Wednesday in Hawkville: In Seahawks' animal kingdom, Kam Chancellor is the lion

A recap of the activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Jan. 21, when the Seahawks kicked off their on-field preparations during their Super Bowl bye week with a "Competition Wednesday" practice:

FOCUS ON: THE LION AMONG WILD DOGS

Or Kam Chancellor, because that's how All-Pro cornerback, fellow Legion of Boom member and wild dog Richard Sherman described the Seahawks' strong safety during what was a very entertaining session at the podium.

Chancellor has earned his reputation as a big hitter, hence the "Bam-Bam" and "The Enforcer" nicknames. And in Sunday's NFC Championship game, Sherman was an unintended target as he and Chancellor arrived at Green Bay Packers' running back John Stark along the sideline at the same time in the fourth quarter.

Sherman came out of the collision with a sprained left elbow, but remains a fan of the lumber that Chancellor delivers.

"They give us energy. They bring life. They allow us to play free," Sherman said.

And that's when Sherman offered his lion-among-wild-dogs assessment.

"We're a bunch of wild dogs until the big lion comes in and then we're bad. We're some bad men with him around," Sherman said with a laugh as the auditorium at VMAC also erupted in laughter. "He just brings that menacing force. We're a bunch of wild dogs. And a pack of wild dogs is pretty dangerous, but a lion running with a pack of wild dogs? That's something."

Sherman was then asked if he has a favorite lion-lowering-the-boom moment from Chancellor's impressive collection.

"Take any of the ones with Vernon," Sherman said of the licks Chancellor has laid on Vernon Davis, the San Francisco 49ers' tight end.

"The one on Demaryius on the first completion of the Super Bowl last year," he added of the tempo-setting hit Chancellor put on Denver Broncos' wide receiver Demaryius Thomas last February.

"I think he hit Rodgers last week pretty hard in the hole," he continuing, referring to Chancellor impeding the progress of Packers tight end Richard Rodgers – not QB Aaron Rodgers. "I don't know if everyone saw that hit. It was a bad decision by 89. But that might have been the one."

The 6-foot-3 Chancellor weighs 232 pounds. Davis is 6-3, 250; Thomas 6-3, 229; and Rodgers 6-4, 257. So Chancellor obviously has no problem picking those his own size as well as players who are bigger.

He had 76 tackles during the regular season, despite missing two games; and has added 15 in two postseason games. He had 93 tackles last season, and 34 more in the postseason. He had 94 tackles in the regular season in both 2011 and 2012.

But with Chancellor, it's not just the number of tackles he makes, it's the impact.

"That's Big Brother," defensive backs coach Kris Richard said after Wednesday's practice when asked what Chancellor brings to the defense, in general, and the secondary, specifically. "You may have heard about him being 'The Enforcer,' that's exactly what he is. But it's more than that. He's the shoulder that you lean on. And he's an old soul. He may be young in age, but he's got an old soul.

"He fires guys up – the way he hits, the energy, the enthusiasm."

INJURY REPORT: RICHARD SHERMAN PRACTICES, EARL THOMAS DOESN'T

The first official report of the week, as issued by the team:

Did not practice
DL Michael Bennett (not injury related)
LS Clint Gresham (neck)
RB Marshawn Lynch (not injury related)
OG J.R. Sweezy (ankle)
FS Earl Thomas (shoulder)

Full participation
OT Justin Britt (knee)
CB Richard Sherman (elbow)

Lemuel Jeanpierre replaced Sweezy in practice, with Robert Turbin and Christine Michael splitting the reps for Lynch. On defense, Demarcus Dobbs stepped in for Bennett and Jeron Johnson replaced Thomas.

For the Patriots:

Did not practice
C Bryan Stork (knee)

Limited in practice
CB Brandon Browner (knee)
LB Dont'a Hightower (shoulder)
DT Chris Jones (elbow)
WR Brandon LaFell (shoulder/toe)
DL Sealver Siliga (foot)

Full participation
QB Tom Brady (ankle)

The Patriots did not practice on Wednesday, so the statuses of these players are projections had the team practiced.

OPPONENT WATCH: DARRELLE REVIS

Who better to size up the Patriots' All-Pro cornerback than the Seahawks' All-Pro cornerback?

"He's had a great year. He's been doing his job effectively," Sherman said of Revis. "I've liked what I've seen from his game."

As for the obvious comparisons, Sherman offered, "We play the game two different ways. He plays it more, I guess, meticulous. More conventional, his technique is more conventional. And mine is more unorthodox. Which means it's just more difficult to replicate what I do on the football field.

"So everybody is going to make comparisons, but it's two different styles to compare. I play my way. He plays his way. And both are effective." 

When asked for Revis' strength, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell opted for the cornerback's complete game.

"He's as good as they come at that position," Bevell said. "He's a solid, solid player. He can play bump-and-run. He understands concepts. He can jump routes if he needs to. He can play the deep ball. So he's a solid player."

UP NEXT: "TURNOVER THURSDAY"

There's always a heavy emphasis on the Seahawks' "Turnover Thursday" practice, because generating turnovers and not turning the ball over have been so important under coach Pete Carroll – and stressed so heavily by Carroll. They are, after all, 33-6 under Carroll when winning the turnover battle.

In Sunday's NFC title game, the Seahawks faced the team that had the best turnover differential during the regular season in the Packers (plus-14). In the Super Bowl, they'll face the Patriots, who are tied with the Packers for the best differential in the postseason (plus-3).