Why Richard Sherman’s injury is a big deal
By Brian Spaen
Going into Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks will have to deal with two major injuries in their secondary. Earl Thomas had to deal with a dislocated shoulder and we saw Richard Sherman holding his arm close to his body after suffering a sprained elbow. While he’s playing it off in recent press conferences, there’s other reasons why it’s a big deal heading into the big game.
Among the many things the Green Bay Packers did wrong in the NFC Championship, one of them was avoiding throwing to Sherman when he was clearly hobbled with his elbow injury. Aaron Rodgers can talk a big game in not being scared of Sherman, but the production hasn’t been there on the field. Rodgers didn’t throw to him in the season opener and didn’t look his way as the Packers went completely conservative in the final quarter.
When talking to Pro Football Talk, Seahawks radio analyst Warren Moon wondered the same thing.
"“He was able to make one tackle on one pass that they threw on a crossing route, and he was in agonizing pain from making that tackle. So I’m surprised [the Packers] didn’t go at him a little bit more, just throwing maybe a smoke route when you throw the ball to the receiver on the line of scrimmage and make Richard make a tackle or something like that.”"
The pass he’s referring to is late in the fourth quarter on 3rd and 10 when Rodgers threw a short pass to Jordy Nelson for six yards. The Packers had to settle for a field goal after that play to tie it and force overtime, but the pain Sherman showed in that tackle makes you wonder why they weren’t so aggressive in previous plays.
When it comes to dealing with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick’s squads have showed anything but letting matchup advantages pass them by. Hell, as we’ve all known by now, he tries to get by with any advantage he can get his hands on.
The hobbled “Legion of Boom” isn’t the only problem the Seahawks will face in the Super Bowl. Their defense hasn’t stopped the run as of late giving up 267 rushing yards combined to the Carolina Panthers and the Packers in the playoffs. On the flipside, LeGarrette Blount, who only saw one game over 100 yards in the regular season, had 30 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship. He rendered Shane Vereen and Julian Edelman insignificant, which is impressive on its own.
Why does that matter for Sherman? Because he’s been able to deal with a lot of heat coming his way this season. Teams try to avoid throwing toward him, but when the spotlight has been shining on the outspoken cornerback, he’s delivered. Now with his injury? He’s clearly not going to be 100 percent when he gets back onto the field.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
That spells trouble for Seattle. They have Marshawn Lynch to rely on offensively as Russell Wilson throws into a much better secondary than he dealt with against the Packers — and he threw four interceptions in the NFC Championship. For Sherman, he’ll have to deal with Rob Gronkowski. With Gronk’s size, that negates Sherman’s advantages he usually has as Adam Wells from Bleacher Report points out.
"Sherman isn’t the fastest cornerback in the league, but he can get away with it because of how physical he plays at the line of scrimmage, and long limbs allow him to recover more quickly than an average player.Yet that still won’t help him against Gronkowski if Bill Belichick chooses to split him out wide. Gronk has three inches and 70 pounds on Sherman, which would be hard enough to defend with two healthy arms."
There’s going to be a lot of distractions for New England and “deflategate,” but what should be more focused on are the Patriots’ advantages offensively and why Sherman will have to double-up on his heroic effort from the NFC Championship.