Richard Sherman

[panfan4lyfe 4]

I don't know how many of you have a twitter or if this topic has been brought up already, but did you guys see Richard Sherman and Darelle Revis going at it on Twitter a while back?

 

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/8968269/darrelle-revis-new-york-jets-richard-sherman-seattle-seahawks-exchange-barbs-twitter

Two of the NFL's best cornerbacks have taken to Twitter to air out their differences.

 

Darrelle Revis took to the social media network Wednesday, responding to recent trash talk from Richard Sherman, an All-Pro this past season with the Seattle Seahawks.

 

SportsNation: NFL Twitter feud

Who got the better of the Twitter feud between star cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman? Cast your vote!

 

"I've never seen a man before run his mouth so much like a girl," the New York Jets' star wrote. "This dude just steady putting my name in his mouth to get notoriety. Sit down young pup and wait your turn."

 

Revis tweeted another jab, saying his business manager has more Twitter followers than Sherman.

 

Sherman, who started taking shots at Revis in late January, took less than 20 minutes to fire back.

 

"Don't need ya name ... Ur name will be irrelevant once u step back on the field bruh. Get ya picks up!" Sherman tweeted.

 

During Super Bowl week in New Orleans, Sherman began his feud with Revis -- widely considered the NFL's best cornerback -- when he took to Bourbon Street to ask people whether he or Revis, recovering from a torn ACL, was the best in the league.

 

In another tweet Wednesday, Sherman also went after Revis in comparing their stats, saying, "One season u will get 8 picks.... But it won't happen anytime soon... I did it in my second season... So u have something to chase. Got off my flight to this hilarious convo. So I have 8 picks and 3 ff and a sack. My season stats looking like Revis career stats."

 

Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Thursday at the combine that the team embraces Sherman's attitude.

 

"We know Richard. To us, it's not really a big deal," Schneider said. "That's what makes him who he is. That's one of the reasons we fell in love with him. It gives him confidence to play the way he played. He feels he's the best cornerback in the league. God bless him."

 

In late January, Sherman also posted a picture with his stats compared to Revis' with the words, "Women lie, men lie, numbers don't lie."

 

Sherman has 12 interceptions in two seasons since being drafted in the fifth round in 2011. Revis, a four-time Pro Bowler, has registered 16 picks in his six seasons.

 

"Sometimes the truth needs to be told," Sherman tweeted at the time. "Tired of the noise lol. Btw I am near the least targeted corner in the League. So keep the excuses."

 

Here is a link containing all the back and forth tweets from both Sherman and Revis:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1537402-seahawks-richard-sherman-slays-darrelle-revis-in-fascinating-twitter-feud

 

 

After this Twitter confrontation, Sherman went on ESPN's First Take and here's what he had to say..

 

 

So that leads me to ask.. who do you think is better? Or is it even a question at all? And what do you guys think of Sherman's interview?

[NY Diehard 26]

You can take it with a grain of salt because I'm a Jets fan, but it's not even close, Revis.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

This whole thing started off as Revis making a big deal outa of a little fun Sherman was having.

 

I think Revis has been the better player to this point... But Sherman's best years are still arguably ahead of him.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Sherman has a chance to be the next Revis, so with that being said... Revis for now.

[Bay 2,003]

Revis for now. And no not because the Seahawks are rivals.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

When comparing CBs and setting the standard for CBs, we all look to Revis. What more of an answer do you need? I very much dislike Sherman, but he is on the way. Give it time, and let's see how Revis returns from this injury.

[RANGA+ 1,210]

Revis.

 

Sherman has had two good seasons. Revis has dominated for 5. You just have to look at guys like Flowers, Carr, Aso and DRC to see how hard it is to remain a truly elite CB for more that a couple of years. Sherman still has a lot to prove before he takes Revis' hypothetical crown IMO.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I don't think Revis has been dominant for 5 whole years. He was good for the first few, stellar for the first two with Rex and probably headed down the same route before his injury this past season. Sherman has had one good year and one stellar year. Let's see how they match up next season. I know for certain that Sherman isn't the blanket that Revis is, but he is a ballhawk, which Revis has never shown himself to be.

 

I know we all think Revis is the best, but can we please stop putting him on a pedestal? This isn't like WR where it's Calvin and then everybody else. Sherman is pretty close.

[AL_Royalty 489]

Well, Sherman was clearly the better CB last season.

 

As far as the interview, go Sherman. I can't stand Skip either. Cuban did it with a great deal more PCness, but I support anyone who rips Skip.

[butta54 371]

Revis and this is really not a question.

 

I see too many people not giving Revis enough credit and throwing so many other names out there when talking about him. This reminds me of a conversation that was going on a little awhile ago about him and Nnamdi and you had SO many people tell me that he is every bit as good as Revis...how did that work out?

