People clearly have a strong need to compare things, even when those things being compared don't truly relate to one another. This is the case with the current Seattle Seahawks defense compared to the legendary Legion of Boom. Both are great, but each is different.
The players and coaches aren't the same, and the schemes are not at all similar. What would be nice is if the national media simply appreciated both defenses while not asking if one is better than the other. Seahawks fans have no issue being thankful for the quality of both eras.
But as Devon Witherspoon addressed the press on Opening Night of media week ahead of Super Bowl 60, when Seattle plays the New England Patriots, one of the questions he was asked was, of course, whether Mike Macdonald's defense was better than Pete Carroll's mid-2010s defenses were. Witherspoon might have even implied an answer.
Devon Witherspoon is asked to compare the Legion of Boom to current Seattle Seahawks defense
The cornerback said, "We're always gonna celebrate, give (the LOB) guys credit for what they do, but, like I said, we got to do things our own way, and we got to find our own identity."
But when pressed with an immediate follow-up to whether Witherspoon believes the current Seahawks defense is better than the Legion of Boom, the cornerback answered, "Hey, look, man, I can't answer that question," and laughed.
The question asked of a current player is quite unfair. One could take the high road and say that those who came before are better, but then that would mean the player is saying another defense would be an upgrade on the one he plays on. Witherspoon has every right to think the current Seattle defense is one of the best to ever play.
That could be a stretch, though. While the Seahawks led the league in fewest points allowed (17.2 points per game), that pales statistically to some of the Legion of Boom years. The 2013 team allowed just 14.4 points per game, and the 2014 team just 15.9 points per game. Even the non-Super Bowl team of 2012 gave up just 15.3 points per.
But the NFL is a different league just 10 years on. Does Seattle allowing 17.2 points a game in 2025 equate to 15 points in 2024? Maybe. Either way, the Seahawks were the best in the NFL. So good, in fact, that the team overall is good enough to contend for a Super Bowl title.
Devon Witherspoon is right not to really answer the question about which is better: The Legion of Boom or the current Dark Side. His opinion could not go without bias. Ultimately, one hopes that after the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots are in awe of the current Seattle Seahawks defense. That's what truly matters.