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By the time Super Bowl XLIX rolls around, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are names nearly every fan watching will recognize, and rightly so. The three All-Pros make up the foundation of the Seattle Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” defensive backfield that’s terrorized opposing passing games for the better part of three seasons.
Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX could very well be Byron Maxwell’s last in a Seahawks uniform. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
They’ll try to continue that dominant streak when they take on the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday, but some of the lesser known names of the L.O.B. may have just as much to say about the outcome of the game as Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor.
Chief among that group is a player who may be entering his final game with the Hawks in the Super Bowl.
Byron Maxwell was an oft-injured special teams player for much of his first two seasons in Seattle after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. But in 2013, with Brandon Browner out due to injuries and a drug suspension, the fourth-year corner ascended into a starting role, and after Browner signed with New England in the offseason Maxwell took over his spot for good.
In 2014, Maxwell has turned heads with his play on the opposite side of the field from Sherman, and with Super Bowl XLIX the last game before he potentially enters unrestriced free agency, the 26-year-old has a lot riding on his performance versus Tom Brady and the Patriots.
On Wednesday, Maxwell said he had high expectations for the game.
“I mean the sky’s the limit. There aren’t ceilings to be honest with you,” he said. “Defensive MVP of the Super Bowl would be nice. … I just want to take it as far as I can take it.”
Seattle GM John Schneider said last week that retaining Maxwell was one of the team’s top priorities this offseason, and on Wednesday, Maxwell confirmed that he and the team were already discussing a new deal that would keep him in Seattle. But with the potential of big money from another team on the horizon, Maxwell said he couldn’t help but look ahead a little bit.
“I’m the prettiest girl at the dance right now,” he said when asked about his impending free agent status. “It’s one of those things I’m excited about it. I would love to be here but how things work out, as far as I’m ready to see what’s out there.”
If Maxwell ends up leaving the Seahawks, he’ll be just the latest in a line of defensive backs who signed free-agent deals after succeeding in Seattle, including Browner, Walter Thurmond and Chris Maragos, each of whom signed with different squads after the Hawk’s win in Super Bowl XLVIII.
His teammates seem to think that wherever he goes, Maxwell deserves the money he’s about to make.
“When you think of LOB you think about the big things like (Sherman), and Earl, and Kam and I don’t think Maxwell gets enough credit, because he’s a hell of a corner,” linebacker Bruce Irvin said on Wednesday. “He doesn’t get enough credit, but his time will come. Somebody’s going to take care of him. I got a lot of confidence in (Maxwell) and it’s been a privilege to play with him the last three years.”
Backup safety Jeron Johnson said Wednesday that he wasn’t taken aback by his teammate’s success.
“Max is Max, man. He’s consistent,” Johnson said. “Even when he was on special teams, he made plays on special teams. He gets his opportunity to go in at a corner, he makes plays at corner. So he’s been consistent for four years. I’m not surprised by it at all. I’m happy for him.”
Notes:
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.
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Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX could very well be Byron Maxwell’s last in a Seahawks uniform. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
They’ll try to continue that dominant streak when they take on the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday, but some of the lesser known names of the L.O.B. may have just as much to say about the outcome of the game as Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor.
Chief among that group is a player who may be entering his final game with the Hawks in the Super Bowl.
Byron Maxwell was an oft-injured special teams player for much of his first two seasons in Seattle after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. But in 2013, with Brandon Browner out due to injuries and a drug suspension, the fourth-year corner ascended into a starting role, and after Browner signed with New England in the offseason Maxwell took over his spot for good.
In 2014, Maxwell has turned heads with his play on the opposite side of the field from Sherman, and with Super Bowl XLIX the last game before he potentially enters unrestriced free agency, the 26-year-old has a lot riding on his performance versus Tom Brady and the Patriots.
On Wednesday, Maxwell said he had high expectations for the game.
“I mean the sky’s the limit. There aren’t ceilings to be honest with you,” he said. “Defensive MVP of the Super Bowl would be nice. … I just want to take it as far as I can take it.”
Seattle GM John Schneider said last week that retaining Maxwell was one of the team’s top priorities this offseason, and on Wednesday, Maxwell confirmed that he and the team were already discussing a new deal that would keep him in Seattle. But with the potential of big money from another team on the horizon, Maxwell said he couldn’t help but look ahead a little bit.
“I’m the prettiest girl at the dance right now,” he said when asked about his impending free agent status. “It’s one of those things I’m excited about it. I would love to be here but how things work out, as far as I’m ready to see what’s out there.”
If Maxwell ends up leaving the Seahawks, he’ll be just the latest in a line of defensive backs who signed free-agent deals after succeeding in Seattle, including Browner, Walter Thurmond and Chris Maragos, each of whom signed with different squads after the Hawk’s win in Super Bowl XLVIII.
His teammates seem to think that wherever he goes, Maxwell deserves the money he’s about to make.
“When you think of LOB you think about the big things like (Sherman), and Earl, and Kam and I don’t think Maxwell gets enough credit, because he’s a hell of a corner,” linebacker Bruce Irvin said on Wednesday. “He doesn’t get enough credit, but his time will come. Somebody’s going to take care of him. I got a lot of confidence in (Maxwell) and it’s been a privilege to play with him the last three years.”
Backup safety Jeron Johnson said Wednesday that he wasn’t taken aback by his teammate’s success.
“Max is Max, man. He’s consistent,” Johnson said. “Even when he was on special teams, he made plays on special teams. He gets his opportunity to go in at a corner, he makes plays at corner. So he’s been consistent for four years. I’m not surprised by it at all. I’m happy for him.”
Notes:
- Second-year cornerback Tharold Simon (Maxwell’s potential replacement if he leaves this offseason) said that facing a team that runs crisp underneath routes — like New England — means the Hawks need to focus on breaking on Patriots receivers instead of worrying about getting beat down the field: “When get to guys who do run real good routes, you want to make sure you’re more positioned to what they’re doing,” he said. “Because you know route-runners, they’re not really going to take you on too many deep routes.”
- Johnson, the team’s leading special-teams tackler, said he felt fine after missing both Seahawks’ playoff games when he suffered a dislocated elbow in Week 17. He said the key to containing the Pats’ passing game would be tackling: “You’ve just got to tackle well, a big emphasis on no yards after the catch,” he said.” They’ve got some good route runners and they’re going to catch balls, so we’ve just got to limit the gain and limit how many yards we give up.”
- Second-year safety Steven Terrell, an undrafted rookie in 2013 who played in six games this season after signing with the team at the start of training camp, said that he relished the opportunity to learn from his L.O.B. teammates: “It’s pretty cool to play with the best; the best corner, the best safeties. I can just learn from them every day in practice,” he said. “It’s an advantage for me that a lot of other young DBs don’t get a chance to see. They don’t get to see Sherman work every day in practice, Earl’s focus or Kam’s intensity on gamedays. They don’t get to see that every day and I do, so I don’t take it for granted. I appreciate the things that I’ve learned from them just watching them go to work every day. I feel like it’s a great opportunity to me. I’d be dumb to not learn and ask them as many questions as I can.”
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.
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