The once-bitter rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks has re-emerged thanks to what's at stake during Sunday night's NFC West showdown. The winner takes the division crown while the loser faces a much more difficult playoff path to the Super Bowl.
There aren't too many familiar faces from the rivalry's heyday. Russell Wilson is still a Seahawk. Joe Staley is still with the 49ers. Richard Sherman is still a part of the rivalry. Although, he has since switched sides.
Defensive end Nick Bosa was a student at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida when Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll were slugging it out in the NFC West. His only first-hand exposure to the rivalry is a Week 10 overtime loss this season at Levi's Stadium.
Still, that doesn't mean Bosa hadn't already taken sides long before learning the 49ers were going to draft him.
"I was definitely cheering for the Niners," Bosa told David Lombardi of The Athletic on Thursday. "I think I kinda was a Seahawk hater for some reason. I don't know why. Maybe the arrogance of the Legion of Boom."
I asked Nick Bosa, who was 15-16 years old when 49ers and Seahawks went toe-to-toe, about his perception of rivalry:
"I was definitely cheering for the Niners. I think I kinda was a Seahawk hater for some reason, I don't know why, maybe the arrogance of the Legion of Boom…"
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 26, 2019
Wait a minute. One of those members of that arrogant Legion of Boom was Sherman. In fact, Sherman may have been the face of the group.
"But obviously, things have changed," Bosa continued. "Sherm's on our team now. Just funny how you form an opinion as a fan, and then you actually meet people, and it's completely different."
Bosa may be a newcomer to the rivalry, but proclaiming himself a "Seahawk hater" will increase his already strong approval rating among the Niner Faithful.
