Seattle Seahawks: A look back at stars of the 2013 Super Bowl team

With the Legion of Boom basically gone and many players departing the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, it’s time to reminisce about the legendary 2013 team.

The 2013 Seattle Seahawks are legendary. They won the Super Bowl that year, squashing the record-setting Peyton Manning led Denver Broncos and people began to wonder if they could become a dynasty.

The Seahawks never did, but the idea goes to show just how great the team was and the impression it left on people. Looking back, it’s no wonder the team was so good. The squad was littered with star players, many of whom have moved on now to other teams.

Let’s take a minute to appreciate the dominant forces that made up the 2013 Seahawks.

The Offense

Starting up front for the Seahawks, two main men held defenders at bay and opened wholes for the running game. Center Max Unger and left tackle Russell Okung have both made two Pro Bowls during their careers and were the best members of the Seahawks offensive line. Okung did miss eight games during the 2013 season, but it’s always important to have a star protecting your quarterback’s blindside. Both Okung and Unger are no longer on the Seahawks.

The Seahawks recovering corps was incredibly under appreciated and undervalued. Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin were the starters and neither was all that well known in 2013. In fact, both had just had their best years as pros and were only beginning to prove themselves as NFL stars. Since 2013, Tate departed the Seahawks, made a Pro Bowl, had four consecutive years with 90 or more receptions and crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark three times. Baldwin has been to the last two Pro Bowls and has caught 29 touchdowns in just the last three seasons.

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The leaders of the 2013 Seahawks offense are obvious though, quarterback Russell Wilson and future Hall of Fame running back Marshawn Lynch were a dangerous combination. Beast Mode carried the ball more than 300 times in 2013 for over 1,200 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He was the main reason why the Seahawks finished fourth in rushing the league in rushing yards per game.

Lynch also had over 300 receiving yards thanks to Wilson, who recorded a 101.2 quarterback rating while passing for 26 touchdowns. Wilson used his elite athleticism to add an extra 539 rushing yards, making him the team’s second leading rusher. Both players were Pro Bowlers in 2013. Since then, Lynch retired and then un-retired to join the Oakland Raiders. In 2017, he reached 10,000 career rushing yards. Wilson has made two more Pro Bowls and led the NFL in passing touchdowns in 2017.

The Defense

The Legion of Boom will always be the most remembered part of the 2013 Seahawks, but that secondary had a lot of help from the defensive line and linebackers. While no defensive linemen made the Pro Bowl for the Seahawks that year, future Pro Bowl defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were on the team.

They recorded eight and a half and eight sacks that year, respectively. Defensive end Chris Clemons was also on the team. He recorded just four and a half sacks in 2013, but had 33.5 in his three previous years with the team. The Seahawks moved on from Bennett and Avril this offseason and Clemons left the team after 2013 and retired after the 2015 season.

2013 was the last year All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner didn’t make the Pro Bowl. He easily racked up over 100 tackles that year to go along with five sacks and two interceptions. K.J. Wright was also a linebacker on the Super Bowl team. He played in and started 13 games that year, but his best seasons have come since then and he made the Pro Bowl in 2016.

Linebackers Bruce Irvin and Malcolm Smith weren’t, and still aren’t star players, but they were key contributors on the Seahawks. Smith did end up being the MVP of the Super Bowl though. Both Irvin and Smith have had their best seasons since leaving the Seahawks and joining the Raiders. Smith is now on the San Francisco 49ers, but missed all of 2017 with an injury.

You’ve heard these names before, everyone has: Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas. The trinity of defensive backs made up the most feared secondary in recent NFL history, the Legion of Boom. Sherman had an incredible year in 2013, intercepting eight passes for the second year in a row. Thomas added his own prestige to the group, intercepting five passes himself.

Meanwhile, as the team’s enforcer, Chancellor laid hard hits on opponents all season long, nearing 100 tackles. Sherman is now on the 49ers, Chancellor’s career might be over, and Thomas is in the final year of his deal with the team. In 2013, Seattle ranked first in total and passing defense and seventh in run defense.

Next: Ranking all 32 starting running backs

Things are different now

Out of all of the players mentioned in this article, only six out of the 16 — Wilson, Baldwin, Wagner, Wright, Chancellor,and Thomas — are still with the team. It’s no wonder why the team missed the playoffs last season, any team would struggle to maintain their success with that level of turnover among their best players.

The Seahawks let go of several members of their old guard this year to begin a partial rebuild, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Now the league and the 12th Man will be waiting to see what head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider come up with to compete for titles in the future.