One thing everyone knows about Richard Sherman: He doesn't hold back. He can be feisty, funny, intelligent, and brutal. As an analyst, he can be bombastically straightforward. The former Seattle Seahawks great relates things as he sees them, and he is unafraid to ruffle some feathers.
His approach is like that of a lot of people in the current field of sports media. Often, the loudest voice gets heard most, even if the quieter voices make more sense sometimes. Sherman almost always makes sense, though, again, it is the kind of logic that some like to dispute.
Where Sherman is difficult to argue with is when it comes to understanding what makes a defense elite. He played on one of the best in the history of football when he was part of the Legion of Boom. Now, still a Seattle area resident, the former cornerback is able to keep a keen eye on the current best defense in the league, Mike Macdonald's Dark Side group on the 2025 Seahawks.
Richard Sherman has the perfect opinion on comparing two great eras of Seattle Seahawks football
But comparing the LOB and the Dark Side? That's foolishness, according to Sherman on a recent episode of his eponymous podcast. The DVOA and raw statistics can be analyzed and compared, but the schemes and the game are different. Each iteration of Seattle football greatness was excellent and should simply be appreciated as such, not measured against one another.
"This whole comparison thing that they want to continue to do, and who's better...I loved what (the Seahawks) did this season," Sherman said. "It was fantastic. Sometimes you don't have to compare...Appreciate the incredibly dominant Super Bowl champion team that you just got to witness. These guys are incredible in their own right. They don't need to be associated with us, or compared (to the LOB)...They deserve all the shine and credit...Let 'em shine, baby."
Nothing Richard Sherman says is incorrect in his summation, of course. The problem is that, in practice, what he suggests might be impossible. It is human nature to compare, especially when the two entities in this case belong to the same organization and are only a decade apart.
Other similarities exist, too, of course. John Schneider was the general manager of both Super Bowl winners. Former head coach Pete Carroll succeeded fairly quickly in his tenure. The team won the title in Carroll's fourth season as coach. For Mike Macdonald, it only took two years.
The next question for Macdonald and his defense, though, is whether the team can sustain the elite level of success that the Legion of Boom defenses did. They led the NFL in few points allowed in four straight seasons. The current Seattle team has only done it once so far.
That said, if the Seattle Seahawks want to go three more years leading the league in fewest points allowed, no 12 is going to complain. Neither would Richard Sherman. It would be a win-win all around.