SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Cornerback Richard Sherman is in the midst of his most unique training camp of his 10-year career, and just watching him is a fascinating endeavor.
During practice, he's still tightly patrolling his space, and that is not taken for granted, especially when he makes an interception of a Jimmy Garoppolo overthrow like he did Friday.
Sherman's everyday impact means so much more, however.
Before practice, he talks one-on-one with coaches, motioning as if he's the one explaining his All-Pro technique to them so they can pass it on to younger players. He, himself, mentors younger players.
"Sherm, he's somebody I've talked to a lot, with him being a successful corner in the league and trying to get information from him," rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said.
Think about all the expertise he's gained since arriving in the NFL as 2011 fifth-round draft pick out of Stanford by the Seattle Seahawks.
"Making it (Year) 10 is a tremendous blessing and I'm hoping to play couple more," Sherman said. "When I came in, I was hoping to make it 3 { years, to beat the average. Thankfully I've made it 10 years and have been blessed to play with amazing teammates."
Sherman said he appreciates the little things more. The meetings. The laughs. The adversity.
Only a slice of Friday's post-practice video call was about him, however. As a captain and leader entering his third season with the 49ers, Sherman covered a lot of other ground:
_ On Ark Armstead's social-justice outcry: "It's one of the most important things in the world, especially during this time. It's past due time to arrest Breonna Taylor's killers but that hasn't happened. It's time for everybody to speak up and put pressure on things they see is wrong. It's been too long of everyone casting a blind eye."
"These are wild times and the more we can speak up and shed light on it, the better the world will be for our kids."
_ On his wife and two children staying in Seattle while he isolates himself for health precautions: "It's been really difficult. This is the first (camp) I've had to do without my family."
_ On thanking relief workers: "I'd like to give a shout-out to everyone fighting those wildfires right now. You pray for people that have lost loved ones and property. Once again in California, we're dealing with this, so raise those people up and the essential workers who've worked through COVID-19 to keep people alive."
_ On how Jimmy Garoppolo looks: "First off, he's handsome. They look really good. He's taken another huge step forward with his decision-making and confidence."
_ On cornerback Jason Verrett: "His feet look incredible. His confidence is rising every day. He's so hard on himself but he's fantastic lining up on the line of scrimmage. In his best years, he was incredible there and he's regaining his confidence and it's great to see."
