Bruce Arians Reviews Richard Sherman

October 13th, 2021

Man, Joe is fired up to see the Week 3 edition of legendary cornerback Richard Sherman in a Bucs uniform.

That rust should be coming off very soon.

And it sure has been a lot of rust. Sherman has looked more like E.J. Biggers or 32-year-old Darrelle Revis in a Chiefs uniform than an All-Pro cornerback.

Bucco Bruce Arians was asked on Buccaneers Total Access last night whether he’s seen improvement in Sherman and progress since his opening game against the Belicheats.

Arians was lukewarm but optimistic.

“Yeah, he missed a couple of tackles [against Miami] he doesn’t usuallly [miss],” Arians said. “He’s a really a good tackler. And I think that part of it is going to come, come, come — get better and better. And as, you know, we expand the game plan a little bit more each week the more they get accustomed to what we’re doing and seeing what he can do, too.”

Joe asks the football gods daily to reunite all the Gravediggers and restore them to health.

In the meantime, hopefully Sherman can hold down the fort against a string of lesser quarterbacks and questionable receiving corps.

45 Responses to “Bruce Arians Reviews Richard Sherman”

  1. adam from ny Says:

    sherm is a work in progress…

    but if things come together for this group towards the end of the season, like last year….the gravediggers +1 can once again become a lethal group come playoff time…

    it really can happen if we get healthy…

    #Gravediggers+1

  2. Bobby M. Says:

    I believe we’ll win against Philly but I expect Hurts to give us fits the same as Herbert did with the Chargers last year.

  3. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    He is what he is. At this point, what choice do we have?

  4. Anonymous Says:

    Once Sherm gets on, and we have 4 baller corners, its game on

  5. geno711 Says:

    Glad to see that Goedert is out for Philly.

    One of their best pass catchers will not be available.

  6. EvolvingBucsFan Says:

    He’ll get there, he’s still adjusting his body to football shape. We don’t need him to be great, just be good enough.

  7. SB~LV Says:

    He is going to need those 10 days off after tomorrows game…he’s a hurt’n gator right about now
    The Curse is Back

  8. Steven007 Says:

    A short week doesn’t work in any players favor, but especially not an older player coming off an extended absence from the game and just starting to get his legs back into playing shape. Hoping he gets a bit of help tomorrow. After this weekend’s mini bye I think we’ll finally see some improvement.

  9. Jmarkbuc Says:

    This game boils down to Devin White vs. Hurts.

  10. Jerry Says:

    Remember Gronk last year after a year away from football, it took him about half the season to get back in physical shape. Antonio Brown too didn’t look good for awhile.

    These guys aren’t spring chickens. It takes time for the bodies to get back in shape after they’ve been away from the game for awhile. If Sherman has something left in the tank and gets back into shape, that would HUGE for the playoffs.

  11. Morgus the Magnificent Says:

    Sherman = “core values”

  12. Swampbuc Says:

    Sherm will be fine. He’s readjusting to game speed while learning a brand new offense and not playing for a long time. Meanwhile I’m encouraged by Cockrell’s improvement and the return of Dean. Need Winfield back ,

  13. SB Says:

    For the circumstances he is working under Sherm is doing just fine as a stop gap until SMB and CD get back.

  14. PassingThru Says:

    Hurts isn’t bad, he just isn’t (yet) doing anything stellar. He’s about average as a passer and average as a runner, which is the challenge for most teams (i.e. “what is he going to do?”). Obviously he’s going to pass as the Bucs do an excellent job of shutting down the running game. You can bet Hurts’ game plan will be to take an advantage of the hobbled condition of the Buc’s defensive secondary, particularly Richard Sherman.

  15. Robert Says:

    The Sherminator will be just fine. He’ll get his legs under him like Gronk did…just hopefully quicker.

  16. JGhotier Says:

    The Joe(s) kinda hit the EJ Biggers reference here perfectly 🙌 gotta give credit where credit is due

    Speaking of giving credit where credit is due.. can we give Long Snapper Carson Tinker a shout-out for his job filling in for Triner so far?! Long Snappers are people too 🙌

  17. zzbuc Says:

    To be honest, I would have never expected him playing immidietly, …..I am pleased on what he is doing…mainly becauise I didnt expect much……

    And if we really wanna talk about missing tackles, please pay attention to CDIII, Dean, Whitehead Edwards and even White, all of them are missing tackles, probably the worst aspect of our game……

    Today everything shines because we are winning, but if we make the playoffs as everybody expects, if we tackle like this, trust me we will need 450 yards by TB every single game, because if not we will be fried

  18. 8l3bucboi Says:

    He Be’s hitting real hard still! just ask some women!

