Five Reasons Why I Have a Problem With Richard Sherman's Comments

After reading Eddie's fantastic article on Richard Sherman's interview with Erin Andrews this morning (if you haven't already read it, check it out, it's really good.) I thought it would be fun to provide a counterpoint to his argument. Here's the interview on the off chance that you still need to see it.



Now I completely agree with Eddie, calling Richard Sherman a "thug" is foolish and only serves to highlight the bigotry that's become acceptable amongst fans of professional sports. That said, I think Sherman's comments were out of line and unnecessary. Here are five reasons why I have a problem with Sherman's comments. I felt compelled to use videos to prove my point.

Reason 1: You haven't done anything yet.



In no way am I suggesting that winning the NFC Championship against the 49ers isn't a big deal... Oh wait, that's exactly what I'm saying. The fact of the matter is that winning an NFC or AFC championship doesn't matter. You don't play the game to win a Conference Championship, just ask the 2007, or 2011 New England Patriots. The Conference Championship is only important for being a step on the way to the Superbowl. Sherman made a huge play true, but no one will remember that play if he and the Seahawks can't beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in a couple weeks, which brings me to my second point.

Reason 2- Michael Crabtree is no Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas...



Or four if you're playing the Denver Broncos. It's no secret that the Broncos own the leagues highest scoring offense, anchored by Peyton Manning and featuring one of the best receiving corps in recent memory. In this case Richard Sherman was right, Crabtree is a "mediocre receiver" compared to the likes of the Demaryius and Julius Thomas, Decker and Welker. The 49ers passing game was 30th in the league this year compared to a Denver team that ranks first in yards per game. Yes, Crabtree was injured for all but 5 games this season, but in those games he did play he averaged under 4 receptions a game. Both Thomases, Decker and Welker all averaged well over 4 a game. If you want to look at receptions during Crabtree's last full season in 2012 he pulled in an impressive 85 passes. Unfortunately for Sherman, Demaryius Thomas, Welker and Decker all hauled in at least 85 passes last year and Julius Thomas wasn't playing yet. If you are one of the best cornerbacks in the league, as Sherman undoubtedly is, you don't get that fired up for containing a good wide receiver, you get fired up when you shut down one of the best guys in the league. If Sherman can keep the Broncos receiving corp in check he can say whatever he wants in the post game interview.

Reason 3- You're part of a team, act like it.

Oh Wow Sherman, I didn't realize that you covering Crabtree for the majority of the game was the sole component in your team winning the game. Frank Gore must not have touched the ball at all... Oh wait he did but didn't rush for more than 20 yards? This is my second biggest problem with Sherman's interview, it's a selfish move in one of the most team oriented sports there is. Football is one of the only sports where you're accountable for only half of the outcome. Take the 49ers for example. Their defense played a fantastic game, giving their offense countless opportunities to score, but the offense, led by Colin Kaepernick, couldn't do anything. 

Sherman made a great play, there's no denying that, but what about Jermaine Kearse grabbing Russell Wilson's 35 yard touchdown pass in traffic on a 4th and 7? What about safety Kam Chancellor's overlooked 11 tackles and interception on the defensive side of the ball? What about Marshawn Lynch going beast mode with over 100 yards on the ground? Point is if any of these things hadn't happened the game could and probably would have had a very different outcome. I think the biggest testament to this fact is that Sherman himself has come out and apologized for his rant which he said resulted in, "taking the attention away from the fantastic game by my teammates." You can read more on Sherman's comments here.

Reason 4. It makes Sherman SEEM ignorant.

Yes those defending Sherman's intelligence based on his education and background are right. Sherman went to Stanford and worked incredibly hard while there, obtaining a degree in Communications and beginning work on a Masters. This is very impressive and could (keyword being could) make Sherman a tremendous role model for young athletes. However, with a background in Communications, Sherman of all people should know that how you represent yourself in public is incredibly important in dictating your public image as a whole. People are not going to do their research and to find out about Sherman's educational background. Instead they are going to make bigoted assumptions and come to conclusions such as this one.

