Richard Sherman Reality
October 4th, 2021
Back in 2011, the Bucs were 3-2 and taking on the mighty Saints and Drew Brees at home.
Five days prior to kickoff, safety Tanard Jackson was reinstated by the NFL after a 56-week suspension.
And what did Jackson do? He walked off the street and into the Tampa Bay starting lineup, intercepted Drew Brees, and had five tackles and a deflected pass. The Bucs won the game and moved to 4-2 before the entire team imploded.
Joe remembers then-teammate Rondé Barber raving about what a special player Jackson was to be able to walk off his couch and perform at the highest level.
Joe could give other examples of players walking off the street after a long layoff as a defensive back and thriving in their first game back. Bucs cornerback Richard Sherman is not on that list.
Sherman was given the brutal task last night of jumping into the Bucs’ starting lineup despite joining the team last week and first practicing on Wednesday.
Perhaps it was unfair to expect anything from Sherman, who was clear before the game that he did not expect to be ready to contribute Sunday. But the guy was on the field against rather average receivers, and Joe can’t just give Sherman a complete pass for his rough night.
He looked a step slow and gassed. That was understandable but it’s also a little concerning when the player is 33 years old like Sherman is.
It’s a matter of survival now for the entire brutally banged up Bucs secondary, and Joe appreciates that the Bucs found Sherman and he was well worth the gamble. But another couple of Sherman games like last night, and Joe would advise general manager Jason Licht to make use of the Nov. 2 trade deadline.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:08 am
Yeah, that’s the ugly truth. We gotta give Sherman a pass, he hasn’t played football in 10 months and has only 3 Buc practices under his belt. But let’s face it, he looked very slow out there. The jury is out on how much was conditioning and how much of it is age and post-Achilles surgery.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:10 am
I totally disagree. While he did not look like the star he once was, he was more than adequate and considering the guy had 3 days of practice in this defense and had no contact, tackling or even put on pads since early last season, he held up well. He is a smart player who will improve as he gets acclimated.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:10 am
I mean Joe to be fair he got here 3 days ago. Give him some time no one should have been expecting prime legion of boom Sherman.
I am just happy he played good enough to get us that win which I am not sure the third string practice squad guy we picked up off the street would have.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:10 am
We need more help right now, why wait. Keep Sherman, but also get more help, I was thinking this before the game. The Bucs need more help now.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:12 am
Keep Sherman, and get more help now, no sense i n waiting, get help now.
GO BUCS!!!!
October 4th, 2021 at 1:12 am
I actually thought Sherman looked solid if unconditioned. The athletic ability still seems to be there, as is the confidence.
That whole domestic incident was like what, 6 weeks ago? He may be going through some serious medication adjustments at the moment. That might throw him off as much as anything.
Even if he’s not able to start any longer (and I’m not saying that’s the case), he still should help for depth/nickel and to help coach up the young guys.
That said, I would like Licht to seek more help with both SMB and Davis down. We need as much help as possible in the pass defense department.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:12 am
This from the same guy that coined Winston as America’s Quarterback. Sherman did something none of our backups could do. Survive.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:13 am
Mark this. Let’s see what you think in 3 weeks. I thought he looked good. He anticipated and broke. Yes, he was off by a few nanoseconds and gave up some completions. But he has to get his time in. And his timing down.
Was his play worse than DSmith? Don’t think so. How about Cappa and RoJo combined could not block that guy? How about AB with drops and lacking awareness? How about DWhite again horrible in pass coverage? All those guys have been there.
Tanard returned to a Defense he knew, on a team he was familiar with and a town he lived in. Let’s cut Richard Sherman some slack, Joe Joe.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:14 am
Correction — his incident was three months ago, not six weeks. Still, not so long ago and if his issues are fairly deep they might have him on a whole cocktail of medication now that could take time to adjust to.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:17 am
God Joe you expect him to have 3 picks
October 4th, 2021 at 1:19 am
Teams aren’t going to just give away veteran CB talent for nothing. And we don’t exactly have huge salary cap space.
Who do you want to give up? (Don’t say OJ Howard. No one wants him).
October 4th, 2021 at 1:22 am
I think Sherman did better than Dean so far. Some of the passes over the middle are linebackers or safeties faults in zone cover 3 situations. He did a solid job overall. Or lbs are below average in coverage therefore our deep middle is vulnerable.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:33 am
make deals with losing teams now before other teams make those deals
October 4th, 2021 at 1:34 am
Trade any & all draft picks to make another run at it. We’ll never have a QB like this again
October 4th, 2021 at 1:37 am
FYI – that game was what watching Tony Dungy teams for 6 years was like. Nail-biting
October 4th, 2021 at 1:37 am
It’s pretty unbelievable the Bucs put him out there even before Davis was hurt. He obviously doesn’t know the playbook, and isn’t going to be in playing shape. Personally I think he did better than I would have expected under the circumstances, but I’d have assumed he’d get killed out there.
