Comprehension is the thing

I don't know if any of you have notice, but the farther I get away from something mentally the clearer I see it. Now let us make a few things crystal clear, for what I saw of the NFC championship game I thought it was the worst officiated debacle I had seen in quite some time. Hell right before "the play" I was in a hang out with some friends talking about how if Kaepernick did lead that comeback he would be legend(even if you don't win the Super Bowl come back victories like that are discussed for years, 4th and 26 anyone?). So honestly I thought the game was going to go a different way

But then, as happens so awesomely in football, a player made a play. Not only did he make a play but he found a way to make it when he looked out of position, beaten, or even a step late. Richard Sherman deflected the pass in the end zone that Earl Thomas intercepted. The Seahawks won the game and then all hell and stupidity broke lose

A reminder, I am an Eagles fan, have been for 38 years. The only thing the Eagles and Seahawks have in common are that they both have birds for mascots and that they play in the NFC. So this is not me defending a guy due to some fan loyalty. This is me looking at a situation and saying, are you guys absolutely nuts?

First off, there is this meme going around that Richard Sherman took a team win and made it all about himself in an interview about his teams trip to the Superbowl. Folks need to go back and listen to the questions asked again. Sherman was SPECIFICALLY asked about the "last play" which even then wasn't exactly correct. The last play was Russel Wilson taking a knee, but the last MEANINGFUL play was Sherman deflecting the pass that was intended for Michael Crabtree. So when you start saying how he made a team win all about himself, he wasn't asked about the team win he was asked about making a great play. Think about how you feel when you ask somebody about what THEY did on a particular project and they start talking about everything else but what you asked them, you get pissed off right. We call that avoiding the question, blowing smoke, being evasive. Yes he was angry, upset and excited but he did answer the question.

Here is the next thing, people are talking about how it was classless ripping another player. It has come to light that there was a tweet earlier in the day from Michael Crabtree about Richard Sherman and his lack of ability. The two went head to head all day, seems Crabtree didn't have a monster game so I guess before "the play" Sherman was winning that battle. Now when he was asked the question of WHO disrespected him, he didn't go off on everybody JUST the guy who called him out. So if anything it was less Sherman being classless and more Sherman answering the challenge he was given by a guy who COULDN'T back it up. There is only one rule when it comes to tossing down a gauntlet, make sure you are man enough to meet your own challenge.

So okay if a man was only asked two questions right, none of them were about the team, all of them were about one adrenaline charged moment whats the big deal.

OUTRAGE BRINGS EYES AND SELLS AD SPACE

By telling people that some how Richard Sherman is some classless player you get people all ginned up and speaking out of the side of their necks. By pretending that somehow Richard Sherman was a selfish player who only cared about him, MOST people are too lazy to do the background work. I played sports, I took it as what it was a man popped off at the mouth and the guy he popped off at stepped up and closed it for him. That is competition PERIOD. To borrow a line from Rick Flair: To be the man, you got to beat the man. And as far as the NFC is concerned last year, their representative was the San Francisco 49ers. So on every level that adage got it's due. Then we have the next bit of garbage the racist and racist dog whistle taunts at Sherman.

The guy has a degree from Stanford University. Pretty prestigious school, now yes Football may have been the main reason he was at that school but I don't think you can just call the guy a meat head. Hell the guy currently playing Qb for the Indianapolis colts is Also a Stanford player and all I hear about him is how smart he is, the offensive lineman from Miami that was at the center of the bullying scandal was also a Stanford player and the knock on him wasn't meat-head but too cerebral and thus soft for the NFL. And as for his caliber of play on the field, I know some people only know him from this year(even though Seattle was there last year too) last I checked the man has been pretty well touted in all 3 of his nfl seasons(count them with me 3, he has only been out of college 3 years, he is a 25 year old young man. *side note saying that makes me feel old right now*) made a pro bowl or 2(probably would be three, but seeing as how he is playing in the Superbowl this year, he will probably skip it). He's pretty well spoken, oh wait I know

