Legion of Boom

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Legion of Boom

Legion of Boom was the name of the Seattle Seahawks Secondary between 2012 and 2018 , which was known for its tough and very successful style of play. The defensive backs justified this title by topping the NFL stats in myriad categories and leading the team to the Super Bowl in 2013 and 2014, respectively . They topped it off with victory in Super Bowl XLVIII , in which they only allowed eight points against the statistically best offensive in NFL history.

background

The name "Legion of Boom" came about when Kam Chancellor said on August 2, 2012 while visiting a local radio station that there would be a big bang ("boom") when the Seahawks' defensive backs tackle. This resulted in a public discussion on Twitter , in which possible nicknames for the hard-hitting secondary were discussed. In reference to a group of super villains from the DC Comics , which calls themselves " Legion of Doom ", the name "Legion of Boom" was created. Shortly thereafter, the name was also picked up by the media and spread via nfl.com and ESPN . Shortly thereafter, ESPN put the Legion of Boom on a par with other legendary defenses, such as the Legion of Boom. B. the "Monsters of the Midway" of the Chicago Bears of the 1940s or the "Steel Curtain" of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s.

With the departure of Chancellor and Thomas after the 2018 season , the era of the Legion of Boom ended.

Members

Regular members

Came Chancellor

  • Kam Chancellor was the tallest and heaviest strong safety in the NFL with a height of 1.90 m and a weight of 105 kg and was known for his tough tackles. He was drafted in the fifth round (133rd pick) by the Seattle Seahawks in 2010.

Earl Thomas

  • Earl Thomas was the smallest member of the Legion of Boom with a height of 1.78 m. Sports Illustrated describes him as "a great man marker that shows up all over the field and can read plays with absolute precision." He was selected as 14th in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Seahawks.

Richard Sherman

  • Richard Sherman is one of the tallest cornerbacks in the NFL at six feet tall. He was the 154th pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft . The Bleacher Report writes, "It's not smart to throw in his direction. You can't beat him with sheer strength or bounce. His 16 interceptions in the last 2 years confirm that he punishes mistakes immediately. "

Other members

Brandon Browner (2011-2013)

Brandon Browner came to Seattle in 2011. He started all 16 games in which he scored 54 tackles and six interceptions. In 2012, he scored 44 tackles, six failed passes and three interceptions in 12 games before he was suspended for the last four games of the season for doping. In 2013 he started the first eight games before he was out with a groin injury. By then he had made 19 tackles and one interception. In 2011 he was elected to the Pro Bowl .

Byron Maxwell (2013-2014)

Maxwell won the starting job for the last five regular season games of the 2013 season, in which he caught four interceptions. In 2014 he was also the starting cornerback and scored 50 tackles, fended off 13 passes and intercepted three interceptions.

Cary Williams (2015)

Cary Williams replaced Byron Maxwell in 2015. He started the first ten games as a right cornerback, in which he scored 46 tackles and blocked four passes. He also scored a sack that forced a fumble, which Williams carried back for a touchdown. In the eleventh game of the season, Williams was replaced by DeShawn Shead and released on December 7, 2015 by the Seahawks.

DeShawn Shead (2015-2016)

Joined the Seahawks in 2012, DeShawn Shead first started a game in 2015 and also caught his first interception that season. He also scored 55 tackles and blocked four passes. Shead became part of the Legion of Boom on Matchday 11, after replacing Williams as a right cornerback in the second half. In 2016, Shead became the starting cornerback alongside Sherman. He scored 81 tackles and blocked 14 passes. He was also the captain of the special teams .

Shaquill Griffin (2017-2018)

Griffin joined the Seahawks as a third round pick in 2017. He started the 2017 season alongside Sherman as one of the two starting cornerbacks. He scored 59 tackles and 15 blocked passes in his rookie season. After Sherman left, Griffin moved from right to left cornerback in 2018. Here it deteriorated slightly. He scored 62 tackles and one interception, but only blocked eight passes.

Tre Flowers (2018)

Flowers already started as a rookie on the position of the right cornerbacks. The 1.90 m tall Flowers was only retrained to this position after playing safety in college. He scored 55 solo tackles, 22 of them in the first four games. His statistical values ​​decreased because receivers that were covered by him were started less often, which also meant that he did not catch any interception. He covers his opponents very closely and was the third best cornerback against the run in the 2018 season.

Bradley McDougald (2017-2018)

McDougald replaced the retired Chancellor as Strong Safety in 2018. From November he played with a torn patellar tendon. In 2017 he had replaced Chancellor for seven games. In total, he scored 111 tackles, 13 failed passes and three interceptions in the two years.

Tedric Thompson (2018)

Thompson started in the Free Safety position in 2018 after Thomas lost on the fourth match day. The fourth-round pick from 2017 averaged 60 snaps per game. He scored a total of 57 tackles, three blocked passes and one interception.

successes

After the NFL season, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Browner were selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl . In addition, Earl Thomas was honored as an All-Pro . Brandon Browner was fourth among the cornerbacks with 6 interceptions.

