He Was The Heart & Soul of The Legion Of Boom. (What Happened to Kam Chancellor?)

in today's nfl selling offense is hella easy big exciting pass plays bruising runners acrobatic receptions just do your job and we all in defense on the other hand not so simple to sell defense you need to not only be great in a league where the rules do not favor you in any way you also got to get a fan something to latch on to like you need an identity are you a warrior a villain or just flat out better than everybody else fans from all over latched on the seattle's legion of boone because they checked all three boxes a group who brought defense back to the forefront won the super bowl and should have easily won two if not for a terrible play call that pretty much ruined everything regardless the legacy of the group endures and while most people would consider earl thomas and richard sherman to be the headliners real ones know that the heart and soul of that group was an intense disruptive menacing force who goes by the name of cam chancellor throughout his entire career from high school to pro camp carried an infectious kinetic energy that always transferred to his teammates in his own words he actually described it pretty damn poetically one match is a fire starter it only takes one to light up the whole damn box this is what happened to cam chancellor the heart and soul of the legion of bull chew the way [Applause] [Music] [Applause] before we jump in it's time for a quick word from today's video sponsor manscaped now manscape is partnered with the testicular cancer society to raise awareness which is not only dope but literally makes perfect sense now a while back they hooked me up with a bunch of products and bro i've been using these for months i've recommended them to family members and friends alike now if you haven't tried them out yet one of the best ways to jump into it is through the perfect package kit 3.0 it includes their flagship product the lawnmower 3.0 this thing is a beast waterproof tech skin safe tech led light for precision you can use it 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third youngest of seven kids four brothers two sisters fun fact in 2015 one of those brothers was picked up by the seahawks as an undrafted free agent briefly playing alongside big brother cam cam's dad was unfortunately not around so his mom was forced to work two and three jobs pretty much all the damn time many days cam and his cousin rico would walk up and down the street looking for something to get into constructive or illegal it didn't matter so one day rico asked cam if he wanted to go play football and cam was down he really thought they was going to play in somebody's backyard or at a park or something but rico led him to james monroe elementary and they saw some kids outside putting their pads on so cam and rico walk up and they ask the coach if they can join and he's like yeah come on forever altering the path of a young camp chancellor but this was just the first of three major pillars that set cam on the path to the nfl and going through cam's story these three pillars if you will likely wouldn't have been nearly as impactful on their own but when you put them all together it kind of created a gravitational pull in the right direction on that path to success cam also spent a ton of time at park plays boys and girls club a place that offered yet another refuge from the streets where kids could just learn and play and be kids right that was the second pill but the process was gradual nothing that's actually worth having comes overnight y'all know how this goes in the beginning the football field just allowed cam to meet some more kids and since at around eight years old he was bigger than other kids his age he ran with the older kids but it wasn't too long before that started to get him into trouble so this is where the third pillar comes in as a way to keep cam from running with the wrong crowds he was given a job at a local barbershop when he was only 10 years old basically just sweeping the floor between cuts cleaning clippers taking out the trash you know stuff like that the shop owner kumasi johnson had hired cam on with his mom's permission so it gave him something else to fill his time and also he could earn a little bit of money doing this little job you know but because he was making a little bit of money the shop owner would be kind of surprised when cam would come into the shop and seem like he hadn't eaten all damn day come to find out he was spending all of his money on his siblings and making sure they were straight and times just going hungry himself here's a quote from the shop owner he told me he had bought food for his brothers and sisters i told him cam that's all well and good but you can't just go to school and try to study when you're hungry but that's just cam he was always looking out for his family and it's dope because it goes to show dude was always a leader and just a strong centerpiece for a team before it was the seahawks it was his own brothers and sisters the shop owner became a father figure for cam and steered him more towards the right path and what better place to pick up life lessons than other than barbershop you know still many of cam's friends didn't heed the same guidance and even as a young kid he unfortunately saw several of his friends lose their lives to violence camp took refuge in athletics and by the time he was a high school junior dude was a 6-2 dual threat quarterback which might surprise some of y'all and he had a pretty decent arm but an injury plague season met no scholarship offers going into his senior year as a senior his 2000 past yards and 500 rush yards solidified the fact that he would continue his football career in college now we had to choose virginia tech or james madison believe it or not james madison was not only still a contender but the heavy favorite and while it seems difficult to imagine this cat being afraid of anything in hindsight he admitted that he was intimidated by such a large program and initially felt the smaller james madison was better suited for him and his skill set and let's be real the bigger college is not always going to be the better choice but if the reason you're choosing a smaller college is just because you're afraid or intimidated by the bigger school you know that might not be the best grounds on which to make a decision so once the tug of war recruiting battle between vt and james madison was over another round of tug-of-war immediately kicked off basically the offensive and defensive coaches was fighting over can and they were honest when they recruited him there saying they may or may not keep him at quarterback