SAN JOSE, Calif. — On Jan. 21, Mike Macdonald stepped to a podium at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, just as he had for the Seahawks’ previous 19 game-week news conferences. The Seahawks’ second-year coach is a man of regimented routine, repeating the same process to ensure the right result.

Only this time, a blue backdrop — featuring a checkerboard of NFC championship game insignia and Lombardi Trophies — was placed unsubtly behind the podium.

After sizing it up, Macdonald smiled and said: “All sorts of new stuff.”

New spotlights. New obligations. New distractions.

New hurdles between his team and the monumental task at hand.

But if he thought there was all sorts of new stuff two weeks ago?

The worst was yet to come.

The best, too, considering the Seahawks are preparing for the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl. But Macdonald surely wishes that’s all this was. Not a manic media night at the San Jose Convention Center, where the 38-year-old coach was incessantly asked if he’d run or pass at the 1-yard line. Where Guillermo from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” asked to put a ham on his head. Where influencers, podcasters, microphones and cameras descended like crows on a fresh carcass. Where a guy draped in an orange Charizard onesie handed players Pokémon cards. Where 33-year-old defensive tackle Jarran Reed was asked which teammate would fare best on “Love Island,” prompting a prolonged pause and a non-answer.

Where the focus is forced away from football for hours at a time.

For the Seahawks, who meet the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, that focus is further threatened by two significant storylines:

— The franchise’s rumored sale, which ESPN and The Wall Street Journal reported will occur sometime after Super Bowl LX.

— The expected hire of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to succeed Seahawks legend Pete Carroll as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

All of which reminds me of what Macdonald said on Jan. 21, before the Seahawks were surrounded by this bustling circus tent, when asked about protecting his process while said circus descends.

“It’s natural that your mind’s going to go there [to the significance of this moment], and it’s going to happen to all of us,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, we’re going to ignore it.’ No, just come back to center. Because it’s not important. What’s more important is what we do on the things every day that’s within our control.

“It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the process and appreciate where you’re at and have gratitude for what our team has been able to accomplish to this point. But that’s really what I’m asking of the guys. How great can we be at refocusing throughout the week?”

Of course, Macdonald is right. A speculated sale — which ESPN estimated would be in the ballpark of $7 billion to $8 billion — is not important for this team, in this moment. Nor is Macdonald’s eventual mission to hire an offensive coordinator for the third consecutive offseason. Nor is Malcolm Butler’s 11-year-old interception, a haunting heartache unrelated to this roster.

The Super Bowl isn’t only played on Sunday. It’s won and lost throughout the week.

But in the circus tent, focus is easier to talk about than to actually maintain.

Still, the Seahawks — so far — seem tethered to the task at hand.

“Believe it or not, none of the guys are really talking about [it being the Super Bowl],” said Reed, who’s finally here after 10 NFL seasons. “I don’t think it’s hit us, because we’re just doing the same things — playing cards, shadowboxing. It just feels like the next day. Nobody’s making the moment bigger than it is. Everybody’s living for that day and that moment.”

Added linebacker Ernest Jones IV at media night on Monday: “Enjoy the moment. Enjoy while you’re here. But ultimately, we snap back once we leave here, and guys are talking about football. Guys are talking about the game. It’s crazy how these guys are wired.”

Which is saying something, considering the majority of these Seahawks have never been here. Though Jones and wide receiver Cooper Kupp won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, most of their teammates are first-timers — Macdonald included. That could be perceived as a problem, considering the hurricane of hoopla surrounding Sunday.

But Macdonald doesn’t see it that way.

“You’re not looking at the guy that’s been to the Super Bowl six times. This is all of our first times going through this experience,” he said. “I think that’s been an edge for us all season. Every time we’ve gone into a new experience together, we have principles we want to abide by. Those are kind of like our guiding lights, in terms of how we want to play and make our decisions.

“We also know we’re going through it together, and we’re not afraid to pivot and use different methods and things like that. This is an example of that. We do want to adhere to our process as best we can.”

Despite a new podium, a new backdrop and another new set of potential distractions.

But even in the circus tent, the process persists.

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