- 6 months ago
In 2013, the Seattle Seahawks did the unthinkable. After nearly a decade of trash seasons, they reached the mountain top, capped by a dominating Super Bowl win. The saying goes, defense wins championships, and Seattle proved that with a unique unit that rivaled the greats. While commanding defenses of the past typically revolved around a strong front seven, the Seahawks destroyed teams with a hard-hitting secondary ready to knock heads, gaining the nickname the Legion of Boom. It’s a plan Seattle put in motion years earlier.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00In 2013, the Seattle Seahawks did the unthinkable.
00:04After nearly a decade of trash seasons, they reached the mountaintop, capped by a dominating
00:09Super Bowl win over a legend.
00:12The saying goes, defense wins championships, and Seattle proved that with a unique unit
00:18that rivaled the greats.
00:20While commanding defenses of the past typically revolved around a strong front seven, the
00:25Seahawks destroyed teams with a hard-hidden secondary ready to knock heads, gaining the
00:30nickname the Legion of Boom.
00:33It's a plan Seattle put in motion years earlier.
00:37In 2010, the Seahawks hired acclaimed USC head coach Pete Carroll, who media members pegged
00:43as an overhyped candidate.
00:45Alongside Carroll, the Seahawks brought in executive John Schneider to take over general
00:49manager duties, and the duo orchestrated a top-flight defense.
00:53On the back ends were ball hawk safeties Earl Thomas and Cam Chancellor.
00:59On the outside, Seattle had shut-down corner Richard Sherman.
01:03Opposite Sherman was Brandon Browner, a stout No. 2 who could be the leading guy on most
01:08other franchises.
01:10The boys swarming the back half of the field were supported by a versatile front seven,
01:14including Bruce Irvin, K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner, Cliff Averill, and Michael Bennett.
01:20The duo struck gold with a stingy defensive unit, but Carroll and Schneider landed key
01:26gems offensively as well.
01:28In 2010, they swung a trade for former first-round running back Marshawn Lynch, whose bruising
01:33running style can only be described best by him.
01:36Two years later, they got the steal of the draft, nabbing quarterback Russell Wilson, who could kill
01:58opponents with his arm and legs.
02:01As Seattle entered the 2014 season, they lost Browner in free agency, but the defense
02:07didn't miss a beat.
02:09After commanding performance in the divisional round and a miracle comeback conference championship
02:14win, the Seahawks looked for Pete.
02:17Usually, we only recognize a dynasty when it's all said and done, but with Seattle, we were
02:23witnessing something special in real time.
02:25And if not for a crushing game-sealing goal-line interception, Seattle could have very well
02:30hoisted the Lombardi trophy again.
02:33The loss stung, but after back-to-back seasons smothering opponents with a ruthless defense
02:38and a young quarterback ascending into stardom, journalists believed Seattle was just getting
02:43started.
02:44Except, that whole dynasty talk crumbled under a team dynamic that was bound to fall apart.
02:50So, yeah.
02:55Throwing the ball in second down at the goal line while having arguably the league's toughest
03:00runner maybe was too much of a big-brain idea.
03:04But as Seattle planned to field essentially the exact squad the following season, journalists
03:09and oddsmakers believe they had a strong shot at returning to the game's biggest stage.
03:14Except, it's never easy to keep everyone happy.
03:18As the 2015 season crept closer to week one, negotiations between Chancellor and Seattle
03:24hit a snag.
03:25With both sides standing on business, their star safety missed the first two games.
03:30The Seahawks lost both matchups without Cam, and more than his ability to impact games,
03:35teammates greatly missed his leadership.
03:38After seeing his brother suffer back-to-back L's, Cam knew he had to return.
03:42No deal was done, something Cam planned on revisiting later, but more than anything, fulfilling the
03:49championship aspirations with his squad motivated him to return.
03:53With the Chancellor back in the fold, the Seahawks finished the regular season historically.
03:58However, defense was never Seattle's issue.
04:02Lynch missed over half the season, and the offense sputtered without him as Seattle dropped
04:07to a wildcard team.
04:08They gutted out a tough first-round win, but Seattle fell far from their title hopes.
