hit the ground running come training camp."

Quarterback Geno Smith says that while the coaching staff has changed, one of his messages to his teammates has been that it's on himself and the players to set the tone.

"We have the coaches, we have the organization and they're going to put us in position to do great things," said Smith. "But it ultimately comes down to what we want to do and how we want to do it. We set the tone with our work ethic, we set the tone with our attitude, we set the tone with the way that we prepare in the weight room and the classroom. And once we take the field, from the time we break the huddle, we have to take the ball with the mindset of dominance. The defense has to feel that, the crowd has to feel that and everybody has to feel that. We're coming this year. We're going to set the tone, we're going to work hard, we've already been working hard, and we'll be ready when the time comes."

Smith added, "I know what to expect when it comes to [new coaches], the real thing is you have to buy in. No matter who the coach is, no matter who's leading this thing, you have to buy in… And that's the key message… I feel like the guys are attentive and buying in, and figuring things out and trying to learn as much as they can."

When asked about sitting in the first team meeting with head coach Mike Macdonald, Smith said, "Coach Macdonald is the guy. He knows what he's doing, he's prepared himself for this moment and he's going to lead this team."

Going into the season general manager/president of football operations John Schneider and Macdonald have reiterated that Smith is the starting QB, but Smith said it's his mindset to continue to compete and a coaching staff doesn't change that.

"New coaching staff, old coaching staff, I've got everything to prove," said Smith. "That's the way I wake up every day. I'm competing with Sam (Howell). I know he's competing with me. I'm going to compete my butt off. I'm going to compete with everybody in this building to be the best that I can be."

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