Sherman on ESPN first take. 12:30

[SalishHawkFan]

Skip was clearly being a dick, but Sherman clearly let Skip get to him. By looking unprofessional, Sherman looked weak. I hope Sherman learns that he looked weak, and therefore gets back to impersonal trash talking. But overall he is an intelligent dude so I'm not really too worried about anything he does -- he know's what he's doing.

Sherman never got emotional. He was insulting, but not emotional. He brought up a very important issue that not only applies to Skip Bayless but the entire media from Fox News to ESPN, from the sports to the political to every issue in general. These guys spout off all day every day without a trace of factual evidence to back them up. It didn't used to be that way. They teach you that in journalism it's NOT supposed to be that way, but it is.
I'm glad to see at least one mediot get hammered for it.

 

[NFSeahawks]

The beginning and the end of the interview (if you can call it an interview) I'm fine with, but the middle part where Sherm's personally attacking Bayless was bush league at best. Sherm's better than that.

Here's the problem Sherman's creating for himself by going after everyone and anyone that says something bad about him. He's leaving himself no room for error. Sherman's put himself so high up on a pedestal publicly with all this chest thumping that there's nowhere for him to go but down. He's created a persona that everyone other than Hawk fans will be rooting against him.

I think that's the part that drives him. Like another poster said, it forces Sherman to elevate his level of play because he's left himself no room for error. He has to show up or be laughed off the field.

I guess what I'm trying to say is up until yesterday I was on Sherm's side because he always kept everything light and fun...........but with Bayless it crossed over into mean and ugly territory.

I don't mind subtle sarcastic jabs one and again but this wasn't subtle at all, Sherman was hurt and he responded with foolish comments, there is really no other way to state it. He needs to stay away from the media for a while imo. :179419:

 

[lukerguy]

Bayless is mean and ugly. He got what he deserved and its nice to see someone stand up to him finally.

You're cut from the same cloth as Sherman, I guess? lol Who cares what the guy looks like.

 

[HawkAroundTheClock]

I love Sherman's story, but I guess thats where I would have wanted him to settle in. If he wants to take on Bayless, im all for it. But why not calmly sit there and reflect on his accomplishments? All we heard was "Im all pro-stanford grad".... not int numbers, passes defended, his background, etc... Or, since he was interested in comparing his successes with Bayless, how many awards has Bayless won, or the shambles of his writing career? It just became a name calling adventure. And that's the thing, Sherman had the ammo.

Im not judging Sherman. Like you said, he's done nothing wrong. As a fan, i just think its getting old. No, he's not going to dial it down. But at what point does this self promotion start to hinder the team? When does he go from Deion to Owens? Thats my only concern.

Well said. If he planned to break that 4th wall and expose Skip the person behind the hot air, he could have compiled a laundry list of comparables. The Deion to Owens thing nailed it. As long as he doesn't start interviewing with everybody this way, I too hold out hope that Sherman's excellent play and that great smile will charm his way into peoples' hearts. There will be some bumps, but I think he'll get there.

 

[NFSeahawks]

Skip was clearly being a dick, but Sherman clearly let Skip get to him. By looking unprofessional, Sherman looked weak. I hope Sherman learns that he looked weak, and therefore gets back to impersonal trash talking. But overall he is an intelligent dude so I'm not really too worried about anything he does -- he know's what he's doing.

Sherman never got emotional. He was insulting, but not emotional. He brought up a very important issue that not only applies to Skip Bayless but the entire media from Fox News to ESPN, from the sports to the political to every issue in general. These guys spout off all day every day without a trace of factual evidence to back them up. It didn't used to be that way. They teach you that in journalism it's NOT supposed to be that way, but it is.
I'm glad to see at least one mediot get hammered for it.

