San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman has been a vocal opponent of the NFL's new targeting rule — a policy which was widely criticized during the preseason.
Players, coaches, and even officials seem to still be trying to figure out what is a legal tackle and what is not. Many have criticized that there hasn't been a lot of consistency in the calls, which if carried into the regular season, could be damaging to the game.
Sherman recently had a discussion with Adam Schefter of ESPN on the "Adam Schefter Podcast" and further shared his thoughts on the rule.
"Everybody thinks it's going to be just like everything else," Sherman said. "Every other emphasis, the pass interference, the illegal contact, et cetera, et cetera, those were already rules. You can change that. This is fundamental. This rule is a fundamental change to the game and an impossible fundamental change.
"I have no idea how they're going to solve it or police it. No matter how they do it, it will ruin the game. The first call that they make, illegal at the head or whatever the rule is, it's going to start to deteriorate our game."
Will the new rule be on the veteran cornerback's mind when he takes the field with his new team on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings?
"It won't be on mine at all," Sherman responded. "I'll tackle like I've always tackled. I don't think guys will think about it at all. You just have to take penalties as they come. I'm sure they'll be arbitrary. Two tackles that look exactly the same will be called two different ways. You can't let that weigh on your mind."
Sherman acknowledges that younger players may be impacted more by the rule than veterans within the league.
"Younger guys in this game, they're just trying to do things by the book, trying not to get penalized," Sherman said. "Veterans, they're just going to play fast and let the chips fall where they may. Guys aren't going to intentionally hit guys with their helmet if they can help it, but the game is moving really fast, and guys are just trying to get guys to the ground."
Click here to listen to the entire conversation with Sherman, which begins at about the 38:50 mark.
