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Jim Mora has been here before. So has Greg Knapp.

But Gus Bradley? The Seahawks’ first-year defensive coordinator – just four years removed from North Dakota State – is about to coach his first NFL regular-season game in that capacity.

“I’ve coached in openers before, and I did coach at Qwest Field during the preseason,” said Bradley, who came to the Seahawks this offseason after three seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “But I’m sure this will be different.”

Believe it, this will be different.

Sunday, the first time the St. Louis Rams’ offense trots onto Qwest Field, the deafening din created by the fans will greet it – and only grow louder the closer sore-handed quarterback Marc Bulger gets to taking the snap.

True, Bradley was at Qwest for the 2007 opener as the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And, as he said, there were the preseason games this summer against the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.

But it’s just not the same. Mora knows because the Seahawks’ coach was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-06. Knapp knows because the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator previously held the same position with the San Francisco 49ers, Falcons and Oakland Raiders.

The regular-season opener – and especially that first one in a the-buck-stops-here position of authority and responsibility – is, well, different.

Bradley was Mora’s handpicked coordinator for a defense that has undergone a major facelift this offseason.

Nose tackle Colin Cole was signed in free agency and the versatile Cory Redding was acquired in a trade to make the line bigger – and better. The Seahawks made multi-talented outside linebacker Aaron Curry the fourth pick overall in the draft to play opposite Leroy Hill. Cornerback Ken Lucas, a former draft choice, was re-signed in free agency and Jordan Babineaux was elevated to the starting unit at free safety.

The No. 1 defense allowed only one touchdown during the preseason – a 3-yard pass against the Broncos in home opener.

“We’ve brought in great guys,” defensive end Patrick Kerney said. “You add new guys and lose guys every year in this business. But the guys they brought in this year, the attitude matches what we want around here.”

“When you work with him, you understand why he was able to make such a quick climb,” Kerney said. “He’s a high-energy guy. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s intelligent with what he’s talking about, which is very important with a coordinator.”

The players have embraced the focus-only-on-the-task-at-hand philosophy that Mora and Bradley have been preaching. There has been no talk this week about recapturing the NFC West title. Or making it back to the playoffs. Or even the fact that the Seahawks play their first two games against division rivals.

“You control what you can control,” Kerney said. “Sunday, we can’t control what happens next week. On the opening play, you can’t control what happens at the end of the game.

“So it’s just a matter of focusing on here and now, what you job is on the one play and doing it.”

Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who this week was voted a defensive co-captain for the fourth consecutive season, concurs.

“I mean, yeah,” he said when asked about sharing the same attitude toward the opener. “Because when it comes down to it, as cliché as it is, it’s about us and how well we can execute on a down-to-down basis and just keep the game in front of us and don’t let up.”

It’s the same thing Bradley will have to wrestle with in his first regular season game as a coordinator: Keeping the game in front of him.

“He’ll do great,” Mora said. “He's a tireless worker and he’ll be thoroughly prepared, so I think he’ll be fine. He has a really good mix of enthusiasm and the ability to remain calm when he's talking to the players.

“He's able to turn it up and turn it down at the right time, and it will be fun to watch.”