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Last season didn’t end how Earl Thomas III and the Seattle Seahawks wanted, but No. 29 is loving the energy he’s seeing from his team to start their new journey.

The Hawks are now over a week into 2016 training camp, and ET III was happy to report recently that the growth from top to bottom, as well as a renewed sense of energy, has the Hawks looking strong as they set out to make their third Super Bowl trip in four seasons.

“Camp’s been really good,” ET said. “I think you can see the growth in everybody’s game. It’s just fun to be out here with my teammates. We’ve been focusing. We’re maximizing everything we can get out of every play. As a team, I feel we’re right on point.”

The Seahawks aren’t lacking motivation in the early stages of this new campaign. They showed it with a scuffle at practice last week—just a sign of the fire underneath the Seattle club after a playoff exit in the divisional round last January, far earlier than they’ve become accustomed to having their season end.

“I think we need to harness it in the right way, besides today, it kind of got out of hand today, the energy kind of felt a little weird. But the intensity has been great,” Earl said.

The secondary in particular has a lot to prove in the coming season. The Hawks have been regarded as the best unit in the NFL for the last several seasons, but a number of factors, including injuries kept the Legion of Boom from consistently delivering the same level of play they’re used to early on in 2016.

But with Kam Chancellor back in the fold for the entirety of camp and the rest of the depth chart getting a healthy start to 2016, Earl says the L.O.B. is whole again.

“Having [Kam] back gives us a chance to really get in rhythm, to really feel routes, to feel concepts together. You’ve got to build trust and everybody has to be out there,” ET said. “It was definitely hard [last year], being in the middle of the field, playing with new people, that it’s a bunch of moving parts out there. It’s just tough to get that rhythm going. That’s why it’s so important for everybody to be in camp, going and getting it in right now.”

The Hawks also added a new piece to the puzzle in the secondary—but it’s a familiar face, and a player who knows all about the L.O.B.’s style and swagger: cornerback Brandon Browner. One of the original Boomers, Browner spent the last two seasons with the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, but No. 29 is glad to have him back home.

“It feels good to have BB back,” Earl said. “He’s very, very physical. We’re going to use him all over the place, especially when it comes to situations with tight ends and big receivers, he’s going to help us out a lot, especially in dime packages. Just being around him, you can just tell he’s grateful to be back. He’s a humble dude. He has two Super Bowl rings, so he has a lot of experience, and we love him here.”

Browner will team up and play opposite Seattle’s All-Pro staple at corner, Richard Sherman. Between Earl and Sherm, the duo boast eight Pro Bowl selections—and they’ve both been first-team All-Pro three times.

Together, they’ve anchored the Seattle defensive backfield through roster turnover and injury, and as Earl explains, their trust and unspoken connection provides the foundation for one of the best defenses in the league.

“Every play stands out to me. Every play you have to have that trust, you have to have that focus, that everybody’s going to be on the same page,” ET says. “Our thing is, if somebody messes up, if we’re all keying in on the same things, somebody is going to cover up for you.”

Earl is also looking forward to doing his individual job better in that secondary. The former Texas Longhorn admitted that he wasn’t at 100 percent physically last season after undergoing surgery to repair the torn labrum in his shoulder.

But now, he’s in the best shape of his life as he returns for his seventh season.

“I don’t think I was 100 percent. I got to 100 percent mentally, though. I was able to overcome it. I watched enough film to see it. That helped me get over the top. I just had to psych myself out for every game,” ET says. “[This year] it’s just a whole lot better. I gave myself [the opportunity] to get in good shape. I can run all day. That’s a big part of the game, especially when it’s late in the game, fourth quarter, everything’s one the line, you’ve got to be able to think clearly out there and conditioning is a big part of it.”

Last year, Earl missed all of preseason and was limited through camp. Now at full-go, he and his teammates can continue to build the chemistry that led them to back-to-back Super Bowls.