Sherman out to prove he’s still an elite player
The cornerback is happy to be a 49er and says getting cut has rekindled his fire
SANTACLARA>> One sound bite might be all it takes for Richard Sherman to win over those 49ers fans he offended in his past Seattle Seahawks life. Of course, some spectacular plays at cornerback would help, too.
But about those Seahawks, Sherman said Monday: “I’m going to try my best to ruin their day. I want a chance to show what I can do.”
Revenge on the Seahawks indeed factored into his bizarro-world signing with the 49ers, as predictably did Jimmy Garoppolo’s “inspiring” presence, coach Kyle Shanahan’s “innovative” mind and a familiar defensive scheme.
Sherman, on a garbled conference call with Bay Area reporters, offered explanatory and pensive answers, even one about an infamous turkey dinner on Levi’s Stadium’s 50-yard line on NBC’s post-game show after humiliating the 49ers on Thanksgiving night 2014.
“( NBC producers) were like, ‘ Eat the turkey,’” Sherman recalled. “… Honestly we were just enjoying the moment. We played pretty well that
game. I honestly didn’t think it was disrespectful. But people can take it any way they want to.”
When Sherman speaks, people listen, and that is something the 49ers will have to adjust to in a locker room that grew admirably tight amid last season’s adversity (0-9 start) and eventual triumph (5- 0 finish).
Garoppolo fueled that closing act, and with him locked in last month on an NFL-record contract, his presence helped lure Sherman,
“That had a huge part. The way he played down the stretch was inspiring, it was incredible,” Sherman said. “Sometimes quarterbacks can get hot and the next year fall off the face of the Earth and you do not hear from them again.
“What I saw from him was poise, I saw leadership, I saw the respect from his teammates, and I saw a command of the offense, and he’d only been there a few weeks.”
Sherman saw more to the 49ers than Garoppolo. He’s familiar with the defensive scheme and the coordinator running it, Robert Saleh, a former Seahawks assistant who joined Sherman, Sherman’s fiancee Ashley and coach Kyle Shanahan at Friday
night’s recruitment dinner in Los Gatos.
As much as he raved about Shanahan’s coaching credentials and a familiarity with general manager John Lynch (fellow Stanford graduate), Sherman wanted to keep his family on the West Coast, and he did not ignore his desire to take on the Seahawks twice a year.
“It definitely had a part of it,” Sherman said. “I enjoyed the city of Seattle and the fans there. I have love and appreciation for the years I spent there.”
Released Friday with a failed physical designation, Shermanmet only with the 49ers, and after hammering out his own deal over a five-hour session with contract czar Paraag Marathe, Sherman gave the Seahawks a chance to match it, and he also gauged the interest of the Raiders and Detroit Lions.
Sherman said of his call to Seahawks general manager John Schneider: “They said theywouldn’t be able to match that and he thought it was a solid deal. He though there was some things I could do with roster bonuses. But I felt comfortable with being able to achieve that.”
Sherman agreed to the incentive- laden deal on Saturday and signed that contract Sunday. It gives him only a $3 million signing bonus, but another $2 million if he’s medically
cleared come training camp as well as a $2 million base salary for 2018. Incentives and bonuses could push the deal to $39 million, but only if he reverts to All-Pro form.
“It’s a little odd to put on a different jersey in general,” Sherman began. “It will take some getting used to for me. I spent a lot of time wearing a red (Stanford) jersey in the Bay, so I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
No one knows for sure how healthy Sherman can come back from last November’s right Achilles tear, plus a procedure earlier this year to remove bone spurs from his left Achilles.
No one knows for sure how Sherman’s voice will represent this new era of 49ers football. Will he be an egotistical loudmouth or a sage voice of reason, or a perfect blend of both, or just a humbled customer in the 2018 drive-through lane?
Sherman at least brings swagger to a 49ers franchise filled with promising butmostly humble and lowkey stars. Garoppolo and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, cornerstones for the 49ers’ future, are not microphone MVPs, nor is that required.
The NFC West certainly has evolved, and while the Seahawks appear in deconstruction mode, Sherman is embracing other drastic changes to a division now
led by the Rams.
“We’ve always been more of a defensive conference, and I think that’s changing with the influx of quarterback play and innovative offenses,” Sherman said.
Sherman’s ability to mentor a young secondary is a key component to his arrival. He spoke so highly of Ahkello Witherspoon, the 49ers’ other projected starting cornerback, that Sherman claimed: “He’s going to be a star.”
As for his own stardom, Sherman said getting cut Friday was “kind of re-igniting that gasoline fire that I’ve always had burning.… I have a lot of people to put a show on for.”
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