Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
One of the reasons everyone has been so shocked by the emergence of the San Francisco 49ers defense this season is because of how bad the unit has been in recent years. It's been historically bad, in fact. Just last year, the defense set NFL record lows for both interceptions (2) and total takeaways (7).
The 49ers defense has seemingly come out of nowhere. Or has it?
The coaches and players have always known that the defense was capable of so much more. The unit looked to be on the verge of something good but just couldn't finish plays. That's why the front office went to work this offseason to improve the defense's lackluster pass rush.
The result? One of the most disruptive pass rushes in the league and one of the best overall defenses.
Cornerback Richard Sherman, who often steps up to the podium and praises his teammates, took the opportunity on Thursday to do so again and campaign for annual individual honors for the once-overlooked 49ers defenders. Sherman feels it's about time this group gets recognized for what he always believed it could be.
"People just don't want to give our defense credit," Sherman told reporters. "I think it's just past experience, these past seasons. They look at the past history of our defense and what has happened in those years, but you can't do that. Every year is different, and you've got to look at each year individually.
"These guys are having an individually fantastic year right now, and they deserve all the credit in the world.
"Jaquiski Tartt has been playing fantastic, Jimmie Ward has been playing lights-out since he came back into the lineup, and they deserve credit. K'Waun Williams deserves a ton of credit."
Pro Bowl voting will begin in November, and the 49ers should be well-represented in the NFL's annual All-Star game. That is often the case for the more successful teams. Being undefeated and potentially staying that way for several more weeks — maybe longer — could do wonders to earn San Francisco's roster a few trips to Hawaii ... I mean, Florida.
Sorry.
Still, it's an honor.
"I think that past experiences have changed it," Sherman continued, "but hopefully this year, when our fans and everybody in the NFL, coaches and players, are voting for Pro Bowls and All-Pros, and the media votes for All-Pros, they'll look at our defense and pick a few guys because you don't play at this high of a level without All-Pro, Pro Bowl players.
"It's not an aberration. It's not a mirage that this is happening. It's guys playing at a high level and competing, and they deserve the credit."
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo spoke to reporters back-to-back on Tuesday via a video conference call. Between the two interviews, the seat, microphone, and table where Sherman sat were thoroughly wiped and disinfected by a team staff member.
It's a reminder of how different things are amid a pandemic.
The 49ers, along with the 31 other NFL teams, are trying to navigate their way to the 2020 season, and do so as safely as possible. Players have until Thursday to opt-out of the season should they have concerns for their own health or the health of their families.
Sherman is entering his 10th NFL season and third with the 49ers. He has a wife and young children at home. Sherman, however, never really
Bill Barnwell of ESPN went team-by-team to project potential future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees for each. How do you do that for a team like the New York Jets? Well, they do have running back Frank Gore on the roster. Barnwell lists him as "likely" to be a future inductee.
What about the talent-depleted Miami Dolphins? Yeah, that one is harder. Barnwell couldn't come up with anyone who had more than a 10 percent chance to one day earn Hall of Fame honors.
For the San Francisco 49ers, the decision was pretty easy. The ESPN writer lists veteran cornerback Richard Sherman as "likely" to make the Hall of Fame, which means he has between a
Veteran San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman recently said third-year cornerback Emmanuel Moseley would greatly benefit from the first-team reps he is about to get in training camp. That sounds like a vote of confidence from Sherman that Moseley is a shoo-in to fight off any competition for the starting job opposite him.
"I think he'll have a whole training camp of starting," Sherman told The Athletic. "It's a different preparation and a different mindset when you come into the year knowing where you stand and being able to prepare in that way. And I think that will be good for him."
Sherman sat down — virtually — with the