the 6-3 220-pound freshman had only played a little bit of free safety in high school but the defensive coaches took one look at how dude was put together and yo they had to have it cam was permanently placed on the defensive side of the ball and bro dude was just a natural at first he played corner and think about this in a position he never played in his life at a d1 school he played in all 13 games as a true freshman and finished the year with nine tacos two deflections and a pick now i noticed that's not crazy but i don't know if y'all understand how impressive that is he's fresh off playing high school quarterback and at a d1 school he goes to a new position that he's never played corner of all spots it's a very difficult position and gets pt as a freshman that's hella impressive but here's the issue they kept changing his position okay for the first three years he played a different spot every year they basically just plugged him in wherever they felt the defense needed him as a sophomore he started at rover which is basically a box safety or drop linebacker whatever you want to call it actually pretty similar to the strong safety position he played in the legion of boom that year he started every game and racked up 79 tackles seven deflections a few quarterback hurries and a pick now as a junior they moved in the free safety i'm like let him settle into something bro i keep moving them all over the damn place but what may have seemed like a detriment at the time would eventually become one of cam's greatest assets but this would prove to be the ultimate case of delayed gratification because in the short term as a college junior cam's production seemed to be on the decline 52 tackles seven deflections two picks a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries this was around that time where cam started to hear whispers that he should enter the nfl draft since entering college he had considered the fact that he could be the first member of his family to graduate college and while that was something that meant a lot to him mom was still working two jobs and you know kind of struggling so being a good son he wanted to offer her relief not to mention the boys and girls club that impacted him so much as a kid have been shut down and cam who's always thinking about everybody else wanted to help get it reopened so we talked to his mom and the barbershop owner who kind of became a father figure for him right he wanted advice on what to do and if either one of them would have said you know i think maybe you should go pro i'm like 99 sure he'd win but because they were unselfish and they actually care about cam they didn't say that they told him listen man do what you think is best now i've been one of them cats and i said this a million times there's literally no upside in going back for that dreaded senior season if okay if you're already a high pick okay if you already seen as a top 15 pick and you go back for your senior year you're risking so much for the opportunity to move up a few spots you feel me the risk reward there usually not worth it now cam cam was a late round pick he was one of them cass that was going to go somewhere between round five and round seven plus he was coming off a down year which is mostly just because they changed his position again but you know that's neither here nor there so basically what i'm saying is this is one of them times where you know i'm okay with it okay it's cool so he stayed and had a solid but not amazing senior season but he did prove that that junior season was just an anomaly and finally staying in the same position and getting more comfortable he was able to put out some really good tape but the 4-6-9-40 he ran ended up definitely hurting his drive stock if he could have in that four or five range he probably gets drafted around maybe two rounds higher than he did he ended up being drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 nfl draft and what a steal it would turn out to be he played mostly special teams as a rookie but took the start and strong safety spot in his second year and never let it go his running mate earl thomas was taken in the first round of that exact same draft and from 2011 to 2017 they were one of if not the best safety duo in the league only one year after drafting two of the best safeties in the league the seahawks landed richard sherman once again late in the draft and he and the other members of the legion instantly became an unstoppable force and while cam definitely wasn't the most celebrated of the group he was the cat to make the whole thing work he was the motivator the enforcer the glue and one thing that i believe is very underrated is how even though he was probably the most feared of the entire group he completely suppressed his ego and allow other guys to do the majority of the talking now look obviously all the guys have different personalities but i just can't remember a whole lot of look at me moments from cam chancellor and he honestly didn't need him because you was looking anyway dude was going crazy now this is what you realize where it may not have helped this draft stock all that position switching at virginia tech really translated well we're talking about a cat that could play linebacker fill the a gap fill the b gap or cover the best tight end in the game but the thing that stood out the most the heads bro we ain't talking like just the little dirty picky spots hit like nah he was hitting everything that moved tight ends full backs running backs it did not matter if you're a receiver just go ahead alligator arm that thing bro it's not even worth it i'm not even gonna judge you and without being a dirty player okay without being a dirty player he brought this crazy level of intimidation it was wild man and the rest of the legion fed off cam's impact on the game is one that definitely cannot be completely measured with stats with that said he still put up impressive numbers throughout his career especially early on in 2011 which was his first year as a full-time starter he racked up 97 tackles a sack three fourths fumbles and four interceptions first year starter pro ball i ain't really get a lot of action yet it's coming though 2012 he went over 100 tackles for the only time in his career though he was right there multiple times he and the legion of boom had started making a name for themselves but he still got passed over for the pro bowl that year 2013 was the first year the nfl really started to see dude's value first off the fifth round pick finally got paid cashing in on a four-year 28 million dollar contract the investment immediately paid off as he made second team all pro and began a string of