SANTA CLARA -- Richard Sherman received a warm welcome by many in Seattle, but Frank Clark might not have been one of them. The defensive end has declared the Seahawks' Sherman era over.
Clark spoke to KJR-AM's Dave Mahler after the Seahawks' Monday night win over the Minnesota Vikings, and was asked about facing Sherman and the 49ers this week in the Bay. While Clark agreed there's mutual respect between them, he didn't take kindly to the cornerback's comments about Seattle being a "middle of the road" team.
Clark actually hadn’t heard what Sherman said until asked about it in the interview.
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"Middle of the road -- that’s Richard Sherman being Richard Sherman,” Clark said. “He’s not in this locker room no more, so his opinion really doesn't matter. They've got some problems over there in San Fran that he needs to be worried about.
“At the end of the day, this is my team now. This is my defense. Richard Sherman, his era is over here. If he's got anything to say about our defense, he can say it on the field.
"We're 1-0 against Richard Sherman right now. We’re 1-0 against the San Francisco 49ers this year. Our plan is to be 2-0. So we are going into that stadium next week with our pure aggression. We are going to stop that run, and we are going to have fun on third downs.”
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San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' defense held the Seahawks to 168 yards on the ground and 185 yards passing in a 43-16 loss in Seattle. Sherman, who spent seven seasons in Seattle before going to San Francisco this season, didn't have his best game, allowing completions both times he was targeted and missing one tackle.
The Seahawks (8-5) have won four games in a row, and will look to clinch a wild-card playoff berth Sunday when they face the 49ers (3-10).