After the 2012 season, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman were named All-Pros. Sherman finished the season with the most interceptions (8). In addition, the Seahawks defense allowed the fewest opposing points and the second fewest pass touchdowns . The excellent pass defense contributed to the fact that the teams of quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers , Tom Brady and Tony Romo could be defeated.

This season, the “Legion of Boom” achieved its big breakthrough by winning the first Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLVIII) in the history of the franchise. Of all the teams in the league, they allowed the fewest yards and pass touchdowns and formed the best defensive in the NFL. Richard Sherman again had the most interceptions in the NFL (8). In addition, the Seahawks were the team with the most interceptions. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas were elected to the first All-Pro team, and Chancellor came to the second. In Super Bowl XLVIII they gave up only 8 points against the Denver Broncos offensive to quarterback Peyton Manning , who had achieved historic highs in points (606) and touchdowns (76) in the regular season. In addition, there are two interceptions and two fumbles.

Since 2011, at least three members of the “Legion of Boom” have been elected to the All-Pro or Pro Bowl every year .

Also this season, the Legion distinguished itself as the best defensive in the league and reached the Super Bowl XLIX . However, despite a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter and two interceptions against Tom Brady , the title defense failed , and the Seahawks lost 24:28 against the New England Patriots .

The season got off to a bumpy start when Kam Chancellor suspended the pre-season and the first two games of the season, which were also promptly lost, for personal reasons. On the third day of the game he returned and completed the Legion of Boom, with the Chicago Bears only gaining 146 yards of space and zero points. Though not quite as dominant this season as in previous years, they allowed the fewest opposing points of any NFL team for the fourth year in a row, and Thomas, Sherman and Chancellor were re-elected to the Pro Bowl.

In his speech at CenturyLink Field at home after the Super Bowl victory, Richard Sherman described the entire defense of the Seattle Seahawks as the "Legion of Boom".

statistics

Passing Defense
season Passing yards rank Points allowed rank Passing touchdowns rank Interceptions rank
2011 3,518 11. 315 7th 18th 6th 22nd 4th
2012 3,250 6th 245 1. 15th 2. 18th 8th.
2013 2,751 1. 231 1. 16 2. 28 1.
2014 2,970 1. 254 1. 17th 2. 13 18th
2015 3,364 2. 277 1. 14th 1. 14th 13.
2016 3,612 8th. 292 3. 16 3. 11 21st
2017 3,347 6th 332 13. 19th 7th 14th 14th
2018 3,842 17th 347 11. 26th 14th 12 18th

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Broncos offense - best in NFL history. The Denver Post. Accessed May 17, 2014
  2. ^ A b NFL Playoffs - In Seattle, the secondary comes first - ESPN . Espn.go.com. January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ October 2, 2013 - Hour: 1 - Bob and Groz Show at . Kiroradio.com. October 2, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b Bradley McDougald is honored young Seahawks look up to him. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  5. ^ Brian McIntyre: Seahawks sign safety Kam Chancellor to four-year extension | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports . Sports.yahoo.com. April 22, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  6. ↑ Earl Thomas: Seattle Seahawks: Earl Thomas . Seahawks.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  7. ↑ 2010 NFL Draft Listing . Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Bishop, Greg: Seattle's Tall Secondary Is Batting Away Conventional Wisdom . The New York Times . September 28, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  9. ^ Bleacher Report. How has Richard Sherman really performed vs. Top Receiver? Accessed May 17, 14
  10. ↑ Brandon Browner appears to announce NFL retirement. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Seattle Seahawks CB Brandon Browner suspended 4 games for using PEDs. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Brandon Browner out 4 more games. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Brandon Browner gets paid, will receive ring for Seahawks Super Bowl win. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  14. ^ Report: Former Pro Bowl CB Brandon Browner arrested after police chase on litany of charges, including kidnapping. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  15. ^ Eagles sign CB Byron Maxwell to six-year contract. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  16. ↑ a b Seattle Seahawks Release Cornerback Cary Williams. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  17. ^ Former Portland State star DeShawn Shead producing 'fantastic' offseason with Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  18. ^ Report: Seahawks reach one-year deal with DeShawn Shead. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  19. ↑ No matter what happens next, the Shaquem Griffin pick has been a success. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  20. ↑ World anxiously awaits debut of Seahawks' Griffin bros. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  21. ↑ a b Seahawks rookie Tre Flowers gets an amazing grade for 2018. Accessed June 24, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Seahawks' Shaquill Griffin: Posts 62 tackles. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  23. ↑ a b Bradley McDougald describes knee surgery, return goal, preference for Seahawks safety pairing. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  24. ^ A b Seahawks' Tedric Thompson: Steps up as needed. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  25. ↑ 2011 NFL Statistics - National Football League - ESPN . Espn.go.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  26. ↑ 2012 NFL Statistics - National Football League - ESPN . Espn.go.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  27. ↑ 2012 Seattle Seahawks Statistics & Players . Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  28. ↑ 2013 Seattle Seahawks Statistics & Players . Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  29. ↑ 2013 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics . Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  30. ^ Manning, Sherman and Mathis among AP first team All-Pros | ProFootballTalk . Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  31. ↑ seahawks defense leads nfl in points allowed in 4th year in a row (English) seattletimes.com, accessed on March 8, 2016