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The Las Vegas Raiders have been in a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers, as both teams will face off in a preseason matchup on Saturday. George Kittle, who has been facing the Las Vegas defense throughout the week, compared the unit to the Seattle Seahawks' legendary defense, the Legion of Boom.
A bewildered Kittle described how watching film and practicing against Las Vegas reminds him so much of the 2015 Seahawks, according to Andy Lindquist of NBC Sports Bay Area. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll coached Seattle during that time and helped pave the way for the Legion of Boom.
“Going into playing [the Raiders], I didn't realize their defense would be completely different than it has been in years past,” said Kittle. “And the footage we were watching looked like 2015 Seahawks tape. And if you watch it and compare it to how [the Raiders just played the Seahawks], it was like, ‘Oh, that's the exact same defense.”
Even quarterback Brock Purdy noticed similarities between the new-look Raiders and the Seahawks of old. Purdy ultimately came away impressed with the defense and praised them ahead of Saturday's preseason contest.
“I think they're solid,” claimed Purdy. “Obviously, with [Raiders head coach] coach [Pete] Carroll and their scheme that he's done [with the Seattle Seahawks], like bringing it over here and from back when they were running it with Legion of Boom, so you could see them doing that now, which is pretty cool.
“And I think they're going to continue to get better with it. And obviously, when you've got Maxx Crosby and those guys rushing the pocket, they had a couple of good reps today of getting in there, so disruptive, but still pretty good scheme-wise overall. So, it was good going up against them [during joint practice this week].”
The original Legion of Boom mainly consisted of the Seahawks' secondary, which was filled with lockdown defenders and heavy hitters. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, Byron Maxwell, and Walter Thurmond paved the way for the Legion of Boom in Seattle.
Expectations are a bit higher for the Raiders right now after the franchise made several moves to improve the coaching staff and roster. Las Vegas will kick off the 2025-26 campaign in a Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots.
