When football fans think of great defenses they think of the 1985 Bears, the 2000 Ravens and now, the 2013 “Legion of Boom” Seattle Seahawks.
Over the last few months the Legion has been a major topic of discussion. But do you really know the men behind the Legion of Boom? Where did this persona come from? How did it begin?
Well, two years ago when the Seattle defense was starting to get attention for their hard-hitting style of play, safety Kam Chancellor made a remark that will be forever frozen in the football archives. He was asked by a local radio station to describe the defense’s style of play.
Is it man? Is it zone?
“We lay the boom,” Chancellor said.
Chancellor is “The Enforcer” of the group. The oversized strong safety has made a living off leveling some of the best wide receivers in the NFL. His ability to hit has made him a staple in the secondary, and after watching his highlight reel you see a common theme: players backpedaling to avoid Chancellor.
Playing next to Chancellor is Pro Bowl Free safety Earl Thomas. The soft-spoken and undersized free safety sticks his nose into nearly every play. Almost every play, Thomas is throwing his body at the opposing running backs with no regard to injury. He can cover, he can stop the run, and many now know him as the best free safety in the NFL.
Every group of destiny needs a loud mouth that will be the face and voice to get the message across. Cornerback Richard Sherman has taken that role to an entirely different level. The brashly outspoken media magnet played and studied at Stanford. He was brought up in the devastating streets of Compton and now is known as the best cornerback in the NFL. His lockdown play and controversial post-game rants have made him a poster child for not only the Legion of Boom but also the National Football League.
Players like Bryon Maxwell and Walter Thurmond are the newest members of the Legion. Their play has mimicked the play of their defensive teammates. It’s like a illness; there is something about playing in Seattle with the 12th man that makes once “mediocre” college players to a dominant level.
The last “original” member of the L.O.B is Brandon Browner. He was suspended indefinitely and most likely played his last game in a Seahawks jersey, but the Legion will live on. It is more than a list of names.
It’s a style, attitude and a state of mind.
“The Legion of Boom is a legacy. It’s a legacy, it’s a group, it’s a legion, it’s a vast army of individuals and we have countless bodies behind us that are more than capable of doing the job,” said Sherman to Yahoo Sports.
Kam Chancellor underscored Sherman’s sentiments.
“You have to be able to understand ball, understand offenses and understand our terminology. We have terminology ourselves back there. And we have to be on the same page, a connected unit. You can see all the passion that each player has for the game, and that’s what you can expect,” he said.
Love them or hate them, you must acknowledge them. Their play and Super Bowl victory over the statically ranked #1 overall offense in the history of the NFL validates how good the L.O.B is becoming. The Hawks won 43-8 over League MVP Peyton Manning’s Broncos. Before SB 48, many believed the Broncos high-powered offense would overpower the Seahawks defense. As we all know, it was the exact opposite. The Seahawks defense was hitting harder, playing faster and creating turnovers that crowned them champions.
James Belluscio can be reached at james.belluscio@spartans.ut.edu.