    Go Bucs!!!!

  19. BucsFanFromSaintsLand Says:

    “Joe asks the football gods daily to reunite all the Gravediggers and restore them to health.”

    Classic Line! Guess I’ll join you in these daily prayers…..

  20. Craig Says:

    The Bucs D-backs need to keep all the play in front of them and then make sure tackles.

    Because of our run defense and almost getting there pass rush the game will be of short, lateral passes and a few Hurts runs.

    If our two outside backers stay home it should stop those runs. A few short gains with passes will just be gnat’s arses.

    Sherman has always been good at keeping receivers in front of him. He still is, he just needs less rust on his tackles, that will happen soon and we are at a soft spot in the schedule, It will be good as long as our offense continues to click along.

  21. Rod Munch Says:

    Vita Vea’s number of defensive snaps plummeted again, down to 56%. Was up to 69% in cooler temps and rain in New England.

    If the guy dropped some weight, he could play more snaps in the Florida heat. Sapp said it from the beginning the guy can’t play at 350 lb in FL heat, he’ll be a part timer or constantly getting injured. So far he’s been both. Not sure why no one sits down with him and tells him to drop 30lbs (or drop 50 lbs if he’s 380lb like the coaches suggested) and the guy would be able to play a lot more snaps and would probably be a better pass rusher while giving up little as a run stuffer. You’re not going to convince me that he’d suddenly not be able to stop the run if he was 320lb. Also if I’m wrong, it’s not like the guy couldn’t put 30 lbs back on in 2 weeks.

    Vita is a good player… well, part time player. If he lost some weight he could be a great full time player.

  22. Steven007 Says:

    Munch, do you save this post and then periodically repaste it in random articles? Yes, we get it, you agree with Sapp. You know how I know that? Because you’ve posted this about a thousand times. That’s fine and all, but why drop this in a post about Richard Sherman?

  23. Marine Buc Says:

    Let’s be honest. Sherm should not have even been on the field until his second or third week back. We started him after 3 days of practice and he has performed pretty well given the circumstances.

    I just hope he stays healthy and continues to knock the rust off and he will be another solid FA addition.

  24. zzbuc Says:

    Steven007 LOL!!!!!!!!!! Dr Munch keeps posting the same line every time!!! And whats even funnier is that this defense is what it is (not counting secondary) beacuase of Vea, he is the heart and soul of it…..

  25. Steven007 Says:

    zzbuc, right?! Like I said, my issue is that apropos of nothing, he drops the same word salad regarding Vea. I’m not talking about the merits of his argument. Just the fact that it’s not appropriate in this post. There are plenty of posts about the d line or the front 7 or even the man himself for him to drop his all-time favorite paragraph into. It’s just weird dude… But perhaps I’ve spoken out of place and my online punishment will be a strong recommendation for me to drive to the skyway and commit suicide. That’s another one of his favorites.

  26. Buccos Says:

    I do not recall Sherman giving up any big plays. Of course, at this point he is going to give up the underneath stuff.

  27. Rod Munch Says:

    Steven007 – Well I said last week his snaps were up to 69%, lets see if that’s a trend or if it drops back down again in the FL heat. Well, it dropped again, thus you get the story again!

    It’s good to have at least one rational person around here since everyone else seems to think a part player who misses 30% of his tackles is a 1st ballot HOFer. Meanwhile we have an LT that never misses a snap, and these same dopes want to run him out of town and call him a bust.

    For Vita, if he just ate a salad every once in a while, he could play more snaps and help the defense a lot more than when he needs to take every other series off. I just want to see him get better and live up to his reputation. A highlight play here and there doesn’t make you one of the best in the game.

  28. Steven007 Says:

    Munch, my point was why drop this comment in a post about Sherman at all, or more broadly the secondary? There are plenty of more appropriate articles to drop your story obsessing about his percentage of snaps played. Any thoughts about the actual OP?