 

Anyone can look at the stats, and everyone knows about the island but the reason Revis is the best and it's not close is because he excels at every technique that he plays. You get guys like Nnamdi who was only an off-man guy, and Sherman is a press-man guy. Revis can play off or press man and zone and be the best at it. He tackles, plays both sides of the field and lines up against the best threat whether a TE or a receiver. And for a guy who is a big name he still gets his hands on the football and has great return ability.

[AL_Royalty 489]

Revis and this is really not a question.

 

I see too many people not giving Revis enough credit and throwing so many other names out there when talking about him. This reminds me of a conversation that was going on a little awhile ago about him and Nnamdi and you had SO many people tell me that he is every bit as good as Revis...how did that work out?

 

Anyone can look at the stats, and everyone knows about the island but the reason Revis is the best and it's not close is because he excels at every technique that he plays. You get guys like Nnamdi who was only an off-man guy, and Sherman is a press-man guy. Revis can play off or press man and zone and be the best at it. He tackles, plays both sides of the field and lines up against the best threat whether a TE or a receiver. And for a guy who is a big name he still gets his hands on the football and has great return ability.

Nnamdi is going to be 32 in July. When he was in his prime, he was the best in the game. He fell off hard. It happens, but to say he was a one trick pony or short change the guy's ability is a bit silly.

 

Sherman has been in the league for 2 years, and the only one who's really said that he's better than Revis is him. He was asked a question, and he answered it. Last season he was the best cornerback on the field.

 

Before Revis was injured, he was the best in the game at his position. I haven't really heard anyone dispute that. Sherman certainly has the time, hunger, talent, and work ethic to be the top corner soon, but until Revis gets shown upon the field, it's still him.

 

He's not a Deion Sanders, though. Let's not act like he's some super-talent, the likes of which we've never seen. He still has a long way to go before he can even be mentioned in the same breath as Champ Bailey, career-wise. We'll see what the future holds for these CBs.

[Dutch 874]

Nnamdi is going to be 32 in July. When he was in his prime, he was the best in the game. He fell off hard. It happens, but to say he was a one trick pony or short change the guy's ability is a bit silly.

 

Sherman has been in the league for 2 years, and the only one who's really said that he's better than Revis is him. He was asked a question, and he answered it. Last season he was the best cornerback on the field.

 

Before Revis was injured, he was the best in the game at his position. I haven't really heard anyone dispute that. Sherman certainly has the time, hunger, talent, and work ethic to be the top corner soon, but until Revis gets shown upon the field, it's still him.

 

He's not a Deion Sanders, though. Let's not act like he's some super-talent, the likes of which we've never seen. He still has a long way to go before he can even be mentioned in the same breath as Champ Bailey, career-wise. We'll see what the future holds for these CBs.

 

+1 and agree with everything you said except the Nnamdi part. Nnamdi was a one trick pony. He played man- man on one side of the field. Raiders were a man-man defense which is why Nnamdi had no concepts of the zone scheme and was lost Philly. Doing so horrible in zone and getting exposed hurt his pride / confidence and then he began to start getting burnt in man coverage...

 

But yeah, Revis is still the best cornerback in the league until it's proven he isn't. I said the same thing about A.P last year. He's still the best until proven otherwise. Sherman is without a doubt a top corner talent in the league; 2nd best imo but he hasn't reached Revis status yet.

Edited May 31, 2013 by dutchff7

[butta54 371]

Nnamdi is going to be 32 in July. When he was in his prime, he was the best in the game. He fell off hard. It happens, but to say he was a one trick pony or short change the guy's ability is a bit silly. Sherman has been in the league for 2 years, and the only one who's really said that he's better than Revis is him. He was asked a question, and he answered it. Last season he was the best cornerback on the field.Before Revis was injured, he was the best in the game at his position. I haven't really heard anyone dispute that. Sherman certainly has the time, hunger, talent, and work ethic to be the top corner soon, but until Revis gets shown upon the field, it's still him.He's not a Deion Sanders, though. Let's not act like he's some super-talent, the likes of which we've never seen. He still has a long way to go before he can even be mentioned in the same breath as Champ Bailey, career-wise. We'll see what the future holds for these CBs.

 

I don't care about his age that is not going to be an excuse for him falling off. And I don't see calling him a one trick pony at all off-base. In his prime he was a boundary side man to man corner and that is all he has ever been really good at. You can dispute it all you want but the fact is he used excellent length and athleticism to shadow receivers and was the best at it. His downturn in Philly had nothing to do with age, the problem was he was moved to a different scheme and was exposed. People get way too lost in the stats and hype and don't look close enough...just because a player does well doesn't mean they have superior talent sometimes they just worked well in the scheme....and that is why you get teams overpaying for players in free agency (Nnamdi)

 

I don't care about Sherman he has a lot to prove in consistency and technique-wise. I'm not here to go against Sherman. He is great at what he does and we will see how good he becomes.

