Richard Sherman on 49ers defense’s growing pains: ‘I don’t think of youth as an excuse’

The San Francisco 49ers defense had some miscues during this past Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. One by safety Adrian Colbert on the first defensive play of the game probably comes to mind when fans reflect on the loss. The 49ers defense allowed rookies Josh Rosen and Christian Kirk to connect on a 75-yard touchdown.

"It was just an undisciplined play by me," Colbert told reporters after the devastating loss. "I saw Larry (Fitzgerald) flash (in the middle of the field), and it was just a bad play on my part. It is something that I have to correct."

Another second-year player, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, was also responsible for Kirk on the play, which you can watch below.

"It's life playing DB," veteran cornerback Richard Sherman told reporters before practice on Friday. "You're going to have some good plays, you're going to have some bad plays, but it's how you respond. I think both of them (Colbert and Witherspoon) responded well and continued to play at a high level and didn't let it kind of weigh on them the rest of the game."

The 49ers defense doesn't have a significant number of experienced players. While Sherman is in his eighth NFL season, five other defensive backs on the active roster have two-or-fewer years of experience including this season. Sherman doesn't believe young players get a free pass when it comes to doing their jobs.

"That's the tough part for me because I don't think of youth as an excuse, as some people do," Sherman said. "So I'm pretty tough on guys a lot of times and a lot of plays because when you're young, you can still play at a high level, and a lot of young guys do play at a high level. I think that just gives people an excuse, an easy excuse, and I don't give them that same excuse."