  29. Tbbucs3 Says:

    JoeBucsFan with the shoutout on hour 1 of the Dan Lebatard Show today! Big time

  30. zzbuc Says:

    UR the man Steven007!!!! You and Dr Mucnh made me laugh on a very Autum day!!!!

  31. Rod Munch Says:

    Steven007 – There wasn’t anything about Vita, and I remembered to do the follow-up. It’s not like people hardly ever stay on subject anyways, plus it’s defense, so close enough. Sorry you’re offended by talking about Buccaneers football on a Bucs football website.

    Well, actually I’m not sorry in the least.

    As for Sherman, I think the time off has made him lose a step and he looks too slow to be out there as much as he is. However I’m holding out hope that as he gets back into shape and learns the defense maybe he can regain half a step. I don’t think half a step will be good enough to make him even an average corner, but I could be wrong. I will say he’s earned my respect, being thrown into the fire like this and simply having the stamina to play as many minutes as he has is truly impressive. But the sooner he can go to the bench, the better the team is going to be. Now as depth corner, a proven veteran, I think he brings quite a bit to the table – so I’d keep him around, but he clearly shouldn’t be starting and likely wouldn’t even make the roster of most defenses.

  32. SlyPirate Says:

    Bobby … “I expect Hurts to give us fits the same as Herbert.”

    You’re saying Hurts = Herbert (Last year’s ROTY. The guy who broke every rookie QB record in only 14 games. Current MVP candidate. 4th in Yards and 3rd in TDs. Leading Chargers to 4-1 with wins over Cle, LV, and KC).

    Wow, I didn’t know Hurts was that good.

  33. Steven007 Says:

    Munch, you well know that this is isn’t about not talking about football on a football blog. Your passive aggressiveness is showing again. You know my point exactly. As evidenced by you taking the hint and actually giving us some thoughts on Sherman. Which I agree with for the most part by the way. By the way, do you really think that people were waiting for “the follow-up”? And even if you do think that, I’m sure there were waiting for it in the appropriate post. You know, the Joe’s post multiple times a day covering most of the usual topics. More likely you were just chomping at the bit to drop your latest percentages. Hey man, you do you. Just do it more appropriately. Haha, I added that as a joke so you could come back and school me on how you won’t listen to any such suggestion. I think I may be veering dangerously close to a suicide suggestion… Fingers crossed 😉

  34. The Beer Whisperer Says:

    Richard Sherman was not the same, after tearing his achilles.
    Seahawks Sherman, and 49’ers Sherman, weren’t the same.

    Oddly, I’ve followed Richard Sherman for years. Because he interesting or funny to listen to.

    I wasted several hours of my time one day, researching achilles tears for NFL players, after C.J. Uzomah tore his achilles, for the Bengals. I was curious if he would play again.

    It appears, that about 2/3’ds of NFL players have a drop off in production after tearing an achilles. The other 1/3’d never play again. According to all I had read.

  35. Defense Rules Says:

    PassingThru & SlyPirate … At the risk of irritating some who insist this post must be about Richard Sherman, I think Jalen Hurts is someplace between your 2 positions on him. Loved him when he played for Bama, but wasn’t surprised that he left because I thought Mac Jones was the better QB (still do). Still, he showed at Oklahoma that he’s got what it takes to play with the big boys, and winning the starting gig at Philly doesn’t surprise me.

    That said however, I don’t think he’s the type of QB who can go head-to-head with Tom Brady and come out on top, and that’s what he’s being asked to do tomorrow night. Eagles defense isn’t all that good IMO, and they’ll have trouble keeping the scoring down. Yes they beat the Falcons & Panthers & barely lost to the 49ers, but they got drubbed by Cowboys & Chiefs (both laid over 40 pts on them).

    What I think they’ll have Hurts do is run a lot of run-pass options, but not the typical RPOs. Gut feel is that we’ll see a lot of rollouts from him, with the option to take off if we don’t seal the edge well (we’ll miss LVD in cases like that & I also wouldn’t be surprised to them pick on JPP also). Hurts is the type of QB who won’t hesitate to take off (up the middle or around the edge) if we give him an opening.