Thats not the point, do you think by Sherman doing this, it's somehow going to change what the media does? Lets not confuse what the media's job description is which is basically to be an asshole, to ask stupid questions, to get a reaction for the most part at least in sports reporting it is. Anyone can be a casual sports journalist but thats not why Skip is where he is.... sadly. There is too many journalists out there for everyone to do the same thing and become famous for it. Skip was just doing his job. Richard Sherman doesn't have the longevity to talk like this, but then again what do I know since being an All Pro is all thats important to a players career. I don't want to sound like I'm against Sherman because I'm not but some of his facts were dumb some of his statements were dumb, simple as that, as a person I can say that. This whole thing is silly and I wish we could just erase it. First help bring a super bowl to Seattle then you can talk some more.

EDIT: I think the deadspin video was edited to make Sherman look worse than he was, I just heard more of the audio version and it sounds like Sherman has more of a level head to start, so maybe it's not as bad as it first seemed, still it was dumb overall.

 

[chris98251]

Many say it was ugly, but having the balls to go after Bayless where it may have seemed awkward to hear Sherman will have a bunch of support from Professional Athletes across all sports, Bayless is nothing more then a Instigator of controversial propaganda when it comes to sports. Call him Jerry Springer of sports or as someone said Howard Stern.

I would be willing to bet that Sherman will never be caught in that type of situation again without being completly prepared to take someone down a bit more surgically.

 

[Greenhell]

I love Sherman and this didn't change that.

As Mark Cuban made very clear, Skip's entire career is based on stating his broad opinions as facts. If you don't think so, refresh your knowledge of the meaning of 'fact' and 'opinion' then listen very closely. He can't answer a simple question like 'what defense were they running?' He spews tired, uneducated clichés like 'they wanted it more' and he represents the inner workings of athletes' brains as if he were their therapist or confidant.

This laziness gets a pass from most because in the long run it's much less important than so many other real-life things. But that's how mediocrity thrives, by not being important enough to get worked up over. There is an art to being just annoying enough to be relevant and there is an art to being just vague enough to not get called out for being wrong. These are not terribly specialized artforms, but Skip has made a career of it. That doesn't mean everyone has to play along. Mark Cuban didn't. And Richard Sherman wouldn't even pretend to do it. Just MHO, but I bet there are loads of professional athletes out there who would love to have done what Sherman did on that show, but don't want to deal with the backlash.

Richard Sherman not only escaped Compton, but has risen to the top of his professional field via Stanford, then the Seahawks. He feels compelled to let people – the people who keep questioning him or flat out trying to put him down – know the facts. Maybe this stems from growing up in a place where a person with dreams gets a lot more grief than support. Maybe Richard Sherman has the perfect balance of self-assuredness, outspokenness, and work ethic to succeed where others from similar backgrounds and circumstances fail.

Maybe he has been doubted and disrespected his whole life, from pee-wee, to high school, to college, where his coach tried to marginalize him, to the national media where an attention-seeking, opinion-as-fact spewing talk show host uses the time leading up to the interview to knowingly rile up the interviewee with put-downs.

For anyone unsure of why Sherman would go on the show, think of it this way. Imagine if a sports columnist started saying things about you in his column like, "You are not a great poster. Your statements and ideas are nowhere near as good as (So-n-so .NET screen name)." If this went on for a few weeks or more, and this columnist was known for badgering other posters, maybe you would feel the need to respond. Maybe not. What if the columnist said the same thing about your professional career? What if you were about to go on a show to discuss your recent charitable events, or to answer the question, "How good do you think you are at your job?" and the interviewer spent the time leading up to the interview saying you are nowhere near as good as another guy in your organization. No numbers, no facts, just "you are not nearly as good." I'm not a trash talker myself, but I'd be a little steamed. Either way, it is at least understandable why Sherman wanted to call out Skip and do it no-holds-barred.

Good post.

 

[-The Glove-]

The beginning and the end of the interview (if you can call it an interview) I'm fine with, but the middle part where Sherm's personally attacking Bayless was bush league at best. Sherm's better than that.

