It was business as usual Thursday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center as the Seahawks continued to prepare for their Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers—well, business as usual minus an ice cream truck brought in to give players a post-practice treat, but, on a Pete Carroll coached team, that didn't feel all that unusual.
Beginning Friday, however, the Seahawks past and present will begin to overlap as the organization celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 season that culminated in a dominant 43-8 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII.
For coaches and players, priority No. 1 will, of course, be the upcoming game against the Panthers, but there will also be an event Friday night where former players and coaches can get together and reminisce about their championship season. Members of the 2013 team are also expected to be at the team's walkthrough on Saturday, then will be honored during Sunday's game at Lumen Field.
"We'll see the guys on Saturday, I hope a bunch of them come to our walkthrough," Carroll said. "I'm so proud they're coming back, and they'll have a blast seeing each other and being together. That will be the best part of it, them just getting together. It's a nice thing that the club is doing. It's a beautiful anniversary and we'll hope they have a great time with it."
The weekend figures to be especially eventful for Bobby Wagner, who is one of only two players who took the field for the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII who is still an active player. The other, of course, being Russell Wilson, who will not be able to attend seeing as he will be playing quarterback for the Broncos on Sunday. Wagner, who had a team-high 10 tackles in the Super Bowl win, will be getting ready for a game, of course, but he'll also be reconnecting with former teammates, some of whom he hasn't seen in years.
"I think there's a balance," Wagner said. "As you get older, you have to enjoy some of the things. Obviously, I'm going to be locked in, I'm going to be focused, so I won't do everything. I definitely want to be around those guys, but a lot of those guys live in Seattle. I see them pretty often. It's not going to be any different. It's just I have a jersey on, and they don't."
Carroll has no concerns that his team's defensive co-captain can handle everything that is taking place this weekend.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal when you have your 10-year anniversary of something like this," Carroll said. "He's those guys, they're the same. We've already started talking about putting it in the right perspective. If he could handle the first week and the second week coming back to us, he'll be great about it. I'm not worried about it at all. But I hope he enjoys it too. He deserves those moments as all."
As Wagner noted, a lot of players on those teams from last decade stayed in the area even though most had no connections to the Seattle area or the Pacific Northwest before becoming Seahawks. And many of those players are still around the team, whether it's Doug Baldwin speaking to the rookie class about how much those teams cared about each other and how it helped them win, or players like Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett coming to training camp to work with players, or players staying involved in the local community through work with nonprofits or businesses they have started.Â
"Most of us still live in Seattle; none of us are from Seattle, except for Jermaine (Kearse)," Avril said. "That shows you that it was way deeper than just football. We genuinely cared for one another and wanted the best for one another, and would compete to do that."
Those relationships that have lasted far beyond their playing days are a huge point of pride for Carroll, maybe even more so than his teams' considerable on-field success. The relationships players have built with each other and with the team have led to players coming back as players in the case of Wagner, Jarran Reed, Bruce Irvin and others, and also retired Seahawks Legends who want to remain part of something special they first experienced as players here.Â
"When you do what we do the way we do it, you invest,"Â Carroll said this offseason. "You invest in yourself personally. And if our guys are going to do it right, they have to do that, too. And I'm calling for it and I would expect they should call on me to do the same. So what happens is you invest your time and your heart and your love for them, and you create a relationship, a real relationship, and that's what you're seeing. And if it's a real relationship where you really care about people, then there's going to be some ups and downs and some ins and outs and all, but if you really care, you'll be there at the end of it, and here's another example."
While Wagner is the only remaining player from that 2013 team who will be on the field Sunday, another will be on the sideline, assistant defensive backs coach DeShawn Shead, who played for the Seahawks from 2012-2017. Shead, who began his career on the practice squad, became a special teams mainstay late in the 2013 season, but had a memorable moment in the Super Bowl when Kam Chancellor briefly left the game in the second quarter. Shead, who had played only eight defensive snaps in his career and none in the playoffs, suddenly found himself on the field across from a future Hall of Fame quarterback in what at the time was still a two-score game.
"I grew up watching Peyton Manning, I'm a big Peyton Manning fan, and here I am lined up across from him in the Super Bowl," he said.
Shead, like so many young players, didn't fully appreciate what that team accomplished in the moment, but a decade later as a young coach, he now has a better understanding of how hard it is to win a championship.
"Having success so early, it was expected every year," he said. "But the further you get away from it, the more you see how hard it is to do, and you appreciate it more."
Seahawks Legend Doug Baldwin expressed a similar sentiment to Shead's earlier this week, noting that the focus was always on the next challenge while they were playing. That's what will make this weekend so special for those involved, a group that, with a few exceptions, are no longer directly involved with the Seahawks, giving them a chance to really take a look back and appreciate all that 2013 team accomplished.
"I remember very vividly, I remember picking up the confetti off the ground and putting in my helmet, and I was just like, 'I've got to get here again,'" Baldwin said. "Then we just went right back to work.
