Richard Sherman was known as one of the most confident players in the NFL during his playing days, but he seems to have been very aware of his limitations in his final season.
It was all thanks to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith. Sherman said he barbecued enough on the route that he realized he should be off the cleats at the end of the season.
The route in question arrived on October 14, 2021. Sherman had just signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after spending 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Smith was the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and was playing the sixth game of his career.
Let Sherman handle the rest.
Sherman’s Recollection:
“I will never forget… Devonta must have carried out this comeback and I got him under control, you know what I mean? I was like, ‘Bang, quick It was like, jam, easy, I’ve got him under control.'” He must have stopped, I tried to stop him, but my whole crotch was going, ‘clap, clap, clap, clap’. was I said, “Oh, whoops, whoops.” And you try to protect him or chase him around like don’t throw the ball.
“Our coach looked at me from the sidelines and was like, ‘Do you want to go? At that moment I thought, ‘Oh, this will probably be my last year. Young players today don’t understand.”
Interestingly, just as Sherman was upset with Smith, Smith had just two receptions and 31 receiving yards on four targets, despite totaling 199 yards in the last two games. to finish that game and win 28-22 over the Buccaneers. .
It wasn’t just his youth in the NFL that Sherman struggled with this season, as a calf injury cost him a few appearances and an Achilles tendon injury ended the season. He recorded 11 tackles and one interception in five games with the Buccaneers.
Smith, meanwhile, set an Eagles rookie record with 916 receiving yards, but struggled again in the wild card game against the Buccaneers, losing 31-15. Alongside AJ Brown, Smith had 1,196 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season, so at least we have an idea of what Sherman saw that night.
