Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald opened training camp with a clear reference to the early Chicago Bulls, urging his players to think beyond individual accolades and focus on collective success. He highlighted a Bulls squad that finally overcame the Detroit Pistons and captured a championship, using it as a template for how a team can break through a perceived ceiling.
Safety Julian Love relayed the coach’s message, noting that Michael Jordan, after years as the league’s scoring champion, chose to “dial it back a little” so that the "We" could get the job done. Love added that the philosophy of playing "team ball", the same principle Phil Jackson employed, has been distilled into a new mantra for Seattle: "12 as One." The phrase underscores the idea that every member of the 53-man roster must internalize a shared identity, rather than relying on isolated heroics.
The Seahawks spent last season building cohesion, and the coaching staff’s emphasis on unity was evident in how the unit responded to adversity. After observing that progress, Macdonald’s Bulls analogy is less about mimicking a specific offensive system and more about cultivating a culture where role players understand their impact on the whole. The quote about Jordan’s self-lessness reinforces a broader point: sustained excellence in any sport often requires star talent to embrace a supportive role.
At the heart of the message is a distinction the coach made between “champions” and “dynasties.” While a championship marks a single season’s triumph, a dynasty implies a lasting standard of excellence. By invoking the Bulls’ breakthrough season, Macdonald is signaling that Seattle aims to transition from a team that can win a single game to one that can consistently compete at the highest level.
The upcoming weeks will test whether the "12 as One" philosophy translates on the field. Early-season practices and the first regular-season matchup will serve as the initial barometer for how the Seahawks internalize the Bulls’ team-first mindset. If the squad can maintain this collective focus throughout the inevitable ups and downs of an NFL season, Macdonald’s comparison may become a blueprint for a new era of Seahawks football.
