Richard Sherman was a surprise guest call-in to 95.7 The Game on Tuesday night and spoke with Damon Bruce, who wanted to know how the San Francisco 49ers cornerback is feeling with training camp just weeks away.
Sherman is another offseason removed from the Achilles injury he suffered in 2017 and is feeling more like himself after dealing with the lasting effects last season — among other issues. He still started 14 games for the 49ers last year and was the team's most consistent defensive back despite being hobbled for much of the season.
"I'm feeling great," Sherman told Bruce. "I'm feeling really good. I've had a great offseason just training, pushing my body, and getting my muscles stronger. Obviously, this year I won't have the nagging heel, and I'm another year removed from the Achilles.
"I'm feeling better than ever. I'm looking forward to starting training camp. All this time, you start to get the itch, and I think we're ready to go."
Sherman tried to explain the feeling in his foot compared to last season.
"It's hard to describe," Sherman said, "but it's like (a) pop, the bounce, the spring that you're used to feeling. It's from having to be down so long. When you have the Achilles injury, you literally for three or four months can't run. You can barely walk without crutches, so your body isn't accustomed to that.
"Once you get outside of the boot and all that, you've got to get your body back to just walking normally, running normally. And then you don't get the power out of your calf, the push off for another year."
Sherman said he didn't start to feel the power he was used to until about Week 10 last season when the 49ers hosted the New York Giants.
"I started to just feel springy," he continued. "I started to feel a spring, a pop in my step and in my gallop and in my run. That's when I knew that I was feeling a lot better."
Sherman said his power improved throughout the remainder of the season and again once the sutures were removed from his heel during the offseason.
"I feel normal," he added. "I feel like I can run; I can get to spots I'm used to getting. I can gallop; I can stop without pain. As an athlete, for the most part, we know our bodies. You can feel when something is coming on. You can feel when something is off. Your body is not generating power; you're off, your balance is off.
"You can really, for the most part, feel those things. I felt them, but you just try to compensate. You say, 'Man, I can figure out a way to be successful, to manage it with those inefficiencies.' And that's what I tried to do, and this year, I don't have to manage those inefficiencies. I'll be more efficient just in general."
Sherman also provided an update on a few of his teammates who are returning from injuries. He said his quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, looked good during the offseason program. Running back Jerick Mckinnon didn't receive any 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work during practices, so Sherman couldn't assess him there.
"He was looking good on the side," Sherman said of McKinnon. "He looks powerful in the weight room. He's looking fast in his drill work and his rehab work. Kwon (Alexander), the same thing. Him and Fred (Warner) were working on the side, so we didn't get a chance to see them in team drills. But I know the kind of player he was and the kind of player he is, and he looked like he was moving like himself.
"When you talk to [Warner], every time you ask him how he's doing, he says, 'Legendary.'"
Garoppolo, McKinnon, and Alexander are each coming off ACL injuries while Warner had a clean-up procedure on his knee. All four are expected to participate in training camp.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Sherman below.
