Why Richard Sherman is the best corner back in the NFL
Three years ago, no one knew who Richard Sherman was.
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He wasn’t a household name, let alone a name on the field.
Despite that fact, he’s always proclaimed himself to be “the best cornerback in the game.” Fast forward to 2014 and the 6-foot-3 football player is currently one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
He’s also received confirmation from his peers that he is.
Sherman was recently voted the seventh best player in the league and the best defender in the NFL on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2014.
Five other Seahawks players Kam Chancellor (No. 65), Russell Wilson (No. 20), Earl Thomas (No. 17) and Marshawn Lynch (No. 14) were on the list, but Sherman lead all of them.
There were other NFL cornerbacks that were included in the list as well, but again Richard Sherman lead them all.
That list consisted of Arizona Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson (No. 22), New England Patriots CB Darrelle Revis (No. 37), Cleveland Browns CB Joe Haden (No. 39), Chicago Bears CB Tim Jennings (No. 74), Denver Broncos CB Aqib Talib (No. 79), and Miami Dolphins CB Brent Grimes (No. 95).
Last season, Sherman recorded eight interceptions for 125 yards. He recorded 40 tackles and deflected 18 passes including the famous pass deflection from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree in last season’s Super Bowl.
From the stats of 2013, Sherman was number one in categories like:
- Target percentage (the amount of times the corner was targeted last season and divided it by the amount of plays he spent in coverage) – 10%, compared to the next ranked CB at 13%
- Coverage snaps per target (how many times a corner is the primary coverage man relative to how many times he’s targeted. The higher the number, the more plays occur in which the corner’s assignment is not targeted) – 18.9%, compared to the next ranked CB at 16.4%
- Opposing QB rating (average standard NFL QB ratings when passing into each corner’s coverage) – 36.2%, compared to next ranked CB at 74.9%
- Yards allowed in primary coverage (the amount of yards each corner allows from his assignment in relation to the amount of plays spent in coverage) – .63, compared to the next ranked CB at .72
And that’s just a few categories.
So there you have it. Sherman is the best based on 2013s’ coverage-only parameters, by far. Until (or if) that changes in 2014 and beyond, he can continue to pull off stunts like screaming at Erin Andrews.
“As for me,” Sherman says. “I am just scratching the surface of what I can do as the best cornerback in the NFL numbers don’t lie – since I have entered the league, I have shutdown the elite quarterbacks and wide receivers. Don’t TEST the BEST!”