three straight pro bowl selections but if we learn anything from cam's early life the individual stuff was cool but with him it was always about the team like i've said multiple times dude was the heart of that defense and helped lead them to super bowl 48 where the legion of boom dominated against the league's top offense on the way there cam showed up big in every single postseason game 14 tackles in the tfl 11 tackles and a pick and then in the biggest game on the biggest stage 10 tackles a pick and two pass deflections that year peyton manning and the broncos set a single season record for passing yards and touchdowns but cam's legion of boom broke hell of records against these dudes man first off they scored the fastest points in super bowl history recording his safety only 12 seconds into the damn game they also had a pick six and led a 60 minute game for 59 minutes and 48 seconds as usual cam made a crucial play early in the game these little drag routes were a big part of the broncos offense as peyton manning couldn't hit the deep ball the same way he used to but on the first crossing route of the game while yes it was a completion cam buries demaryius thomas the broncos offense was in disarray for the rest of the contest and the seahawks cruise to a lopsided 43-8 victory the next year cam and the squad was kind of up against the impossible can you win back to back well this dude did everything he could to help get him back there in the first round of the playoffs that year his field goal block didn't count due to a penalty but still fun to watch even without that dude was completely dominant in this game he was everywhere and then he catches a 90-yard pick six at the end just for the icing on the cake the following week the seahawks won in ot versus the packers sending them to their second straight super bowl at this point the physical style cam play with had began to kind of wear him down but he constantly played through injuries and from the outside looking in seemed to never miss a beat it even came out that prior to super bowl 49 cam suffered an mcl tear but refused to miss the game and when the legion of boom took the field at night as usual the enforcer was right there where he belonged he wasn't his normal self but his gritty 10 tackles helped put them in a position or walk away with yet another lombardi trophy but despite having one of the most physical runners in the game they opted to pass the ball in the situation where a handoff or two gives you the lead late in the fourth quarter it was only second down and they still had a timeout marchand had literally just run to play before and feel like a yard short so the next play call was the most obvious one in league history but they decide to pass it gets picked off they lose the game and the legion of boone would never be the same and if you can imagine for a moment just what it takes to get to that point and to be sitting on the sideline powerless and that happens you know it's something that cam still hasn't gotten over till this day here's a quote to this day people ask me why didn't you get a ball to martian until this day i don't know i never got a clear answer i just couldn't believe it i'll just never understand the play even during my last few years in seattle it was like a cloud that hung over us like this constant unseen unspoken reminder that we just weren't on the same page anymore i don't think we ever got that back but if cam thought 2014 was tough 2017 would be even worse the year actually started out pretty damn good for cam chancellor as he signed a brand new contract 36 million dollars with 25 mil guaranteed he had held out at the beginning of the 2015 season but nothing ever came of that he'd been waiting two years to sign that deal and it's a good thing he got it when he did because he didn't have much time left in week nine of the 2017 season seattle took on the arizona cardinals and in a double dose of terrible luck both cam chancellor and richard sherman suffered career altering injuries but cams his was a little bit more than that a severe neck injury initially placed him on ir but almost a year later a series of tweets would shock the football world the man who seemed to be made of steel was in fact skin and bones he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal the test showed that he wasn't healing and the stiffness of his neck was only getting worse facing the risk of lifelong paralysis cam wisely walked away from the game in a dark irony football which had once saved his life now threatened to end it but if there is a silver lining is this at least he got that guaranteed money on the way out today cam's healthy and happy but the transition has proven even more difficult than he thought it would be he dedicated so much of himself to football and he'd always envisioned himself walking away from the game on his own terms during his career cam made instant progress both in college and in the pros but life after the game he's kind of had to check that he's noticed that things take more time he couldn't just run head first into a business venture and grow it overnight he's been forced to develop more patience and has taken the time to nurture and grow his chancellor's shoe collection his coffee shop in virginia and several other business ventures and even though the transition hasn't been easy from what we can see cam's post post-career transition has been it's been pretty damn outstanding you know what i'm saying he's doing a phenomenal job he's always been a great family man and has settled into marriage and fatherhood well he stayed close to the game through mentoring and going through film study with many other seahawks current players as they all look up to him for not only what he's done on the field but for who he is and dude never forgot where he came from he started a foundation called cam cares that gives back to all the boys and girls clubs that are near the area he grew up in and he's actually extended that out to his whole region of virginia cam chancellor was the hardest soul of the legion of boom but he's also the heart and soul of his family and community the passion he brought to the game was one thing but his skill and versatility yeah that just put him on a whole nother level there's been a few really good safeties that come into the league over the last 10 years or so but if you want a cat that's going to instantly transform your defense shape and mold themselves to fit whatever role you need them to play and to strike actual fear in the hearts of opposing offenses look no further than the enforcer the first match to strike cam bam bam chancellor forever the heart and soul of the legion of boom you

