Richard Sherman (American football)

Richard Sherman

Sherman during the Seahawks vs. Redskins game on October 6, 2014
No. 25 Seattle Seahawks
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth: March 30, 1988
Place of birth: Compton, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school: Compton (CA) Dominguez
College: Stanford
NFL draft: 2011 / Round: 5 / Pick: 154
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2014
Tackles: 224
Interceptions: 24
Quarterback sacks: 1.0
Forced fumbles: 5
Passes defended: 65
Stats at NFL.com

Richard Kevin Sherman[1] (born March 30, 1988) is an American football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford, both as a wide receiver and as a cornerback.[2]

Since entering the league, Sherman has more interceptions (24) and defended passes (61) than any other NFL player, and many analysts consider him to be the league's best cornerback.[3][4] Sherman is part of the "Legion of Boom," a nickname given to the Seahawks' starting secondary which contributed to Seattle having the best pass defense in the NFL in 2013. This unit helped the Seahawks win their first Super Bowl in New Jersey in February 2014; their 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos matched the third-largest margin of victory ever in the history of the Super Bowl.[5] In May 2014 Sherman became one of the NFL's highest-paid defensive players after signing a $57.4 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed with the Seahawks.[6]

Sherman's outspoken personality, tendency for making big plays, and his frequent trash-talk have seen him become one of the NFL's most well-known and divisive players.[7] He garnered national attention[8] with a post-game interview made immediately after his tipped pass ensured the Seahawks a dramatic victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the 2013 NFC Championship game, in which he labeled himself the "best corner in the game" and called San Francisco receiver Michael Crabtree, to whom the decisive pass had been thrown, a "sorry" receiver.[9] In June 2014 it was announced that Sherman would feature on the cover of the Madden NFL 15 video game.[10]

High school career

Sherman was born in Compton, California, where he attended Dominguez High School, starring in football and track and field. As a senior in 2005 he accounted for 1,030 all-purpose yards, including 870 yards on 28 catches and three punt returns for touchdowns. He also recorded 45 tackles, eight pass breakups and one interception as a defensive back, and helped Dominguez to a CIF Southern Section Division III title with a 41-14 victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High School in the championship game. Graduating from Dominguez High School in 2006 his classmates voted him for male student most likely to succeed.[11] A scholar-athlete, he was salutatorian (ranked second) in his high school class.[12] He graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA.[11]

Sherman was also on the school's track team. He was named a USA Today All-American after winning the California state title in the triple jump, with a mark of 15.44 meters, and was the 7th ranked triple jumper in California in 2005.[13] He made it to the finals of the state meet in the 110-meter hurdles, placing third in a time of 13.99 seconds, and also finished sixth in the long jump, with a mark of 7.25 meters.[14] He was also timed at 10.77 seconds in the 100 meters.[15]

Recruiting

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Richard Sherman
Athlete		 Compton, California Dominguez High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.64 Jan 15, 2006 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 61 (WR)   Rivals: -- National, 65 (CB), 93 (Cal)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

Sherman received an athletic scholarship to attend Stanford University, where he played for the Stanford Cardinal football team from 2006 to 2010. He began his career at Stanford as a wide receiver and led the Cardinal in receiving as a freshman in 2006 while being named a Freshman All-American. He caught 47 passes over the next two years before suffering a season-ending knee injury after playing in the first four games in 2008. He switched to cornerback after his injury due to team need and made 112 tackles over his final two years, with 6 interceptions. He was part of the 2010 Stanford Cardinal team that finished 12-1, a school record.[2]

Sherman was a member Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and graduated from Stanford University in 2010 with an undergraduate degree in communications.

He returned for his final year of eligibility in order to begin a master's degree.[16]

Professional career

2011 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BPWonderlic
6 ft 3 in 195 lb32 in9.75 in 4.53 s 1.58 s 2.56 s 4.29 s 6.72 s 38 in 11 ft 0 in 16 reps24
All values from NFL Combine

Seattle Seahawks

2011

Sherman was selected in the 5th round by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2011 NFL Draft. Sherman remembers watching the draft with his family at home and being "livid" about players he perceived as inferior getting drafted before him.[17]

Despite starting only 10 games in his rookie season, Sherman was selected to the 2011 PFW All-Rookie Team, shattering all expectations heading into the season.[18] He also led all rookies with 17 passes defended and four interceptions in addition to 55 tackles.

2012

Richard Sherman during 2013 Seattle Seahawks training camp.

