SANTA CLARA — Richard Sherman could have said something nice Thursday afternoon about his former team, the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks and 49ers will play each other Sunday in Seattle. This will be the first time Sherman will face the Seahawks, where he starred from 2011 to 2017. The Seahawks cut him during this past offseason after he tore his Achilles tendon.
On Thursday, Sherman met with Bay Area reporters to discuss the upcoming matchup with the Seahawks.
Sherman could have started by saying something nice about Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who played with Sherman for six seasons. Those two won a Super Bowl together in 2014.
It started when a reporter mentioned to just how dangerous Wilson can be when he scrambles. Sherman could have agreed with the reporter and praised Wilson. No way. Sherman ripped Wilson. “I’ve also seen him throw five picks in a game,” Sherman said. “You see what he’s capable of on both sides of it. You understand that he can be defended.”
So much for loyalty to a former teammate.
“I don’t really have a relationship with Russell,” Sherman continued. “We were teammates, and we played during a very special time for the (Seahawks) franchise.”
Meanwhile, Thursday afternoon in Seattle, Wilson gushed about Sherman. “I have tons of respect for Sherm,” Wilson said, courtesy of Seahawks.com. “He is going to be a Hall of Fame corner. The thing I respect about Sherm more than anything else is how he brings it every day at practice, even when he’s hurt. He didn’t have to — he’s an All-Pro player. To be able to go up against him in practice every day helped my career, helped build my understanding of the game and confidence. I’m grateful for that.”
Back in Santa Clara, Sherman — Sherm — could have said something nice about his other former Seahawks teammates, who have surprised people this season by playing well without Sherman. They’ve won six of their past nine games.
Instead of saying something nice about his former teammates, Sherman said this: “I mean, they’re 6-5. It’s not like they’re 10-1. If they were that, I would be very surprised. They’re middle of the road. They’re fighting every game. They’ve won some close ones. They’ve lost some close ones. I would expect that.”
Or Sherman could have said something nice about Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who recruited Sherman out of high school at USC in 2006 and drafted Sherman in with a fifth-round pick in 2011.
Carroll graciously praised Sherman Wednesday morning during a conference call. “He has bounced back,” Carroll said, “and the numbers prove it, in terms of the targets and wins and all that. He is having a very successful season. Richard is a brilliant football player.
“I really cherish the time that Sherman was here. I really enjoyed working with him. He’s such a bright person and such a great competitor and extraordinary performer. When we got down near the time when we were parting, we were very straight up about what was going on. I felt like we had completed our time together in a sense, and it had been really profitable and fun.”
