Tag: legion of boom

Kam Chancellor, Duane Brown on PFF’s Top-101 players of the decade

Chancellor and Brown were joined by former Seattle Seahawks Brandon Marshall and Michael Bennett on PFF’s top-101 players of the decade.

Pro Football Focus has now released half of their top-101 players of the last decade, and six Seattle Seahawks have already found themselves represented.

Numbers 75-101 were released on Monday, with Doug Baldwin and Greg Olsen coming in at 77 and 81, respectively. Now, 50-74 have been released and four more Seahawks – Kam Chancellor, Duane Brown, Brandon Marshall and Michael Bennett – have been named to the list.

At No. 55, Chancellor is the first member of Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom to make the list, although Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas are certainly going to be on it as well. His career was cut short by injuries, but Bam Bam brought the boom as a hard-hitting strong safety, and was a four-time Pro Bowler.

The Seahawks pulled off a midseason trade in 2017 to acquire Brown from the Texans, and although he did most of his work in Houston he has been an excellent addition to Seattle’s offensive line as a veteran team leader and a stout run blocker at the left tackle spot, certainly helping to earn him his spot on this list at No. 58 overall.

Marshall spent a half season with the Seahawks in 2018 before getting released, but his leadership during training camp did not go unnoticed. A stellar career with the Bears and Broncos prior to that is what nets him a spot on this list at No. 61 overall.

Bennett comes in at No. 74 after a stellar career in Tampa Bay and Seattle and then a few scattered years with Dallas, Philadelphia and New England. Now a free agent, Bennett recorded 6.5 sacks last year and still has enough juice to help a team in need of some pass rush even in his age 35 season.

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Doug Baldwin No. 77 on PFF’s Top-101 players of the decade

Pro Football Focus is ranking the top 101 players from the last decade, and Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin is No. 77 overall.

Pro Football Focus decided to go above and beyond their recent all-decade team release, and is now ranking the top-101 players from the last decade.

Numbers 75-101 were released on Monday morning, and former Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin made the list at No. 77 overall.

Greg Olsen, who signed with the Seahawks back in February, is on the list ast well at No. 81.

Baldwin cracks the list just behind Dez Bryant and ahead of fellow wideouts Keenan Allen, Emmanuel Sanders and Odell Beckham, Jr.

Baldwin is perhaps the best undrafted free agent in franchise history, joining the team in 2011 and putting together an extremely stellar eight-year career that was unfortunately cut short after the 2019 season due to injuries.

Baldwin was a two-time Pro Bowler and led the league in touchdown receptions in 2015, cementing himself as one of the most reliable pass catchers in the game and challenging the prototype that No. 1 receivers couldn’t also be smaller, slot guys.

Baldwin will be the first of many Seahawks on the top-101 list, which will likely also include Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, as well as each member of the Legion of Boom: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.

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Kam Chancellor a glaring snub from NFL’s All-Decade team for 2010s

The Seattle Seahawks had five representatives on the NFL’s All-Decade team, but no Kam Chancellor was a glaring omission.

There’s no debate the five current and former members of the Seattle Seahawks who were selected to the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 2010s deserved to be there.

Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman were pillars of the Legion of Boom, the most famous defense of the millennium. Bobby Wagner is a future Hall of Famer and one of the last remaining great middle linebackers in the game. Marshawn Lynch was a transcendent power running back, and coach Pete Carroll was one of the most successful coaches of the decade.

As always with lists like this, however, the list of Seahawks could have been even bigger.

While Russell Wilson is no doubt an elite quarterback, it’s hard to imagine a spot for him with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers on the roster, and Drew Brees probably has a compelling case as No. 3 in line.

However, the real snub was the third member of the famous Legion of Boom, Kam Chancellor.

Chancellor was passed over in favor of Eric Weddle, Eric Berry and Tyrann Mathieu, and while those guys may have played in more games, Chancellor’s impact was great and his omission from this list is glaring.

Chancellor struck fear in opponents with his thunderous hits despite playing in an era that gradually gave more power to receivers. He should have been the Super Bowl MVP in Seattle’s 43-8 thrashing of the Denver Broncos to cap the 2013 season.

Weddle, Berry and Mathieu are all great, no doubt, but it feels like Chancellor is getting the shaft because of a career-ending injury that cut his time playing in the last decade short, an unfair disadvantage that does not take away from what he accomplished.

Hall of Fame tackle Walter Jones, among many others, voiced his displeasure with Chancellor’s omission on Twitter.

Chancellor, who retired in 2018, was a four-time Pro Bowler who recorded 12 interceptions, 44 passes defensed and nine forced fumbles over the course of eight seasons.

