Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones won his second career Lombardi Trophy in February. The veteran is aiming for a better title defense this time around.
Jones won the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in his rookie season in 2021. In 2022, LA slumped back to earth, going 5-12 in an injury-riddled season. Jones said the mentality of the two teams is very different.
“I just think the mentality is different,” Jones said, via Seattle Sports . “Last time (with the Rams) we were trying to defend it. This time (last year) doesn’t really matter. … Last year is not going to help us.
“We’ve got to go out and do it again and do what we did and establish ourselves early and keep it going.”
Jones’ comments echo the message of most coaches after title wins. Namely: The past is irrelevant to future success. Coach Mike Macdonald has called his mantra for 2026, “drive it on,” constantly pointing out that the Seahawks must improve and evolve to remain on top of the mountain.
With the rest of the league countering the Seahawks’ success with moves of their own — namely the Rams’ acquisition of Myles Garrett — Seattle knows it must continue to adapt. To that end, Jones noted that even after last year’s success, Macdonald continues to fine-tune his plan.
“I think systemically, doing different things, seeing where guys, can we move, can we add different layers to our games? Jones said. “And I think just overall day-to-day, just seeing guys progress, whether it’s by position or system-wise, you can tell this team is getting better.