Tag: Richard Sherman

Former 49ers team captain thinks OL needs major overhaul

Richard Sherman didn’t mince words on the 49ers’ OL.

It’s not surprising that former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman was unafraid to offer his blunt analysis of his former team’s problems.

In an episode of the Richard Sherman Podcast following the 49ers’ 29-17 defeat to the Miami Dolphins, Sherman dished out a scathing analysis of an offensive line that allowed three sacks and left quarterback Brock Purdy under pressure most of Sunday’s game.

“That offensive line needs to be the number one, number two and number three priority this offseason,” Sherman said. “If you’re gonna pay this quarterback all the money you’re gonna have to pay him, you want to keep him upright so he can be the playmaker that he has been. This year he’s been under a lot more duress, he’s been using his legs more, he’s had to leave the pocket more often than not – it hasn’t been great, and without Trent (Williams) it’s looked even worse.

“You need a right tackle. No ifs, ands or buts, no discussion, no nothing – a right tackle. You need to figure out a center maybe in the second round. There’s plenty of them in the Big 10 somewhere to find him. Maybe one in the SEC. Then maybe find a guard in free agency. It looks like you have one in Puni. Put a competition out there at left guard. And I know you can’t just draft them one, two, three, four, five, six – but that’s what I would do. We’re gonna hit on one of ’em.”

Typically the 49ers haven’t prioritized their offensive line, opting instead to invest in playmakers while piecing together an offensive front. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw a shift in that philosophy given some of the struggles from that group in 2024.

They likely won’t follow Sherman’s advice and draft six OL, but they should snag a few to try and find a starter while also improving some of their overall depth. If they continue trying to shortcut an offensive line, they may continue having the same issues with their offense getting shut down by even mediocre defensive lines.

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Former SB champ uses national stage to demand Joe Burrow as MVP

One former NFL great says Joe Burrow is the current MVP.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow isn’t likely to win the MVP award due to how it can emphasize the record of each candidate’s team.

But that won’t stop many from pounding the table for Burrow to be a rare exception.

Take, for example, former player and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman, who just used his primetime audience on a national stage this week to campaign for Burrow.

“Statistically, Joe Burrow should be the MVP,” Sherman said. “His team has just let him down. He’s got 30 touchdowns, five interceptions, you can say what you want. You can boo what you want. The numbers are the numbers…”

Sherman isn’t alone in this when it comes to Burrow, but it’s unlikely to sway voters.

Perhaps if the Bengals win out and miss the playoffs, Burrow might stand a chance. But his team is losing players to injury left and right before Week 14, making the task all the more difficult.

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Geno Smith explains Connor Williams’ surprising retirement

Geno Smith explains Connor Williams’ surprising retirement

Last week, the Seattle Seahawks and their fans were given quite a Friday afternoon shock. Shortly after announcing center Connor Williams was ruled out for the Week 11 game against the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Mike Macdonald broke the news that Williams decided to officially retire.

Williams was signed in the offseason and had started all nine games up to that point. He was also playing well, but his play dropped off to a precipitous degree in Weeks 8 and 9 with uncharacteristic high snaps past quarterback Geno Smith.

Macdonald did not elaborate as to why Williams decided to hang up his cleats and call it a career, but we may have some new insight this week. Smith was recently on the Richard Sherman Podcast, and Sherm brought it up as a situation that caught him by surprise. Smith gave a thoughtful response to Sherm about his former teammate.

Given the glamor and glory associated with professional sports, especially the National Football League, it can be easy to forget the players we see on television aren’t demi-gods. Or comic book superheroes. Or video game characters. They are real people, with real issues, concerns, and interests. They are well compensated, but all the money in the world can’t always buy peace of mind or fix mental health concerns.

Whatever the situation may be for Connor Williams, we hope he is able to find said peace and weather whatever storm he is facing in his own life. Hopefully, the decision to walk away from football was the right one.

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Richard Sherman says the Seahawks should extend Geno Smith, and he’s right!

Richard Sherman says the Seahawks should extend Geno Smith, and he’s right!

The Seattle Seahawks have a quality quarterback in Geno Smith, and for some reason the fan base seems divided on him. There are those who recognize he has been consistently good since he became the starter. On the flip side, there are those who want to see the team find an upgrade (regardless of whether there is one available) despite the fact Smith has the most game-winning drives in the NFL since he became a starter.

This debate is only going to intensify in a few short months when the impending offseason eventually arrives. Smith is currently in the second year of a three-year deal he signed prior to the 2023 season. His contract was restructured last February, and as a result he has no more guaranteed money left for his final year. Smith has already approached the team for an extension, and will surely do so again at some point this offseason.

Among those who are unsure of what the team should do, there is one who most assuredly is not: former Seahawks legend Richard Sherman.

Sherman recently had Smith on his podcast, and Sherm made his position crystal clear as to what the Seahawks should do with their quarterback. Five words: pay the man his money!

Sherm brings up a great point about the 2025 NFL draft and Seattle’s possible positioning. The Seahawks are simply winning far too many games, even at this point, to be one of the teams near the top of the draft. Smith’s strong play has ensured that, and will continue to do so for the rest of the 2024 campaign. Additionally, next year’s quarterback draft class does not appear to be as robust as the one we saw this past spring.

If the Seahawks aren’t able to get a quarterback in the draft they absolutely love, then the other options are free agency or trade. Well, they already tried the “let’s trade for a quarterback” route with Sam Howell last year. As familiar with the system as Smith is, if Howell had blown coaches minds in training camp/the preseason I have to believe he would have been starting by now. As for free agency, teams typically don’t let Pro Bowl caliber quarterbacks test the market.

Seattle is obviously going to have to be focused on finding a quarterback for the future given the fact Smith is 34 years old. It is basic NFL age math. But they also need a quarterback for the right now as well. A quarterback who shows up in the biggest moments, has great arm talent, and is a clear leader.

An extension does not mean a team is married to a player forever. For a player like Smith, it just ensures there is stability and continuity at the most important position in all of sports. It would also allow them to focus continuing to rebuild their offensive line in the draft.

At this point, I am in full agreement with Richard Sherman.

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Richard Sherman blasts coach Jerod Mayo for calling Patriots ‘soft’

Richard Sherman thinks Jerod Mayo’s comment “lacks personal accountability”

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo made waves after calling his team “soft,” following their Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That has prompted multiple NFL personalities to weigh in on the comments.

Mayo has since clarified his remarks, but that has not stopped those around the league from reacting. Even former Patriots coach Bill Belichick got in on the debate, and he openly disagreed with the current Patriots coach.

NFL analyst Richard Sherman made his case on the set of Thursday Night Football. The legendary defensive back also disagreed with Mayo’s assessment and stated the coach needed to establish himself before publicly criticizing the players.

“It’s frustrating to hear that because, if it’s Bill Belichick, if it’s an acclaimed head coach—and not that Jerod Mayo didn’t have an accomplished career, but you are a rookie head coach,” said Sherman. “You don’t get to say nothing at this point until you’ve earned the right to say things.

“You earned the right by winning, by scheming and showing your scheme is effective. We don’t even know if your identity or culture is effective. …Saying the players are soft lacks personal accountability. You have a part in this.”

Mayo’s comments likely caused a bigger distraction than expected, and he took ownership of it at Wednesday’s press conference. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots come out against the New York Jets on Sunday as they look to turn the page.

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Dennis Allen says he isn’t worried about his job security

Dennis Allen says he isn’t worried about his job security. He kept his response to Richard Sherman’s criticism short and to the point:

It’s fair to question the strength of Dennis Allen’s job security. The New Orleans Saints head coach has come out of Week 7 with a 2-5 record for the second time in three years; last year at this time he had them at 3-4. After getting beaten badly by his  former  boss Sean Payton (whose Denver Broncos enjoyed a 33-10 rout on Thursday night), it’s valid to question Allen’s status.

That’s what Richard Sherman did on the Amazon Prime said at halftime, suggesting the poor effort he was seeing from good players on the New Orleans defense would lead to Allen getting dismissed from his post. The Saints had been outscored 16-3 at that point. They were outscored 17-7 afterwards.

After the game Allen said he disagreed with Sherman’s assessment, but when asked if he was concerned about his job security, he glanced down at his podium and responded with a curt, “No.”

Right now he’s looking to take ten days of rest between this loss and a road game with the Los Angeles Chargers and evaluate their options, looking at everything from who he’s starting on defense to who can return from injuries and whether it should be Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener filling in for Derek Carr. If general manager Mickey Loomis or team owner Gayle Benson chooses to dismiss him and go in a different direction, he’d feel blindsided. At least that’s the impression you get from how dismissively he treated that question.

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Richard Sherman: Saints played like they wanted their coach fired

Richard Sherman said the Saints defense played ‘like they want to get their coach fired’ in the first half against the Broncos:

Yeesh. Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman didn’t hold back on the Amazon Prime halftime show during “Thursday Night Football,” after watching the New Orleans Saints slump into a 16-3 deficit.

He particularly took aim at the Saints defense’s poor performance, going so far as to suggest the unit’s poor effort was because they wanted head coach Dennis Allen to be fired.

“I’m telling you, Tony, I’m confused, I’m vexed, I’m perplexed, I don’t get it. These are good players,”  Sherman said. “They don’t want to tackle, they don’t want to make plays. … I don’t understand this, it seems like they want to get their coach fired, that’s the effort they’re playing with.”

Sherman pointed to an uncharacteristic dropped interception by Tyrann Mathieu as one example. Mathieu could’ve snagged his 36th career pick when Bo Nix threw it right to him, only for the veteran safety to lose his grip, and the pass fell incomplete. Mathieu would’ve had a lot of room to run, too.

There were other miscues. A lot of missed tackles, including some bad whiffs by ironman linebacker Demario Davis and a couple of almost-sacks that got away from Chase Young and Johnathan Abram. These are all problems we’ve seen for a month now in their last four losses. They can’t stop the run, allowing 6 or more yards per carry in three of their last four games and giving up 130-plus yards and two scores in the one outlier.

For a coach lauded for his defensive background, it’s been Dennis Allen’s side of the ball slipping away from their fundamentals. And respected voices around the league’s media landscape like Sherman are taking notice.

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Travis Hunter trolled Richard Sherman’s critique of his receiving skills by wearing a ‘bland’ t-shirt

Travis Hunter heard you, Richard Sherman.

Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter clearly heard former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman call his receiving skills “kind of bland.”

Ahead of the Buffaloes’ Saturday game against UCF, Hunter wore a shirt that read “Bland” on it, pretty evidently in response to Sherman saying on the St. Brown Podcast that Hunter was “kind of bland” as a wide receiver.

Hunter, of course, plays both receiver and cornerback in college and could reasonably man both spots in the NFL once he declares for the draft, which could come as soon as this winter after Colorado’s season is over.

We’re sure Sherman will learn about Hunter’s shirt of choice, and we’ll be curious to hear what he thinks.

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Saints defensive back discusses playing with Chiefs Patrick Mahomes: ‘It was fun being his teammate’

New Orleans Saints defensive back Tyrann Mathieu discusses playing with Chiefs Patrick Mahomes: ‘It was fun being his teammate’ | @EdEastonJr

Many things have been said about Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as a special player for his production on the field. The comments from teammates, past or present, continue to carry a different weight and respect for the three-time Super Bowl champion.

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu recently appeared on ‘The Richard Sherman Podcast’ to discuss his NFL experiences, including his tenure with the Chiefs.

“I knew Patrick Mahomes was going to be pretty good,” said Mathieu. “He’s one of those dudes that, he practiced how he was going to play. It was fun being his teammate. Every game, we had a chance.”

Mathieu has often praised defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and in Sherman’s podcast, he continued his praise.

“Coach Spags, man, like, he was one of those coaches that really gave me the keys. He really allowed me to be that middle fielder, center fielder for that defense and really take control and own it,” said Mathieu. “Man, I was so proud to be able to have that opportunity and capitalize on it because we all want that opportunity.”

The Chiefs are scheduled to play Mathieu and the Saints in Week 5, and although they are on opposing sides, their respect should show during the contest.

Panthers great Cam Newton recalls his intense pre-game staredowns

Panthers great Cam Newton spoke about the meaning behind his iconic picture in Seattle.

Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton is responsible for one of the hardest images in the history of football. You may be familiar . . .

Harry How/Getty Images

That photo was snapped on January 10, 2015, when the Panthers visited the Seattle Seahawks for a Divisional Round playoff matchup. And Newton, in a recent episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, explained that the staredown didn’t just happen in Seattle—it was actually a pre-game ritual for every road game . . .

(Warning: Explicit language)

Unfortunately for Carolina, one python bit much harder than the other on that particular night.

After completing an improbable run to their second consecutive NFC South title and a Wild Card round triumph over the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers tried their hand at knocking off the mighty Seahawks. But the “Legion of Boom” boomed.

Newton was picked off twice, once by First-team All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman and once by Second-team All-Pro safety Kam Chancellor—who returned his for a 90-yard touchdown. Seattle took the win, 31-17, and ended up representing the NFC in Super Bowl XLIX.

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