Richard Sherman didn’t look right during the blowout loss suffered by the Seattle Seahawks to the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round Saturday. He didn’t look right at all. Slow to react, repeatedly torched for big gains, Sherman appeared to be a shell of his normally dominant self.
And now we know why.
Head coach Pete Carroll revealed to the media Monday that Sherman played much of the season with a “significant” MCL injury.
Not surprisingly, he is second-guessing that decision.
Pete Carroll says Richard Sherman played with an MCL injury for much of season. "He has some regrets about this season."
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) January 16, 2017
On the one hand, it’s commendable that Sherman tried to gut out the season to pursue a championship with his teammates. On the other hand, perhaps he would have been better off getting his knee repaired when he was first injured. Then perhaps he might have been able to recover in time for the Seahawks’ playoff run.
In the end, it might not have mattered if Sherman was healthy, as the team’s issues on offense were the more considerable concern throughout the season (more on that here).
It was a frustrating season for Seattle’s defense on the injury front. Michael Bennett missed time with a knee injury, Earl Thomas was lost for the season after breaking his leg and Sherman was playing on one wheel. With so many talented players on this side of the ball, hopefully they can stay healthier in 2017.