The Seahawks are not in the Super Bowl this season but 12s still have a choice on who to root for: Frank Clark or Richard Sherman.
There might be some 12s who don’t watch the Super Bowl at all. Maybe if the Seahawks are not involved they tune out. But for the most part, we are all football fans generally and Seattle fans specifically and we will watch Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.
But 12s do have an important decision to make. Root for Frank Clark who was traded away before the 2019 NFL draft or pull for Richard Sherman who was waived prior to 2018. Notice those last two bits. Neither Clark or Sherman chose to leave. Seattle told them to go.
The Seahawks showed Clark and Sherman the door for good reasons, however. Sherman appeared to be negatively affecting the locker room. A team coming apart at the seams is abhorrent to long-term success. Since Sherman left, Seattle has made the playoffs in both seasons. Sherman, though, has proven to still be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL during his years with the 49ers.
Seattle trading Clark was simply more about money and how getting paid lots of dollars would affect his approach to the game. Clark came into the league hungry to prove himself after Seattle took a chance on him after Clark had some personal issues in college. In 2019, though, after the Chiefs signed Clark to a massive contract, Clark appeared just as motivated as he was before and had a good season.
Sherman has always been outspoken about how he was feeling about nearly anything. There is no doubt he is a smart person, however, and sometimes his fiery attitude helped inspire his teammates. But by the end of his time in Seattle, he was doing the opposite.
Clark has found a groove as a more outspoken player. Prior to the Chiefs victory over the Titans in the AFC Championship game, Clark said Tennessee running back Derrick Henry wasn’t as tough to tackle as it seemed. In the two weeks leading to the Super Bowl, he has worn a sweater featuring Donald Trump and Kanye West while also espousing on his own perceived greatness, “I play at an extremely high and aggressive level where I don’t tolerate a lot of stuff offensive players do.”
Of course, some 12s might choose to root for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl simply because they are not in the Seahawks division and a long-term rival. Others might pull for San Francisco for the opposite reason: Having a team in one’s own division might validate that division being the best in football. At the end of the day, though, the Seahawks defense would have been better in 2019 if they had both Sherman or Clark. Or either of them really.