Yes that's harsh, perhaps overly so, but as a professional athlete you need to know you're under a microscope and that your comments are going to garner a response. I know Richard Sherman is an intelligent human being, I know he is not a thug, I know he does fantastic charity work, but people who were watching the Seahawks for the first time all year on Sunday do not. Sadly, the reality is that we live in a society where people draw conclusions based on minimal amounts of information. As a result of this people who know nothing of Richard Sherman are making assumptions about him and his character based solely on that one interview. And, the fact of the matter is, that Sherman does not come across as intelligent, well spoken or mature in his brief exchange with Andrews. If you are a public figure you need to understand that your comments are going to come under more scrutiny than the average individual's. Consequently, you need to be more guarded, more responsible and more well spoken than the average person because America loves gossip, controversy and drama, and Richard Sherman just gave us all three.

Reason 5. You're a Role Model

This is my biggest problem with Sherman's comments. It's a shame that there are hundreds of thousands of adults who are now making ignorant, biased assumptions about Sherman's character because of his comments. What's more unfortunate is that there are now hundreds of thousands of kids who think that Sherman's conduct was an acceptable way to represent yourself. Like it or not professional athletes are role models. Growing up you want to be the athletes you see taking the field every game. When I played baseball in my backyard, I was Ken Griffey Jr. I'd turn my hat backwards, stand really tall, keep my hands low and start rocking back and forth before trying to mimic that beautiful swing. When we played pick up football I was Keyshawn Johnson, which was incredibly painful for a family that loved the Patriots. When we played basketball I was Michael Jordan because heck we shared the same name. 

There are kids out there now who are playing football and pretending to be Richard Sherman. What do those kids now think? That its okay to go off half cocked and bark about a big play that you made? And if that is okay what does that mean about sports? Yes, professional sports are competitive and you play to win, but what about peewee football? What about little league? Those kids aren't playing to make it to the majors, they're playing to have fun, they're playing to learn about competition and teamwork. They're playing because its something that allows them to spend time with their mom and dad. They're playing because they learn to be humble and gracious in defeat. They're playing because they learn to push themselves and maximize their potential. 

Sports are about more than just wins and losses and when we make it okay for Richard Sherman and others to represent themselves poorly on the field we indirectly make it acceptable for young athletes to represent themselves poorly on the field. We indirectly make it acceptable to forget about being a good teammate. We indirectly make it acceptable to forget about sportsmanship. We indirectly make it acceptable to forget about why kids fighting for their lives, like Sam Berns was, love the game. We indirectly make it acceptable to forget about how the Red Sox, and Bruins helped Boston heal in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon. We indirectly make sports a trivial pissing contest to put it bluntly.

No, Richard Sherman isn't a "thug", but he was given the opportunity to be so much more than that, and in that regard he failed totally and completely. Sherman was put in a position to be a role model, to show kids who won't make it to the NFL that it's okay because playing sports is also about the lessons you learn along the way rather than the outcome. Instead he showed kids that sports are about selfishness, ego and narcissism and for that i can't forgive him. 

This Duracell Commercial Will Give You Chills

This is Derrick Coleman, a rookie fullback for the Seattle Seahawks. This Sunday, Coleman will take the field as the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers in hopes of making their way to their second Super Bowl in team history.

The Seahawks superstars will be out in full force Sunday and, thanks to some savvy ticket sales, household names such as quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Marshawn Lynch, and cornerback Richard Sherman should be hearing their names cascading along the stands of Century Link Field.

None of these players, however, deserve to hear their names chanted as loudly as Coleman. After an impressive senior year at UCLA in which he rushed for nearly 800 yards and 11 TD's Coleman's name wasn't called on draft day 2012. Never one to give up Coleman worked hard in the off season and was picked up by Seattle as an undrafted free agent at the beginning of this season 

An amazing story in of itself Coleman's road to the National Football League is even more impressive because of the fact that he is the league's first legally deaf player to step on the field. Coleman has battled hearing loss since the age of three and thanks to hearing aides and an ability to read lips has succeeded against incredible odds.

