San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman made a high-profile play for the wrong reason on Monday night, getting called for a penalty that handed the Packers a critical first down. Sherman hasn’t made many other high-profile plays this season, and that’s a good thing.
Sherman has made few plays because he hasn’t had many opportunities: He’s been thrown at just 10 times all season, according to Pro Football Focus. That indicates that he’s doing a good job of shutting down opposing wide receivers -- and also that the 49ers’ other cornerbacks aren’t doing such a good job, so opposing quarterbacks throw in the other direction.
“Sure, I’d like the opportunity to get my hands on the ball and compete,” Sherman said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “But it’s part of playing a team sport.”
Sherman was diplomatic about the 49ers’ other quarterbacks having a rough year.
“Guys are playing as hard as they can,” Sherman said. “The mistakes that have happened, have gotten corrected by the coaches in meetings. I’m sure that one of these days it’ll turn around. It’s football. Very few trends stay the course.”
Sherman has no interceptions and just two passes defensed that season. Whether he gets the opportunity to change those numbers may depend on his teammates in the secondary getting better.