"I feel like now is the time we get to actually celebrate that. And it's a beautiful thing that we get to celebrate a championship. We were young men coming into the NFL, I got to spend the majority of my career with Jermaine, K.J. and I all came in at the same time, Cliff became my brother immediately when he got here, and we were all growing up and maturing at this time. We were all becoming adults in a very unique and specific environment that only a few folks get to experience. It's very special, and for us to be able to sit up here and talk about a championship-winning team, organization, culture, and memorialize that for the 10-year anniversary… I typically have the words, but I don't have the words. It's very special."
February 2, 2014 will be a day that will live in Seattle history forever as the day the Seahawks won the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy.
It's 9:45am on Super Bowl Sunday and head coach Pete Carroll eats breakfast with assistant coach Tom Cable. A nearby television has already started its game day coverage, but most players and coaches pay it no mind as they go about their business.
It's now 11am and defensive backs coach Kris Richard gathers the Legion of Boom in a meeting room for their final instructions. His message is simple -- "Today, just be you." He tells them they don't need a walk-thru, that they are ready to go. After a quick huddle, the players go their separate ways for a few hours before the pre game meal.
The team's pre game meal was served beginning at 1:30pm, and Golden Tate, dressed for success including his Google Glass, prepares his plate.
Richard Sherman leaves the team's meal room and heads towards the awaiting buses for the big day.
Walking alone along a back corridor of the hotel, safety Earl Thomas flashes the "Legion of Boom" sign as he makes his way to the bus.
First on the bus, Earl Thomas jus alone with his thoughts as he prepares for the biggest game of his life.
The bus is mostly silent for the trip from Jersey City to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Michael Robinson, sits near the front, with Steven Hauschka behind him.
Upon arrival at MetLife Stadium, Richard Sherman takes a moment to shake hands with and thank their bus driver for the week's work.
These customized cleats were waiting in Marshawn Lynch's locker at MetLIfe Stadium.
This what the locker room looks with about 30 minutes left before kickoff. A member of the equipment staff pumps air into Percy Harvin's helmet as Ricardo Lockette stretches and Tarvaris Jackson and Golden Tate sit at their lockers.
"WHO'S GOT YOUR BACK? I GOT YOUR BACK!" Richard Sherman leads the Legion of Boom in their now-traditional pregame circle prior to taking the field for warmups.
A very relaxed Bruce Irvin smiles as full team warmups near their conclusion and the Seahawks prepare to return to their locker room.
Long snapper Clint Gresham, holder Jon Ryan and kicker Steven Hauschka make one final practice field goal before heading to the locker room.
In the moments leading up to kickoff, fullback Michael Robinson sits in silence at his locker. For the veteran fullback, the Super Bowl capped a year in which he was released by the the team after suffering a lingering illness, only to recover and be re-signed late in the season.
Special teams captain Heath Farwell carries the 12 flag as the Seahawks enter the holding tunnel before being introduced as the NFC representatives to Super Bowl XLVIII.
Cornerback Richard Sherman focuses while sitting on the sidelines during the extended pregame ceremonies of the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Russell Wilson gathers his thoughts during the national anthem as a network television camera rests just inches from his face.
Seahawks captains Red Bryant, Russell Wilson and Heath Farwell smile as "Broadway Joe" Namath prepares to flip the coin prior to kickoff.
It didn't take long. On the first play from scrimmage, Denver misfires on the snap and the ball careens towards the end zone for a safety, giving Seattle an early 2-0 lead. After the play, the clock showed that exactly 12 seconds of the game had elapsed.
Linebacker Cliff Avril celebrates the safety and yells into the stands that are packed with Seahawks fans.
Seattle's number-one ranked defense lived up to their advanced billing from the start, with Chris Clemons (91), Bobby Wagner (54) and Cliff Avril dumping Denver's Knowshon Moreno during the first quarter.
On the very next play, safety Kam Chancellor delivered this punishing blow to Denver's Demaryius Thomas on a crossing route, knocking the Broncos receiver back nearly five yards.
Safety Earl Thomas and cornerback Richard Sherman are fired up after Kam Chancellor's big hit on Denver's Demaryius Thomas.
Seattle's Doug Baldwin found himself open deep along the left sideline and beat Denver's Champ Bailey for a 37-yard pass reception from Russell Wilson.
On the same drive, Seattle's Jermaine Kearse nearly hauled in a touchdown pass over Denver linebacker Nate Irving, who managed to knock the ball away at the last second.
At the end of the play, Jermaine Kearse fell into the crowd of photographers on the end line, and inadvertently kicked Seahawks digital media staffer Brian Pan in the face. Pan escaped serious injury and remained in the game.
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning turns to yell instructions to teammates in the first half. After the game, the Broncos admitted to being surprised by the amount of crowd noise generated by Seahawks fans.
Strong safety Kam Chancellor swallows up Denver receiver Wes Welker, as free safety Earl Thomas lurks.
Chris Clemons caused this fumble by Denver's Knowshon Moreno which was recovered by the Broncos. However, on the very next play the Seahawks manufactured a turnover when Kam Chancellor intercepted a Peyton Manning pass.
