For seven seasons, Richard Sherman brought excellence to the Seattle Seahawks defense.
Now, for the first time, the former All-Pro cornerback for the “Legion of Boom” will be back at CenturyLink Field in the Pacific Northwest to go against the team he helped take to two Super Bowls.
On Sunday, Sherman and the 2-9 49ers will take on the 6-5 Seahawks.
This week, Sherman said he’s looking forward to going back and seeing some of his good friends and former teammates, but it doesn’t appear he and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will have much to say to one another.
“I don’t really have a relationship with Russell,” Sherman told reporters. "We were teammates. We played through a very special time for the franchise.”
But, the now-49ers cornerback will be out to get the best of Wilson, and believes it can be done. During a question-and-answer session with the media this week, someone mentioned that Wilson’s ability to keep plays alive and pick up yards with his scrambling and quickness make it difficult on opposing defenses, Sherman said Wilson also is prone to making mistakes.
“Yeah, I’ve also seen him throw five picks in the game, so you see what he’s capable of on both sides of it,” Sherman said, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “You understand that he can be defended, so you go out there and give it your best shot.”
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Sherman had a shaky start with the 49ers this year because of injuries, but once he was fit and healthy, he’s performed well. Over nine games this season, he has four passes defensed, one sack, one fumble recovery and has been in on 24 tackles – but has yet to have an interception.
Though Sherman had a rougher-than-usual game last week in a loss at Tampa Bay – giving up several receptions, including a big gain by Mike Evans – Sherman has graded well in coverage, according to the analytic website Pro Football Focus. And, other teams mostly still avoid him.
As Pro Football Focus noted before the Bucs game last week: “Over the last two seasons combined, Richard Sherman is the only cornerback to be targeted on less than 10 percent of his coverage snaps. He has been thrown at 66 times on 691 coverage snaps since the start of the 2017 season.”
But, it will be fun to watch Wilson and Sherman go at it this Sunday, to see who has the better day.
Sunday’s game at CenturyLink is set for a 1:25 p.m. kickoff. Oddsmakers have made the 49ers 10-point underdogs.