Here's the problem Sherman's creating for himself by going after everyone and anyone that says something bad about him. He's leaving himself no room for error. Sherman's put himself so high up on a pedestal publicly with all this chest thumping that there's nowhere for him to go but down. He's created a persona that everyone other than Hawk fans will be rooting against him.

I think that's the part that drives him. Like another poster said, it forces Sherman to elevate his level of play because he's left himself no room for error. He has to show up or be laughed off the field.

I guess what I'm trying to say is up until yesterday I was on Sherm's side because he always kept everything light and fun...........but with Bayless it crossed over into mean and ugly territory.

I hear ya. From what I understand of Sherman, he seems to give what he gets. He's said before,there'd be games where him and the WR he's facing don't even say a word to eachother. Then there's those that challenge him and he steps right up and accepts. So with Bayless, after weeks of spewing nonsense about Sherman, he got the same in return.

 

[Navyhawkfan187]

No offense hawkaroundtheclock... but Sherman went on the show because he craves attention and conflict. Thats it. How you deal with a guy like Bayless is ignore him, or challenge him with facts. Sherman did neither. He responded emotionally.

I could care less except for when you have chance to take on a douche like Bayless, you have to be prepared. Sherman wasnt, and what that shows me is he was only interested in furthering the attention around him.

whether its a big deal is yet to be seen, but as a fan i'd prefer Sherman step away from the spotlight for a bit

No offense taken. We're all just sharing ideas. Speaking of which, how should Sherman have been better prepared? With more facts? He's been doing that constantly ever since Super Bowl week! And Skip still gives him an earful of 'you are not in the same stratosphere as Revis' leading right up to interview time? How many facts can Sherman restate?

Skip's entire career rests on zings and barbs disguised as knowledgeable sports talk. Sherman recognized his game and played it better. It's not a coincidence that this is the first time we've ever seen Sherman get chippy and emotional like that. I argue that he WAS prepared for the show and he was prepared to do what many others have wanted to but wouldn't. He was not caught off guard nor was he shaken. He knew exactly what the show is and what he went there to do. He bullied a bully, plain and simple. Sure that makes for some tense and even uncomfortable TV, but don't pretend that Sherman was duped into a playground exchange he didn't want to be a part of.

Now, ignoring Skip might be how you and I would handle it, but why should we expect any other individual to handle it like we would? Because it's the only right way? Because it gets you more favor with other national media or NFL fans? Those are so unimportant to Richard Sherman. Yes, he wants attention, but he's not going to shake his ass in public unless he knows he can back it up on the field. Put another way, he is not going to 'dial it down' or 'dumb it down' or quiet down just to get approval in the sports columns and message boards.

Aside from winning a Super Bowl, Richard Sherman seems to want two things in his professional life: to be the best corner the game has ever seen, and for people to acknowledge his accomplishments. I don't see anything wrong with that or with how he chooses to go about attaining those goals. When he was selected 1st team All-Pro, that was an achievement toward his second goal. For Skip to come off like Sherman has not attained anything, or is nowhere near the discussion of the best cornerbacks in the NFL is absolutely worthy of an emotional comeback.

I feel ya, though, it's not the way I would handle it. I am flat-out AWFUL at self-promotion. I am like the anti-Sherman in that sense. Doesn't mean it's the only way or even the best way. I'll trust a guy that earned his way out of Compton, into Stanford, and onto a tough roster as a 5th round draft choice. I'll trust a guy who earned his place with those 50 writers as one of the best in the league in his first complete season to know what is best for himself without placing my particular value system on him.

I love Sherman's story, but I guess thats where I would have wanted him to settle in. If he wants to take on Bayless, im all for it. But why not calmly sit there and reflect on his accomplishments? All we heard was "Im all pro-stanford grad".... not int numbers, passes defended, his background, etc... Or, since he was interested in comparing his successes with Bayless, how many awards has Bayless won, or the shambles of his writing career? It just became a name calling adventure. And that's the thing, Sherman had the ammo.

