the news that the seattle seahawks were considering the possibility of trading cornerback richard sherman this offseason was a surprise to most nfl enthusiasts (fans, followers). sherman is the most recognizable member of the seahawks defesnse, a dominant unit that guided the team to two consecutive super bowl appearances: a commanding victory in super bowl xlviii and a heartbreaking loss in super bowl xlix.
this article by seth wickersham on espn.com attempts to shed some light on (clarify, give more info about) the environment in seattle that led to the trade talks. the headline gives the idea that the loss in the super bowl two years ago still bothers (troubles) sherman.
Why Richard Sherman can’t let go of Seattle’s Super Bowl loss
let go means forget or stop talking about. sherman is known for his intensity, and wickersham says he
plays as if his self-worth were at stake.
self-worth is how he sees himself, confidence. at stake means at risk.
it’s complicated…..richard sherman & seahawk qb russell wilson (seahawks.com)
neither…nor is a common structure that is used to present two negative realities. wickersham uses it in his article to explain that sherman and seahawk quarterback russell wilson are neither friends nor enemies and shares this story from a practice during the summer of 2014, the summer between the two seahawk trips to the super bowl
sherman picked off [seahawk quarterback] wilson, [but] it wasn’t enough just to make a great play. he wanted to get inside wilson’s head, to remind [him] that despite his super bowl fame….. sherman still owned his ass.
pick off means intercept a pass, one way the defense can take the ball from the offense in football. reminds means make remember. despite means wilson’s super bowl fame wasn’t important to sherman. owned his ass means easily controlled the situation. it’s an expression that is not literally talking about russell wilson’s ass.
russell wilson’s ass: property of richard sherman?
after the interception, sherman threw the ball back to wilson and shouted, “u fucking suck” (you’re terrible) which started a fight. head coach pete carroll had to hold meetings afterwards in order to
remind the players they needed to build each other up, not tear each other down — and that they needed to support their quarterback, further pissing off a defense that already thought the head coach went out of his way to protect him
went out of his way means coach carroll made a special effort, a little less effort than bending over backwards though. piss off means make angry. further indicates they were already angry and this made them angrier. tear down means criticize, build up means encourage, make him feel good like in the foundations‘ song build me up buttercup that was used for the closing credits of the beloved movie something about mary
fun efl practice 
richyrocks english on youtube
former seahawks coach sherman smith talks about the dynamic between coach carroll, quarterback russell wilson, and the players on the seahawks defense.
guys want pete to call out russ in front of the team, that’s not what pete does. pete will single out a guy, but he does it the right way.
call out means challenge. single out means focus on or select one person out of a group.
u can be singled out for something positive, but if u are singled out for something negative, it might piss u off.
wickersham’s article details a tense moment from the 2016 season when sherman was reminded of a play from super bowl xlix
less than three weeks before the playoffs, sherman was bringing up the butler interception…..in week 15 against the rams last season, wilson was almost intercepted at the LA 1-yard line. sherman unloaded on carroll on the sideline. carroll tried to calm him down. it didn’t work…..carroll followed up with a few meetings with sherman. the coach believed that many intense, high-profile matchups had taken a toll. “he was keyed up, competing his ass off,” carroll says.
bring up means mention, start a conversation about. unload means visibly and verbally demonstrate anger. calm down means relax. follow up means they talked about it again later. high-profile matchups refers to the fact that sherman usually defends the best receiver on the opponent’s offense. take a toll means have a negative impact, wear down. keyed up indicates high levels of anxiety. competing his ass off means competing intensely. again, it is not a literal reference to sherman’s ass.
richard sherman unloading. (bettina hansen/the seattle times)
and based on carroll’s management philosophy, he will most likely not ask sherman to significantly change his behavior.
it would be a betrayal of his life’s work if his players weren’t allowed to behave within their [personalities], even when it comes back to bite him.
betrayal means going against, a contradiction. come back to bite him means create more problems in the future.
unity: richard sherman & pete carroll (elaine thompson ap)
according to the article, a richard sherman trade is no longer being considered, but can the seahawks fix their chemistry issues before the season starts? how successful will their 2017 season be? share your opinions under leave a reply