Coleman has become an inspiration to thousands of fans in Seattle and beyond and now has become the subject of a Duracell commercial that briefly chronicles the hardships he has overcome. The commercial is fantastic, uplifting, will give you chills, but most of all it will show you just how remarkable a man Coleman is.

Conference Finals Preview

Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks won a 2-1 overtime thriller against the Detroit Red Wings to join the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins as the four teams remaining in the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup. With the Conference Finals set to start this Saturday, here is what you can expect going forward from both series.

Blackhawks vs. Kings - This series is an interesting match-up as it places the hottest goalie left, Jonathan Quick against a Chicago team that is probably the most well- rounded squad left in contention.

One of the things about playoff hockey is that one player can entirely change the dynamic of a series, particularly when the individual in question is the man between the pipes. The last four Stanley Cup Champions have ridden hot goalies all the way to the Cup. The Conn Smythe went to Quick last year and the Bruin's Tim Thomas in 2011 and while they didn't win any awards Antti Nieme and Marc-Andre Fluery played crucial roles in the victories of the Blackhawks and Penguins respectively.

The Kings are hoping that goaltending once again can dictate the course of the cup this year because in all likelihood that is the only way they can compete with the three other teams left in the playoffs. Their defense has been solid thanks to the addition of Robyn Regehr but the Blues and Sharks both lack the talent of the Blackhawks forwards. Simultaneously their offense has struggled scoring three or more goals in only three of the thirteen games they've played this post season. Their leading scorer Mike Richards (two goals eight assists) is their only player in double figures and regular season scoring leaders Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams have been stagnant so far this post season.

The Blackhawks are probably the most complete team left in the playoffs. Their forward lines house the superstar power of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp (who's tied for the playoff lead with seven goals). Defensively the Hawks are anchored by blueliners Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brent Seabrook. While Seabrook has underperformed thus far he did score the game winning goal against Detroit in overtime which may provide the spark he needs to play up to his ability level. When you put Corey Crawford's, 1.70 GAA and .938 Save Percentage in the crease with that lineup you have one of the most formidable teams in the leave.

Prediction- Hawks in 6- Quick's 1.50 GAA and .948 Save Percentage are good but he can only do so much, particularly when the Kings struggling offense will be facing a talented Corey Crawford and the best defense they've seen throughout playoffs. The Kings will probably steal a game or two at home but expect the Hawks to cruise on to the Cup.

Bruins v. Penguins- The Penguins handled the Bruin's fairly easily in the season series but the playoff will pit two very different teams against one another. This is going to be a tough one either way and both teams have a legitimate shot at taking the East.

The Penguins have the most talented forwards in the league plain and simple. Any team that can place the league's reigning Most Valuable Player on the second line clearly has a lot of depth and that's exactly what the Penguins have done with Evgeni Malkin. Oh and by the way they also have Sydney Crosby the league’s best playmaker running the first line. Veterans Pascal Dupuis and Jerome Iginla  give the team the experience it needs for a playoff push and their third and fourth lines are two of the best in the league. While Bruins fans may claim to have four solid lines the Penguins have more depth and skill top to bottom then the Bruins forwards do. For this reason the Penguins forwards will be the ones who decide the series. Defenders Kris Letang, Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik are extremely talented but they have been plagued by subpar goalkeeping throughout the playoffs giving up a lot of soft goals. Thanks to their lackluster defense they are going to need to score if they want to win games.

The Bruins on the other hand are going to need to rely heavily on their defense and an underrated Tuuka Rask if they are to contain Pittsburgh's explosive forwards. Boston's Young Defenders Dougie Hamilton, Matt Barkowski, and the unbelievable Torey Krug played a fantastic series against the Rangers, but the Bruins are going to need Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara to play their best in order to prevent Crosby and Malkin from running wild. In order to accomplish this the Bruins need to play physically but disciplined. The slight physical edge the Bruins bring to the table could be their biggest asset, particularly with the Merlot Line playing extremely well. That being said it is imperative that the Bruin's stay disciplined and out of the box. If the Bruins commit the number of penalties against the Penguins that they did against the Ranger's they'll be out of the series before you can say “Crosby to Dupuis”.