  36. PassingThru Says:

    I doubt it too Defense Rules, Hurts is pretty much going to have to rely on the pass but all things being equal it is a losing proposition for Hurts to try competing with Brady pass for pass. He’ll test the Buc defense with a few runs simply as an attempt to keep the Bucs off balance.

    But enough of that. How ’bout that Richard Sherman? Is he faster than Vita Vea in the Florida heat?

  37. Steven007 Says:

    DR, really?! Ha, I kid, my issue with Captain Munch was his dropping the same language (with a new percentage!), apropos of absolutely nothing into this post about Sherm. Had you done the same I’d be disappointed. You did not and you’re replying to another poster. Much different. Not that I’m refereeing. Fancy man familiar’s know where I was going with that.

  38. The Beer Whisperer Says:

    The only fear Bucs should have playing the Eagles, is the Philly fans.
    They are the worst in all of sports. Football, baseball , basketball, hockey. It don’t matter.

    They shouldn’t be allowed to drink alcohol, at any events.

    Their fans are disgusting, and the field turf, has historically sucked. Like playing on concrete, players have said.

  39. The Beer Whisperer Says:

    The only thing good to ever come from Philadelphia, is a sandwich.

  40. Architek Says:

    Can we adjust expectations for a player that’s fresh off the couch two weeks ago and need time to get acclimated to the game?

  41. David Says:

    The pass rush has stepped it up the last couple weeks which helps a lot.
    Sherman played better this past week. He just came off the street, is learning the playbook and getting in football shape.
    I have no doubt, with the playing time that him and Dean are now getting, the gravediggers are going to be in full form later in the year with Davis and SMB healthy. Suddenly they’ll have serious depth.

    LFG

    (On a sidenote I believe Tryon will notch another sack this week against Philly)

  42. orlbucfan Says:

    If Hurts is the scrambling QB you guys say he is, then Bowles needs to rev up Tryon and VV. Devon White and Barrett need to show up too with LVD out. Sherman is getting his NFL legs back but he’s no spring chicken. Our D is hurt and Philly knows it. They are playing there so no telling what the usual ref BS will look like.

  43. Defense Rules Says:

    @PassingThru … “How ’bout that Richard Sherman? Is he faster than Vita Vea in the Florida heat?”

    Not hard to read between the lines on that one PassingThru.

  44. Bojim Says:

    If they keep playing him I think he will pick it up like AB last year.

  45. geno711 Says:

    The Beer Whisperer Says:
    October 13th, 2021 at 1:58 pm

    I did not follow Richard Sherman as you said you did. But he ruptured his Achilles in 2017, his 2018 season really was fine but his 2019 was very good.

    He ended up with 3 interceptions with 1 returned for a TD, 11 passes defended, 61 tackles with 53 solo and allowed just 27 completions on 51 targets.

    Your article seems to be from 2010. Achilles injuries were once thought to be career-ending, but as often happens in the medical field, progress has been steadily improving and the prognosis is much more optimistic.
    The improvement started the early 2000’s and there has been more since then.

    Some examples.

    Greg Ellis DL(2006)

    Suffered injury 9th year in the NFL. Averaged 6.5 sacks per year before the injury and 9 sacks per year in the 3 years after the injury.

    Jason Peters LT(2012)
    Pro Bowl from 2013 thru 2016 and still playing

    Demaryius Thomas WR(2011)
    Had his best 4 years of his career 2012 thru 2015 with over 400 receptions.

    Julian Peterson LB (2004)

    Played 6 more year post injury with seasons of 10 and 9.5 sacks.

    Takeo Spikes LB(2005)

    Played many more productive years.

    Leon Hall (2011)
    Had productive years after until back surgery.

    Michael Crabtree (2013)
    Had many good seasons after injury.

    A 2019 study, Factors affecting Return to Play after primary Achilles tendon tear:

    “We found that 61.3% of NFL players were able to successfully (Return to Play) at a mean 11.90 months following a primary (Achilles tendon) tear… Players who returned displayed a significant decrease in the number of games played in the return season when compared with seasons preceding injury. However, when we examined >1 season following return, (Achilles tendon) tears appeared to not affect ability, as there was no significant difference in pre- and post-injury number of games played or started. Our findings suggest that players may return to preinjury performance levels if given the opportunity.”