Now the Bucs will have to figure out how in the world they could afford to pay Gilmore – and what the Pats want for him.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:41 am
I’m not gonna point any fingers at Sherman lol. It’s gonna take a few weeks for him to get into decent football shape.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:45 am
Spend our 2nd round pick to get a legit cornerback. Maybe 3rd round, I don’t know, I’m deciding all this from my couch, so much pressure! GO BUCS!
October 4th, 2021 at 1:46 am
Why are we comparing Sherm at 33 to Tanard Jackson who was 26 at the time of that game?
Weird comparison. Sherman played well given he’s been out of action for so long and he’s 33. At least I didn’t see him give up numerous TDs.
Honestly, kudos to all the CBs for not letting this game out of hand given how well Mac Jones played.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:49 am
Also, Tanard Jackson is a Safety for crying out loud. He doesn’t line up across WRs.
October 4th, 2021 at 1:50 am
Sherman is still better than those guys injured
October 4th, 2021 at 1:58 am
If Sherman reads these comments… you are amazing bro, line up in front of your guy and take care of business… they came at you from the beginning, months out of football and you hung in there… Tampa Bay Buccaneers… Richard Sherman! We won!
October 4th, 2021 at 2:38 am
Game speed after only 3-days of practice is an unrealistic expectation Joe, for any player that hasn’t played in 200+ days,, regardless of age.
Welcome to the Bucs Sherman, we Buc fans are glad to have you on board!
October 4th, 2021 at 2:47 am
Man, I must have been watching a different game. He looked SOLID for have 3 days of practice, AND being targeted as a weakness right off the bat. I think we will see a vast improvement in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, I hope JL is still on the phone talking trades.
October 4th, 2021 at 2:59 am
Wow.. I think your assessment is worse than the job that Richard Sherman did tonight. You whiffed on this one, which is something that our new Cornerback never did. Thank God we had him tonight!
October 4th, 2021 at 3:40 am
Sherman was a step slow on coverage but he didn’t miss any tackles and led the team in tackles. For his first game after only being here since last Wednesday I thought he played O K.
October 4th, 2021 at 3:50 am
HUHHHHHHHHHHHH?
Man, it’s crazy how Joe’s “perception” of the game differs compared to when he’s watching Jamel “burnt sausages” Dean and Sean “Caught Sleeping” Murphy-Bed.
Sherman struggled at times but overall he made plays, was around the ball, and was never “getting picked on” for consistent coverage deficiencies. When Dean and SMB are on the field you can just FEEL that poor coverages and that QBs are licking their chops to tear them up. Sherman, even in only his first game back in awhile, commanded a lot more respect than that and you could tell and FEEL it just watching the game.
But go ahead… post more articles about the “stats” that imply Dean is a great cover guy and other “intangibles” that make the might “Gravediggers” Secondary something to fear. ROFLMAO.
Let’s face it… Dean/SMB, and even Davis are FAR from elite cover guys in the NFL. The proof is in their play even if it doesn’t always show on the stat sheet.
AND… for the Love Of Medicated Pete… will Carlton Davis just put in his mouth piece already? He doesn’t use it and lets it dangle and often fiddles with it right before a snap. It seems like such a DISTRACTION and that he could be using any of that mental energy to just fully FOCUS on the play about to happen instead.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:12 am
I thought he played a pretty good game under the circumstances.
IRRC the patsies picked on him the very first pass of the game and he was right there.
He’s gonna be just fine.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:23 am
Sherman in fact playing amazingly, considering what was asked from him (play a game after three days of practice)
October 4th, 2021 at 5:34 am
All things considered, I thought Sherman did OK, at least better than I expected. You have to cut the guy a break. Once he gets more familiar with the scheme, I think he’ll do fine.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:39 am
CBs are easy to find from the undrafted pool. The Bucs should learn how to find out the top Patriots’ CBs .
