The Seattle Seahawks drubbed the Green Bay Packers 36-16 on Thursday night, with corner Richard Sherman dominating without doing a thing. Sherman was never thrown at while covering Packers receiver Jarrett Boykin the entire game. Still, Boykin walked away relatively unimpressed, according to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.
Richard Sherman ‘beatable’ according to Packers WR with zero targets
Despite not being targeted once, Packers receiver Jarrett Boykin is not overly impressed with Mr. Sherman.
“I mean he’s a smart corner but I don’t see him any different than any other corner,” said Boykin, a 24-year-old out of Virginia Tech. “He’s beatable.”
Boykin sure could not beat him, with Aaron Rodgers never even attempting a throw in his direction. In Seattle's defense, the corners never swap sides, allowing for an offense to pick its matchups. The Packers decided to put Jordy Nelson across from Byron Maxwell and stash Boykin, the third option behind Randall Cobb, opposite of Sherman. Ultimately, Nelson caught nine passes for 83 yards, but it was far too little for victory.
Week 1, Packers Vs. Seahawks
Week 1, Packers Vs. Seahawks
Seattle was not surprised that Green Bay refused to test Sherman, who led the NFL last season with eight interceptions.
"Why would they?" linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "They throw it to his side, it'll get picked."
Sherman stated after the game that the lack of action was “weird” but that he was able to keep his composure throughout the evening.
“I used to get pissed off when I was younger,” Sherman said. “Now I just stay sound and make an impact somewhere … you just have to stay locked in. You can’t be selfish. That’s the biggest thing. You have a job to do, and you have to do it and let the chips fall where they may. But you can’t lag on a play and cost your defense.”
The San Diego Chargers are next on Seattle's schedule, and it bears watching if offensive coordinator Frank Reich tries the same strategy. The Chargers have a nice tight end duo in Antonio Gates and Lardarius Green, but only one solid receiver in Keenan Allen. Will Allen stay away from Sherman the entire game, or will Reich move him around?
Regardless, the Seahawks don’t plan on changing their defense to keep Sherman more involved any time soon.
“We don’t mess with the integrity of our defense,” Sherman said. “We do what works for us and make them move around us, and that’s what we forced them to do tonight.”
See More:
