49ers cornerback returning to Super Bowl after five years
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After joining with younger teammates for a bit in giddy locker-room hoopla, Richard Sherman found an empty foldout chair.
It was in front of an unoccupied area of lockers at the far end of the room — away from all the laughs, whoops, selfies, hugging, faux-posing, and over-crammed interview scrums.
Sherman plopped himself down in that chair, all alone.
He looked around for a moment as his eyes welled, in obvious reflective thought. About 30 seconds later he dropped his face into his open hands and quietly cried for a few seconds.
Then he looked up, with wet eyes, and again seemed to just take it all in for a minute or so.
Yes, this was really happening.
Yes, he overcame double Achilles surgery three years ago to dominate again as an NFL cornerback.
Yes, he really is going back to the Super Bowl.
Yes, with a San Francisco 49ers team that just a year ago finished tied for the worst record in the NFL, at 4-12.
And, yes, he really did ice the Niners’ commanding 37-20 win Sunday over the overmatched Green Bay Packers by intercepting the last desperation throw from Aaron Rodgers, which kicked off celebrations not just in, beneath and around Levi’s Stadium, but up the whole west side of San Francisco Bay, from San Jose to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Niners are back, baby.
Richard Sherman of the San Francisco 49ers intercepts a pass against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Championship game at Levi’s Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Sherman, who never appears overwhelmed by the moment on the field, had to give himself that couple of minutes afterward to take some emergency stock.
Asked a while later why he was still so emotional, the 31-year-old gave the following long, detailed, compelling answer worth sharing: “It’s a long road. And there’s a lot of work that goes into it, a lot of things that you don’t see, a lot of unspoken things, a lot of work away from the cameras.
“You guys see the games. You don’t see the hours and hours of work. The hours and hours of study. The hours and hours of treatment, pain, overcoming pain. The nights at home you don’t even get to spend with your kids because you’re trying to get your knee back or hamstring back, or your back. And your kid’s sitting there rubbing on you trying to make you feel better.
“People don’t understand the sacrifice that goes into being great at this game. They see the games and they’re, like, they won or lost —but regardless, guys sacrifice.
“You give up your body and your time and your health and your mind. You’re usually somewhere between going psychotic and you’re locked in, you know what I mean? Because it’s such a crazy edge you’ve got to be on. That’s why it’s a little emotional. You get to appreciate it a little more.”
Sherman’s career appeared to be racing toward a fast close in 2017, when the last of his seven standout seasons in Seattle abruptly ended early, after nine games, when he suffered an Achilles injury. In the off-season he elected to undergo corrective surgery on both troubling Achilles.
The Seahawks cut him the following March, so he signed with his hometown 49ers.
In 2018 Sherman started 14 games but intercepted no passes and broke up only four. He insisted he wasn’t done. The Niners went 4-12, mostly without their injured franchise quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.
Sherman’s personal renaissance this season coincided with the Niners’. He started all but one game, intercepted three passes and broke up 11 in being named to his first Pro Bowl since 2016, his fifth honour in a sparkling nine-year career.
Now one of the most respected commentators on the game and beyond among NFL players — if at times over-seasoned, or a little too braggadocious — Sherman is as respected as any player in the 49ers locker room.
So now, five years after we all saw that horrified look on his face when the pass Seahawks coaches called from the New England one was intercepted, rather than run it in with BeastMode running back Marshawn Lynch — which cost Seattle its second straight Super Bowl championship and ended dynasty talk — Sherman is returning to the NFL’s marquee stage.
Where he’ll talk, he’ll squawk, he’ll lecture, he’ll laugh, and in all likelihood he’ll rip the hell out of anyone ripping him.
Looking ahead to next week, on the field and off, Sherman offered the following about the lead-up to San Francisco’s on-field showdown against the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs: “It’s always awesome to fight hard, and everybody wants to be standing at the end. But it doesn’t matter unless you win the game.
“It could be the best day in your life if you win. It can be the worst day if you lose. That’s the perspective that I’ll keep putting through to these guys, (as) somebody who has been there, who has won and lost. We’ve got to put in the work. It’s not a holiday. It’s not a vacation. I’m sure it will be good for the families. It will be cool for everybody’s experience, get their phones out, get the Instagram videos and all that.
“But at the end of the day, it’s going to be a challenging game and it’s going to be a dogfight.”
Sherman fires back at Revis and his criticisms
One thing we know for sure about Richard Sherman. Take a shot at him with one barrel, and he’s firing back with two.
Darrelle Revis, the NFL’s best cornerback early last decade until blowing out a knee, and soon losing that unofficial title to Sherman, tweeted a zinger at Sherman on Sunday night.
This, after Sherman did not shadow Green Bay’s star receiver Davante Adams much in San Francisco’s big 37-20 NFC championship game victory. Revis in his heyday was renowned for being matched up, man-to-man, against every top wideout he faced, for the entire game, for years.
Revis tweeted this about Sherman:
“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 (in) a cover-3 zone.”
Sherman quickly responded:
“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.”
A bit later, Sherman tweeted a followup:
“And it’s ‘Accept.’ Thought I would give you a lesson while I was here.”
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
