|
RENTON, Wash. -- You can't get very far inside the Seattle Seahawks' headquarters without a reminder of what Richard Sherman meant to the organization. Along the long hallway that begins just past the lobby of the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, running past the weight room on the left and the indoor practice facility on the right, are near-life-size images of some of the seminal moments of the Pete Carroll era. You'll find three of Sherman: his pick-six against Houston in 2013, his two-interception game on Thanksgiving the next year and, of course, his tipped pass in the NFC Championship Game. Sherman's return to Seattle as a member of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday has provided occasion to revisit the tumultuous ending to his career with the Seahawks, his critical comments about Carroll and the organization on his way out and the animosity he developed toward quarterback Russell Wilson. Not to be forgotten amid all the drama: Sherman will one day be in the Seahawks' Ring of Honor once his playing days are over and the wounds from his messy divorce have had enough time to heal. You could fill an entire hallway with memorable Sherman plays, but here are the five that defined the cornerback's career in Seattle: 5) Interception No. 1: Oct. 30, 2011 Otherwise a nondescript game in a nondescript season, the Seahawks' loss to the Bengals midway through that year was significant for Sherman, then a rookie. He had been a backup for the first half of the season before injuries to Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond pushed him up the depth chart. Making his first career start, he picked off an Andy Dalton pass intended for A.J. Green then gave Green an earful as he got up. Afterward, he called Green "one of the most overrated receivers out there." The sequence would repeat itself a lot over the next six seasons: Sherman running down the left sideline, intercepting a pass and then letting everyone know about it. 4) Sherman bests Harbaugh, Part I: Dec. 23, 2012 The Seahawks were surging toward a playoff spot when they had a rematch with Jim Harbaugh's 49ers, the bully on the NFC block who had beaten Seattle earlier in the season and twice the year before. Sherman put this one away early when he returned a blocked field goal 90 yards for a touchdown to give Seattle a 21-0 first-half lead. He added an interception later in the game. You can imagine how gratifying this was given that Sherman and Harbaugh had clashed during their time at Stanford, which may have had something to do with Sherman falling to the fifth round of the 2011 draft. It was the first of several big games he would have against his former coach.  3) The one-shoed pick-six: Sept. 29, 2013
The Seahawks had won their first three games of their Super Bowl season but were banged up heading into Houston. It didn't look good when the Texans jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead. Seattle had cut it to 20-13 late in the fourth quarter when Sherman jumped in front of Owen Daniels to pick off a Matt Schaub pass that had floated into the flat. The image on the wall inside the VMAC shows the ball in Sherman's hand and his right foot slipping out of its shoe just before he raced 58 yards for the game-tying touchdown. Seattle won in overtime to cap one of the largest comebacks in franchise history. This was one of the most memorable of Sherman's 32 interceptions with Seattle, a total that led the league from 2011 to 2017. 2) One last stop: Jan. 18, 2015 On its own, it might look like just another routine tackle. But there's nothing routine about tackling someone when you have an elbow that was as injured as Sherman's was in the NFC Championship Game against the Packers. He was trying to use his left arm as little as possible after hyperextending his elbow badly enough to suffer ligament damage earlier in the game. But with the Packers driving into Seattle territory in the final minute of regulation, he had no choice but to wrap up Jordy Nelson with both arms to keep the Packers receiver short of the first-down marker on third down. Sherman rolled over in pain, then got up with his left arm clutched to his side and a wince noticeable through his thermal mask. The tackle forced Green Bay to kick a field goal that sent the game to overtime, where the Seahawks would prevail. And it was the most notable instance of Sherman's legendary willingness to play through injuries. 1) The Tip: Jan. 19, 2014 No debate about which play tops this list. Sherman's tip that sealed the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers is on a short list of the greatest plays in Seattle sports history. San Francisco trailed 23-17 in the final minute but was driving toward a touchdown. After avoiding Sherman all night, quarterback Colin Kaepernick tested him when the game on the line. You know what happened next: Sherman made a leaping, twisting tip of a pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the end zone, linebacker Malcolm Smith caught it and the Seahawks were on their way to Super Bowl XLVIII. It's no surprise what Carroll picked this week when asked for his favorite memory of Sherman: "Probably the ball he tipped in the end zone in the championship game. I think that moment was the best on-the-field moment."
|
