It's been a long road, but Richard Sherman is back and ready to suit up when the NFL season opens up next week.
Last November, the seven-year veteran tore his Achilles when he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Fast forward less than a year later, and Sherman is on the field, but not in the uniform he wore for his entire NFL career. He signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers in May.
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"Feeling really good going into Week 1," Sherman said, who is enjoying the extra sunshine in San Francisco. "It's another season. I'm excited to go out there and help my team win ball games."
While he may have been sidelined until the 49ers third preseason game, he has not shied away from some of the biggest controversies in the game - especially the NFL's new helmet rule.
To all those ppl including those who made the rule. I want a video of YOU running full speed and being lead by anything but your head while also attempting to bring down a moving target. You will soon realize it’s impossible. https://t.co/QFyENU6LKf
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) August 19, 2018
There is no “make adjustment” to the way you tackle. Even in a perfect form tackle the body is led by the head. The rule is idiotic And should be dismissed immediately. When you watch rugby players tackle they are still lead by their head. Will be flag football soon.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) August 19, 2018
"I don't think there's a happy medium," he told Sporting News Canada in a phone interview, in regards to whether the NFL and the players can agree on a way to make the tackling safer. "I think it's going to ruin the game and unless they eliminate [the rule] than people will stop watching."
Sherman, who only made one tackle in his lone preseason appearance, will get to fully experience the new rule in Week 1 when the 49ers play the Minnesota Vikings. According to MMQB's Richard Klemko, the 2013 Super Bowl champion wanted to play with either Niner's QB Jimmy Garappolo or Kirk Cousins - and now both will be on the field with him.
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"I think it's going to be a great game," Sherman said. "I think it's going to come down to which team can execute the longest, and both quarterbacks are respected. Both defenses are respected. Obviously, they have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball so it's going to be a dogfight. But I think we're looking forward to it and can't wait to get out there."
Aside from Cousins, Sherman will see a familiar face in Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes - who he worked out with during the offseason.
"He's an incredibly talented player," Sherman said on the 2017 Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro. "He plays the game at an incredibly high level. He's an intense competitor and I'm honored to be able to share the field with him Week 1. It's going to be a fun game."
Aside from the confidence he brings to the field, Sherman just knows how to win games - something the 49ers have struggled with in recent years. But there's hope in the Bay Area that with Sherman and Garappolo, the team will make their first postseason appearance since 2013 - when they lost to Sherman's Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
"I don't like to make predictions," the four-time Pro Bowler noted. "[But] I think we expect to win ball games. I think that as a team we will continue to grow and I think the sky is the limit. We'll let the chips fall how they may, but I look forward to seeing great things from this team."
While Sherman is looking forward to his new role in San Francisco, he also has a new partnership with DAZN Canada. DAZN is an online streaming service where fans in Canada can watch all NFL games live and on-demand, RedZone, Game Pass, NFL Network and NFL Films. DAZN is part of Perform Group, parent company of Sporting News.
"As a player you always want to reach out to your fans, you always want your fans to be more involved and be able to catch the games," Sherman said, who hopes more countries will play the sport so it can be in the Olympics one day.
"DAZN has given Canadian fans the opportunity to catch all NFL games...I think that it's a service that a lot of fans have been looking for. It's an awesome opportunity for them to be able to catch any game - no blackout dates, no restrictions and I think a lot of fans will embrace it and appreciate it.
Obviously being in Seattle for a number of years, right there next to Vancouver, we had a lot of interactions with our Canadian fans at a lot of events. So I just wanted to contribute part of something that really connects our fans to the game in another way."