The Rehab Of Richard Sherman
September 28th, 2021
“Perfect fit.”
Watching the Bucs secondary Sunday, aside from always steady and reliable Carlton Davis, the word “sticky” doesn’t come to mind for Joe unless it was the residue of beer on the TV from throwing a mostly empty can of Bromosa at the wall after watching Rams receivers run laps around Bucs backup corners.
Per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, veteran cornerback and former All-Pro Richard Sherman, who is flying into Tampa today, is still sticky enough to help out the Bucs’ battered cornerback crew.
The veteran corner is reportedly back to his pre-Achilles tear weight, dropping 15 pounds this offseason. When healthy, Sherman has proven he can still cover NFL receivers. He might no longer be the player who wiped out a whole side of the field in Seattle, but he remains able to stick with receivers and make plays.
Patra also pointed out how desperate the Bucs are. The Bucs had to rely on Dee Delaney to play cornerback on Sunday; this is a guy who came into the league in 2018 and had played a grand total of four snaps of defense prior to this season.
As Patra typed, “That won’t do for the Super Bowl champs.”
Indeed!
Patra added that Sherman, if he were to sign with the Bucs, is a “perfect fit.”
September 28th, 2021 at 12:19 pm
With the GOAT as his personal counselor, this might just work.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
We’ll take whatever we can get right now…
September 28th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Pete has a feeling this guy is gonna get hurt. So, ease him into things.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Sherman really grated on me with his postgame rant after the playoff game against the 49ers a few years ago. Bad form, though I understand there was bad blood between him and Crabtree. That said, I’ll take that guy on my team any day. Granted this Sherman is certainly not that Sherman. But a steady veteran presence in the backfield not only to play but to inspire other players who almost certainly watched him when they were younger cannot be a bad thing.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
It’s a good thing that they have names on the back of their jerseys
September 28th, 2021 at 12:31 pm
Butler taught him a lesson about celebrating a wee bit early!!!
September 28th, 2021 at 12:31 pm
…In addition to losing Alstott, the Bucs (2-2) are expected to be without cornerback Brian Kelly (pectoral strain) and could be minus wideout Keyshawn Johnson when they travel this weekend to face the Washington Redskins (3-2). Both players were injured against the Colts and were forced from the game.
The loss of Kelly, who tied for the NFL lead in interceptions last season, was instrumental in Tampa Bay’s epic collapse as the Bucs became the first team in league history to lead by 21 points with less than four minutes to play and lose…
September 28th, 2021 at 12:32 pm
They need to get this done, now.
That’s all I will say on the matter I am surprised Joe didn’t mention that they should get a pass rusher over another DB. I mean what we have practice squad guys about to start in the secondary but another pass rusher is what is needed.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Definitely a great addition to the locker room, as the young guys can definitely up their game with Sherman knowledge and presence on the field. I’m happy with this if we can sign him. But we as bucs fans may go crazy as Sherman like to play a lot of off coverage giving the wr lots of room at the line of scrimmage. Hopefully he has something to prove coming down here to Tampa. We need alil fire on the backend involving secondary…GOBUCS!
September 28th, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Not sure how much he’s going to help without a pass rush. But injuries in the secondary are piling up and need bodies at this point.
