Having a big mouth and being unable to keep it shut attracts a lot of attention. Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks always seem to be busy by fighting online or through the media with someone, this time having a go at and with Antonio Cromartie of the New York Jets.
The start? It came from Cromartie, who has now teamed up with Darrelle Revis on the Jets. Cromartie was pretty much dissing Sherman in order to make his teammate, Revis, look better. The whole point of his talk about cornerbacks and their positions was to show how good Revis is, while belittling Sherman and his tendency to play on one side, not follow the opponents’ best receivers.
Go follow the No. 1 receiver. Follow him around for a whole entire game and let’s see what you can do. Darrelle Revis has done that his whole career. I’ve done that. Patrick Peterson has done it. Joe Haden has done it.
As expected, Sherman didn’t wait a very long time to fire back and answer Cromartie, suggesting that someone who is as good as him shouldn’t worry about moving around the field. It’s the opponents that need to adjust to him, not the other way around. And of course, he didn’t stick to the professional side of things, making a point about Cromartie making the Pro Bowl just because Sherman didn’t get to play due to the Seahawks making the Super Bowl.
You would think that after me helping him get a Pro Bowl bid this year – you know, we went to the Super Bowl, he wouldn’t have made the Pro Bowl otherwise – and now he’s talking bad. How many great left tackles do you see switching to the right side because a great D-end switches to the right side? You don’t see it. It’s great players stay on their side and they do what they’re supposed to do.
Who coaches the No. 1 defense to be worse, you know what I mean? We’re No. 1, it must be working. It’s an effective strategy for us, and obviously we’re playing at a high level. I guess when you’re doing something great you’re always going to have naysayers and detractors, and I guess it’s one of those situations, but it’s unfortunate.
Sherman isn’t going to be having a quiet season. Every time he’s slightly outplayed by a wide receiver it’s going to be big news. He might be the self-proclaimed best cornerback in the NFL, but there are plenty of think differently, and will always use the quality of the players around him to point out that he’s not really that good. There’s no actual way of knowing or answering that question, so Sherman makes sure he’s heard loud and clear whenever the subject comes up.