October 4th, 2021 at 6:14 am
yeah time for licht to find some talented street meat…
time for licht to work some of that sweet bucs magic he’s been pulling off the past few years
October 4th, 2021 at 6:40 am
Hell of a game from Sherman! Off the street and he played the entire game. He is going to be spending some time in the ice tub! Well earned.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:07 am
Hats off to Sherman. He played aggressive get in your face type football. Only 3 days of practice after outta football for nearly a year n I’d take him any day over Deans, Cockrell, n SMB. Once we get close to playoff time it’ll be time for Richard “Don’t You Ever Talk About Me” Sherman to go postal n make folks forget about Dean n SMB. We need that aggressive get in ur face swag at corner contrary to the “Deer in the headlight, passive, confused look of a young 3 year nfl experience player. Sherman don’t give hand outs, he make u earn every catch.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:19 am
I am all for Sherman to get his legs under him and some stamina back after no conditioning for months. He will come around. Seems to me that what the Bucs should have done is shipped off OJ Howard for some DBs. They could have tried to get CJ Henderson from Jacksonville but once again they let opportunity pass by. They are keeping this TE and since his injury they don’t use him for anything. He is good trade material to bring in some help to a very porous secondary. The secondary wasn’t the greatest last year but injuries will put a spotlight on your weaknesses and the Bucs have nothing in reserve for the depleted secondary.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:19 am
Walking off the street as a safety is a lot easier than playing CB2 off the street. Dude had a good game. His instincts won’t fail him as his body catches back up
October 4th, 2021 at 7:20 am
I think you have it wrong the Sherman tank was solid on his tackling and also got a fumble pickup..different ballgame if the fumble in the first was called correctly..clearly the ball was knocked out after receiving the pass
October 4th, 2021 at 7:21 am
Thought Sherman played really well all things considered, and that’s what I was expecting to read. It’s a very difficult position to just jump in and play. It’s the hardest position to play in today’s NFL even with constant practice. Tanard Jackson was a safety, not a corner so that’s a horrible comparison Joe. Many corners have transitioned to safety late in their careers. Sherman will be fine, luckily we have some easier oppononetns in the Dolphins and Eagles where there should be room for some error while he gets his legs back.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:40 am
Fire Licht, obviously!
Richard Sherman didn’t get a sack or three interceptions! What a POS!
Your assessment is so solid, Joe
Bowels, have a nice career elsewhere after tonight’s Sherman performance!
Insert a JBF facepalm here.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:41 am
Huh. I didn’t see ANY giant bombs like we saw last week burning us. Sherman kept things in front of him and made the tackle if it was caught. He looked solid to me especially for a guy with 3 practices under his belt and a long layoff. Is he the beast he was 5 years ago? Nope. Is he as good as Dean or at least slightly better than Delaney? Yep, probably.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:41 am
Sherman, Joe’s new whipping boy…..
Truth is…..our defense, as bad as it was….got 2 turnovers, 4 sacks and gave up only 17 points….the best performance of the year.
It’s a good thing because our offense stunk…..Brady 50% passing & no TDs
October 4th, 2021 at 7:46 am
Didnt like the signing but sherman WAS WAYYYY better than the speed bumps the bucs have been throwing out there; he was a solid corner last night and hopefully going fwd the bucs have a pass rush
October 4th, 2021 at 7:47 am
Joe I have to disagree as well, Sherman may have blown some coverages but from what I saw considering he was on the street last week I thought he did a damn good job with several tackles snd the fumble recovery I’m used to a poor outing by one of our DBs as a train wreck and I for one am damn glad he was out there making plays! He certainly didn’t embarrass himself and remember his conditioning etc will only get better as the year goes on.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:59 am
Our secondary just tackle, they don’t try to contest the ball. So Sherman did just as good as everyone else.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:11 am
That’s the same thing that everyone was saying on this site about Gronk when he started out in this team last year
October 4th, 2021 at 8:14 am
I actually thought Sherman played better than all of our CBs not named Carlton Davis.
The game is slow when you don’t know your scheme or in Sherman’s case, out of football for some time. Sherman will bounce back to a more than an adequate CB within a very short time.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:14 am
Sherman did look a bit out of shape but he lead the team with tackles (7). Which is more that I can say for the rest of the DBs. Our secondary is in serious trouble especially with Davis and Winfield going down last night.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:23 am
What do you know. He grabs a fumble . Usually The other team would have recovered it themselves with our group. And he played well all things considered. Did you think he was going to cover the entire field? He is 10 times better then SMB. At least he has a clue.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:33 am
I’ve followed this site way too long to know that this story isn’t clickbait, so I’m gonna have to call Joe out for being ridiculous. Sherman got here 3 freaking days ago and should not have been expected to play, but under the circumstances had to. I saw one bad miscommunication between him and Edwards and one play where he was out of position. I thought given the circumstances he played well.
