Richard Sherman’s shout-out to himself after this weekend’s come-from-behind Seattle win over San Francisco – calling himself the best cornerback ever — stole the thunder from the team’s win and sparked immediate furor on social media.
“Well, I’m the best corner in the game,” Seattle’s Sherman said, in a widely watched interview with FOX sideline reporter Erin Andrews, after Sunday’s NFC win. Sherman, who accrued a total of 18 points scored over the 2012 and 2013 seasons, made the comments on the heels of an impressive pass deflection that was seen in retrospect as both game-changer and game-saver for the Seahawks.
As big as the play – it was his comments that loomed larger.
“When you try me with a sorry receiver like [Michael] Crabtree, that’s the result you’re going to get. Don’t you ever talk about me,” he said.
A stunned Andrews then replied: “Who was talking about you?”
Sherman’s response: “Crabtree. Don’t you talk about the best or I’m going to shut it for you real quick.”
Twitter quickly set on fire focusing on Sherman’s comments — rather than the Seahawks dramatic win to clinch a Super Bowl appearance.
Bleacher Report also reported what might have set Mr. Sherman on edge, in the lead-up to the Sunday game.
On Thursday, reporters had asked Mr. Crabtree about playing against Mr. Sherman and beating down his trash-talk, and he said, via 49ers.com: “It’s competition. If you’re playing to that level and you’re talking to the level you’re playing, it’s cool.
But if you’re just out there talking, and you’re not really doing [anything] on the field, that’s when you get irritated. Guys just chirping and not really doing anything. At the end of the day, it’s football; you’re going to do your job and he better do his job.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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