SANTA CLARA — Just a few weeks ago, Richard Sherman’s motivation on the field was an allegedly flippant Baker Mayfield who refused to shake his hand. Before the 49ers handily beat the Panthers, the veteran cornerback heard that quarterback Kyle Allen was going to focus on attacking his side of the field.
Were either of these stories true? Does it even matter?
Halfway through his ninth season in the NFL, Sherman continues to use outside doubt as his main motivation. Even with all of the accolades and achievements, he is able to find people who don’t believe in him. In 2018, it was doubt in his ability to return from a torn Achilles. Now, in 2019, it’s that he’s 31 years old and in the sunset of his NFL career.
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Whatever it takes to motivate the veteran cornerback, the 49ers are pleased to have him on their team. Any talk of a drop-off in his abilities has been greatly exaggerated.
Not only did Sherman finish the day with four solo tackles, one pass break up and one interception, but his coverage was graded as the highest among any cornerback in Week 8 by Pro Football Focus. He only allowed two catches on four targets for nine yards.
San Francisco 49ers
“That’s the frustrating thing sometimes about this game,” Sherman said. “People say, ‘Oh, he’s 31, he can’t be the best cornerback in football, so we’ll just give it to somebody else.’ It’s like, 'Oh, you guys don’t actually watch the film.' ”
Once Sherman found out about Allen’s plan for him, real or fabricated, he knew what he needed to do. What had been an interception-free run for the Panthers quarterback turned into a three-turnover day. Sherman believes the second-year playcaller got a little too comfortable.
"‘You don’t understand, I’m not new to this.’ I’ve been playing at a high level for, you know, my 15 minutes started an hour ago," Sherman said. "Like, I’ve been doing this. It’s one of those things where you take advantage of the opportunities. Guys are going to sit here and throw 5-yard hitches and gain confidence, like, ‘Oh my God, we’ve got a chance.’ As soon as you throw anything substantial, I’m taking it.”
Sherman shares his underdog mentality with the entire 49ers team. They are one of two undefeated teams in the league, but many football pundits have still been wary to tap them as a legitimate contender.
[RELATED: How Pettis motivated Sherman]
“I don’t care, because it doesn’t matter,” Sherman said about the outside voices. “Everyone that has to play us is going to line up and make us prove it again. And we respect that. It doesn’t matter if they respect us or not. It doesn’t matter if they say, ‘Man this is the best team in football’ or ‘This team is the worst team in football.’ The next team that steps in front of us is going to have to deal with us regardless, of what they say.”
"At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks, we know what we have in this building. And the same thing we’ve said since training camp, we’re going to continue to say. We knew the talent we have, we just have to execute. We’ve got to focus on us and we will let the chips fall where they may.”