Also, the league may suspend him at some point.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:36 pm
Sherman and Bowles have a lot of mutual respect, and I think that he can help this defense function the way it is designed–miscommunication is killing us, and we need smart and savvy as much as fast.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Sherman might not be a bad pickup. Better than our backups for sure. Just don’t stick him on any true No.1’s or he’ll get torched. Ask Mike Evans.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:39 pm
He take pride in his craft and he’s hyper-competitive. He might even be an unofficial secondary coach, he has excellent technique. I’m glad that he lost weight; his PFF grades were better than expected as he looked like he had lost quite a bit in SF. He won’t be Legion of Boom Richard Sherman, QBs avoided his Cover 3 zone like the plague. But if he has the requisite quickness then he’d be an excellent signing. Let’s face it, the injury and rehab cycles for Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean are lengthy, tightly guarded secrets at this point.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
tampabuscsbro – If you have a good pass rush, you can literally put practice squad guys out there and they’d look good. With that said, we have pass rushers, and they’re expensive, they just need to do their job, which would be helped if Bowles actually watched the defensive film and saw that just rushing 4 on every play was completely ineffective.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:44 pm
As long as we all understand this isn’t a shut down corner anymore. He isn’t going to erase the other teams best receiver. That said, I don’t think the Bucs would expect him to be one, I don’t think they would put him on an island with the fastest guy on the other team either. Fact is we are getting killed on short and intermediate throws. I think he is better suited than the guys we have healthy and if we can get SMB and Dean back healthy we should have a pretty solid group.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:45 pm
The entire point with Sherman… can he run? He’s coming in for a workout, so it will be interesting to see how it looks. Another slow corner is the last thing we need — Cockwell has no problem in coverage, well, outside of that fact he’s too slow and can’t keep up.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:45 pm
My question is what will it take to sign him? My guess is that he is hoping for a multi-year deal. Right now it looks like the Bucs and Sherman’s agent are using the press for pre-negotiation which is common for free agents. Sherman’s agent is maintaining the Sherman is now quick with the weight loss, and is in high demand among multiple teams. The Bucs seemingly are reluctant to disclose the extent of injuries among their CBs as they don’t want to appear as desperate.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:47 pm
No rod you can’t remember 2018 we had a decent pass rush but the worst secondary in football and almost set records for the worst defense of all time.
That is what happens when you put practice squad guys out there. Also you can’t expect the pass rush to get to him every time. I am not saying you don’t need a pass rush but with who we may have playing out there and starting soon it’s not going to matter who we have rushing the passer.
Also yes the Pass rush needs to be better. I think it will get better. It’s odd Joe Tryon and Vea are the young guys producing the most on the D line the other day. That’s not saying much but still
September 28th, 2021 at 12:49 pm
…The All-Pro duo of quarterback Peyton Manning and wideout Marvin Harrison tppl advantage of the Kelly injury and toasted backup second-year cornerback Tim Wansley with a series of passes. Harrison, held to four catches for 19 yards in the first half, finished with 11 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Wansley was so bad — he was assigned to Harrison on touchdowns of 37 and 28 yards, plus a 52-yarder to set up the tying touchdown with 35 seconds to go — that the Bucs will consider moving free safety Dwight Smith to cornerback, his former position, and give second-year pro Jermaine Phillips a look at safety.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:52 pm
Sherman can teach Carlton Davis how to negotiate his next contact for top dollar ! Maybe he can shut down that right sideline short passing hole we seem to have too.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
Munch, we get your point. It’s safe to say though that the equivalent of Manning and Harrison will not be on the field Sunday. And by the time we reach the next QB/WR combo that’s dangerous hopefully we have some guys back.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
tampabuscsbro – I said a good pass rush, in 2018 the Bucs had 38 sacks, that is not a good pass rush. In 2019 they had 47 sacks, in 2020 they had 48 sacks. All those teams had the same defensive backs, mostly, except for Winfield being added in 2020.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
Rod Munch
Tim Wansley is the worst Bucs dB EVER. He still my most hated Buc of all time and it’s not even close
September 28th, 2021 at 12:56 pm
It would be great to have someone to teach them how to cover. Apparently Bowles CANNOT!
September 28th, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Steven007 – If you got my point, then you wouldn’t be talking about the Pats game. The point is, Brian Kelly got hurt in that MNF game in 2003, he ended up being lost for the year and that all-time great Bucs defense, which is the best passing defense in the history of the game, suddenly had a huge hole in it – and no depth. That single injury cost the 2003 Bucs their season and a chance at repeating.
