Chemistry: "It's the chicken. And it's the egg"

By Greg Bishop
Seattle Times staff reporter



The Seahawks are the latest sports team to ride the clichéd concept of chemistry into the most significant game they have ever played. To a man, they point to feeling like a family, to trust and friendship, to bonding, to everything short of holding hands and taking long walks on the beach.

They get along. They win.

But which comes first. The winning? Or the chemistry?

"The chemistry," said Seahawks punter Tom Rouen, who is making his third Super Bowl appearance and should know a bit about locker-room dynamics after 13 seasons. "If you have guys that don't care about one another, you're not going to win. It's just not going to happen."

We tried to get to the bottom of this chemistry concept. We called existentialists and modern-day philosophers, talked to chemists and athletes and psychologists.

Few would play along. But Dr. Richard Crowley, a psychologist based in California who teaches his "mental mechanics" technique to athletes, offered one attempt.

"That's a funny word we've always used but really have no idea what it means," Crowley said. "The vibe is good. No one is hurting each other. They are connected. You can't consciously put it together. You can only try and mix a bunch of athletes in one locker room and see what happens."

Like a chemistry lab. Only for millions of dollars and with unpredictable results.

That's why chemistry is the ultimate chicken-and-egg question in the sports world. Take Corey Dillon, Seattle native and New England running back, for example. Once considered the poster-child malcontent in Cincinnati, Dillon fell in line in New England -- and he's got a Super Bowl ring to prove it.

So which came first? Is Dillon a good guy who spent time in a bad situation? Or is he a good guy because winning makes it easier?

"Doom and gloom feeds off itself," Crowley said. "Positive stuff feeds off itself, too. It works both ways, the same thing. That positive energy leads to winning, which leads to everyone getting along. Or that positive energy leads to everyone getting along, which leads to winning.

"It's the chicken.

"And it's the egg."

The Seahawks hold firm in the belief that their chemistry formed long before their winning streak.

"We didn't even play a game," linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski said, "and you could feel it. It felt like a family. It felt like we were a real tight group, and training camp only made us tighter. The word family is clichéd. It's been thrown around a little too much. But honestly, that's what happened to this team this year. We actually are a family.

"You can just feel it in the building. It's like a snowball effect. It just keeps building and building."

It started in training camp, when team officials invited noted mountain climber Ed Viesturs to address the team. In his speech, he compared making the Super Bowl to climbing a mountain, and each time the Seahawks win, players get a carabiner to hang in their locker.

The gesture is symbolic, and because the players buy into the concept, it's also important.

"That's just one way to show how much we've come together," defensive tackle Rocky Bernard said. "It wasn't always like that in past seasons. It was obvious the offense always jelled really well. But defensively, we were never really on the same page."

>That's another element the Seahawks point to for improved chemistry. Gone are players like linebacker Anthony Simmons and receiver Koren Robinson.

Guys quarterback Matt Hasselbeck addressed without naming names in a conference call last month with Washington-area reporters. During the call, Hasselbeck noted players showed up in 2004 with alcohol on their breaths and were thought to be faking injuries.

In their place are additions like rookie linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill, free agents like Bryce Fisher and Joe Jurevicius, guys who might not have more talent, but are better in the locker room.

"More than anything, what makes our team special this year is we've got everyone working really hard, everyone saying, 'The goals of this team are more important,' " Hasselbeck said. "I've seen people try to force [team dinners], and it's not the same. If you really have chemistry and camaraderie and stuff like that, that stuff will just happen.

"I'd say the biggest thing is that people are just working hard toward a common goal."

So which came first? The winning? Or the chemistry?

"I don't care," Kacyvenski said. "We have both."