04:14It was a hangover year, proving they weren't invincible, and the 2016 offseason presented
04:19problems.
04:20After an injury-ravaged year and struggling through contract battles, Lynch called it quits
04:25in perfect Marshawn fashion, tweeting out a pic of his cleats draped over electrical wires
04:31with a deuces emoji during the middle of the Super Bowl.
04:35Losing a tone setter for the most successful era in franchise history had to be a hard pill
04:40to swallow, and just two days after Marshawn slammed the door shut on a potential return,
04:46Bruce Irvin also dipped in free agency.
04:49The Seahawks lost an elite pass rusher in Irvin, but even with his departure, Seattle's
04:54defense was still expected to lead them back to glory.
04:57That side of the ball continued to dominate, showing potential for a deep postseason run,
05:03until they unraveled.
05:05In the December Week 13 blowout win over the Panthers, Earl Thomas suffered a severe broken
05:11tibia, leaving him openly pondering retirement.
05:15Without their safety, Seattle held on to finish the season as division champs, but the squad
05:21seemed weirdly off at times.
05:23During an October win over the Atlanta Falcons, Sherman seemed ready to throw hands with his
05:29own teammates when he came off the field hot after the defense allowed an easy touchdown.
05:34After the matchup, Sherman explained his frustration stemmed from a failed adjustment by Kelsey McRae,
05:40who was filling in for the injured chancellor.
05:43Miscommunication happens a lot in the NFL, but Sherman's frustrations lingered through the
05:48rest of the game.
05:49When Sherman tipped a pass in the fourth quarter that teammate Earl Thomas picked off, the cornerback
05:55didn't seem to care.
05:57After all but securing the win following a late pass and completion, Sherman walked off
06:01the field as if nothing happened.
06:04Sherman's a proudly passionate player, but that moment was nearly the angriest his teammates
06:09had ever seen him.
06:11Carroll didn't stress it at all, knowing he had a group of guys in his locker room who would
06:16get through it and back each other no matter what.
06:19Plus, in their postseason row back to the Super Bowl, I'm sure they could all look back
06:24on that moment and laugh.
06:26Oh.
06:28As they hit the 2017 offseason, the franchise seemed open to trading one of their pioneering
06:33players.
06:35Our report specifically stated it would require the right deal to move Sherman.
06:39It seemed odd that Seattle openly entertained the thought of losing one of the NFL's best
06:44defensive backs.
06:46Carroll had been candid about Sherman's blowups throughout the season, but issues ran deeper
06:51behind the scenes.
06:53In a May 2017 ESPN feature detailing Sherman's trade, journalist Seth Wickersham uncovered a
06:59June 2014 incident that ignited a rift between the team.
07:03During a fiery practice in which Sherman had started a fight a few plays earlier, he intercepted
07:10Russ and let out some feelings that in hindsight seemed to have been pent up.
07:15According to folks on the scene, Sherman tossed the ball back to Russ, offering some not-so-friendly
07:21words of encouragement, leading to another team tussle.
07:25With Russ shell-shocked and Sherman irate, Carroll shut down practice.
07:30Sherman aimed to humble Russ after the Super Bowl fame and toughen him up, but Carroll didn't
07:36see it that way.
07:37The coach held meetings reminding players to uplift each other, but to specifically support
07:42their quarterback.
07:44That message fell on deaf ears to a defense that felt Carroll had shown Russ special treatment
07:49over the last few years.
07:51They already looked at their QB sideways, but after that heartbreaking Super Bowl interception,
07:56any chemistry left between a team that seemed destined for greatness all but disappeared.
08:03Sherman took the Super Bowl loss harder than others, which you can see in real time after
08:07the interception.
08:09With just one trophy and their title window closing, Sherman placed the blame on his coach
08:13and quarterback.
08:15This is all info before the start of the 2017 season, by the way.
08:19However, a month after reports first surfaced, GM John Snyder seemed ready to dead the trade
08:26talks.
08:27Retaining Sherman was messy as the team's dirty laundry became public, and the GM stood by
08:32his guns, saying it had to be a crazy offer to lose their top corner.
08:37With Sherman returning, and the team finally signing Chancellor to a contract extension later
08:42that same summer, Seattle appeared to be back on track.