"what about that tiff he had with Skip Bayless?" I know I love to take shots at Skip, but let me be real. Skip Bayless is a pompous so and so, hell in a RECENT interview on the local ESPN radio station here in Memphis, even though Skip shares Airtime with Stephen A. Smith another vaunted ESPN host all he could talk about is how he HIMSELF always wins the on air debates they have. Skip has a pretty big ego, but I don't think anybody would call Skip the Best or the most MEMORABLE ESPN host(plenty of folks would be in that line before him, including Stephen A). So while it may seem cocky, getting elected to two Pro bowls in his first three years in the league and being thrown at the least for someone with as many interceptions as he has(meaning he has fewer opportunities to get them) saying you are "better at life at 25 than someone 20 years your senior" comparing yourselves in your field he had a point. He has Skip on speed, Skip can argue longevity. If Skip even tried to argue instead of just pontificating on why his opinion is correct(which it usually isn't). Little secret about guys like Skip Bayless, they aren't on TV to be right, they are on TV to make you mad enough to call in.

Hell Bayless picked the 49ers to be in the Super Bowl I believe this year(which in essence means that Richard Sherman got one up on ol Skip again). So ego went up against ego and somehow Richard Sherman is the bad guy. No Richard Sherman is the one being painted as the bad guy for being willing to speak his mind versus someone "who believes they are never wrong".

What about this crap about him being a typical N- word or a "Thug." Yeah thinking of how many e-thugs we have out here I can understand somebody equating a man talking about his accomplishments as....... wait let me back that up. He actually did make that play, something most internet thugs can not check off. Half of them HAVEN'T done most of the things they brag about, it sounds good behind a keyboard but when it is time to show off their accomplishments you are usually left waiting and hoping you don't just get another passed around photo of some nondescript wad of cash or some "they could be anybodies" clothes, jewels, or sneakers. I mean he really could say he shut Michael Crabtree down, because he just did it, on TV, for all to see. Regardless of how I may feel the referees called the game, any football player will tell you "we are taught to play until the whistle" so if the ref doesn't blow it or flag it that ain on the players. Hell wasn't there a play in Chicago a few weeks ago where Green Bay scored on a play where the refs never blew the whistle and a GB player picked up the ball and ran into the end zone during the ensuing confusion? As for the grammatically, typographically, and educationally challenged people spewing out the N-word.

First off he isn't average, there are over 300 colleges who have some sort of football program in these United States. He played for a division I(that's capital I for 1) college, so that puts him at least two rungs up on most folks yapping. Stanford also happens to be a BCS school, meaning if they have the right record at the end of the season(either perfect or near perfect with no other schools with a tougher schedule than them with an equal or better record) they could play for the elusive national title. I think only 80 schools can claim that distinction. Oh there are like 150-180 division one schools but unlike basketball where 64 teams have a chance to vie for a title bid. In the former Bowl system (it ended last year next year will be a 4 team playoff and then the national title game) there were like 7 prime divisions that if you won out you were guaranteed to be in the top ten vying for the coveted 1 and 2 rankings. I say 7 because they always seem to be the best, with the best teams and get the most votes. So just for the fact that he had a shot at a national title each year he played takes him out of the average athlete field.

Now let us consider that while there are over 300 colleges and univeristies in America that play football, 150 of them that are division I, there are only 32 NFL teams. Most college teams have at least 80 players on their active rosters which means each year there are at least 1500 players declaring for the NFL draft. You may think that seams like a lot, but consider this each side of the ball (offense and defense) have 11 players lined up at all time. that is slightly less than half per side, so I am saying 5 offensive and 5 defensive players from each college team. There are 7 rounds to the NFL draft, or 224 opportunities to be selected(actually I think it is closer to 270. In the later rounds I believe teams sometimes get compensatory picks.) so of the 1500 players available there is a less than 20% chance they will advance to the next level. Now yes you can come in as an undrafted rookie free agent but that still leaves you with some seriously longshot odds. But yeah 32 teams, usually 1 pick per round(draft picks can be traded/packaged for other players) so that is at least 7-10 job openings per team, right?