 

Here I disagree, while he is not Deion Sanders (no one is) he is still has the skill to be one of the best. As I mentioned before versatility = value. He isn't the best at everything but he is excellent at most things and elite and some other things. It's not about the stats it is about how he covers...there just aren't many corners who can play in a variety of coverage schemes and techniques and be shut down. I agree he has a lot more to do in his career, but so far I haven't seen a corner in recent time that has his skill set.

[Dutch 874]

I don't care about his age that is not going to be an excuse for him falling off. And I don't see calling him a one trick pony at all off-base. In his prime he was a boundary side man to man corner and that is all he has ever been really good at. You can dispute it all you want but the fact is he used excellent length and athleticism to shadow receivers and was the best at it. His downturn in Philly had nothing to do with age, the problem was he was moved to a different scheme and was exposed. People get way too lost in the stats and hype and don't look close enough...just because a player does well doesn't mean they have superior talent sometimes they just worked well in the scheme....and that is why you get teams overpaying for players in free agency (Nnamdi)

 

 

I wouldn't even say Nnamdi is athletic. He is just long... The thing is,if you watch some tape on him, he generally plays good coverage (in man). That's why throughout his career, most QBs didn't throw his way. What I realized is that Nnamdi doesn't have good "ball skills". He can play great coverage and the QB throws it at him anyway and the pass would still get completed.

 

Here is a perfect example: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000118707/Randle-38-yard-touchdown

 

That was GREAT coverage but HORRIBLE ball skills. An athletic corner makes that play. Nnamdi jumped and contested the ball AFTER the receiver already caught the ball... I saw quite a few big plays on Nnamdi where the coverage was good and the QBs threw it anyway and Nnamdi failed to make a play on the ball when he was in a great position to do so... Qbs "were" intimidated by the good coverage. Then QBs like Eli (who will take a shot in good or bad coverage) started to chuck it Nnamdi's way regardless of good coverage and Nnamdi failed to make a play on the ball.

 

Here's another example: Skip to 2:17 but focus on 2:24 http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011092505/2011/REG3/giants@eagles?icampaign=GC_schedule_rr#menu=highlights&tab=recap

 

I guess that one can be more of him not paying attention but STILL in a great position to make a play...

 

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011121107/2011/REG14/eagles@dolphins?icampaign=GC_schedule_rr#menu=highlights&tab=analyze Skip to 0:37

 

He knows the route but makes such a poor effort to attack the ball. An athletic corner makes that play.

 

Nnamdi is good at press coverage, man-coverage but lacks in ball skills. Nnamdi's coverage can be perfect but still fails to make a play on the ball.

Edited April 23, 2013 by dutchff7

[the Lions fan 19]

Plus he was injured and switched schemes to one of the worst places possible for his skill set.

[BucD+ 648]

Plus he was injured and switched schemes to one of the worst places possible for his skill set.

 

lolwut?

 

If you're referring to Revis, you need to brush up on your knowledge, son. lol

[Thanatos 2,847]

Pretty sure he's referring to Nnamdi.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

Sherman>>>>Bayless.

[Phins4life 271]

All I know is Sherman won the Twitter war as soon as Revis tunnel-visioned on the number of Twitter followers he had. Bitch, please. He's better off not saying anything.

 

As far as who's better? I have no idea. Time will tell. Right now I'm going Revis, because he has a proven track record of performance. He doesn't get as many picks because QB's know what happens when they throw his way. Sherman has 2 seasons. Gotta keep it up to take the top spot.

[Sacks98 28]

Call me a homer but it is a non-issue for me he should think he is the best even if he isn't at CB.

[Dutch 874]

Naturally, he should think he's the best. I'd still take a healthy Revis. We will see this year who will be the better corner back after Revis injury.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I really don't think there's any competition. Chris Houston is clearly better then both, specially pre-injury Revis...

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

Sherman has only 26 starts in his career. And really it wasn't until last year where he was 'the guy' where his exploits started to register outside of the PNW.

 

I'd say Sherman is the better corner right now. But I would concede that it will take time to develop that local truth into a national one. He is where Revis was after his rookie year in 2007. National stature requires consistency. Revis had to establish those credentials too and did just that. But he was the best before he was considered the best too.

 

Sherman, if he's not the best -- he's unquestionably right behind Revis. They are 1a and 1b. And if each were to produce their average production over the next 16 games, there will be a new standard of shutdown corner. I do believe that Revis is still the standard bearer. But it's predicated on Revis' legacy production. Not his actual/present production. That kind of recognition takes a full year to effect. Sherman doesn't have the requisite legacy production to put this debate to bed. But he will after 2013.

