Earl Thomas is the surefire Hall of Famer who will go down as the one of the best safeties to have played the game. Richard Sherman is the shutdown corner whose brashness came to exemplify the Legion of Boom.
But Kam Chancellor _ he is the one opponents fear. He is the one who causes every route runner in the NFL to wake up in a cold sweat.
I'm using "is" and not "was" in this case because I'm being optimistic. I don't want to think that Bam Bam Kam has played his last snap.
Can you imagine the Seahawks' secondary without No. 31 roaming the field? Can you picture the LOB minus its Boom?
In an interview Monday morning on 710 ESPN Seattle, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed that Chancellor will miss the remainder of the season due to a neck injury sustained against Arizona on Nov. 9. But it was the six words that followed _ "beyond that, it's up to him" _ that knocked the wind out of 12s across the state.
There had been speculation that the strong safety's career might be over before Carroll took to the airwaves. To hear those words come out of the coach's mouth, though, pushed those rumors closer to reality.
And whether it's on the field or in the locker room, the Seahawks just aren't the Seahawks without Chancellor. They aren't the same force sans the Enforcer.
Who can forget the hit he put on Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis vs. the 49ers five years ago? Or the way he laid out Denver's Demaryius Thomas in the first quarter of Seattle's Super Bowl win? The Broncos never recovered. If they didn't start engraving the Seahawks' name on the Lombardi Trophy immediately after that, they were wasting time.
Think about it for a second. Chancellor might not be as gifted as some of his LOB brothers, but he probably has more memorable plays.
Who stripped the ball from Lions receiver Calvin Johnson on the 1-yard line to save Seattle's Monday night win two years ago? Kam did. Who knocked the ball out of Adrian Peterson's hands in Minnesota to keep the Seahawks' postseason hopes alive? Kam did. Who twice jumped over the Panthers' offensive line in an attempt to block a field-goal attempt? Kam did.
If he really is done, SportsCenter anchors may miss him more than anyone.
But let's not make this an obit quite yet. Nobody has closed the book on Chancellor's career.
Meeting with reporters Monday afternoon, Carroll said the 29-year-old at this time is not scheduled to have surgery. He added little detail in regard to Kam's future out of "respect" for his player.
My guess is Pete doesn't know what's next for Chancellor. My guess is Chancellor doesn't know what's next for Chancellor, either. It's frightening to think about, though. Because if you do, there's plenty of reason to think this could be it.
First off, it's his neck. The pain NFL players play through is insane, but anything above the shoulders is not to be trifled with.
A neck injury is what ended Ricardo Lockette's career two seasons ago. It's what may end Cliff Avril's as well. Most players are willing to spend their lives limping for a shot at another Super Bowl, but they wouldn't be willing to spend their lives in a wheelchair.
Second of all, Chancellor has made his money. He isn't a 24-year-old pining for his second contract. By year's end, he will have earned about $44 million for his career. That's enough to afford 91 octane for life.
On the other hand, the extra $20 million he could earn if he plays the next two seasons is quite an incentive. As is the chance to win another Super Bowl. It would be one thing if Kam were playing on the Browns' back end, but if Sherman comes back close to 100 percent next year from a ruptured Achilles tendon, this team still is a major threat.
For now, though, it's all speculation. Nobody is quite sure what's going to happen. What you can't deny, however, is that this has been the most ominous of the Seahawks' past six seasons.
Pro Bowlers are dropping left and right _ legends are proving more vulnerable than ever.
It's hard to imagine the Seahawks without Kam Chancellor. He has been considered the soul of the defense, and is one of the best strong safeties to ever do it.
If he were to say he's done, it would be the hardest hit he ever delivered.
