Seattle Seahawks: Commencing damage control with Richard Sherman
After trying in vain to trade cornerback Richard Sherman this offseason the Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll begins damage control with the emotional cornerback
Cornerback Richard Sherman's value on the trade market was apparently overestimated by the Seattle Seahawks. During the offseason the team tried in vain to move on from the brash defensive back and rumors were they expected something of significant value in return.
Now head coach Pete Carroll has begun damage control as he claims the relationship between he and the emotional Sherman is "as good as it has ever been" according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Of course, this talk has to come out now after the team was unable to move on from him, but the fact they thought they could deal him made little sense — especially as they were publicly blaming him for the sour relationship.
While Sherman has been a great player for Seattle, the idea that a team would be willing to part with premium picks for his services made little sense for two reasons. One, there are questions that Sherman is a product of his system and the good players around him in addition to his age. While these are obviously just speculative concerns, they've been echoed enough that there has to be some merit in certain circles. The second issue is he's just simply a hot head.
More from NFL Spin Zone
Sherman was the corner who famously turned an interview after the NFC Championship in 2014 with reporter Erin Andrews into a Michael Crabtree rip-fest. Sherman called the wide out who was with the San Francisco 49ers at the time a "sorry receiver" and said he can't be beat by someone like him.
His outbursts weren't only aimed at his opponents, but also at television personalities like Skip Bayless and eventually his coaches and teammates. The first such incident came after Seattle gave up a touchdown to Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones, and Sherman placed the blame on some teammates and coaches. He had to be calmed down by teammates, and eventually was. However, there was a point where he was finger-pointing and mouthing off while he was visibly angry on the sidelines.
Richard Sherman fired up on the Seahawks sideline following Julio Jones' TD. #ATLvsSEA https://t.co/Ccp4GHbREs
— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2016
A couple months later he was at it again, but this time he decided to go off on coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell according to USA Today Sports:
Sherman remained adamant Tuesday that yelling in the direction of coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was not out of line in Seattle's 24-3 win over the Rams. Sherman was angered by the decision to pass the ball on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, a throw that was intended for Jimmy Graham and was nearly intercepted. He was seen on the sideline screaming toward Carroll and Bevell and had to be pulled away and calmed down by teammates.
Seattle saw all the signs that Sherman was a loose cannon and they paid him bug bucks anyway. Now they're trying to do all they can to make sure he's happy after being unable to pawn him off on someone else. It should be a fun season in Seattle.