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5 Seahawks selected to NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010’s

Marshawn Lynch, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and Pete Carroll were all selected to the All-Decade team of the 2010’s.

The NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that 52 players and two coaches have been selected to the 2010’s All-Decade team – and five of them were members of the Seattle Seahawks.

Two key pieces of the Legion of Boom, safety Earl Thomas and cornerback Richard Sherman, made the defensive squad alongside linebacker Bobby Wagner. They were joined by running back Marshawn Lynch on offense, as well as coach Pete Carroll, who was the second coach alongside New England’s Bill Belichick.

Notably absent is Russell Wilson, who was passed over in favor of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady at the quarterback position, as well as safety Kam Chancellor, the third key member of the LOB who lost out to Eric Berry and Eric Weddle for the chance to be alongside Thomas once again.

Wagner, Thomas, Sherman, Lynch and Carroll are all no doubt deserving of this honor, having been members of the teams that went to back-to-back Super Bowls in the early part of the decade.

Now, as the clock turns to a new decade, the Seahawks will hope that many of their current young stars will make their mark in the 2020’s.

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Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII win will air Thursday night on NFL Network

The 12th Man can now relive Seattle’s triumphant victory as the Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII win will air Thursday night on NFL Network.

It has been a long couple of weeks. As millions of Americans are stuck at home in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, lack of entertainment is certainly a major factor in a world without sports. While the 2020 NFL Draft is still slated to occur as originally scheduled, it is still essentially a month away.

However, Seahawks fans will be getting a bit of a pick-me-up to help stave off some of the boredom. Tonight at 6:00 pm PT, the NFL Network will be re-airing the Seahawks’ triumphant Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Broncos.

Seattle’s first Super Bowl title is undoubtedly the greatest achievement in franchise history, as the 12th Man’s decades-long dream was finally realized. Now fans have an opportunity to relive some of the glory.

The 2013 Seahawks were one of the most dominant teams in recent memory. Defined by perhaps the best defense in league history, the Legion of Boom routinely suffocated opponents while an offense led by Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson made the Seahawks hard to defeat.

Seattle matched its franchise’s highest win total by finishing 13-3 and securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the second time ever and defeated both Drew Brees’ Saints and Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers in the playoffs en route to its second Super Bowl appearance.

There, the Seahawks would face Peyton Manning’s Broncos, who fielded the most dynamic offense the NFL had ever seen. Super Bowl XLVIII was billed as a true clash of the titans. The unstoppable force versus the immovable object.

Unfortunately for Denver, the unstoppable force proved to be hardly formidable and was quickly extinguished. Right from the get-go, the Seahawks clearly outmatched Denver with their physicality, dominating the entire game.

A Broncos offense that had scored more points than any other team in league history was held to only eight in the Super Bowl and was shutout for three full quarters.

As fans re-watch Seattle’s dominance, it will undoubtedly fuel hope the 2020 Seahawks can end this coming season with a similar result.

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NFL Draft: Seattle’s best pick in each round since 2000

The Seattle Seahawks have had a lot of success in the NFL draft, particularly in the early part of the last decade.

The 2020 NFL draft is still expected to occur in about three weeks, and the Seattle Seahawks are gathering as much information as they can about prospective prospects in the challenging COVID-19 times.

The Seahawks are known for finding late round gems, particularly in the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era, and one or two diamonds in the rough would go a long way toward making the 2020 roster even more competitive as they strive for another deep playoff run.

The Seahawks have had their fare share of success all the way through the draft, along with plenty of duds, but there’s no doubt their best run of success – at least in the past 20 years – came just before the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, when they were able to build the infamous Legion of Boom almost exclusively via the draft.

Here’s a look at the team’s best picks by round in the past two decades, along with a handful of honorable mentions.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9

CB Quinton Dunbar wanted to come to Seattle when forcing a trade

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar said that the Emerald City was his intended destination when forcing a trade from Washington.

The Seattle Seahawks recently snagged cornerback Quinton Dunbar from the Washington Redskins via trade, and Dunbar seems fairly enthusiastic about the turn of events.

“I was kind of surprised at first, but it’s a great situation for me, so I’m glad to be here,” Dunbar told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant show. “I feel like I’m right with those guys in my mentality and I just want to come in and play ball and help the team any way I can.”

Dunbar followed the famed Legion of Boom secondary when he was in college and has watched an abundance of film on them to improve himself as a player.

“Man, I know everything about them. I grew up, I was still in college watching those guys,” Dunbar said. “I wasn’t a DB at the time, but the Legion of Boom, watching Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, who, when I made that transition, I watched a lot of film on Richard Sherman and things of that nature. I know they’ve got great history there and I’m just looking forward to being part of that secondary and helping out all I can.”