08:45However, untimely injuries derailed their hopes yet again.
08:51In a midseason matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Sherman ruptured his Achilles, ultimately
08:56ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
08:59It's an issue Sherman claimed he experienced all year, but felt he had to play through the
09:04pain.
09:05Nearly a week later, Chancellor joined Sherman on IR with a lingering neck issue.
09:09Down two prominent figures, and a load of others playing banged up, Seattle's defense
09:16looked like a shell of itself.
09:18And for the first time in five years, the franchise missed the postseason outright.
09:24Journalists expected major changes for Seattle in the 2018 offseason, and Schneider only fanned
09:29the flames.
09:30Less than a week after Schneider put the entire team on the block, reports swirled that Sherman
09:35wasn't expected to return to Seattle after multiple teammates sent out cryptic tweets
09:40hinting at his departure.
09:43Nothing was official on Sherman, but in the wake of the news, Seattle traded defensive end
09:48Michael Bennett.
09:50A few days later, the Seahawks officially released Sherman.
09:54Both those decisions were in the hands of the franchise, but that same summer, it hurt no
09:59less to see Cliff Averill and Cam Chancellor announce their early retirements.
10:04In what was a clear rebuilding year, the dudes who moved on from Seattle spent the summer
10:09airing out their grievances.
10:12In a September 2018 Sports Illustrated article, writers Greg Bishop and Robert Klimko caught
10:18up with the past members of the LOB at Sherman's wedding in the Dominican Republic.
10:23The wedding was a celebration for Sherman and his new bride, of course, but a handful of players
10:28saw the reunion as an opportunity to toast Sherman escaping the sinking ship.
10:33Happy conversations about the future ultimately turned back into the frustration about the
10:38dynasty that never was, but the consensus from the group echoed Sherman's disgust for
10:44Russ.
10:45Carroll's constant favoritism of Wilson ate away at members of the team who felt they were
10:50held to a higher standard while their quarterback often got praised for mid-performances.
10:55The lack of accountability shrugged the locker room.
10:58Again, all of this was remarkably before the gut-wrenching Super Bowl loss.
11:04Wilson's interception was just the icing on the cake, leading people to believe that
11:09Carroll specifically called a pass to give Russ better odds at winning MVP.
11:14Carroll had long preached a specific philosophy of football to his team, and to see him turn
11:19on that in such a crucial spot, players no longer believed in his word.
11:24As the Legion of Boom crumbled, several current and former players thought the pressure mounted
11:29for Schneider and Carroll.
11:31Considering the circumstances, Seattle exceeded expectations with a surprising 2018 season nearly
11:38advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
11:41But the year didn't come without his hiccups.
11:44In a week 4 matchup against the Cardinals, Thomas sustained a nasty leg injury, ending
11:50his season.
11:51As he got carted off the field, Thomas flipped off the Seahawks bench, making clear his days
11:57in Seattle were more than likely done.
12:00On the bright side, Carroll's bet on Russ seemed to pay off as his QB returned to Pro Bowl form,
12:06erasing doubts he could be a franchise leader.
12:08With a strong season under his belt, journalists believed the post-LOB era wouldn't be so tough
12:15with Russ leading the way.
12:17But as the Seahawks looked toward that future, they lost some more members of the past,
12:22as Thomas dipped at the end of the year.
12:24If former players thought Carroll & Coe overly committed to Russ in the past, I just know
12:30the LOB group chat had to be on fire when Seattle inked Russ to a massive contract extension
12:35in spring 2019.
12:37Seattle's loyalty to Russ seemed to pay off, as the QB had one of his best seasons in 2019,
12:44earning his first All-Pro nod and nearly leading Seattle back to the conference championship.
12:50This wasn't the old Seahawks, and going into the 2020 season, Seattle planned to lean on
12:56Russ even more.
12:57Off-season talks revolved around opening up the playbook to let the ball fly, rallying behind
13:03the phrase, let Russ cook.
13:05Initially, Russ sheped up gourmet performances, leading Seattle to an undefeated start as he
13:12played his way into early MVP contention.
13:15It's an award Wilson wasn't afraid to admit he aimed for.
