Cornerback Richard Sherman Still Getting His “Football Legs” Back
At the end of the first week of 49ers training camp, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh (h/t 49ers Webzone) pointed out veteran cornerback Richard Sherman was still “trying to get his football legs back.”
Saleh was likely speaking in reference to one particular drill in which the three-time All-Pro was badly beaten by Marquise Goodwin.
Sherman, of course, was cleared from his offseason Achilles surgery just before camp. During another one-on-one drill, this time against veteran wide receiver Pierre Garçon, Sherman was beat again (h/t Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area):
One on one: Pierre Garçon vs. Richard Sherman. pic.twitter.com/gPtHactC39
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) July 31, 2018
A few things of note here. First, Garçon doesn’t have the elite-level speed Goodwin has, so that explains why Sherman was closer in coverage. Yet Sherman was still beat, likely pointing to the fact he’s yet to reach 100 percent on the field. And it’s not likely the Niners are asking him to give 100 percent — an element to which Saleh eluded in the aforementioned presser.
More importantly, though, defensive backs are always at a disadvantage in these drills. There’s no help over the top, plenty of room with which receivers can work and zero pass rush to make a quarterback release the ball sooner.
But then this happened shortly thereafter:
#49ersCamp 1-on-1s: Richard Sherman gets revenge and picks off Jimmy Garoppolo’s pass intended for Pierre Garcon. #49ers pic.twitter.com/ubnfNS3cnz
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) July 31, 2018
Playing physical, press coverage right at the snap is more in tune for what Sherman does best. The above play illustrates more of what Sherman has to offer. And his straight-line speed was never a major factor in his skill set.
Still, Sherman’s speed will likely remain a topic for a while at camp.
Safety Adrian Colbert also had a pick-six interception off Jimmy Garoppolo.