Carolina Panthers edge rusher Bruce Irvin conjured up a memorable comparison between his new team and the one with which he became famous.
Speaking with Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer during minicamp, Irvin, unprompted, compared the Panthers' defensive line depth to the Seattle Seahawks' D that smothered teams en route to the Super Bowl XLVIII title.
"This kind of compares to that 2013 front we had, when we won the Super Bowl," the veteran said.
The Seahawks of yesteryear were highlighted by a front of Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Red Bryant, Brandon Mebane, Tony McDaniel, Clinton McDonald and Jordan Hill, and a linebacker crew of Irvin, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Malcolm Smith.
"That team went eight deep up front," Irvin said of his former Seahawks team. "We had four really good guys, and then four more went in and there was no drop-off. So that's kind of the feeling I'm getting here. We had a lot of dudes. Everybody communicated. That's the kind of vibe it is here."
Of course, it was the Seahawks' back end that was their calling card in 2013, giving it the nickname Legion of Boom -- with Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Browner.
The Panthers certainly upgraded their defensive front this offseason, adding Irvin, Gerald McCoy and first-round pick Brian Burns to a front that includes Kawann Short, Dontari Poe, Bryan Cox and former first-rounder Vernon Butler. After finishing a disappointing 27th in the NFL in sacks last year, 2019 should be a more productive campaign.
Moving to a more hybrid defense should aid the Panthers' efforts to disrupt the QB and get their best players on the field. But the group has a lot to prove in terms of production and overall defensive cohesion to reach Irvin's comparison.