Prediction- Bruin's in 7- I'm not even going to pretend to not be biased on this series. Are the Penguins the favorite? Definitely. Do they have home ice? Yes. Does that matter? No. It's the playoffs and the beautiful thing about the playoffs is that nothing leading up to a series matters. The Bruin's are going to need to play well to win, but they made a very talented Ranger's team look so bad that head coach John Tortorella got the boot. It's going to be a tough series, but I've got faith in the boys.

Regardless of what you think there is no denying that the Conference Finals are going to be great battles. These four teams deserve to be here and have all played exceptionally well up to this point. If the first two rounds are any indication there's a lot to look forward to as the hunt for the Cup continues.

Young Defenders Sparking the Bruins

Boston Bruins fans held their collective breath last Monday as Dennis Seidenberg left the ice a minute into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seidenberg joined teammates Andrew Ference and Wade Redden on a growing list of injured Bruin blue liners. The loss of three veteran defenders has meant that the Bruins have had to turn to young prospects to fill the void.

Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and most recently Torey Krug have been called up over the course of the playoffs and have excelled. The explosiveness of these three young players has helped spark the Bruins, pushing them past a tough Toronto squad and into a commanding 2-0 series lead over the New York Rangers. So who are these three youngsters who have stepped into arguably the league's biggest spotlight?

Hamilton is probably the most familiar to Bruins fans. The 19-year-old Toronto, Ontario native was the Bruins first overall pick in the 2011 entry draft and made his NHL debut earlier this season against the Rangers. Hamilton spent most of this season with the Bruins appearing in 42 of 48 games. While Hamilton has had a solid rookie campaign, netting five goals and adding 11 assists, he was criticized throughout the season for mental lapses and inconsistent play and ultimately was replaced by Redden as the Bruins entered the playoffs. Since returning to the lineup Hamilton has been fantastic. Joining Zdeno Chara on the first defensive pairing-- and also getting some time on the second powerplay unit -- Hamilton has taken advantage of his size, power and raw talent while limiting his mental mistakes, proving he can play in big games. seventh

Bartkowski was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL entry draft by the Florida Panthers and came to the Bruins in the same trade that brought Seidenberg to Boston. Since then, Bartkowski has spent the majority of his time in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. It was there that Bartkowski made a name for himself as a solid defender and as a result, was the first of the Bruins young defenders to see time in the playoffs. Not normally a prolific scorer, Bartkowski has notched a goal and an assist in his four playoff games and has been playing with Johnny Boychuk on the second defensive pairing in addition to receiving time on the second powerplay with Hamilton. Probably the best pure defender of the three, Bartkowski is a known commodity who has the stuff to be a consistent Top 4 defender

Finally, and perhaps most exciting has been the emergence of Torey Krug. The 22-year-old Michigan State alum was an undrafted free agent who was signed by the Bruins in March of last year. Krug only appeared in one game for the Bruins during the regular season. Despite all of that, in the playoffs Krug has shown a scorer's touch and fantastic skating ability scoring two goals and adding an assist in two games against the Rangers. Although undersized, Krug has also shown solid defensive instincts breaking up a few key plays and throwing his body around. In yesterday's victory over the Rangers, Krug showed excellent stick work, kicking a pass off his skates to set himself up for a goal from the slot and adding an assist on a similar move when a puck he fired from the blue line was buried by Gregory Campbell. While Krug still has a lot to prove, he has shown some incredible offensive skills in his brief call-up and could be a solid asset to the Bruins moving forward.