First, Joe’s writing about what was seen on the field. Not much about the circumstances, which included playing against a second-rate offense and a rookie quarterback. We can pretend, but nobody knows if Sherman will get better from here or worse. Some old guys get old in a hurry. Joe’s not “calling out” Sherman, but he was the new guy on the field and deserved a candid Day-1 look on these pages. Joe will look at the game a couple more times and write and talk about everyone, as you probably know.–Joe
Hell…he was not picked on at all. He tackled pretty well and I can’t believe he played 58 of 59 snaps and was not more gassed than he was. Dean is awful. SMB before he got hurt was playing awful. Devin White is blowing my mind how bad he is right now, but you wanna call out Sherman? This whole defense is legendarily bad but you’re gonna give Sherman a hard time after three days of practice? Come on Joe you’re better than that.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:34 am
Sherman was OK , better than I expected he would be , and he has every chance to improve after two days of cryotherapy.
Gaelon Conley is available and has shut down Tyreek Hill for 1 catch and shut down Antonio Brown in his prime. Conley is not old at all and could be had for less than a mil.
October 4th, 2021 at 9:08 am
I’d order a Sherman jersey but 5 makes me look fat.
October 4th, 2021 at 9:29 am
Is rhonde barber available on the cheap lmao
October 4th, 2021 at 9:51 am
No player just comes in off the couch. Sherman was almost as physically ready to play as he could be. He could be a little better physically in a couple of weeks but he isn’t gonna be much better. This is what a 33 year old CB looks like. Fans got what they want.
October 4th, 2021 at 9:57 am
Hey Joes: Tanard Jackson was a great DB, and persecuted and driven out of the NFL cos he smoked pot for pain. Richard Sherman graduated from Stanford (not too shabby). The Seahawks got a gem when they drafted him. He may be getting long in the tooth, but he will be valuable as a player-coach. The young players know it. And his head problems? The captains on the team will keep him in line.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:17 am
I don’t believe the comment of a step slow and gassed, of course he was gonna be gassed after not being at game strength and barely practicing. The one thing that you forgot to mention is that he has some heart to go out there and lead the team in tackles with 7 and that the defense only gave up 17 points. Not to shabby for sitting on the couch on Tuesday. Richard Sherman is gonna be as good a pick up as AB was last year.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:18 am
Oh please.
Other than 1 big completion where he clearly didn’t know his assignment, Sherman was the least of our worries on defense.
The real problem is the pass rush is non-existent for 75% of the game. Oh and our LBs are not doing too well in coverage. Still.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:27 am
Joe is clearly wrong here. I thought Sherman did his best given the sh!t show he was thrown into. He’ll get better up to a point.
Point fingers at D Smith. PassPro RoJo, D.White and that useless pile known as OJ SuckJob.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:38 am
The reality is he is not in game shape.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:48 am
He showed he can still play the game. Was it a great game, no, but all things considered, it was a respectable effort. That’s about all you can hope for under the circumstances. I think it will help Bowles to know what he’s got now and start to tailor the defense to help Sherman on those in cutting routes.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:57 am
I thought he played better than expected. Remember during his initial interview he said he wouldn’t be ready for a couple of weeks! He kept everything in front of him. No big plays. His tackling was pretty good. He recovered the fumble! Go enough start!!! He will only play better moving forward!!! Go Bucs!!
October 4th, 2021 at 11:11 am
I have a feeling that the opinions here are a bit colored by the fact that the Bucs won. Had that New England FG gone through the fans would have noticed that Mac Jones went after Sherman, completing 7 out of 7 passes for 74 yards. Yes, Sherman gets a pass because he has not played football in 10 months and has only 3 practices under his belt, but he lacked quickness out there. Maybe this is a conditioning issue, or it is the degenerative effects of age and Achilles injury. Time will tell.
October 4th, 2021 at 11:13 am
Not a fair critique at all, especially considering the circumstances. It’ll be interesting to see what Sherman grades out. It sure didn’t seem like he was as bad as Joe made him out to be.
October 4th, 2021 at 11:17 am
C’mon Joe.
Sherman beat expectations.
How about a story on these below expectations veteran players?
Tutnstyle Smith. Oh No RoJo, and that perennial poster boy underperformer known as OJ Howard?
October 4th, 2021 at 11:25 am
For the conditions involved, I thought Sherman had a great game.
If we lost Carlton Davis- we’ll have to sign another CB quick
October 4th, 2021 at 12:05 pm
So about Brady he’s been overthrowing players. I think he got injured against the Rams or week before and there not saying anything because I know he took a few hard hits against Rams and week before just saying because first 2 games he was on point. What do you think people’s????
October 4th, 2021 at 12:10 pm
Bad coaching again – even in a win.
Sherman wasn’t ready.
Why was Davis on STs?
Brady is the only reason this team is winning.