Dunbar requested a trade out of Washington for a fresh start, and the Seahawks were the beneficiary as the team only had to deal the Redskins a fifth-round pick to acquire his services.

“Before the trade was (finished) I had opportunities with a couple of teams but I wanted to go to Seattle,” Dunbar said. “At the end of the day, I feel like it’s a perfect situation for me to go play for a team that competes for championships every year. I’m just looking forward to that and everything will take care of itself. I just wanted a new beginning, and I’m just going to go out there and help Seattle whichever way I can.”

Seattle’s secondary could certainly use some help, and Seahawks fans should hope that Dunbar can be a big factor in improving it.

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Michael Bennett: ‘I’d love to end my career in Seattle’

Free agent defensive end Michael Bennett made it clear he’d welcome a return to the Seattle Seahawks to end his storied NFL career.

It’s easy to see why so many have connected Michael Bennett to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. Bennett is a former team member who recorded 6.5 sacks last season – which would have led the team.

Bennett didn’t do anything to dissuade those rumors after he went on NBC Sports Northwest’s Talkin’ Seahawks podcast with his wife, Pele, and made it quite clear he’d love to play in the Emerald City again.

“I would love to end my career in Seattle,” Bennett said. “It’s not up to you, though. It’s up to the team.”

Bennett was a stalwart on Seattle’s Legion of Boom defenses, recording 39 sacks in five years with the team, including back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

He has remained a dominant defensive force since leaving Seattle, and despite his advanced age there’s little doubt he would have a positive impact on the Seahawks frontline in 2020.

Bennett would welcome a mentorship role as well, which would be exceptionally valuable for young players like L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green.

“I think it could be good,” Bennett continued. “It’s good to have a good veteran defender that can help young guys. A lot of guys have skill in the NFL, but a lot of them don’t know how to study tape. Having a guy who knows how to study and could bring in some veteran leadership to go along with some great young talent, I would always think that’s a good idea.”

Bennett would certainly be a low-cost alternative to bringing back either Jadeveon Clowney or Jarran Reed – or perhaps more likely a good piece to compliment one or both of them as he won’t cost nearly as much against the cap.

Free agency opens on March 18, and Bennett will be a name for fans to keep an eye on.

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Is Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones a good fit for Seahawks?

Cowboys cornerback, Byron Jones, if he manages to slip through the cracks of free agency, could be a good fit for the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks are a few years removed from the dismantling of the infamous Legion of Boom and are slowly trying to put the pieces back together. Seattle could very well look to free agency ahead of April’s NFL draft to find a playmaker or two.

In a special to ESPN, Ben Linsey of PFF took a look at the perfect free-agent matches for each NFL team. He thinks Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones would be a good fit in Seattle.

“Jones is part of the ‘big three’ free agents people are keeping their eye on in Dallas, but if he slips through the cracks, he would be the top cornerback on the market,” Linsey writes. “He is coming off consecutive seasons with overall grades of 75.0 or higher with the Cowboys, and Dallas fields a defense that, like Seattle’s, uses a lot of Cover 3. Shaquill Griffin had a career year in 2019 in which he earned an overall grade of 78.0, but the Seahawks’ other starting cornerback, Tre Flowers, did not fare nearly as well and earned a coverage grade of 47.7.

“Jones would help in their effort to rebuild the secondary after the losses they’ve seen there in recent seasons.”

The Seahawks will undoubtedly look to strengthen their defense in 2020 but could very well decide to spend their extra cash on their own free agents instead.

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Another mock draft projects safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to Seattle

With the combine in the books, Luker Easterling is projecting Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to the Seattle Seahawks int he NFL draft.

The Seahawks are well known for their former, formidable secondary, the famous Legion of Boom. However, with the original members now no longer in Seattle, the team could look to the NFL draft to restore an imposing group of defensive backs.

With the scouting combine in the books and the pro days next up on the NFL calendar, Luke Easterling of Draft Wire has updated his mock projections. He now has the Seahawks selecting safety Antonine Winfield Jr. out of Minnesota in the first round of April’s draft.

“Gone are the days of Earl Thomas roaming the Seattle secondary, but if the Seahawks want to try and recreate that kind of presence for the future, Winfield is about as close as they can get,” Easterling notes.

“The son of a Pro Bowler by the same name,” Easterling continues. “Winfield was a one-man wrecking crew for the Golden Gophers, and he could instantly bring the swagger back to what was once one of the NFL’s most feared defensive backfields.”

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire recently took a more in-depth look at Winfield Jr.’s playing style, a potentially perfect fit for the Seahawks.

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