These three youngsters have given a much needed spark to a Bruins squad that was floundering entering the playoffs. They've certainly been aided by the revelation in net that is Tuukka Rask but there is no denying that their speed and energy allowed the Bruins to contain scorers Phil Kessel of the Leafs and (so far) Rick Nash of the Rangers.

Whether their consistency and quality of play is an enigma or here to stay remains to be seen, however, they have been a crucial part of the Bruins' playoff success thus far. As Redden and Seidenberg stand poised to rejoin the team it's likely that these young defenders will return to the bench, but in either case, Boston's blue line is in good hands for the foreseeable future.

Canucks Still Doing What They Do Best

 The Canucks do everything well, except play hockey.  They can cheap shot you, talk trash, bite you and now make excuses for why they're not still in the playoffs.  Their general manager Mike Gillis took the reigns on this one:

“I really felt the game in Boston for some reason was such an emotional and challenging game, it was almost like playing a Stanley Cup final game in the middle of the season and from that point on I don’t think our team ever really collectively got their emotions together,” Gillis said.  “We had some injuries that disaffected us and we just didn’t seem to play consistently as well from that point. There were certain points where our goaltending was so good it got us through. As a group I didn’t think we executed as well or played as well from that point for the remainder of the season.”

Oh, it wasn't that you guys just played like garbage against the #8 seed Kings, or that you just didn't have the legs to compete?  It was definitely the Bruins fault.  Sorry you guys wasted all of your energy fighting Shawn Thornton...at the same time...while he was against a wall...against your bench.

Stay classy, Vancouver...

Canucks are Gone

I'm not a huge fan of memes, but I figured if there was a good time to bust one out, this was it.  Last night, the Los Angeles Kings, the #8 seed in the West, eliminated the Vancouver Canucks.  That caps the 42nd year of misery in Vancouver... I love it.

Hey, at least Roberto Luongo played good... Wait, no, that was their back up Cory Schneider.  Well, at least the President's Trophy counts in the Playoffs... Wait, no, it doesn't mean anything.  Alright, at least the whole team played well... Oh, they only won one game? Nevermind, they're garbage.

I don't know how much further the Kings will make it, but clearing out the Canucks is a huge leap towards hoisting the Cup, even with possibly three more series to go.

The good news for the 'Nucks is they now have an extra month and a half of no distractions to figure out what to do with Luongo.  His $5.3 million per year through 2022, no-trade contract will be virtually impossible to move.  Plus, if you were a team with a chance at the playoffs, why would you want someone who's now twice proven to fold up?

Semi-Live Blog -- Bruins and Capitals, Game 6

Photo: nhlsnipers.com

I'm supposed to be doing my thesis paper, but the B's are on, so let's be real.

Overtime: KREJCI TO LUCIC!!!! LUCIC TO SEGUIN!!!! SEGUIN HOLDS, FAKES, GETS AROUND HOLTBY AND SCOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4-3 THE BRUINS WIN IT IN OVERTIME!!!!!!!

Capitals come out banging on all cylinders.  Looking tough.

Third Period: Third period draws to a close.  Bruins can't let this one slip away.  They need to come out with fire.

Dammit....Ovechkin ties it up.  Capitals are heating up, pray for overtime.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAL ANDREW FERENCE!!!!!!!!!!! 3-2 BRUINS!!!!! 7 minutes to go!  I've given up updating times for this period.  Actions too crazy for that.

Both teams are absolutely flying out of the gate this period.  Pouliot got himself an idiotic penalty, second game and second day in a row, but the B's penalty kill was on point again for this one.

Sorry for the break, had to run over to the cafeteria and grab some grub before the third period.

Second Period:

Period comes to a close, Caps holding a 15-5 shot advantage in that frame.  Chara's bloodied but back on, and the Capitals are playing like the Canucks tonight.  The refs are slowly letting the game slip out of control.  Should be an intense third period one way or the other.

0:20 remaining: Matt Hendricks really helping his team with a dumb tripping call, catching Peverley going across the blue line.

