George Willis

George Willis

NFL

Don’t expect Kam Chancellor to hit brakes

Meet the boom part of the Legion of Boom. He is Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor, one of the hardest hitters in the NFL.

“I always tell guys on my team that hitting is a want to, tackling is a want to,” Chancellor said on Monday. “You can’t just go out there and lollygag around and run to the ball, thinking you’re going to make a tackle. It’s a want to. You’ve got to know you’re going to make that tackle. You’ve got to know you’re going to deliver force at impact and be an enforcer in the game. It’s a want to.”

The Seahawks aren’t going to divulge what their game plan is when they face the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday at MetLife Stadium. But somewhere among the priorities has to be the Seahawks secondary, nicknamed the Legion of Boom, being physical with the Broncos talented receivers.

That was the game plan the Giants used in Super Bowl XXV to slow down the high-powered, no-huddle offense of the Buffalo Bills. Receivers Andre Reed, James Lofton and Don Beebe felt the full force of the Giants secondary nearly every time they either caught — or attempted to catch — a pass. The strategy resulted in the Giants earning a 20-19 win over the favored Bills in Tampa, Fla.

Chancellor smiled when asked if the Seahawks would implement a similar strategy against the Broncos. “Their offense has a lot of timing routes, a lot of pick plays,” he said. “They have a lot going on. But when you look into it, it’s an offense that can be stopped. But you have to be disciplined and play your ball.”

The Legion of Boom might be the best secondary in the NFL. Everyone knows about cornerback Richard Sherman, but Chancellor and free safety Earl Thomas also made the Pro Bowl, and Byron Maxwell has been solid since taking over as the starting cornerback opposite Sherman in December.

“I think we all bring something unique to the team from a physical standpoint,” Chancellor said. “But from a mental standpoint we’re pretty much the same. We all have that drive and that passion. We all overcame something to get where we are and we’re never satisfied. We always want to get better and we always want to find the next edge, and we’re always going to keep moving forward.”

Thomas has the best speed and instincts. Sherman used his size and technique to lead the league with eight interceptions, while Chancellor and his chiseled 6-foot-3, 232-pound battering ram keeps receivers nervous.

In his fourth year out of Virginia Tech, Chancellor said being a violent hitter was a choice.

“I did sit down one day and decide that for me to succeed in the league and for our defense to step it up another notch that I would have to be the enforcer in every game no matter what,” he said. “Now they give me the enforcer title and I love it.”

This Super Bowl matches the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense, though nobody is going to confuse the Seahawks with the ’85 Bears. The Saints gained 409 total yards in the divisional playoff loss at Seattle, with Drew Brees completing 24 of 43 for 309 yards and one touchdown, while the Niners matched the Seahawks’ 308 total yards in the NFC Championship Game, when Colin Kaepernick threw for 153 yards and rushed for another 130. Still, the Legion of Boom looks forward to testing itself against Manning.

“Anytime you see a guy that’s good on the opposite side of the ball, you want to go play against that guy,” Chancellor said. “If you want to be the best you’ve got to bring out your best against the best.”

Chancellor knows when he has rattled a receiver by his expression.

“It’s a certain look they give me and I just smile back,” he said. “Their eyes get big. It’s fun to me. It just makes me want to keep hitting harder.”

He hopes to get plenty of those looks come Super Bowl Sunday.