Coming off the best season of his career and a Super Bowl victory, Earl Thomas knows that there is a bullseye planted firmly on the backs of he and his teammates.

Especially now, after signing a record-setting extension, the three-time All-Pro is aware that every receiver on the other side of the line yearns to blow past him, and every opposing defensive back wants to prove that they can best him.

And for ET III, that’s just fine, because he and his teammates are still striving to be the best they can be.

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“All we focus on is getting better. We stay us. We stay happy. We stay laughing. We have good vibes. That’s how we separate ourselves from everybody in the league,” Earl said. “The thing that stands out to me is how slow the game is [for me now]. I think the more and more you know football, you’re able to play faster than everybody. You see what’s coming before it happens and you can be a better communicator by that. And that’s my job…that breeds confidence through the whole defense when you communicate that way.”

Through one week of training camp, Earl and the rest of the vaunted Seahawks defensive unit, which last year ranked No. 1 in average yards and passing yards allowed while giving up the fewest points against, have shown that there is no absence of fire in their eyes as they prepare to defend their title.

No. 29 and cornerback Richard Sherman, the leaders of the Legion of Boom, received newfound media attention after their secondary all but shut down the high-powered Broncos offense in a resounding 43-8 Super Bowl XLVIII win.

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Instead of letting the praise inflate their egos, the two have used it as fuel for competition, according to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

“I think really just the mindset of coming in of we become good players by how hard we work,” Quinn said. “And really, as you guys know here, the thought of the competition is how good you and I can push against each other to elevate both of our games. And so those two in specific have really embraced that in terms of the competition–the way they go against some terrific receivers. You know the speed out here. If you can run with some of these guys out here, you got a shot. You can feel that.”

One of the most intriguing matchups of training camp thus far has been the battle between ET III and wide receiver Percy Harvin. In various drills and Saturday’s mock game, the two artfully battled back and forth, each trying to outsmart the other. Seahawks coaches said they think that that kind of strong one-on-one competition will make the team better as a whole.

“Just for that emphasis of the competition of going against each other to really make both units as good as they can,” Quinn said. “You admire and appreciate how hard they’re going against each other, and the respect is for each other and how hard they’re going against each other. It’s how hard can I go at you for both of us to play at our very best.”

The team’s offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell echoed those sentiments and expressed how important it is to the success of his offense that the best defense they’ll likely see all season is the one that lines up against them each day in practice.

“We [the offense] have to really be on our stuff,” Bevell said. “You’re talking about the best defense in the NFL. They’ve proved that. So every position, there’s a competition going on – whether we’re going against Sherm or Earl or Mebane. Every position is really a strong position. So it just makes our guys better each and every day as we come out here. It’s an opportunity to compete, and they’re competing against the best players.”

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This season also brings forth a new opportunity for Earl. With the loss of Golden Tate, the team’s top punt returner last season, ET III has attempted to show his coaches that he can fill that important void. No. 29 is no stranger to the role, as he fielded many important punts during his days as a Longhorn, including a 50-yard runback against the Kansas Jayhawks in his redshirt sophomore season.

“I’ve been waiting on this opportunity,” ET III said earlier this summer. “This is what I do – I’m an athlete. I’ve been trying to tell Coach Carroll to put me back there for the longest (time). I always try to go back there during walk-throughs, just to try to sneak a punt return, show them who I am and I want to score a touchdown.”

Thus far, No.29 appears to have impressed head coach Pete Carroll with his abilities, but will still have to further distance himself from Harvin and Sherman as the regular season approaches.

“It’s pretty wide open; because Earl has had the most reps so he would be the first guy to go but that’s it,” Carroll said. “From there, it’s all wide open. This will be a really fun competition for us to watch. I don’t know how it’s going to settle. We’ve got good candidates, Percy [Harvin] really chomping it a bit, he wants that job. The first thing you want in a punt returner is a guy that wants to do it real bad because it’s a difficult challenge job and both Earl and Percy are that way. I know Doug Baldwin is ready to jump in there too and Sherm wants his turns. It’s a good side competition that’s going on that we’ll watch all the way throughout camp.”

Looking forward, ET III and the rest of the Seahawks will use this week to further refine their skills before they square off against the Broncos in their first preseason contest Thursday at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Kickoff of the Super Bowl rematch is slated for 6 p.m. PDT and the game can be seen on FOX.