The Warrior Bond That Attracted Richard Sherman
September 30th, 2021
Respect.
Yes, Richard Sherman admitted it yesterday.
The recruiting pitch he got from Bucs quarterback Tom Brady pretty much sealed the deal he was coming to Tampa Bay (and his wife’s blessing as well.)
Sherman claimed Seattle was interested but he got the sense they were just playing him. San Francisco wanted him but John Lynch and the 49ers weren’t coming at Sherman with a solid offer.
The Bucs? Sherman said they were the most aggressive.
And aside from playing with Brady and chasing a trophy, Sherman said he was lured to Tampa from the respect he gained from so many battles with Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich (who was Arizona’s offensive coordinator in 2018) and the respect he had for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
“Yeah, I’ve got a relationship with all of them,” Sherman said. “You’ve got to think, they were in the NFC West with me my whole career until they left to come to Tampa.
“So, in Arizona we had a lot of battles over the years. There was a lot of mutual respect there – mutual respect for what they do and what their scheme is. Todd [Bowles], as well. It’s fun with our powers combined.”
Now that right there is what Joe calls a “warrior bond.” Those two forces went at each other twice a year. Each side knew it needed its best to try to one-up the other. But there was mutual respect. They may have been rivals, but there was respect.
Sort of a football honor code.
And now, they’ve united to pull the same rope the same way with football glory at the end.
September 30th, 2021 at 9:06 am
Yeah it’s cool to see the different guys come together in bucs team. It worked last year and I expect Sherman can play some smart schemes although he probly has lost a step . Is he ready this week ?
September 30th, 2021 at 9:09 am
I think this is going to be a really great move. Just the respect he garners from the young guys is enough. Add to that his desire for redemption and to play on this team.
Tampa is a calming town. AB proved that. Good for RS. Good for Tampa.
September 30th, 2021 at 9:09 am
All that is great if he can still cover.
September 30th, 2021 at 9:12 am
I think it will take more than a few games for him to make too much of a difference. But I’m hoping I’m wrong. Go Richard!
September 30th, 2021 at 9:17 am
like hodad said… as long as he still has juice.
as a Buc’s fan I never paid him much attention, but he was in the spotlight a lot… mostly trash talking.
can he still back it up? we’ll see.
September 30th, 2021 at 9:20 am
Looks old
September 30th, 2021 at 9:26 am
Some of you are missing the point. Jamel Dean is fast, and where does that get him? Out of position and dropping easy interceptions. Idgaf if Sherman runs a 5 second 40, I betcha he’ll be in the right spot when they play cover 3 or something. I bet you the youngsters who grew up watching him won’t wanna f up in front of a guy they watched, I bet you his words and intelligence will carry weight in the locker room. I bet this will intrinsically get guys to tackle better and play harder. Big picture people, Jesus Christ. It’s not: “herrr derrrrrr but this isn’t 2013 y’all, what a waste of a signing.”
September 30th, 2021 at 9:48 am
I’d rather have Sherman in the backfield this Sunday with no prior practice then Delaney with a year of practice. Some things you can’t teach.
September 30th, 2021 at 9:48 am
Sherman’s vet presence changes our entire secondary…….from what I’ve seen lately, it certainly can’t hurt.
I know if I’m an opposing QB, I have to think long and hard before throwing it his way & then you have to think about Carlton Davis on the other side.
September 30th, 2021 at 9:56 am
We desperately signed Sherman. We get it Joe. Move on.
September 30th, 2021 at 10:07 am
GoForTheFace30 … “Idgaf if Sherman runs a 5 second 40, I betcha he’ll be in the right spot when they play cover 3 or something.”
Easy to get your point, but speed kills … sometimes. When I watched DJax just blow right past our DBs on that 75-yd TD to open the 3rd qtr Sunday, the advantage of real speed was obvious. (And yes I saw that Edwards fell down, but he’s not in DJax’s speed class anyways).
Of course, AB does the same thing … sometimes. So does Scotty, and so will Darden (eventually). It seems to be all about setting up the right conditions for the deep pass that makes them work.
September 30th, 2021 at 10:20 am
Good point defense rules
September 30th, 2021 at 12:04 pm
“WITH OUR POWERS COMBINED!!!!”
So they are Marvel superheroes. Cool.
If Sherman was a superhero who would he be? How about TB12?
Oddly, TB12 actually seems better than a superhero.
September 30th, 2021 at 12:19 pm
Well Ronde Barber played for a very long time in the Bucs uniformed. He still produces for the team. The age thing is not a big of concern as production on the field. Sherman was Sherman (All Pro performances) before his injury last year. I highly doubt the Bucs would sign Sherman if he couldn’t pass a physical nor looked bad during tryouts. It’s to early to have negative judgement about Sherman. It’s not like he’s not an upgrade over Dean aka A better version of Myron Lewis that actually has a highlight.
September 30th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
I’ll be a lot more tolerant of all the talk about Sherman once I see him on the field and see that he can keep up and maybe make some plays. If he can do that, if he just steady what has been a terrible secondary, then I’ll not only be more tolerant of all the chatter around him, I’ll even subscribe to his podcast. I won’t listen, but I will subscribe.
September 30th, 2021 at 12:44 pm
podcast was painful !!!
his “marketing agent” is truly a bore ! perhaps it was just the first show, but geez, you have to have absolutely nothing to listen to Sherman and junior through the entire cast.
September 30th, 2021 at 4:27 pm
Hes not a shutdown corner any more.. he has size and length for covering tight ends probly or just a smart zone guy. We shall see.