Legion of Boom

Legion of Boom

The Legion of Boom includes Maxwell (#41), Lane (#20), Chancellor (#31), Sherman (#25), and Thomas (#29)
Formation	2011
Parent organization	Seattle Seahawks

The Legion of Boom is the nickname for the defensive backs group of the Seattle Seahawks, a term widely popularized following their emergence in 2011. The current starting players are outside cornerbacks Richard Sherman and DeShawn Shead, inside cornerback Jeremy Lane, and safeties Kam Chancellor and safety Earl Thomas. The group, aka 'LOB', quickly earned a reputation for consistently leading the NFL in numerous defensive categories. Their earliest crowning achievement was their team's victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. Since the LOB's inception, the Seahawks defense has led the NFL in minimum points allowed, and the team has finished each season ranked #1 by DVOA metrics.

Before the 2011 season, the Seahawks drafted cornerback Richard Sherman in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft and signed cornerback Brandon Browner as a free agent from the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), adding to 2010 draftees free safety Earl Thomas and strong safety Kam Chancellor. They first met during the 2011 NFL lockout at a basketball game against Jamal Crawford, and played good team defense together from the start. After an injury to Marcus Trufant, Sherman earned his first career start on October 30, 2011 against the Cincinnati Bengals, marking the first time the four original members started a game together. The high level play of the group over the rest of the 2011 season would inspire the nickname. Brandon Browner would leave the Seattle Seahawks and move to the New England Patriots in the 2014 season, where he eventaully won a Super Bowl before playing for New Orleans Saints. Browner briefly returned as a hybrid safety for 2016 preseason, but was cut prior to the regular season.