49ers notebook: Seahawks’ Richard Sherman takes his show on the road

SANTA CLARA - The Richard Sherman Show rolled into town again on Thursday, and it was as outrageous as ever.

The Seattle cornerback who has spent a lot of energy taunting Jim Harbaugh, his former coach at Stanford, and denigrating quarterback Colin Kaepernick and wide receiver Michael Crabtree was the center of attention again in the Seahawks’ 19-3 victory.

Sherman intercepted two passes against Kaepernick. He didn’t offer many on-field theatrics, but after the second swipe the teams jawed and pushed a little at midfield and were hit with offsetting penalties.

Asked afterward about his history with Kaepernick, Sherman said, “History? What history?”

And told the 49ers’ quarterback said he was throwing to the open man regardless of who was in coverage, the cornerback replied: “I was the open man.”

The voluble Sherman had one more quip. Asked if anything about the 49ers was “mediocre” – a reference to his description of Crabtree after the NFC championship game last January – he said, “Their fans were.” Sherman claimed someone threw a full bottle at him at Levi’s Stadium.

RIGHT ROUTE, WRONG THROW

On Sherman’s first interception, it appeared as though Kaepernick and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd might have been on different pages. Lloyd stopped short near the sideline, and it was too late when he turned to look back at his quarterback. The ball was already sailing over him and right to Sherman.

But in his post-game interview, coach Jim Harbaugh put the onus on Kaepernick.

“He left the throw inside,” Harbaugh said. “The right route was run.”

A RIB TO THE KNEE?

Things got off to a terrible start for the 49ers when Crabtree got hurt on the second play of the game. He caught a short pass over the middle for a first down, but seemed to get his left leg bent underneath him while being tackle.

It looked bad as Crabtree grimaced on the ground. But he walked off the field under his own power and missed only about a series. The surprise came a little later when it was announced in the press box that Crabtree had a rib injury.

Afterward, Harbaugh set the record straight. It had been a knee injury all along.

NOTES

TE Cooper Helfet, who played at Santa Rosa JC before going on to Duke and the NFL, was inactive for the Seahawks.