Leonard Williams is happy to be with the Seattle Seahawks. After having to play for the New York Jets and New York Giants to begin his career, his three seasons with Seattle have been some of his personal bests. He also understands how the Seahawks fanbase relates to their favorite team compared to the New York fans.
In other words, Williams likes the 12s. New York fans? Not so much.
He said as much while speaking to the media this week ahead of Seattle's Divisional Round showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. Williams understands how loud Lumen Field will be, but even if the team fails, 12s won't turn on the team. Fans will be upset, sure, but the Seahawks will always be followed fondly.
Leonard Williams says something all Seattle Seahawks fans can agree with
"I love Seattle," Williams said. "I feel blessed every day that I’m here… The community is special. I noticed it (in) my very first game here. We had a road game, and we got blown out like 40-some to like 10…I remember getting home super late because it was a late East Coast game (and) I’m driving home from the facility at like 3:00 am (and) there (are) literally fans lined up out there, cheering us on...and I’m not used to that. I’ve been in stadiums where we’re losing at halftime, and our own fans are booing us and leaving the stadium."
Clearly, the stadium that Williams played in before belonged to the Jets and Giants, as the two teams share a stadium. Maybe the same fans show up for both teams, and both like their misery. The Jets have been mostly awful for many years, while the Giants haven't been consistently relevant for more than a decade.
The good part for Giants fans, at least, is that their favorite team just reportedly hired John Harbaugh to be the head coach. They might be good again soon. The Jets? Maybe not.
None of that truly matters to Seattle Seahawks fans, though. While Seattle wasn't good for much of the 1990s, the team has at least been competitive in other decades. Since 2010, the team has threatened to be in the postseason almost every season. This year could be a special one.
But Seahawks fans were filling Lumen Field (or Qwest Field or CenturyLink Field, etc.) even when the team didn't have any chance to win the Super Bowl. When the team does well, it is almost more of a thank you to the fans who remain stalwarts of loudness in good years and bad.
Having Leonard Williams around is a pretty great thing, though, of course. He is one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, and will always be remembered well by Seahawks fans. He gives his full effort every game, just as 12s do when they show up for games.