When Earl Thomas and Russell Wilson look at one another, it’s something like looking in a mirror.

The two are roughly the same size—about 5-10 and a shade above 200 pounds, give or take—but the physical similarities aren’t the only reflection. The two undersized Seattle Seahawks are dynamos on the football field, they’re both leaders who are obsessed with improving—and they both want to be legendary.

“We’re trying to be legendary in some way, and that’s what we talk about all the time,” Wilson said of his growing relationship with ET III.

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Earl and Russ essentially play opposite roles on the field for the Hawks. Wilson is the leader in the offensive backfield, while ET stands at the head of the defensive backfield. But off the field, they’re two peas in a pod.

“Earl and I have a really good connection right now. We’re trying to hang out off the field and always talk about football, talk about life,” Wilson said. “You feed off one another. We want to be great players, we want to be great human beings, we want to be great leaders. I think to be around each other is a really good thing.”

A factor Russell forgot to mention: They’re both über-competitive. To the point that they fight to see who can make it to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center first each day, and who can stay at work the latest.

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That work ethic shown by the franchise QB has No. 29 anxious for the start of the season.

“He’s a great leader,” Earl said of Wilson. “He watches film just like I watch film. We try to beat each other. We try to see who can stay at the VMAC longer, me or him. He’s a great leader, I’m excited to see what he’s going to bring to the season.”

The dynamic will be a bit different for the Seahawks, now that they’ll enter the season as the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Though ET III insists that the only thing that will change is an increased sense of urgency, because the Hawks have a title to defend.

“Nothing feels different,” No. 29 said. “The thing that is different is we have something to protect now. We understand that. We love that. We’ve been waiting for this opportunity to catch everyone’s eye and we want to keep that attention on us.”

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All eyes will be on Earl and Wilson, and the pressure will be on both as they lead their respective units into a season that will bring some astronomical expectations. With those expectations will come pressure, however, ET revealed to the media after the second day of training camp that—at least on his side of the ball—pressure won’t be a problem.

“We don’t even think that way. I think y’all probably thing about it more than we do,” Earl said to reporters in Renton, Wash. “All we focus on is getting better. We don’t even put our energy in that negative period. We stay us. We stay happy, we stay good vibes, we stay laughing. We stay talking about ideas as a secondary, and that’s why we separate ourselves so far from everybody in the league.”

The close-knit nature of the secondary made it one-of-a-kind and vaulted it to the pinnacle of the league, and that attitude spread throughout the locker room. With an All-Pro safety and a Pro Bowl quarterback—two positions that are sworn enemies on the field—coming together like best friends off of it and in the film room, Earl and the Seahawks are clearly focused on staying separated from the rest of the league.

“When you come together and fight for the same thing, it’s powerful,” said Earl.

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Wilson, Thomas Want to be Legendary (ESPN, July 26, 2014)
  • Earl Thomas on returning punts, rules and more (Seattle Times, July 26, 2014)
  • Russell Wilson Training Camp Presser (Seahawks.com, July 26, 2014)
  • Earl Thomas Training Camp Presser (Seahawks.com, July 26, 2014)
  • Wilson’s second camp practice comes with a catch (Seahawks.com, July 26, 2014)