SAN JOSE, Calif.—Family. Connectedness. Having each other's back.

These are all keys to the culture Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has built in Seattle that has gotten the team to being a win away from being crowned Super Bowl champions.

The words, which may just sound like sports buzzwords that could be used to describe any locker room, aren't just words the coaches or players throw around, they're filled with real meaning, emotions and were intentionally implemented by Macdonald.

When Macdonald was hired to be the head coach of the Seahawks two years ago, he was taking the reins of a team and locker room that already had an established culture that'd been in place for 14 seasons under Pete Carroll. There was a balance for Macdonald to keep the original undertone of the Seahawks, while also adding in his own style.

"That's something that Jody [Allen] and John [Schneider] felt strongly about, they wanted to carry over into our team, and I think that's really cool," Macdonald said. "Our spirit is unique to us and its evolved and changed since we took over but it's still rooted in the foundation of the Seahawks that a lot of people are familiar with, so it's something we're really proud of."

While it's founded on the same principles, "12 As One" is the new "I'm In."

The Seahawks have shirts that has the saying "12 As One" displayed across the front, something they wear proudly across their chests. The motto is meant to describe every player on the team moving in one direction towards one goal, and is a nod to the fans, the 12s.

"If you can't get everybody going in the same direction, you really don't have a chance," Macdonald said. "It's a common denominator behind the whole thing."

Leonard Williams a veteran defensive tackle, has been in the league for 11 seasons and has played on three different teams, all with different locker room cultures and team feels.

"It's easy for guys like us, because we've been around for so long, to see that it's different here because we've been at other places," Williams said.

Any coach can say the words connected, brotherhood, and family, but what makes what Macdonald is teaching different?

"I feel like it's a genuine approach," linebacker Drake Thomas said. "I think that's the start of everything. If the person comes off and they're genuine with what they're trying to do and they're meaningful and they're intentional. I think it's easier to buy into something like that. That really means something."

Macdonald is himself and doesn't try to be anything that he's not. That is apparent in the consistency he answers press conference questions with or the way he will double and triple down on his thoughts or opinions on something. On August 28 a few days after the Seahawks' final preseason game, Macdonald was asked about how Seattle stacked up against other teams in the NFC West and Macdonald's answer was, "Bro, I really don't care." Fast forward five months and Macdonald was asked a similar question following the NFC Championship win and his answer, which has since gone viral, was "We did not care." And while Macdonald is simply being himself, that showing of authenticity means a great deal to players.

Devon Witherspoon said, "We let everybody be themselves, coach, he's a very unique person, very weird, very nerdy."

And Witherspoon's description of Macdonald isn't meant to be a diss, it is what players respect about him the most. Macdonald's analytical, cerebral mindset and player-focused approach has resonated with the team.

"That's what makes him who he is," Witherspoon said.

In just two seasons, Macdonald has captured the respect and following of every player in the locker room.

"There were some growing pains going from a long-tenured head coach here to a new, first-time head coach," Williams said. "But I think Mike did a great job of asserting himself, but also taking advice, taking information from his guys as well. It just naturally and casually grew into what it is now."

When you walk into the Seahawks locker room, you can find players, across position groups interacting with each other, something players have noted isn't the norm in other locker rooms across the NFL.

"It's a family vibe here," Ernest Jones IV said.

I just think the way that we truly love each other. I think just the way we just go about our day is just so different."

Jaxon Smith-Njigba said, "All the best teams I've been on have had that brotherhood. And it's definitely cool to see where it has transformed from a year or even in the Spring, so to have that is key… I think that opens the door for great communication, talks, and being able to look your teammate or you coach in the eye and say this is what I expect from you and being able to get it done for the next guy. I love the culture that we're building here. I think it's awesome. It's a privilege to be a part of it."

The habits of the Seahawks have created a space where there's a standard for how they treat each other, how they hold each other accountable and the style of play they bring every game day. And it's not just talk. Their actions back up what they do.

"That's the difference. Doing it vs. saying it," Jones IV said. "We do it and it's not just on Sunday. We do it Wednesday, Thursday. [I've] been in the league five years. Two different teams, I didn't get to spend much time with Tennessee, but there's no team that I've been on that works as hard as we work or that grinds each and every day. I think that just shows up on Sunday when we go out there and play."

Williams added, "I think that's the type of culture and DNA that we're building around here right now. Regardless of what year you are, regardless of where you play on the line, or where you play on the field, we're going to play with a certain want-to, and drive."

And a successful culture only works if there's buy-in but it also requires the players holding one another to the standard.

"I think the culture that we built here, along with Mike is [how] we work," Jarran Reed said. "The way that we connect with each other. Nobody complains about the way that we work, and we all expect to work like that. That's one of our non-negotiables.

But despite everything, the culture of the team always comes back to one word.

"It starts with the connection for me," Williams said. "I've been a part of so many teams that have great athletes, Pro Bowlers, All-Pros, but sometimes when things hit the fan, great players are like, 'Hey, I'm going to make plays for myself, I'm going to make this play because we're losing.' Whereas with this team, when things hit the fan, we're like, 'Hey, I'm going to make this play for the guy next to me, I'm going to play with my heart out, I'm going to run to the ball because that's our standard as a team.' We really play for one another."