Leonard Williams admonishes Seahawks teammates for lack of faith

It is too early for this, right? Some Seattle Seahawks, who won their first three games before losing the last two, seem to be struggling with their belief in the capability of the team to win, at least during in-game situations. This is according to veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who said after Seattle's loss to the New York Giants that he saw too many players with their heads down.

One of the issues with this is that Pete Carroll is no longer the head coach. That is not meant to imply that the 2024 version of the Seattle football team would be better if Carroll was still the head coach, but only potentially better with how Carroll might handle a team seemingly and suddenly lacking in confidence. Rookie head coach Mike Macdonald is charged with fixing the problem.

Williams has been in the NFL long enough - he is in his tenth season - to understand when his teammates know they can win and when they begin to doubt they can. Under Carroll, Seattle pulled off enough last-minute victories that that way of winning almost became the norm. Under Macdonald, the team so far needs a faster start.

Leonard Williams issues warning about some Seahawks teammates not having enough confidence in the team

According to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic (subscription required), Williams told the media after Seattle's loss to the Giants, "Today there was too many guys holding their heads down, a little bit of bickering and stuff like that happening on the sideline. I feel like we need to remember to stay close, stay family, have each other’s back, and remember that it’s a four-quarter game...I’m tired of seeing the guys lose confidence throughout the game. We just need to keep our heads up high and remember it’s going to all come down to the end."

A team that begins to spiral down in terms of confidence is one of the most difficult things to remedy. The only real way is to begin winning games again, but that is harder when a team doesn't think it can. Plus, if players are blaming their teammates for problems on the field instead of taking ownership of the issues, there could be even more deep-seeded troubles.

Again, we are only five games into the season and into Mike Macdonald's head coaching career, but he is already faced with maybe getting some of his players to fully buy into the team being able to come back in games once they fall behind. Should Seattle defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football? That would go a long way toward building more belief.

Should Seattle lose and fall to 3-3 and then face an improved Falcons team in Atlanta in Week 7, followed by a good Buffalo Bills squad in Week 8, there is a real possibility Seattle could be looking at 3-5. Williams might see even more teammates with their heads held low if that happens.

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