 Here's the thing though, getting drafted doesn't mean getting a job. Teams are only allowed a 54 man rosters plus a 10 man practice squad. and while you may think this increases a players opportunity for a job rarely is there 54 man turnover. yes a few players here or there might retired, but not the whole team, and who knows if it will be someone at your position. Plus being a cornerback on a good/playoff team is a tough position, this is a passing league now so you are either good, great, or toast. And remember every year somebody else is coming out of college, or there could be a more established player from another team testing the free agent waters. So this whole "average N" thing Mr. Sherman is many things but due to the fact that he has played 3 years, in the NFL(Not for Long), at a level high enough to be recognized as one of the best at his position 2 out of those 3 years, and that he is starting for a team on it's way to the Super Bowl, doesn't sound too average. And being a person of African American decent does not automatically make you an N-word, I shouldn't have to add this line but just in case somebody needs it said there I SAID IT.

People are trying to say that a young kid, helping his team win the opportunity to play at the highest level of his sport is a punk simply because he excitedly informed the world that he answered the challenge levied at him. Playing against a team they don't like, coached by his former college coach, who on draft night went with someone else(he probably loves his old coach but feels a little slighted). So yeah the guy plays with a chip on his shoulder, and like the greats in sports he backs that chip up pretty much every night. I think Seattle lost what 2 or 3 games all year? 7-1 at home, 7-1 or 6-2 on the road. This isn't some loud mouth guy, who hasn't done anything, just yapping for no reason. He is being portrayed that way partially because of who he will be playing on Sunday(no I am not about to blame Peyton Manning). It has been a Magical Season in Denver and after the legendary QB battle of Brady vs Manning, while the defensive battle in the NFC was a nice story now that it's Super Bowl time there are no story lines between these two teams. If it was San Francisco you could have gone back to the game between Montana and Elway the last time San Francisco and Denver met in Superbowl XXIV a 55-10 drubbing where Montana threw for 5 touchdowns(welp if Montana was the 49ers QB then you know the other guy could have only threw one guess who got drug).

Seattle has only been to one other Superbowl, and that was within the last 10 years and most of the current Seattle players weren't on that 2005 roster. So while we could have gotten the "great defense vs great offense" story line(which was done last year and was pretty tiring), now you have the GREAT Peyton Manning (who if he would have lost last week would have had to hear so many negative stories about his lack of post season achievement) vs this upstart young defensive back. People forget about Reavis Island, Megatron, CJ2k, All Day AP and a bunch of other well known NFL players who have colorful nicknames, nice pedigrees but save Adrian Peterson not a single Superbowl Appearance. Ladies and Gents you are being manipulated into getting emotionally involved in being mad at a player for absolutely nothing. He didn't diminish his team mates, he wasn't even asked about them. He didn't diminish the ENTIRE 49er organization, he was publicly called out, let his play do the talking, and then informed people that "yes, I saw what he said. I took it under advisement and I shut him down." Was he loud, excited, and probably cocky yup.

But can you miss me with the "professional athletes don't" talk, most of the people saying it weren't professional athletes. Then most of the ones who were pro athletes rarely got Mic time on the field, and some of those who did were some of the most colorful personalities ever. It's kind of why there were transitioned into commentators in the first place. People are drumming up phone calls because this is Pro bowl week, in football terms it is a slow week period. Without a "bad guy" no one is going to call, and now they have him and they are playing it up. It is shameful really, something we should all laugh off is being turned into a false indictment on a guy nobody is being given the proper information to judge. Oh wait, this is the internet people COULD have gotten that information simply by Googling his name, or his jersey number and team roster, or Seattle Corner backs. That isn't what they wanted to do, people just wanted to vitriolically lash out at somebody from their glass houses, most likely because he is a young, rich, minority guy, with a different hair style, and who was on your TV screen and the ones barking were not(well unless some station happened to pick their racist tweet).