The banners hang from the roof of the Giants indoor practice facility and nearly touch the turf below. They are huge and there are four of them, each representing the franchise’s Super Bowl victories following the 1986, 1990, 2007 and 2011 seasons.
Each banner displays the names of the players on the respective championship teams, a lasting legacy to those who helped capture football’s ultimate prize.
The Seahawks noticed the banners when they had a light practice at the Meadowlands on Monday. They got a longer look on Wednesday when they held their first full practice of the week in preparation for Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The banners along with the four Vince Lombardi trophies in the lobby and the Ring of Honor in the Giants locker room are an inspiration to some Seahawks, who hope to win their franchise’s first Super Bowl on Sunday.
“It serves as a lot of motivation,” said defensive end Michael Bennett. “You see the guys up there — Romeo Crennel, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Pepper Johnson — you see all the guys you looked up to growing up as a kid. To see all those names up there makes you really understand what this is all about. To be a Giant, you’re part of a legacy.”
The Seahawks like to think they’re building their own legacy under head coach Pete Carroll. They won the NFC Championship and advanced to their first Super Bowl since the 2005 season. They’ve built the league’s No.1-ranked defense, found a franchise quarterback and energized a fan base that ensures one of the best home-field advantages in the league. But practicing at the Giants practice facility offers a daily reminder the only teams that are remembered are the ones that win the ring.
“It’s a little weird going into somebody else’s house which is essentially what we’re doing. It’s a little strange,” center Max Unger said. “But it’s pretty cool seeing that stuff there. We want to build our own thing. That’s our approach. We want to do it the Seattle Seahawks way.”
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin sounded almost envious when talking about the Giants’ success.
“They have four Super Bowls,” he said. “They’ve got a legacy and they’ve got tradition. We’d like to get those someday.”
Winning a Super Bowl is the first step toward building that legacy. The Seahawks began their final game week of preparation with Carroll hoping for a “high-energy” practice. The coach has coined the phrase “Competition Wednesday” to add extra emphasis and focus to the start of the most crucial practice session of the week.
“It’s about getting back to our football and getting right,” Carroll said. “That means we want speed, tempo and technique, all the fundamental stuff that we emphasize. It’s no different than any other week.”
The Seahawks are craving to get back to some sort of normalcy, which means spending more time on the practice field than speaking with reporters who are starting to raise question why running back Marshawn Lynch doesn’t like to be interviewed and why five Seahawks have been suspended since 2011 for using performance-enhancing drugs.
“Getting back to a normal routine is going to be huge for us,” Baldwin said. “I know I’m exhausted with everything that’s going on with the media especially. I’m just ready to get back to football.”
Most of the game plan was installed last week in Seattle, but Carroll said he wants no slack in focus, attitude and effort.
“We kick into a normal mode,” the coach said. “That calls for a lot. It’s a huge day to us. We have objectives and we’ll keep score. That’s what kicks our week into motion.”
It’s the most important week in the history of the Seahawks franchise. If they need a reminder of just how memorable this week could be, all they need to do is look at the Giants championship banners.