With pressure from the backside from Seattle's Cliff Avril, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning's pass sails past his intended receiver and the ball was intercepted by Seattle's Kam Chancellor
Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor emerges with the ball after intercepting a pass from Denver's Peyton Manning in first quarter.
Seattle's Marshawn Lynch tries the right side in the second quarter and would score a touchdown later in the drive, giving the Seahawks a 15-0 lead.
Seattle's K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner help Byron Maxwell finish off a tackle on Denver's Demaryius Thomas in the second quarter as the hits just kept on coming.
Linebacker Malcolm Smith keeps an eye on Denver quarterback Peyton Manning at the line of scrimmage.
Seattle's Cliff Avril reaches out and hits the arm of Denver quarterback Peyton Manning as the ball is released.
Manning's pass falls short of its intended target and is intercepted by Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith.
Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith is off to the races with a "pick six" interception return for a touchdown in front of the Denver bench, giving Seattle a 22-0 lead before halftime.
Seattle's Byron Maxwell, slams down Denver's Demaryius Thomas after a short reception on the left sideline, and the Seahawks held the Broncos scoreless headed into halftime.
Running back Marshawn Lynch kept himself loose during the extended halftime by dancing to his music.
Meanwhile, out on the field, the halftime extravaganza was in full effect as Bruno Mars and his band lit up the crowd at MetLife Stadium.
Inside the Seahawks locker room, coaches and players met, stressing the need to not let up despite a 22-0 lead. Travis Jones met with the defensive linemen as head coach Pete Carroll watched over his shoulder.
Head coach Pete Carroll and safety Earl Thomas walk down the tunnel from the locker room back to the field after the long halftime intermission.
If fans were worried about the Seahawks keeping their momentum after halftime, it only took them 12 seconds (there's that number again) to score as Percy Harvin returned the kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown to extend Seattle's lead to 30-0.
Stand and deliver. Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman stands up Denver's Eric Decker as Kam Chancellor zeroes in for a big hit in the third quarter.
Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse leaves two Denver defenders in the dust as he breaks four tackles in one play en route to a 23-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Receiver Jermaine Kearse celebrates with teammates Zach Miller, Derrick Coleman, Paul McQuistan and Russell Wilson after his touchdown reception in the third quarter gave Seattle a 36-0 lead.
Head coach Pete Carroll is all smiles after Kearse's touchdown padded Seattle's lead to 36-0.
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who bristled at the description of Seahawks receivers as "average" and "pedestrian", dives into the end zone with Seattle's final touchdown of Super Bowl XLVIII
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin is congratulated by teammates Russell Okung and Russell Wilson after his touchdown capped the scoring, making it 43-8.
Ricardo Lockette, celebrates a tackle on special teams. Lockette, who was on the San Francisco 49ers roster earlier in the season, returned to Seattle where he became a stalwart in the gunner position. He also had a 19-yard pass reception in the game.
As the final minutes ticked down and with the outcome never in doubt, head coach Pete Carroll lets out a yell on the sidelines.
Pete Carroll congratulates defensive players Clinton McDonald and K.J. Wright.
Pete Carroll hugs general manager John Schneider during the two-minute warning.
Head coach Pete Carroll gets the first drops of the traditional Gatorade bath courtesy of Zach Miller and Russell Wilson at the end of the game.
There's a head coach in there somewhere as Zach Miller and Russell Wilson drench Pete Carroll in Gatorade.
The sign said "REPLAY" And as if one bath wasn't enough, moments later Pete Carroll was doused once again as defensive back Akeem Auguste leaps out of the way.
Seahawks owner Paul Allen raises the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in team history after watching his team demolish the Denver Broncos, 43-8 in the Super Bowl.
Head coach Pete Carroll holds the Lombardi Trophy along with team president Peter McLoughlin, owner Paul Allen and Bert Kolde on the victory platform.
Quarterback Russell Wilson gets his turn to holds\ the Lombardi Trophy amid the falling blue and green confetti.
Head coach Pete Carroll and his wife Glena wave to Seahawks fans as they make their way off the field after the game.
Head coach Pete Carroll leads the cheers inside the Seahawks locker room after the Seahawks won their first Super Bowl ever, a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos.
After finally getting the chance to gather the team, head coach Pete Carroll gave his players his postgame talk, then asked them to hold the Lombardi Trophy aloft one more time.
At the Seahawks postgame party, owner Paul Allen and his band "the Underthinkers" rocked the house with their brand of blues-based rock and roll.
What victory party would be complete without an appearance by friend of the Seahawks and best-selling Seattle-based rapper Macklemore?
Never mind that it was after 3am, two guys with energy to spare -- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Seattle-based rapper Macklemore bounce on stage to the Seahawks unofficial anthem "Can't Hold Us" during the team's postgame party.
Macklemore closed out his set at the Seahawks postgame party doing his thing, lifted by the crowd, and his lyrics were never more true:
"Tonight is the night, weÕll fight 'til itÕs over, so we put our hands up like the ceiling canÕt hold us, like the ceiling canÕt hold us."
