The “Legion of Boom” is Seattle’s hard-hitting secondary.
“When we go to attack guys, we want to lay the boom on them,” Seattle safety Kam Chancellor said. “So all the fans were listening (to the radio show) and came up with a lot of names for us. They came up with a bunch of names, and I was like, ‘No, not this one, not that one,’ but then we (heard), ‘Legion of Boom,’ and it was pretty catchy.
“‘Legion’ sounds pretty important, and ‘boom’ was how we play, so it was the name we ran with.”
While cornerback Richard Sherman does all of the talking, Chancellor delivers most of the booming big hits.
Because free safety Earl Thomas can cover so much ground, Chancellor, who’s 6-foot-3, 232 pounds, can roam near the line of scrimmage looking for wayward ball carriers to lower the boom on.
While legion member Brandon Browner is out with a suspension, Byron Maxwell has filled in admirably at right cornerback over the past seven games.
“I thought I could do the job, and I got in there and did it,” Maxwell said. “I’m physical. I like to mix it up. I like to tackle. I like actually being a football player.”
Thomas is the lone high draft pick. He was selected 14th overall in 2010.
Sherman (fifth round, 2011), Chancellor (fifth round, 2010) and Maxwell (sixth round, 2011) were late-round draft picks, and that may explain why they play with such a big chip on their shoulders.
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