Richard Sherman and the Legend of ET III

Over his first six seasons in the NFL, Earl Thomas III has become one of the most feared defenders in football, but it isn’t all about just performing on gameday. No. 29 has built, and is continuing to add to his legacy on the practice field.

Teammate and fellow Legion of Boom anchor Richard Sherman discussed No. 29’s passion behind the scenes at practice, which is just one of the traits that make the All-Pro safety such a special player.

“People don’t get to see him work on a daily basis. They don’t get to see how hard he goes, how hard he practices even when the practice doesn’t matter. You guys don’t get to see walkthroughs, but in walkthroughs he doesn’t let people catch the ball. He doesn’t let people execute their plays. When we’re supposed to let the offense catch it, he just doesn’t live his life that way.”

Sherman also teased about how hard Thomas goes at practice each and every time he takes the field. From the way he explains it, it’s evident that Earl puts just as much effort into his preparation as he does on game day.

“Nobody watches practice harder,” Sherman said. “Practice watches Earl Thomas, Earl Thomas doesn’t watch practice.”

The former Longhorn standout has made the Pro Bowl in five of his first six seasons in the NFL. Earl’s rookie season was the only time he didn’t receive the honor, but the 21-year-old ET still put together a terrific campaign with five interceptions and 76 tackles.

He joins elite company with the likes of Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, Ronnie Lott, Cortez Kennedy and Reggie White as defenders to make the Pro Bowl in five of their first six seasons. Kenneth Arthur of SB Nation’s Field Gulls also points out that Earl’s rookie season was Pro Bowl-worthy and the potential company he could have been a part of had he gotten the nod.

“The only time Thomas didn’t make the Pro Bowl was his rookie season in 2010,” Arthur writes. “He had a very solid argument for making the Pro Bowl that season, which would have made him one of only eight defenders to make the Pro Bowl in each of their first six seasons; six of the other seven are in the Hall of Fame and the other is future Hall of Famer Patrick Willis.”

It’s also worth noting the recent success of the Seattle Seahawks defense as a whole, and how much ET III continues to help the unit to be considered one of the most respected in the game. With Thomas energizing the secondary, the Hawks D has been flat out dominant the past four seasons ranking first in points allowed for four consecutive years.

It takes a lot to be an elite, influential defensive back in the NFL—route anticipation, ability to read the quarterback’s eyes, disguising coverage and getting creative—but Earl shines in every area. Danny Kelly of The Ringer, explains the importance of safeties like No. 29 and why the talent at the position is often undervalued.

“Safeties have a difficult and important job patrolling the secondary,” Kelly said. “Since a lot of what they do goes on off-screen, their impact never gets the attention it deserves, leaving them extremely underrated.”

Sherman, who has a tremendous amount of respect for Earl’s unwavering intensity and drive, jokingly compared his teammate to Chuck Norris when it was pointed out that the star safety will be entering his seventh pro season.

“It would be impressive to see Earl Thomas practice at the intensity he does every day if I did not know Earl Thomas was Earl Thomas,” Sherman said. “Earl Thomas is kind of like either the Dos Equis guy or Chuck Norris. He’s a guy who is exactly who people think he is and better than the people who think he’s the best. He’s better than the people who have the highest praise for him; he’s better than that.”

With the start of the regular season a little more than a week away, fans, coaches and teammates will soon have the opportunity to see what Thomas will bring to the table this year. ETIII and the L.O.B. will look to dominate once again and continue to display the excellence we’ve all grown accustomed to watching.