So I've decided to make my triumphant return to the Mr. Armchair blog this 2014. I took some time off to re-energize the batteries and to figure out how I wanted to approach the Armchair. I will continue to reverse my baseball content strictly for Baseball Hot Corner (www.baseballhotcorner.com) and I'm very excited to be a part of that community and the future that it's heading in. So the Armchair will be for all other sports takes and opinions: football, basketball, college sports, and anything else that interests me. Think of this much like what Keith Law does for ESPN, writing baseball articles for them but still having his personal website for his music and movie reviews, and of course his Top Chef recaps.
So I wanted to start this year and the first post with my take on the events that occurred after a great NFC Championship game, namely with one, Richard Sherman. First, I will acknowledge that Sherman is an elite talent and probably the best CB in the NFL. I will also acknowledge that I am a die-hard 49ers fan, and can be times a little homerish when it comes to defend my team and its players. I also will not call, nor do I consider Richard Sherman a thug or punk, as some are describing him. Classless, we will get to that. So I wanted to preface that right from the beginning.
As a 49er fan and human being, I did not appreciate what Richard Sherman did during his postgame interview with Fox's Erin Andrews, calling out Michael Crabtree and saying that he is a "sorry, mediocre WR." However, I take more offense with Sherman making a choke sign toward Colin Kaepernick, which drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. I also take umbrage with Sherman going up to Crabtree after the great play he made, slapping him on the butt, and trying to shake his hand. I think Crabtree had every right to put his hand in Sherman's face and push him away. There is a time and place for that, and at that time, it was not. But this isn't a which side are you on argument, and I'm not here to defend Crabtree. This is strictly about Sherman's actions.
So let's dissect this by each event. First the postgame interview with Ms. Andrews. I think Sherman showed zero class in his postgame interview. I get that he is an emotional player and him and Crabtree have "beef" toward each other, but what his actions showed was that he is incapable of taking the highroad. There are better, classier wise of proving your point without going on a roid rage. But what I also don't like about his antics is that he chose to take his great play and the great play of his team and turn it into a "look at me" moment, which in turns deflects the attention on what was otherwise a great game and a great play. People aren't talking about the great play that he, Sherman, made to cause the INT, and people aren't talking about the great play LB Malcolm Smith made to hustle down the field to make the INT. Instead, we are talking about Richard Sherman. That was his agenda. I get that's his brand, but if he wants his brand to be that of a glorified WWE character, that is something that I can't get behind.
The choke sign toward Kaepernick made by Sherman was completely uncalled for. Kaepernick, to my knowledge, has never said anything directed toward Sherman that would constitute trash-talking. For Sherman to deliberately make that gesture to Kaep was bush league. Act like you've been there, my man. And the same goes toward going up to Crabtree after the play and slapping him on the butt and trying to shake his hand. We all know that he wasn't doing that in good faith, he was doing it to show up Crabtree. If he really meant to go up to Crabtree and congratulate him on a good game, then do it after the game when all the rest of the players meet at midfield to shake hands.
I know he has since come out and written an article for Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback explaining his actions, but he has also taken to twitter to apologize for his antics, which makes me think that at least he recognizes what he did was wrong. He's an intelligent guy, Stanford educated, so I was confident that it would eventually sink in to him that he owed everyone an apology. But he says in his article that he doesn't want to be portrayed as a villain because he's not a villainous person, and I'm here to tell you that you can't have it both wise, Richard Sherman. You can't tell people to think of you as a good person and then pull the type of antics you did. If you want to change the narrative, than you have to change your persona.
So Richard Sherman, I'm not mad bro. Just disappointed.
Mr. Armchair Speaking!!!
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