Not saying the Bucs are doomed to repeat that, but it’s an interesting parallel. However the big difference is this team should win on offense, the 2003 Bucs, of course, were 100% about defense, and with no depth, a single injury took them from all-time great, to just very good.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Gareon Conley should definitely be brought in for a look as he has a ton of upside and has shutdown capability. Not old or worn like Sherman.
September 28th, 2021 at 12:59 pm
The loss of Kelly, who tied for the NFL lead in interceptions last season, was instrumental in Tampa Bay’s epic collapse as the Bucs became the first team in league history to lead by 21 points with less than four minutes to play and lose…
I remember this time all too well Rod. The secondary was a pile of dodo after B Kelly went down.
And the Monday Night game against the Colts, It did not help the Refs let the Colts get the ball on a onside kick that never went 10 yards on one of their possessions that should never have happened. How that got lost in the moment is garbage by the Refs.
That game and the Carolina game when they lost Jurevicious and Alstott when they collided. not fun games to see
September 28th, 2021 at 12:59 pm
Lamarcus – I had blocked his name from my memory. It wasn’t until I found that article and was reading that it all came rushing back.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:02 pm
But you are right on Rod, that caused a domino effect and the Defense was NEVER the same from then on.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:05 pm
If nothing else his experience should help out our young crew. Last week they didn’t look like where they even needed to line up, and who, or what to cover. Maybe Sherman can get the boys lined up properly at the very least.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:07 pm
Is this the same Richard SHerman who told Brady… “yo’ mad bro’… ” 🤨
September 28th, 2021 at 1:11 pm
More to the point, we never tried to replace Kelly with a veteran like Sherman. Different times, different game, different team. I understand the history, I was at that game. But we also didn’t have TB at quarterback either.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:12 pm
Cmon Pete you worry too much. You’re on the wrong medication or wrong dose. Take a handful and let’s see if you can see the bright side for once
September 28th, 2021 at 1:16 pm
Steven007 – thankfully that was one game I wasn’t at. I don’t think i’ve ever been as p/o’d at a regular season game as I was at that one. Afterwards it really did feel different, like the run was over.
But if that team had TB, by gawd, we’d have racked up more SB championships than the Pats. For as bad as the Bucs offense was, they generally had some good talented players. Can you imagine Brady playing with Warrick Dunn — people talk about James White, but Dunn with Brady would have had over 120 catches and probably 1200 yards receiving out of the backfield. Obviously that’s a 2001 player, but if you have Brady, you’re not letting Dunn walk.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:18 pm
Darrel Revis ReDux
September 28th, 2021 at 1:24 pm
One of the few times I agree with the Munchy boi
I may be paraphrasing here but I believe Warren Sapp said something to the effect of:
“If you have a good pass rush, all the secondary has to do is play center field”
September 28th, 2021 at 1:28 pm
What is this, Anachronistic Tuesday?
The here and now dictates the Bucs need a corner, almost ANY corner after bearing witness to the first three games of 2021.
Yeah, Sherman will be the turtle version of his former self. But he’s a smart player with the intelligence level to know where is supposed to be in zone coverage.
Stafford, Ryan and Prescott are all good quarterbacks, but even a rookie could hit wide open receivers in empty zones. The mass confusion in the secondary needs to stop. When I watch our DB’s I think … college football.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:31 pm
Damage Control Report….hull stove in and taking on water…Man the pumps! Shore up that hull!
September 28th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
Cmon we need the tweets Sherman signs with Bucs 😤
September 28th, 2021 at 1:40 pm
How many thought AB was a bad pickup for the Bucs last year. I did and boy was I wrong. Sherman would be a upgrade to what we have for backups.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:41 pm
Sherman has no agent so it’s up to him if a deal gets done today. The only question is will the NFL suspend him due to his off field trouble. His wife said no one got hurt. I don’t know what goes into a visit but if I was the Bucs GM I would like him to run a forty. He would probably decline for fear of pulling a hamstring.
