Richard Sherman not concerned about emphasis on illegal contact, defensive holding
By Hayden Kane
Richard Sherman and his colleagues in the ‘Legion of Boom’ make up the best secondary in the entire National Football League. That group, bigger and stronger than any unit, simply dominated as the Seattle Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl.
More from NFL
- NFL rumors: Dalvin Cook suitor maintaining very ‘real’ interest
- Packers training camp news: Jordan Love struggles, Bakhtiari schedule, position switch
- 3 Cowboys who won’t be on the roster after training camp
- Packers: Aaron Rodgers reached out to Jordan Love this offseason
- Damar Hamlin is a ‘full go’ at Bills training camp
Their talent is first and foremost on the list of reasons that they have been so successful, followed closely by the talent on the rest of the defense and their ability to play together as a unit. But one small factor that undeniably helped that group was their ability to push the line in terms of contact with opposing receivers.
Whether they would admit this is the case or not, the Legion of Boom made a nice living by constantly roughing up opposing receivers and putting the onus on the officials to make the calls over the course of a long game. Any team could have attempted this plan, of course, but not every unit has the size or talent to pull it off like Seattle did.
2014 might be a different story, however, as the league has placed a new emphasis on calling more illegal contact and defensive holding plays. If that instructive is carried out as expected, it could have a real impact on Sherman and company.
So it the outspoken corner worried about that emphasis? Hardly (quotes from Pro Football Talk):
"“[I]t will have very minimal impact on our game and how we play it,” Sherman told reporters on Monday."
An opinion in August might be far different than an opinion offered in the heat of the season, especially from a guy like Sherman. Stay tuned on this one.