Channel: FlemLo Raps

Views: 623,018

Keywords: FLEMLO RAPS, what happened to, nfl, american football, kam chancellor, kam chancellor highlights, kam chancellor injury, kam chancellor hit on vernon davis, kam chancellor hits, kam chancellor hits calvin johnson, kam chancellor hit on demaryius thomas, kam chancellor hits gronk, kam chancellor hit on julian edelman, kam chancellor hits lineman, kam chancellor hit on mike tolbert, kam chancellor hits ezekiel elliott

Id: 27DxSDM9-CQ

Length: 20min 54sec (1254 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 20 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/riedmae]

.....he retired. Got married. Goes on bike rides.

[u/Kingofvashon]

Fuck the cardinals stadium. Nothing good ever happens there

[u/PDXcougrunner]

Kam is the man

[u/DaYvngGOAT]

Flemlo raps drops another banger ‼️

[u/[deleted]]

I love flemlo vids so to see one about Kam is awesome

[u/xSlippyFistx]

This I why I own two Bam Bam jerseys. He set the tone. I can’t even count the times where the game was in a lull and the D was looking flat, Cam goes Bam Bam and the entire momentum of the game changed.

[u/PCP_Panda]

Kam saw how beautiful the PNW really was and laid roots.

[u/dukeofmadnessmotors]

When you play that hard you wear your body out faster.

[u/Mariners55]

Weird I just watched this on YouTube like 20 min ago. I miss this guy on the field