Im not judging Sherman. Like you said, he's done nothing wrong. As a fan, i just think its getting old. No, he's not going to dial it down. But at what point does this self promotion start to hinder the team? When does he go from Deion to Owens? Thats my only concern.

But Sherman did go there, he did say all of those things. He repeatedly said 12 INTs in 26 games. Over and over and over he said that. I would personally love it if ESPN had the balls to put Terrell Suggs, Mark Cuban, and Richard Sherman all at a table across from Skip Bayless for about 15 minutes. Skip would retire on the spot.

 

[Throwdown]

But Sherman did go there, he did say all of those things. He repeatedly said 12 INTs in 26 games. Over and over and over he said that. I would personally love it if ESPN had the balls to put Terrell Suggs, Mark Cuban, and Richard Sherman all at a table across from Skip Bayless for about 15 minutes. Skip would retire on the spot.

I'd love to see him have a chat with Sherman and the man who he rips the most out of, Lebron James. It'd be must see TV.

 

[RolandDeschain]

I don't know how anyone that saw Sherman's facial expressions on that show could say he didn't get emotional. Virtually every time Sherman has gone after someone in the past, he has been smiling very noticeably. This time, his facial language was very different. He was flat-out pissed.

He definitely got emotional on this one, but I love him anyways.

 

[bestfightstory]

Oh, well. At least none of the trained seals have mentioned Kelly Jennings. I'd call that progress!

 

[bubbrubb]

I would be all for trading sherm....dude is a goof. I was a casual seahawk fan his first year and I remember he cost us a penalty on a MNF game for his stupid antics. It was so stupid I remembered him...for wrong reason. Get rid of him while his stock is high.

 

[Decimation]

I would be all for trading sherm....dude is a goof. I was a casual seahawk fan his first year and I remember he cost us a penalty on a MNF game for his stupid antics. It was so stupid I remembered him...for wrong reason. Get rid of him while his stock is high.

Great idea. Lets get rid of T.O version 2.0 the biggest cancer ever! /sarcasm

Seriously? He has swagger, and he's good. Something we have never had. I love sherman and I hope he plays for us for a long time.

 

[bestfightstory]

I would be all for trading sherm....dude is a goof. I was a casual seahawk fan his first year and I remember he cost us a penalty on a MNF game for his stupid antics. It was so stupid I remembered him...for wrong reason. Get rid of him while his stock is high.

THIS!

Is a horrible idea.

 

[JSeahawks]

My guess, knowing that show, is that much of it was scripted.

Skip Bayless is loving all attention.

 

[-The Glove-]

I would be all for trading sherm....dude is a goof. I was a casual seahawk fan his first year and I remember he cost us a penalty on a MNF game for his stupid antics. It was so stupid I remembered him...for wrong reason. Get rid of him while his stock is high.

Wow...most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Yeah, let's trade our all-pro DB because he talks too much. It's a good thing you're just a CASUAL fan.

 

[Throwdown]

I would be all for trading sherm....dude is a goof. I was a casual seahawk fan his first year and I remember he cost us a penalty on a MNF game for his stupid antics. It was so stupid I remembered him...for wrong reason. Get rid of him while his stock is high.

My 49er fan alert just went wild, where's peaches to confirm this?

 

[FargoHawk]

Interesting that the people who hate Bayless for being loud, obnoxious, and opinionated are the same people who are backing our loud, obnoxious, and opinionated CB.

 

[AbsolutNET]

I would be all for trading sherm....dude is a goof. I was a casual seahawk fan his first year and I remember he cost us a penalty on a MNF game for his stupid antics. It was so stupid I remembered him...for wrong reason. Get rid of him while his stock is high.

My 49er fan alert just went wild, where's peaches to confirm this?

True that, takes one to know one.