On October 14, 2012, following a victory over the New England Patriots in which he had an interception, Sherman taunted the Patriots' quarterback, Tom Brady.[19] After the game, Sherman posted to his Twitter account a photo of himself yelling at Brady with "U mad bro?" superimposed on it. He later removed the post.[19]

Prior to week 8 vs. Detroit, Sherman nicknamed himself Optimus Prime, an action intended to send out the message that he would shut down Detroit's wide receiver, Calvin Johnson, known by his nickname Megatron.[20] Johnson was held to three catches for 46 yards against Sherman and the Seahawks.[21]

On December 9, during Week 14 in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sherman recorded two interceptions of John Skelton's passes, one of which he returned 19 yards for a touchdown; Sherman also had two tackles, one assist and a fumble recovery, as the Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 58-0 in the biggest shutout win in Seahawks history.[22]

On December 23, in a Week 16 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sherman had five tackles and one interception against Colin Kaepernick, and made a huge play on special teams when he recovered a blocked 49ers field goal and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown.[23]

Heading into Week 17 of the 2012 season, Sherman posted 61 tackles, seven interceptions and three forced fumbles.[24] Due to his play and the fact that he was not selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl, Sherman was considered of one of the biggest 2012 Pro Bowl snubs.[25] Sherman told Associated Press that "It don't mean nothing," prior to the announcement of the Pro Bowl rosters. This caused some controversy.[26] He was subsequently named Associated Press NFL All-Pro First Team, a more selective award.[27]

In December 2012, Sherman won his appeal of a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.[28] It was likely that Sherman would sue the NFL if he were suspended.[29] Prior to the wildcard matchup between the Seahawks and the Redskins, Kedric Golston, a Redskins defensive tackle called out Sherman by saying "He's a cheater," referring to Sherman's successful suspension appeal.[30]

After the Seahawks' season ended in the playoffs, in March 2013, Sherman went on to ESPN First Take and he argued with Skip Bayless. Sherman told Bayless "I'm intelligent enough and capable enough to understand that you are an ignorant, pompous, egotistical cretin. I am going to crush you on here because I am tired of hearing about it." He also claimed that he was "better at life" than the First Take analyst.[31] Sherman was also involved in a Twitter feud with fellow NFL cornerback, Darrelle Revis,[32] to the point that Joe Haden also involved himself into the conversation, claiming that he was the No. 2 cornerback in the league, behind Revis and ahead of Sherman.[33] Sherman has also been involved in controversies with Trent Williams[34] and Roddy White.[35]

2013

Sherman was one of the leaders of the Legion of Boom secondary (so called for the unit's hard-hitting style) that allowed the fewest passing yards in the league[36] and anchored the top overall defense in the NFL en route to the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.[37] He completed a successful 2013 campaign, where his 8 interceptions led the league,[38] which led to him being named to the 2014 Pro Bowl as the top vote getter among defensive players[39][40] and his 2nd consecutive year as an Associated Press NFL All-Pro First Team.[41]

During the 2013 NFL playoffs, Sherman played a critical role in helping Seattle win Super Bowl XLVIII. During the last play[42] of the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sherman was targeted by 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick in the end zone. As Seattle was only winning by six, conceding a touchdown would have been all but fatal to Seattle's hopes of advancing to the Super Bowl. Instead, Sherman successfully got in the way of the pass Kaepernick threw to Michael Crabtree, deflecting it to teammate Malcolm Smith for the game-saving interception.[43][44][45][46] The play was later dubbed "the Immaculate Deflection" (as an homage to the Immaculate Reception), and would later be voted by Seahawks fans to be the most significant play in Seattle Seahawks history.[47] In the aftermath of the play, Sherman ran over to Crabtree and offered a handshake.[43][44][46] Crabtree responded by shoving Sherman in the facemask[43][44] and then Sherman made a choke sign towards Kaepernick.[43][46] Sherman was immediately penalized by the officials for unsportsmanlike conduct.[46] Moments later, during a live post-game interview with Fox Sports' Erin Andrews, Sherman emotionally shouted, "Well, I'm the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you gonna get! Don't you ever talk about me!"[45] He then looked into the camera and yelled, "Don't you open your mouth about the best, or y'know I'm gonna shut it for you real quick! L.O.B.!"[45] When inquired by Andrews, Sherman said the former remark was directed at Crabtree;[45] Andrews later stated that she knew Sherman was referring to Crabtree and asked the question to allow him to tell this to a largely oblivious TV audience. [48]

Sherman would later be fined by the NFL $7,875 for taunting.[46] The fine was directed at his on-field actions towards both Kaepernick and Crabtree, the latter of which was described as "mocking".[46] The NFL specifically stated that the fine was not related to his post-game interview.[46] Sherman later blamed Crabtree's shove for fueling his post-game rant,[44] though he also said he regretted his attack[45] and was dismayed by the negative response from the public.[45] In response to the word "thug" being widely used to criticize Sherman following the incident, Sherman said "The reason it bothers me is because it seems like it's an accepted way of calling somebody the N-word now."[49]

Sherman embracing Pete Carroll at Super Bowl XLVIII

Sherman and the rest of Seattle's defense then had a brilliant showing in their final game of the season, shutting down the record-setting Denver Broncos offense in a 43–8 Super Bowl rout in which Sherman had 3 tackles and held Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker to 1 catch for 6 yards. This concluded the postseason in which Sherman was targeted on a mere 6 throws.

2014

On May 7, 2014, Sherman signed a four-year $57.4 million contract extension, then a record for cornerbacks.[50] On June 6, he was named the cover athlete for Madden 15.[51] Topping off a great year for Sherman, he then was nominated for an ESPY award, in the category of "Best Breakthrough Athlete."[52] In Week 13, Sherman had had two interceptions against Colin Kaepernick and two tackles in the Seahawks' win 19-3 at San Francisco during the Thanksgiving Day game, earning the NFC Defensive Player of Week award. Sherman finished the season with 57 tackles and 4 interceptions and 8 passes defensed. The Seahawks finished the season as the number 1 seed and a 12-4 record. In the divisional round against the Carolina Panthers, Sherman recorded 3 tackles and an interception as the Seahawks won 31-17. In the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers he recorded 4 tackles a and an interception after not being targeted once in the season opener. The Seahawks won 28-22 and advanced to the Super Bowl for the second straight season. In Super Bowl XLIX, Sherman recorded 3 tackles, but the Seahawks lost 28-24 to the New England Patriots as they failed to repeat as champions.[53] The day after the Super Bowl, the Seahawks announced Sherman will need Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left elbow.[54]

Statistics

The following regular-season stats were retrieved from NFL.com.[55]

Year Team G GS Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Comb Total Ast Sack Safeties PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF
2011 Seattle 16 10 55 47 8 0.0 0 17 4 45 11.25 33 0 1
2012 Seattle 16 16 64 53 11 1.0 0 24 8 57 7.125 29 1 3
2013 Seattle 16 16 48 38 10 0.0 0 16 8 125 15.625 58T 1 0
2014 Seattle 16 16 57 45 12 0.0 0 8 4 81 20.2 53 0 1
Total 64 58 224 183 41 1.0 0 65 24 308 11.35 58T 2 5

Personal life

On February 5, 2015, four days after Super Bowl XLIX, Sherman's girlfriend gave birth to their first son, Rayden Sherman.[56]

Sherman has his own charity called the Blanket Coverage, The Richard Sherman Family Foundation.[57] In 2013 Sherman started his charity to help kids in low-income communities in providing them with school supplies and clothing.[57] His foundation was formed to help kids across the country achieve academic success.

