Richard Sherman Blasts Russell Wilson, Broncos After Colts Loss
In the wake of their impotent 12-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on a prime-time stage, the Denver Broncos have become an easy target. Everyone is piling on. Seemingly slave to Murphy's Law, especially when it comes to the injury bug, the Broncos have added their own insult to injury by making bone-headed decisions in critical moments.
Take the final play of Week 5's loss, for example. It's 4th-&-1, and the Broncos trail the Colts in overtime by three points. The ball is on the Indianapolis 5-yard line, and there's 2:38 left in the game.
Few begrudged head coach Nathaniel Hackett's decision to go for it on fourth down, but the play-call has been roundly criticized as the Broncos ran an apparent pass out of the shotgun with Russell Wilson staring down Courtland Sutton while KJ Hamler was wide-open.
After the game, Richard Sherman — former All-Pro cornerback and long-time teammate of Wilson's in Seattle turned Thursday Night Football commentator — let the Broncos' QB and play-caller have it.
"On the final play, you gotta run the ball. Again. I wish I had [former Seahawks RB] Marshawn [Lynch] up here. Like, one yard. You need one yard. Run the ball. Run the ball! All he has to do is run the football. Necessary criticism. I've said enough criticism for him, but got dang it, run the dang ball! Like, learn from your mistakes."
The Broncos' badly-designed and poorly-executed play triggered Sherman, who likely had flashbacks to the Seattle Seahawks' botching a victory in Super Bowl XLVIV by opting to throw it on the goal line instead of running the ball, which was intercepted by Malcolm Butler, sealing another ring for the New England Patriots. That was circa 2014-15.
This is now. Sherman's not wrong. You'd think the past lessons would inform Wilson in the present, but he and Hackett are seemingly swimming right now.
In fairness, Wilson's shoulder injury is more serious than initially thought. He's got a torn lat in his throwing shoulder, which only makes Hackett's decision to throw on that 4th-&-1 with all the chips on the table all the more dubious.
It's almost like Hackett overreacted after he took so much criticism for taking the ball out of Wilson's hand in the season-opening loss to the Seahawks. But that was a 4th-&-5; all it did was afford the Broncos a shot at a 64-yard field goal, which Brandon McManus missed.
Hackett wasn't wrong to go for it on 4th-&-1 against the Colts. But the play call itself was face-palmingly bad.
Live and learn, I guess.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