13:19But just as fast as he cooked up those Michelin star-level plates, he came crashing down to
13:24a fast-food drive-thru level of play.
13:27Despite the rough patch, Seattle reclaimed the NFC West, but got upset in the wild-card round,
13:34behind a dreadful performance from Russ.
13:37Post-game, the normally cool, calm, and collected Carroll questioned Wilson's play and thought
13:44offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer failed to put his QB in the best spot to succeed.
13:49With their first-round exit, it was Seattle's sixth year in a row failing to make it back to the NFC
13:55championship game.
13:56The further they were removed from those dynasty hopes of the past, the more faces from that bygone
14:03era disappeared as long-time linebacker KJ Wright left in free agency.
14:08Carroll publicly challenging Russ after their playoff loss seemed to be a coach holding his
14:13quarterback to a high standard, but behind the scenes, a divide formed, and not only between
14:19Russ and Carroll.
14:21As Russ aired it out more last season, often throwing caution to the win, Seahawks executives
14:27wondered if the QB they built their franchise around had his priorities in order.
14:32For a pairing that seemed destined to stand the test of time, Carroll and Wilson's idea of
14:37success no longer aligned.
14:40Carroll built a championship-winning career playing a brand of ball that focused on keeping
14:45things on the ground, avoiding turnovers, and using the run game to open up the pass.
14:51Russ, on the other hand, strived to be one of the NFL's all-time greats and believed Carroll's
14:57conservative style stopped him from getting there.
15:00When Carroll caved and the team bent to Wilson's preferred style of play, Carroll felt like he had
15:06the snatch control when the turnovers racked up.
15:09In his decision, Carroll uncannidly preached to his team and coaching staff the importance
15:14of accountability, a message that seemed to go right over Russ's head.
15:19Confidence is key, and Russ continued to push for more control within the franchise,
15:24but they no longer saw him as that guy, which he didn't handle well.
15:30For a dude that typically pushes positivity, Russ took to the media during the 2021 offseason
15:36that questioned Seattle's direction going forward.
15:39The two sides seemed to reach a breaking point, with Russ and his camp openly exploring potential
15:44trade destinations.
15:46It was a clear battle of power and control.
15:49But as Russ remained the starter going into the 2021 season, equipped with a new OC he
15:54strongly endorsed, maybe Seattle could get back on track.
16:00Yeah.
16:01Amid the disorder and experiencing the first losing season of his career, a divorce between
16:07Russ and the Seahawks seemed inevitable.
16:10As Seattle entered the 2022 offseason in what felt like another turning point for the franchise,
16:15they released long-time LB Bobby Wagner.
16:19And following endless reports regarding his future in Seattle, the franchise officially
16:24traded Wilson in March.
16:27Russ outlasted all his peers from the championship squad, but when the trade went through, it didn't
16:33come as a shock.
16:34It was a long time coming, and former Seattle players rejoiced in the moment, relieved to see
16:40Wilson's true colors exposed.
16:41Carroll found success as he spent the next few seasons navigating a roster that had a dramatic
16:47overhaul since their title days, but in 2024, the franchise and Carroll agreed it was time
16:53to move on as he transitioned into a new role.
16:57In 2025, the coach officially stepped away, joining the Raiders, leaving Schneider as the
17:03last man standing.
17:04Failing to reach championship expectations isn't a rare phenomenon, but Seattle was supposed
17:10to be more.
17:12They were meant to be a dynasty.
17:14With a historic defense and a young QB still in his prime, winning just one championship doesn't
17:21fit that criteria.
17:22But when egos and personalities collided, the team caved in under its own weight.
17:27The team calledнутьFdestirond informação.
17:34The team calledISEA processors.
17:35The team calledICHBEN.
17:37Overtax Withradik.
17:38The team called Shooter.
17:40The team calledrireEacon自由.
17:41The team called Tutajen.
17:42The team called marathon divinggens.
17:44quel14F goes İmt iets.
17:47irosus.
17:49znaczy那个 hatten ок t Are your first?
17:51The team called today.
17:52Of course, the team called teeerings.
17:54You're the two of their to be short headquarters.
Comments