0:41: Apparently you're allowed to run around and hit whoever you want away from the puck today.  Jason Chimera clips Brad Marchand in the head, then streaks down ice and gets a pass from Niklas Backstrom to tie the game up at 2-2.  Glad to see that this will be the sixth straight game that the Capitals will play like cheap bastards.

4:10: Capitals earn a bullshit power play, after play was stopped for an apparent too many men call.  The only man in the box is Patrice Bergeron for a high-stick.  Good news: Chara's back out for the penalty kill.

5:26: Things are getting a little scrappy. Roman Hamrlik knocks down Chris Kelly in front of the net, and then Brouwer has some words for Kelly during the stoppage which Peverley took exception to, hence the shove and separation.

Tim Thomas with an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING STICK SAVE on Marcus Johanssan!  Wide open net as the Capitals are maybe starting to catch on to Thomas' aggressive net-minding style. 8 to go.

9:26:  SAVE BY THOMAS! And Jay Beagle being a chump again, par for the course.

14:02: Power play ends, good pressure, probably too much passing, with no goal to show for it.

18:03: Alex Ovechkin draws a four minute double minor for smacking Zdeno Chara in the face with his stick.  Bloodied up, Chara will sit out for a few series.  Let's see what the power play unit can do.


Milan Lucic, Dennis Seidenberg and Troy Brouwer all have 4 hits with a period and two minutes under their belts.

Both teams come out with no real advantage one way or the other.  Anyone else not a fan of NBC's NHL coverage exclusively playing Nickelback into commercial breaks?

First Period:

First period came to a close with the Bruins holding a hard-fought 2-1 lead over the Caps.  The Capitals are putting on a lot of pressure on the forecheck, something the Bruins aren't returning.  The hitting game goes to the Bruins so far, but so do the bonehead mistakes.

Rich Peverley cashed in the Bruins first goal, which was quickly answered by Mike Green to tie the game at 1-1.  The Bruins power play was looking weak as it usual does at playoff time, but potted their second power play goal off the stick of David Krejci to make it 2-1.  Braden Holtby is still playing out of his mind, but the Bruins are being patient and taking some good shots.

And to be fair, that goal by Green was going a foot wide if it didn't hit Greg Zanon's leg and roll in.

Some other news, Patrice Bergeron isn't taking face-offs because of an apparent upper-body injury, but its not like he'd be allowed to stay in half of his face-offs anyway.  The refs aren't taking any horseplay at the dot, and have thrown out players on almost every face-off so far.

Shawn Thornton and Joe Corvo didn't dress for today's game, instead Jordan Caron will play in his first playoff game and Mike Mottau will take his place beside Zanon as the third defensive pair.

Backs Against the Walls

                                                              Photo: SullysBrand.com

One shot to keep the season alive for the Bruins tonight.  They lost an absolute heart-breaker last night at home.  Dennis Seidenberg and Brad Marchand scored within :28 seconds of each other to tie it up at 2-2 in the second period, which gave Boston a short momentum burst.  But when Mike Knuble threw back a rebound for a 3-2 lead, Boston sprung back to life.  Johnny Boychuk, the second defenseman to score on the night, lit the lamp on a power play goal with 11 minutes to go.

Unfortunately, home ice didn't give us any advantages here.  I thought the Capitals were supposed to suck.  They just squeaked into the playoffs, with their best player being a rapidly-declining Alexander Ovechkin?  Unreal.  About as unreal as Beniot Pouliot's decision to slash with 2:50 remaining in the game.

Pouliot has played tough in the first five games of the playoffs, but left the team out to dry on that play.  Troy Brouwer came with a full head of steam down the right side boards and flung one, near post, past Tim Thomas' shoulder.  I was sitting in the media dining room at Fenway Park with some other Fenway employees and some media types including Dan Shaughnessy.  Just utter disbelief filled the room.  The big, bad Bruins are one loss away from packing it in for the summer.

Bruins play today, Sunday, at 3:00 in Washington.  I want Braden Holtby's head on a stick...