 

If you're into advanced stats/metrics, then you'll know that Sherman has been the best corner in football in terms of advanced stats once he started games in 2011. And he's been so far ahead of anyone else in those terms that it's pretty unmistakeable. Obviously, those are stats and stats aren't the only thing that matters. From a production standpoint (either empirically or per targeted attempt), Sherman is an outlier at the professional level.

 

It's also very misleading to pigeonhole Sherman as a press man guy. He's better at zone than press man. He just happens to be exceptional at that too. But he worked at it to become so. Seattle plays press man because they have size and length and the talent to do it. Sherman can and does play both.

 

Additionally, Sherman is hamstrung by the fact that Seattle doesn't often switch their CBs to play matchups. Sherman, unlike Revis, isn't intentionally matched up against the other teams' best receiver. That's not how Carroll runs his defense. And having Browner on the other side allows him the ability to not have to do that.

 

Sherman is without a doubt, the smartest defender on the field at any given time. He has an advanced understanding of the defense as a whole in addition to just his own responsibilities. And really, that gets incredibly understated. Obviously it's his mouth that gets the publicity. He is remarkable in his ability to master the little things (and schematic things) to be able to predict when he can cheat and when he can't. He's a player who is incredibly dedicated to perfecting the details of his craft. Even at his young age, he is incredibly savvy.

 

He's going to be a really difficult resign. I expect we'll be drafting his potential successor every year until he leaves or miraculously reups. We don't expect a hometown discount of any kind here.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

That has to be the most lucid, coherent, enlightening, and well orated defenses of Sherman I have ever read. That was a thing of beauty and one hell of a post. Great job.

 

 

After that the expectation is you stick around the boards.

 

The only thing I have to say is he may be the smartest now, but it has not been so as long as he has been in the league as Ray Lewis and Champ Bailey.

 

I also loved that you illustrated the point in re-signing him. I think the majority of Seahawks and 49er fans are living in a dream land where people take home town dicounts to be resigned. Both teams are incredibly young and are going to play hell resigning all of their talent.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Ngata_Chance

[NY Diehard 26]

Sherman has only 26 starts in his career. And really it wasn't until last year where he was 'the guy' where his exploits started to register outside of the PNW.

 

I'd say Sherman is the better corner right now. But I would concede that it will take time to develop that local truth into a national one. He is where Revis was after his rookie year in 2007. National stature requires consistency. Revis had to establish those credentials too and did just that. But he was the best before he was considered the best too.

 

Sherman, if he's not the best -- he's unquestionably right behind Revis. They are 1a and 1b. And if each were to produce their average production over the next 16 games, there will be a new standard of shutdown corner. I do believe that Revis is still the standard bearer. But it's predicated on Revis' legacy production. Not his actual/present production. That kind of recognition takes a full year to effect. Sherman doesn't have the requisite legacy production to put this debate to bed. But he will after 2013.

 

If you're into advanced stats/metrics, then you'll know that Sherman has been the best corner in football in terms of advanced stats once he started games in 2011. And he's been so far ahead of anyone else in those terms that it's pretty unmistakeable. Obviously, those are stats and stats aren't the only thing that matters. From a production standpoint (either empirically or per targeted attempt), Sherman is an outlier at the professional level.

 

It's also very misleading to pigeonhole Sherman as a press man guy. He's better at zone than press man. He just happens to be exceptional at that too. But he worked at it to become so. Seattle plays press man because they have size and length and the talent to do it. Sherman can and does play both.

 

Additionally, Sherman is hamstrung by the fact that Seattle doesn't often switch their CBs to play matchups. Sherman, unlike Revis, isn't intentionally matched up against the other teams' best receiver. That's not how Carroll runs his defense. And having Browner on the other side allows him the ability to not have to do that.

 

Sherman is without a doubt, the smartest defender on the field at any given time. He has an advanced understanding of the defense as a whole in addition to just his own responsibilities. And really, that gets incredibly understated. Obviously it's his mouth that gets the publicity. He is remarkable in his ability to master the little things (and schematic things) to be able to predict when he can cheat and when he can't. He's a player who is incredibly dedicated to perfecting the details of his craft. Even at his young age, he is incredibly savvy.

 

He's going to be a really difficult resign. I expect we'll be drafting his potential successor every year until he leaves or miraculously reups. We don't expect a hometown discount of any kind here.

 

Richard Sherman also has a much better secondary around him helping him out. Two very good safeties giving him help over the top and another good CB across from him. The defense as a whole was arguably more talented than the Jets defense in 2011 as well.

 

And like you brought up, Sherman isn't constantly covering the other team's #1 guy like Revis does, helping the advanced stats in his favor. I'm not saying he wouldn't be just as effective if he had to do that, but we haven't seen him do it yet and it's yet to be proven that he can.

 

Sherman also had half of his picks this year off guys who don't even belong in the NFL in the QBs of the Cardinals and Jets, making the 8 INTs a little less impressive.