Since 2010, the Seattle Seahawks have been a team that players liked to play for. And the culture that has been developed isn't just the coaching staff and front office management but that's definitely a part of it. It takes almost complete buy-in to create a successful team and year after year Seattle seems to accomplish this.
And, no. Before I hear the cries of Seahawks-haters say, "The team has only won one Super Bowl!" then let me ask those haters this: How many of your favorites teams have won one since 2010? The vast majority would have to say zero. Plus, Seattle has had as many or more playoff-worthy teams since 2010 than any other franchise other than the New England Patriots.
In 2023, the Seahawks should be solid again. And this is even though they seem to have intentionally tried to rebuild since the offseason of 2022 when they traded quarterback Russell Wilson and released Bobby Wagner. But now Wagner is back, and Seattle didn't even miss the playoffs last year. So who are the main people in charge of the positive culture with the Seahawks?
No. 4: Seattle Seahawks fullback/linebacker Nick Bellore
Bellore does a whole bunch of things for the team that likely will never be noticed by the casual NFL fan. But make no mistake that he is an ultra-important voice in the locker room and on the field, and well...off the field. Bellore is so well-respected that he was voted special teams captain, but his fellow players probably also know he would do literally anything asked of him during a practice or game.
Last preseason, Bellore played a whole bunch at linebacker and looked decent. Of course, it's difficult to tell much from preseason games, but Bellore seemed capable of playing LB in a pinch. Heck, he even did that on nine snaps in 2022.
But Bellore is much more than just a football player. He helps keep the team loose by doing his Between Two Bellores (a take a Zach Galifianakis' Between Two Ferns "talk show") on the Seahawks' official website. But he also is willing to have his contract restructured after roster cuts are made before a season and then be brought back a few days later. Bellore is a team-first guy and players respect that.
No. 3: Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs
Quandre Diggs is one of the undisputed leaders, and like Bellore, he was voted as a captain of the team in 2022 and likely will be a captain again this season, even with Bobby Wagner back in Seattle. Diggs has also performed excellently on the field, too. Since arriving in Seattle in 2019, he has made the Pro Bowl in every full season he has played with the Seahawks.
Diggs also has 17 interceptions in 55 games for Seattle and ranks 11th all-time for Seattle in that category. He has had at least 4 picks in every full season with the team and if he has that many again in 2023, he will move into a tie for seventh all-time in Seahawks history in interceptions. But being a positive influence on the team isn't all about great play on the field.
Diggs suffered a significant injury late in the 2021 season and his start to the 2022 campaign was in doubt. But Diggs kept saying he could get back and be a starter by the time the season began and he did just that. It may have taken him a few games to get his legs fully under him, but he was always a positive on the field. In Week 17 of 2023, Diggs used his veteran knowledge to bait Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield into an interception and this helped lead the way to a Seattle victory and an unexpected playoff appearance.
Diggs not only is a valuable veteran voice for a youngish Seattle secondary, but he shows the young guys how to play when hurt and how to be a pro. Diggs is clearly one of the best free safeties in the NFL, but he also helps teach the rest of his team how to have a positive approach toward winning football games.
No. 2: Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett
No Seahawks player better personifies positive energy than Tyler Lockett. Lockett is a class individual on the field and makes humanity better when he is doing things away from football. He seems to have an ever-present smile on his face and life is likely simply better for Lockett's teammates when he is around them.
On the field, of course, Lockett has gone from a kick returner at the beginning of his career and made himself into one of the most productive receivers in the history of the Seahawks. He currently sits at number three on the all-time franchise list for receiving yards (7,100) and if he has even a bad year for him he will still surpass Brian Blades who is number two at 7,620 yards.
Lockett is also number three in career receptions with 533, but again, if he has an off-year he will likely still go past Blades (581) for second on the list. Lockett is already number two in touchdown catches with 54. While Lockett is very unlikely to ever catch up to the guy that is number one on all these lists, Steve Largent, number two in all of them is pretty great too. And we can assume that rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is going to be a good wideout in the NFL sooner than later because he has Lockett to help teach him how to be a pro.
Speaking of great, though, Lockett is just that off the field. Like Bellore and Diggs, Lockett was voted as a captain in 2022 because the players respect him. And how can one not respect a guy so full of positivity, but who also runs the Light It Up Foundation whose mission statement is, "Our mission is to implement and assist programs that target at-risk and disadvantaged youth and strongly focus on education, youth development, leadership, and growth in reading and community service."
No. 1: Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll has to be number one on this list, right? The franchise works because of Carroll's knowledge of football but also his ability to remain positive even though at times it seems to be off-putting for fans. Sometimes we want Carroll to be angry and yell, but he almost always seems to look on the brighter side of things.
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Carroll is by far the most successful coach in the history of the franchise. He's taken the team to the Super Bowl twice (one more than Mike Holmgren and two more, of course, than anyone else), and has more playoffs wins (10) than any other coach (Holmgren is second with 4), has the best winning-percentage (.612), the most wins (128 - 42 more than Holmgren who is second). And Carroll's teams have missed the playoffs just three times in his 13 seasons.
And while teams can be good simply because of the talent on the field, there is no way that a franchise is as successful as the Seahawks have been for more than a decade without the person leading the team being a monumental influence. Carroll famously allows players to be themselves believing that it makes the player better on the field too (and with the success Carroll has had, that philosophy is difficult to dispute). He also keeps faith in players, like when Jason Myers was struggling a bit in 2019, which in turn usually leads to a player's belief in themselves.
The character Ted Lasso, noted for his undying positivity, is partly based on Pete Carroll. And Carroll's outlook isn't fake. Carroll believes in himself and in his system and in his players, and in return the players believe in him. And that just makes the team better.