September 28th, 2021 at 1:49 pm
Sherman wont be charged until after the season (per his words), so I’d guess a suspension wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
I hope we get him. And i feel he may mix well wilth Carlon Davis
September 28th, 2021 at 1:49 pm
Sad, Joe! Throwing Bromosas is as big a crime as the imposters playing secondary. A friend asked me what I miss most about Florida. I said, “Big Storm Beers.” I wish the Johnson city Publix would carry it.
September 28th, 2021 at 2:22 pm
SB-LV … Sounds like you’re almost as skeptical as I am of signing Sherman. Signing Revis cost up big-time IMO, and we got used ($16 mil plus a 1st Rnd pick for a 1-year rental of a DB still rehabbing … at our expense?).
Sherman won’t come cheap (he’s got us over a barrel) and I’m not convinced he’s really the answer to our DB woes. Definitely a shutdown corner in his 7 years with Seattle (99 PDs in 105 games played is pretty close to 1 PD per game average). But in his next 3 years with San Fran, he only had 15 PDs in 34 games, less than half a PD per game average. Plus his INTs went down from 32 in 7 yrs with Seattle to only 4 in 3 yrs with San Fran. Sounds like age was catching up with him BEFORE his injury.
September 28th, 2021 at 2:38 pm
At this point we should call Donnie Abraham.
September 28th, 2021 at 3:51 pm
Sherman was really good but he could never wipe out one side of the field.
Sherman had great safeties.
That distinction is reserved for Revis Island and Primetime.
September 28th, 2021 at 4:33 pm
At least with Sherman on the field, QBs will think long & hard about throwing it his way…..Dee Delaney….I think not
September 28th, 2021 at 5:38 pm
I have more faith in the Bucs brass making this judgement if Sherman is capable of helping us than anyone commenting on it here. Although that does make it fun and why we read the comments section. But saying that. If the Bucs sign him then I think they’ve more than proved themselves on these type of decisions. Everyone is looking at the now. Boy, It would b fun to have all our secondary back come playoff time. Plus Richard Sherman. Just sayin
September 28th, 2021 at 5:41 pm
To all the guys clamoring for more pass rush, please realize that better coverage improves the pass rush.
The better a receiver is covered, the longer it takes for the QB to hit him. The longer a QB holds the ball, the better chance we have to hit him.
Another poster pointed out that Bowles was playing not to lose against the Rams, giving their receivers way too much cushion, to prevent the deep ball.
Stafford took advantage of it, and we lost.
I was Praying (and I am not religious) that we did not go down 3 scores to the Rams, because I knew what was coming. RAHEEM turned his Dogs loose! Their pressure got so bad that on 3rd down and 20, we tried a little shovel pass to Bernard, when we needed 20 yards!
Sherman can only help us, so I hope we signed him.
September 28th, 2021 at 5:59 pm
Dee Delaney and Ross Cockrell did ok. It was Mike Edwards and Carlton Davis who got torched by D Jackson.
September 28th, 2021 at 7:58 pm
Well this wouldn’t be as bad as Revis cuz we’re not trading away 1st round picks for a guy WE KNOW IS FKN INJURED with a bloated contract.
He’s definitely not in his prime anymore though.
At this point you’re counting on his smarts / knowledge / instincts and lack of speed to still be more effective than Delaney or Cockrell’s inexperience.
September 28th, 2021 at 7:58 pm
And yes, Carlton also had a terrible game.
He’s consistent about 75% of the time lol.
September 28th, 2021 at 9:04 pm
Alanbucsfan … you’re 100% on. Edwards slipped on that 1st one, but he would’ve gotten beat anyways because he’d already started the wrong way on the play (maybe he slipped trying to recover?). And yes, Davis got whooped again. He’s our best corner, but he’s given up 2 TDs just like Edwards & Cockrell have.
September 29th, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Maybe Richard Sherman needs to double up on his medication.
He may be out of touch with reality.