SANTA CLARA, Calif.---He can hit you with a quick tackle or a long explanation. If Richard Sherman didn’t create the phrase “Legion of Boom,” to describe the defensive backfield, including himself, of the Seattle Seahawks championship teams he certainly made good use of it.
Yes. Sherman has his opinions. Why not? He’s been there, done that. And now, in his second year with the 49ers, he’s doing it again, on the field in the interview room.
The Niners won again Sunday, crushed the Carolina Panthers, 51-13, at Levi’s Stadium, kept the sometimes apathetic fans cheering and chanting—like the good, old days you might say. Of course, these very likely are the good, new days. As acknowledged by that sort-of-old guy, 31-year-old Richard Sherman.
The Niners have a defense. Defense wins. The rookie defensive end, Nick Bosa, the No. 2 overall selection in this year’s draft, had three sacks and an interception.
The Niners have an offense. Offense excites. Tevin Coleman scored four touchdowns, the most since a guy named Jerry Rice—talk about the good, old days—did it twice in the 1990s. Sharing that record is Bill Kilmer, from the 1960’s.
And the 49ers are 7-0, which keeps them, along with the Patriots, one of the two unbeaten teams as the NFL is about to reach November.
This Bosa kid (he’s only 22) has Sherman and the other teammates enthralled.
“He deserves player of the week,” Sherman said of Bosa, “defensive player of the year. From the first day in camp he’s showed his pedigree. He never stops working.”
The Niners, working beautifully, stopped a competent Panthers team (now 4-3) quite decisively, only 230 yards total offense and sacking quarterback Kyle Allen seven times.
“That was a goal of ours,” said Niners defensive lineman Arik Armstead, “first to shut down the run, always, and then put some pressure on him and try to rattle him.”
Whether or not Allen was rattled, he certainly was pummeled. “Their defensive line did a really good job of rushing,” was Allen’s accurate summation.
A passer under duress is a passer who prefers not to scan the post-game statistics. Allen, again replacing the injured Cam Newton, was under such duress that Bosa, a lineman, picked off one of his passes and then like a running back sped through and around would-be tacklers for awhile.
“They had been cutting us a little bit on the pass,” Bosa said of the Panthers’ blocking style. “He got me on a play before. Really cut me good. So I just played the cut that time and saw the quarterback’s eyes and just jumped. And it went right into my hands.”
The way this delightful season seems to be falling into the 49ers hands. They’ll probably lose one here or there along the way—only the 1972 Miami Dolphins finished unbeaten in the Super Bowl era, and that was a 14-game regular season. And Thursday night the Niners have to play at Phoenix.
Still, this isn’t golf. You don’t lose what you’ve gained. There are no bogies in football. Just mistakes, although to this point the Niners haven’t made too many.
“In the NFL you never expect to blow someone out like that,” Kyle Shanahan, the Niners third-year coach said of the big win. “Especially as good a team as that.”
But he did expect Bosa to be the player he is.
Asked his impression of Bosa’s day, Shanahan said, “Probably the same as you guys. It was pretty damn impressive. I’m sure when I watch the tape it will be even better The play that he made the interception on was one of the more impressive plays I’ve seen from a defensive lineman.
“He’s just very confident. The more he plays, the better he’ll get as long as he can stay healthy. He’s a special player.”
As is Richard Sherman.