(Click here, if you are unable to view this photo gallery or video on your mobile device.)
SANTA CLARA — Richard Sherman’s first press conference at Levi’s Stadium Tuesday showed off the 49ers’ new cornerback’s big personality, his insight, and his red suit.
Oh my, that red suit.
Speaking to the media for the second time since signing with the 49ers — the first time in front of cameras — Sherman broke down how he negotiated his own deal, his timeframe for returning to the field, and the ways that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch convinced him to come back to the Bay Area.
[vemba_video vemba_id=”26095″ /]
It was interesting. It was enlightening. But more than anything else, it was bizarre.
Forgive me, but my main takeaway from Tuesday’s presser was that it was weird.
(This is the kind of analysis you can’t get anywhere else, folks!)
Sherman has been a member of the 49ers for more than a week. We’ve all had some time to process the new reality of the situation — that the 49ers’ arch nemesis is now a member of the team — but it hit like a ton of bricks Tuesday.
Whoever thought we’d see the day?
But there was Sherman, holding court and cracking wise at a 49ers’ podium, standing in front of a 49ers backdrop.
There were Sherman’s dreads falling out of a black 49ers’ hat.
And there was Sherman’s resplendent red suit, with a 49ers lapel pin flickering under the lights.
Now Sherman had worn the red suit before. It, like him (if we’re being honest), is a retread, but he said that it felt right to wear it on Tuesday.
Forgive me if I can’t quite find the same comfortability with the situation at hand.
It’s not you, Richard; it’s me. You seem great, and I think the 49ers signing you was a rock-solid bit of business.
But I am just having a hard time processing what exactly is happening. Let’s put it this way: I’m not ruling out that this is a bit for a new NFL Network prank show, though deep down I know that’s not the case.
This is happening.
Whether I can wrap my mind around it or not, Sherman as a Niner is the new normal. And while the initial shock is gone, this is still going to take some time to settle in.
Maybe by the time Sherman returns to the field — he says he’s going to be good to go by training camp — we’ll all be in a better place and this won’t seem so strange.
For now, it is. You can’t expect seven years of history to go disappear in a week.
Sherman, to his credit, had no problem brushing off the peculiarity of the moment Tuesday:
“I’m a pro’s pro,” Sherman said. “At the end of the day, the team that wanted me is the team whose logo I’m wearing today. It’s a business. The Seahawks went and made a business decision — it was a decision that they felt they needed to make — the San Francisco 49ers made the decision that they needed to make, and I look forward to helping them win ballgames.”
At the end of the day, the rivalry is what it is — it’ll be renewed, I’m sure, and I’ll be at the center of it again, I guess.”
You don’t say…
If it was any other player, Tuesday’s press conference would have been a rousing success. Us media hacks would be waxing poetic about Sherman and all the positives that he’ll bring to the 49ers.
Those things are still true, and I do believe that Sherman will bring a lot of positives to the organization: he was excited about the opportunity to be a leader, he said he knows the team’s defensive scheme like both the front and back of his hand, and when it comes to dealing with the media, there are few players who are on his level. (And really, that’s all that really matters here, right?)
If this incentive-laden contract doesn’t work out for Sherman, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that he could be a broadcaster.
The 49ers knew that — general manager John Lynch introduced Sherman for 30 seconds, got in a jab about the suit, and then hung out on the wall with head coach Kyle Shanahan and team CEO Jed York, letting Sherman take over the dais. The cornerback and Stanford alum was gregarious, courteous, and open. It was everything you could ever want from a player at a press conference.
Sherman didn’t shy away from the belief that playing the Seahawks twice a year is a significant perk of his new gig, but he expounded about the other things that make him excited to work in Santa Clara:
“It’s John and Kyle, they brought stability to this organization, they brought fun, they brought belief, they brought faith — the players believe they can win, the players believe in the staff,” Sherman said. “I wouldn’t have taken the visit first if I didn’t feel comfortable with what they offered as a team — [and] their chances of competing and winning in this football league. Obviously, I’ve been part of a lot of winning teams and I know what it takes and I think they have it.”
Add that kind of personality and insight to his scheme fit, his championship pedigree, and his team-friendly deal (not that either party will admit that’s the case) and you have a winning formula.
That’s stuff only Sherman could bring to the Niners.
But only Sherman presents this kind of emotional baggage, too.
Ultimately it will be obvious that’s a fair tradeoff. It won’t seem so strange to see Sherman wearing red and gold and he’ll just be another member of the team.
But it was still weird on Tuesday and I don’t know when that transition will take place.
So welcome back to the Bay Area, Richard — you seem great and it’s exciting to think about what you can bring to the 49ers.
Now if you could give everyone some space to process all of these feelings, I’d be appreciated.