References

  1. ↑ "ESPN Profile". ESPN.com.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gil Alcaraz IV (January 27, 2011). "An insider’s view with Stanford cornerback Richard Sherman". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  3. ↑ Tyson Langland. "Does Game Tape Back Up Richard Sherman's Claim to NFL's Best CB?". Bleacher Report.
  4. ↑ "Seahawks make Richard Sherman highest-paid cornerback with 4-year deal". Yahoo Sports. 7 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Erik Matuszewski (3 February 2014). "Seahawks Win First Super Bowl Title With 43-8 Rout of Broncos". Bloomberg.
  6. ↑ "Richard Sherman, Seahawks strike $56M extension". NFL.com.
  7. ↑ "Seahawks CB Richard Sherman is on the cover of Sports Illustrated". Seattle Seahawks & NFL News.
  8. ↑ "Richard Sherman on 'Madden' cover". 6abc Philadelphia.
  9. ↑ Ben Eagle. "Richard Sherman calls out Michael Crabtree in all-time postgame interview". SI.com.
  10. ↑ "Richard Sherman on 'Madden 15' cover: 'I don't believe in curses'". CBSSports.com.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Shpigel, Ben. "Seahawks' Richard Sherman Is Much More Than Just Talk". www.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  12. ↑ Tommy Tomlinson (2014-01-19). "22 Brief Thoughts About That Richard Sherman Interview". Forbes.
  13. ↑ "Player Bio: Richard Sherman". GoStanford.com. 2009-09-19. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  14. ↑ "Chasing his brother led Richard Sherman to a state track title".
  15. ↑ "Seahawks duo Sherman and Johnson were fierce Dominguez High teammates". MaxPreps.com.
  16. ↑ Eric Sondheimer (June 21, 2010). "Football: Richard Sherman graduates from Stanford". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  17. ↑ Michael Silver (December 11, 2012). "Seahawks' Richard Sherman wants to 'destroy' the NFL and become the best CB of all time". Yahoo!. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ "All Rookie Team". Pro Football Weekly. January 18, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Doug Farrar (October 15, 2012). "Richard Sherman beats Tom Brady; taunts the Pats with ‘U MAD BRO?’ after the game". Shutdown Corner. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  20. ↑ Nate Davis (October 25, 2012). "Megatron ready for Seahawks' Optimus Prime". Game On!. USA Today. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Calvin Johnson Game by Game Stats and Performance". ESPN. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Watch Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks [12/09/2012". NFL.com. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  23. ↑ "Watch San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks [12/23/2012". NFL.com. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  24. ↑ Tyler Conway (December 27, 2012). "Pro Bowl Roster 2013: Analyzing Why Richard Sherman and Other Snubs Missed Team". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  25. ↑ "2013 Pro Bowl Snubs: Richard Sherman, Alfred Morris Among Notable Omissions". Huffington Post. December 27, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  26. ↑ Kareem Copeland (December 26, 2012). "Richard Sherman: Pro Bowl spots 'don't mean nothing'". Around the League. NFL.com. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  27. ↑ Because there are two Pro Bowl teams, each having both starters and backups, there are far more players selected to each position for the Pro Bowl than to the starters-only All-Pro First Team.
  28. ↑ Lindsay H. Jones (December 27, 2012). "Seahawks' Richard Sherman wins appeal of NFL suspension". USA Today. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  29. ↑ Curtis Crabtree (December 26, 2012). "Richard Sherman likely to sue league if suspended". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  30. ↑ Dan Hanzus (January 4, 2013). "Redskins player on Richard Sherman: 'He's a cheater'". Around the League. NFL.com. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  31. ↑ Chris Chase (March 7, 2013). "Richard Sherman blasts Skip Bayless on 'First Take'". Game On!. USA Today. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  32. ↑ Gabe Zaldivar (February 20, 2013). "Seahawks' Richard Sherman Slays Jets' Darrelle Revis in Twitter Feud". B/R Swagger. Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Joe Haden: Darrelle Revis is No. 1 cornerback; I'm No. 2". NFL.com.
  34. ↑ Marc Sessler (January 10, 2013). "Trent Williams told Richard Sherman he'd punch him". Around the League. NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  35. ↑ Ryan Wilson (February 17, 2013). "Richard Sherman calls draft 'a sham,' Roddy White 'an easy matchup'". Eye on Football. CBS. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  36. ↑ Pompei, Dan (2014-01-17). "Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom Is Pure, Old-School Football at Its Finest". Bleacher Report.
  37. ↑ "NFL Team Total Defense Statistics - 2013". ESPN. 2013-12-30.
  38. ↑ "NFL Player Defense Statistics - 2013, Passes Intercepted Leaders". ESPN. 2013-12-30.
  39. ↑ "NFL unveils Pro Bowl rosters". ESPN. 2013-12-27.
  40. ↑ "2014 NFL Pro Bowl selections". ESPN. 2013-12-27.
  41. ↑ Blount, Terry (2014-01-04). "Three Seahawks make the All-Pro team". ESPN.
  42. ↑ Not counting kneeldowns.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 "Seahawks CB Richard Sherman fined $7,875 for NFC title game taunting". CBSSports.com.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 Chris Greenberg (January 20, 2014). "Richard Sherman's Rant May Have 'Scared Erin Andrews,' Definitely Bothered Some On Twitter (VIDEOS)". The Huffington Post.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 45.4 45.5 "Richard Sherman stunned by reaction to his victory rant". CNN.com. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 46.4 46.5 46.6 "Richard Sherman fined $7,875 for on-field celebration". NFL.com.
  47. ↑ "Richard Sherman gives new meaning to cover corner".
  48. ↑ "Fox's Erin Andrews On Richard Sherman's Post-Game Rant: 'Wish More Athletes Would Be Like That'". YouTube.
  49. ↑ "Richard Sherman: 'Thug' is accepted way of calling someone N-word". CBSSports.com.
  50. ↑ Blount, Terry (May 7, 2014), "Richard Sherman Signs Record Deal", ESPN, retrieved May 7, 2014
  51. ↑ Farrar, Doug. "Seahawks CB Richard Sherman wins Madden NFL 15 cover vote". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  52. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman Nominated for ESPYS".
  53. ↑ "Brees, Fitzpatrick lead Week 13 award winners", ESPN, December 2, 2014, retrieved December 4, 2014
  54. ↑ Blount, Terry (February 2, 2015). "Seattle Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman needs Tommy John Surgery". ESPN. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Richard Sherman". NFL.com. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  56. ↑ http://www.king5.com/story/sports/nfl/seahawks/2015/02/05/richard-sherman-son-born/22917467/
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Florio, Mike. "Richard Sherman launches "Blanket Coverage" charity". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved 18 December 2014.

External links