Withotu him, this team is a giant loser.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:50 pm
Bucs definitely needs to trade for another secondary or maybe another pass rusher. Who to trade or package to offer, I don’t know, I am just a keyboard warrior. 😁
October 4th, 2021 at 2:07 pm
Sherman started a little bad but got way better I don’t think you can judge a player that hasn’t played our system and is forced to be against number 1 I saw good out of him he talked didn’t allow a deep play and will only be better
October 4th, 2021 at 2:12 pm
Sherman had a good game find something else to whine about …
October 4th, 2021 at 2:44 pm
He also did not walk on water or turn said water into wine!
October 4th, 2021 at 2:53 pm
Way to go Richard Sherman a very good. game who cares what Joe. say there seems to be some jealousy Excellent work for first night with team !!!!!!
October 4th, 2021 at 4:23 pm
I know Sherman don’t give a damn about what Joe says, and I don’t either!!!!
October 4th, 2021 at 4:29 pm
Be grateful Bucs fans! You got a fantastic player at a bargain rate! The jet lag probably still hasn’t worn off. Once Sherm gets his legs under him he’ll run circles around opposing receivers and picking their QB’s like a cat sitting next to a nest full of new born chicks. I live just south of Seattle and watched that man ruin many a quarterback’s day. Just treat the situation like the ‘Hawks playing an away game on the east coast, a bit slow for the first quarter, but once he gets acclimated and tightens the laces on his cleats he’ll go out and be Sherm, they won’t be throwing to his side of the field and he’ll thank the fans after the game when it’s his turn to take the podium during the press conference. I wish we would have gotten him back! #Shermanstillgotit
October 4th, 2021 at 4:54 pm
After the injuries and time away and the other stuff you can’t expect Sherman to be great and good is a stretch at that age with no practice and no conditioning. However I don’t recall a catch with big runs after against him last night, and I don’t recall him missing tackles.
Give some credit to the Patriots. However if Sherman puts up a game like that against the Washington or the Giants I would be worried
October 4th, 2021 at 5:07 pm
View from 132 Says:
October 4th, 2021 at 9:08 am
I’d order a Sherman jersey but 5 makes me look fat.
.
.
Best laugh of the day so far!
Sherman did great, all things considered. I also didn’t realize he was that tall, and it was nice seeing him in bump coverage. Cant wait to see him when he gets his game legs back.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:15 pm
Aww,. You mad bro??
October 4th, 2021 at 5:39 pm
Led the team in tackles had the fumble recovery and didn’t give up a TD. I mean…that’s pretty special to me. Gassed? Maybe but step slow? Yeah any one would be when they are running a dig route which btw is the only route to combat the defence we were in. Also we need pressure to make any db look good. Sherman will look better week by week. I just think he needs to get back into game shape and speed. D white even said they didn’t do enough if the db was the leading tackler. We were not as aggressive as we should have been. We played too much soft coverage. They didn’t have the over the top threat for us to be playing so high letting them march up and down the field.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:15 pm
Let’s see how he performs in the next 3 games. I’m guessing he’ll be a lot better.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Bad take Joe – Sherman played pretty well. Much better than a practice squad guy would have – thats for sure. Glad we have him!
The Tanard Jackson situation was sad. He displayed a LOT of talent for a later round pick. But at the time – the league was still caught up in the embarrassing farce of a narrative that cannabis use was a terrible thing and that ongoing use needed to be punished with a death sentence……
At least now players can use cannabis throughout the season to help with aches, pains, stress, inflammation, protection against concussions etc. without fear of losing their career over it. Thats progress. Not enough because the league does still test for it – but progress nonetheless.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:39 pm
If you really think about it, he did an amazing job and will only get much better. Considering he literally came off the street and was immediately thrown into a highly anticipated marquee matchup. I don’t care who you are that’s a lot to be expected. Kudos and much love to my man Sherm! Go Seahawks!
October 4th, 2021 at 8:09 pm
Ha ha, I like Sherman. He’s going to get better, when you look at it in context, he did great. Before long you’ll be happy Tampa signed him. GO BUCS!
October 4th, 2021 at 10:44 pm
News flash! Sherman has never been fast he has always appeareda step slow which I partly why he fell so low in the draft. His game like Tom Brady is about understanding the game better than his opponents (offensive schemes, Route trees, and player tendencies through relentless film study.). As long as he remains reasonably athletic he is going to remain a very solid corner not to mention the leadership he provides to the team.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:45 pm
He will be only marginally helpful for a month or two. But jesus, it took Gronk half a season to get in football shape. Give Sherm a break. Assuming he stays healthy he’ll be valuable in the playoffs.