The Seattle Seahawks are back in the championship game for Super Bowl XLIX and that means the LOB is back, as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor lead the so-called Legion of Boom to SB 49 against the New England Patriots.
The Legion of Boom is the nickname of the Seahawks secondary group that is made up of cornerbacks and safeties, with the starting players most often associated with the name. The nickname came up a few years ago and now has its own Wikipedia page listing the origins and members of the group. The Wikipedia page dates the nickname to before the 2012 season in a radio interview with Kam Chancellor.
The original group included Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, Chancellor, Thomas and Walter Thurmond and now the starting players are cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Sherman along with safeties Chancellor and Thomas. The Seahawks secondary is often considered one of the best units in the league and Sherman is considered to be the best corner in the league with Darrelle Revis, who is on the Patriots.
Thomas and Chancellor are hard hitting players and that is part of where the "boom" part of things comes from. The name comes from the Legion of Doom, which is the group of super villains that matched up with the Superfriends in the classic cartoon starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, with the team led by Lex Luthor. After the Super Bowl last year Sherman said that the entire Seahawks defense is part of the Legion of Boom, but it's most commonly used in reference to the secondary.
Thomas, Chancellor, and Browner have all made the Pro Bowl, while Sherman and Thomas have been voted as All-Pro players as well. The Super Bowl winning team was an impressive defensive unit, as they ranked first in the league in passing yards allowed and passing touchdowns allowed. Thomas, Chancellor, and Sherman all made the Pro Bowl last season and this year they all made it again, but did not play because the game was held before the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks defense helped the team demolish the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl last year and this season they come in top ranked again. The passing defense ranked first overall in the league in passing yards allowed per game, while the rush defense was third in rushing yards allowed per game. Bobby Wagner is a huge part of the defense from the linebacker spot, while Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril are the top pass rushers. The strong secondary allows those players to pressure the quarterback and as the Giants showed twice in the Super Bowl, that could be key to stopping Tom Brady.