When you’re the best and smartest at your job, you’re bound to get a little cocky. Case in point: Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. And that’s also gotten him a storm of media scrutiny. Public persona aside, though, it’s hard to deny that Sherman isn’t the top cornerback in the NFL (or at the very least, in the top five at the position).
Each week, Sherman publishes something for The Players’ Tribune in a series cleverly entitled “Tuesdays with Richard on Thursdays.” Recently, he shared some insights through the site’s “What You Don’t Know About” series. Here’s Sherman:
“You may not see it on your TV screen at home because the camera always follows the ball, but if the play is away from me, and I’ve got a fresh backup receiver across from me whose job is to take off down the field and run me away from the play, I have to respect his route. I have to run with him, full speed, like he’s the No. 1 receiver and he’s getting the ball—because there’s always a chance he might. And if I get three different fresh guys off the bench running me off on consecutive plays, and I come back up to the line against their true No. 1 in a crucial situation where I know they like to hit him on a fade, I can’t stop the game and say, ‘Hold up, I gotta catch my breath …[.]’ Nope. I have to match up—and man up—against their best receiver and do my damn job. No excuses. As corners, we never leave the game. That’s part of the challenge.”
Head over to the Player’s Tribune to read his full take on playing cornerback. But, before you do, watch Sherman talk about the predicament of playing safety in an intrinsically violent sport below.
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