Who is the best cornerback of the past decade? All it takes is a glimpse of Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman’s Twitter feeds to get their opinions on the matter.
While taking in the NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, Revis took to Twitter to take an unsolicited shot at 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, reigniting the debate of who the best cornerback of the 2010s was.
Fear of getting beat in man to man coverage. Every snap every play. The fact that he doesn’t travel as a cornerback is lame. Except the challenge as the best and shut Adams down the entire game. Do it for the game of football. Stop hiding a cover 3 zone. pic.twitter.com/OWuzFtj8ov
— Darrelle Revis (@Revis24) January 20, 2020
Never one to shy away from criticism, Sherman clapped back at Revis after the game, pointing out the way Revis lazily ended his career compared to Sherman, who is still going strong while nearing his 10th season in the NFL.
I would go in on this has been but I have a Super Bowl to prepare for. Enjoy the view from the couch. Your ninth year looked a lot different than this. Lmao https://t.co/jj3pwWYhVa
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 20, 2020
We’ll get deeper into this Twitter beef — which now has another ex-Jets corner, Antonio Cromartie, feuding with Revis — in a minute, but let’s pause at square one for a moment. The fact that Revis is sitting at home calling anyone out on Twitter considering the way his time in the NFL ended is comical. He mailed it in and collected paychecks for the final three seasons of his career. As good as he was in his prime, Revis has no right to be calling anyone out.
Sherman has a point about Revis’ ninth season in the league. Revis’ struggles at the end of his career are well-documented, while Sherman is still playing at a high level fresh off a major Achilles injury. However, Revis’ ninth season is not the one Sherman should have criticized, as Revis quickly pointed out.
My 9th year I lead the entire league in turnovers. 5 Ints and 4 Fumble Recoveries. Enjoy the Super Bowl and strap up because this game you will have to cover. @RSherman_25 😂😂😂
— Darrelle Revis (@Revis24) January 20, 2020
Sherman’s point about Revis enjoying the game from the couch is also senseless. Revis realized he couldn’t play anymore and hung it up. Everyone has to retire at some point. It’s pointless to tell someone who is no longer on a team to enjoy a game from home. It’s not as if he had any bearing on a team that failed to make it as far as San Francisco has this season.
The two continued to trade blows from there in a battle of the egos. Watching the Revis vs. Sherman beef play out in real-time was entertaining, but once the dust settled, the realization of how pointless the debate was settled in.
Revis’ original point about Sherman being a Cover 3 cornerback is factual. That is the difference between the two. Revis spent his career on an island in man coverage with no safety help over the top. Sherman has played mostly in a zone-heavy scheme.
However, it’s no secret Sherman that is one of the fiercest competitors in all of football. Revis’ notion that he hides in his zone is off base. Just because he does not follow the opposing team’s best receiver around all game does not take away from the player he is and what he has accomplished.
Revis and Sherman’s exchange on Twitter reinforced that comparing the two is pretty much pointless. Sherman is currently one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, regardless of how he plays the position. He will go down as one of the better players at his position in the history of the sport, just as Revis already has.
Man corner or zone corner, it doesn’t really matter. Revis and Sherman are dominant players who revolutionized the position. Why can’t the two just leave it at that and call it a day?