When Seattle Seahawks All Pro cornerback Richard Sherman looks across the locker room, he sees focus personified in the form of a teammate.

So although Sherman has seen the glare of the sports world cast in his direction this week in a way few others ever have, he’s maintained focus simply by looking across the room at Earl Thomas.

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“I think, everyday it gives you something to look at. It gives you an example every single day. A lot of times you’re there, you’re locked in. Then maybe you have an off day. Maybe things at home aren’t going well—something is knocking your day off. We’re human beings,” Sherman admitted. “Then you look at Earl Thomas and he’s locked in, he’s going as hard as he can. And you’re like ‘why would I let a guy like that down?'”

On the road to the Super Bowl this season, letdowns have been few and far between for Sherman and the rest of Seattle’s Legion of Boom. The best secondary in the NFL led the Seahawks to finish the regular season atop the league in passing and total defense. But that success didn’t come without work and the unit gives a lot of credit for their work ethic to ET III.

Sherman was quick to point to the practice field, and Earl’s leadership in that setting, as the driving force behind the LOB’s smashing success.

“We practice as hard as we possibly can. We practice like it’s a game,” Sherman said. “I really give Pete a lot of credit for that and also Earl Thomas a lot of credit for the way our defensive backfield practices and our defense in general. He plays at such a high level that he’ll be frustrated if you’re not playing at a high level because it’s messing up his look and because he doesn’t know where you’re going to be on game day.”

Attention to detail has always been a characteristic of Earl Thomas. Take for example a story told to the Seattle Times by Duane Akina, a defensive backs coach at the University of Texas during Earl’s time at the school.

During the third week of Earl’s sophomore season at Texas, a season that would end at the National Championship Game, the burgeoning young safety missed an alarm and hustled into an early morning meeting late.

The slip-up was out of character for UT’s young defensive star, so defensive backs coach Akina gave Earl a pass—but Earl didn’t give himself the same amnesty. The next week, the Orange, Texas native set up camp and slept in front of his locker, leaving no room for logistical issues on the way to the morning meeting.

University of Texas cornerback Thomas reacts after making an interception

Even back in Austin, Earl knew the type of player he wanted to become. Not just another NFL safety, but the type of player that could redefine the position. It is his attention to detail and commitment to learning from his mistakes that has launched ET III not only into a NFL career, but into a position as a leader on a team that will play for the title this Sunday.

However, sleeping on the floor of the Texas locker room wasn’t the only uncomfortable situation on the road to that destination. Early in his NFL career with the Seahawks, ET almost landed on the bench.

“He won’t want to admit to this, but there was a time where I said, ‘You know what, Earl, I’m going to have to sit you down,’ ” said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. “‘Because it’s getting to the point where we don’t know what you’re going to do next.'”

The problem was never with ET’s physical skills, energy or ability to elevate the play of those around him. Carroll and the Seahawks identified those traits early on.

“If you can say persistence and constant in the same breathe that’s Earl,” Carroll said just before Seattle’s playoff run. “He has never backed off of bringing it. With studying, working, working out, mentality, the way he communicates, and we knew this about him coming out of Texas. Their coaches and the people at Texas talked about him as just a total team starter. He’d start the practice, he’d rev it all up and he was a guy that always brought that energy.”

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However, that mental edge was missing when he first arrived in the league. So, just like back in Austin, Earl came up with a solution to the problem before him. But this one would be a bit more challenging than throwing a one-man slumber party in the locker room.

The Seahawks’ first-round pick would have to shed his skin and welcome in a new version of himself. He worked on the practice field and in the film room every day with his teammates and coaches. Over time, his mental investments began to pay dividends. Now four years after nearly losing his starting spot, ETIII was named All-Pro for the third time.

“The football intelligence and IQ has matched everything else he’s got,” said Hawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. “That’s why you see this really rare guy. He’s matching the football part with the mental part. That’s it. He just captured it.”

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While Sherman is the most well known member of the LOB, he doesn’t see himself as the leader of that defensive unit. Instead, he gave that distinction to Earl, comparing him to quarterback Russell Wilson, who has become the face of the Seahawks franchise in just his second season.

“Whenever you talk about a true competitor, a true champion, a true football player who is passionate and loves his job and does everything he can to help his team win,” Sherman said, “If you aren’t talking about Earl Thomas and Russell Wilson, then I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Led by Wilson on offense and Earl on defense, the Seahawks like their chances of all becoming true champions by the end of the night on Sunday.

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