Why Richard Sherman is an All-Time Great

Richard Sherman usually has lots to say.

But after the Super Bowl, a half hour after he gave up a 38-yard catch to Sammy Watkins in the fourth quarter, Sherman sat on a podium seething and said almost nothing. Answered questions about the catch he allowed with monosyllables and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

Basically said, “The guy made a play,” in many different but similar ways.

On Wednesday, Sherman spoke to the media for the first time since that night in Miami. A reporter asked him about Watkins’ catch. Asked Sherman how he handled the aftermath emotionally. When did he finally move on?

Sherman answered with the same attitude he gave in Miami, but gave a much longer explanation.

“It’s football,” Sherman said. “Nobody has played a perfect game yet. Honestly, it didn’t bother me much, period. I went out there, I prepared the best I could and the guy made a good play. It is what it is. I gave up a 38-yard catch in a football game. I gave up 60 yards in the game. I’m not going to beat myself up about it like I didn’t prepare hard or go out there and put my best foot forward. You win some, you lose some. You live to fight another day.”

Two quickie takeaways from Sherman’s quote:

1. He’s in denial.

He acted like the catch was a fluke or one-off, but it wasn’t. Sherman gave up a 65-yard catch to Packers wide receiver Davante Adams in the 49ers’ previous game, the NFC Championship. And Adams beat Sherman the same way Watkins did -- with a jab step to the outside before beating Sherman to the inside. Sherman couldn’t change directions fast enough.

The word is out around the league. If Sherman is playing man-to-man coverage, he will overreact to an outside jab step, because he doesn’t want to get beaten deep down the sideline. So he’s vulnerable deep down the middle of the field.

Teams will continue to attack Sherman next season. He has to know that. Watkins’ catch foreshadows Sherman’s future.

2. He has the perfect mindset for a cornerback.

A cornerback has to live in denial. Has to believe every catch he gives up is a one-off or a fluke. Has to believe he’s the greatest cornerback of all time no matter what happens.

That’s how Sherman feels all the time. And it’s easy for him to have supreme confidence because he is an all-time-great cornerback. But he’s declining. He doesn’t move as well as he used to, so he’s more vulnerable than ever before.

But he can’t admit those hard facts to himself. The minute he loses confidence, he needs to retire. And that goes for every cornerback.

If Ahkello Witherspoon had Sherman’s mentality, Witherspoon would be a great cornerback. But every time Witherspoon gives up a catch, he seems to lose confidence in himself. Seems to have an existential crisis right there on the field. That’s why the 49ers keep benching him and why his career might not last long.

Sherman’s mindset will keep him in the league well past his prime.