Leonard Williams, Tyler Lockett, and others share some positive updates at the team’s Wednesday presser.
The NFL Draft is just around the corner, so things are starting to heat up for the Seattle Seahawks and new head coach Mike Macdonald. While the focus is about to be entirely on players who have never played an NFL snap, the veterans are still getting a chance to sound off about how the offseason is going under the new staff. Fortunately, all reports are positive, with the new guys and veterans alike having positive things to say at the team’s presser on Wednesday.
John Boyle shared the following quotes on the official team website.
Leonard Williams fielded some questions first, which is interesting because it sheds some perspective on how he is seeing the changes happen, given that he played only eight games with the team last season.
“I remember the first day we came into the team meeting, Mike pointed out that there’s empty walls in the hallways and things like that,” said defensive lineman Leonard Williams. “For a person like me, that made me really excited, and I hope it made the rest of the guys excited. We’re obviously going to respect tradition and the history of the Seahawks, but I think it’s giving 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, we want to create our own identity.”
Williams went on to say some positive words about Pete Carroll, saying that he appreciates the fact that he is in Seattle because of Pete; he even credits the former Seahawks coach as helping him revitalize his career.
He did, however, stress the urgency that the team feels this season; clearly, they aren’t looking at this as a rebuilding year, regardless of what outsiders may suspect.
“You can just tell there’s a sense of urgency right now, in a way that’s bringing everyone closer together, that’s making everyone be so locked in in meetings and the weight room and on the field,” Williams said. “You can just tell everyone’s locked in on a different level.”
Charles Cross chimed in with “I love him [Macdonald]. I feel like he brings a tenacity to the building. He’s a very blunt, to-the-point guy. He just wants to get the job done at the end of the day.”
Devon Witherspoon added that everything is going “smooth so far,” but he did highlight some differences that have come with the coaching change.
“Different as far as the way he runs things around here, the way he talks, terminology when we’re speaking about football, and just the way he teaches us about the stuff we’re doing right now.”
“I had a good year, but it could be a lot better. That’s what coach keeps telling me every day. He’s like, ‘You had a good year, but you’ve got so much more potential, and I can’t wait to exploit that.’”
The offseason still holds plenty of surprises, and the draft is right around the corner. A lot can and will change by the time camp rolls around, but in the meantime it is positive to see that players and coaches are handling the regime-change with aplomb. What remains to be seen is what type of motivational signs/slogans/etc are up Mike Macdonald’s sleeves…
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