Richard Sherman arguably is the best cornerback in the NFL, no matter what the Pro Bowl voters say. His availability for the Seattle Seahawks' playoff run makes us believe the team could make it all the way to New Orleans.
This is a man who isn't afraid to talk trash to Tom Brady after a victory. So Sherman's answer wasn't a surprise when USA Today asked him what Washington Redskins receivers worried him heading into Sunday's NFC Wild Card Game.
"None of them," Sherman said.
Sherman was asked about Pierre Garcon specifically.
"I don't think so," Sherman said.
The quotes are great for lazy writers like me, but Sherman's confidence in this matchup raises a legitimate point. Can Garcon, Josh Morgan and Leonard Hankerson get open against the Seahawks' physical cornerbacks? There wasn't a lot of separation from Washington's receiver group last week against the Dallas Cowboys (that's one reason why four of five ATL writers picked the Seahawks to win Sunday).
Garcon is an explosive player, but he's not an ideal No. 1 receiver. The receiver group is not great after him. The Redskins' passing game has slowed down with just 272 yards in the last two games combined.
Sherman gets tag-team partner Brandon Browner back from suspension this week. Together, with a terrific safety group, the Seahawks should slow down Robert Griffin III's air attack. And Sherman hasn't forgotten the criticism he took for testing positive for a banned substance (he later appealed his suspension, and won).
"Everybody has haters," Sherman said. "People think Jesus didn't exist. They think he wasn't a miracle worker. There are people who say he didn't walk on water, or he only walked on water because he couldn't swim. Those people's opinions mean dirt to me."
Yup, Sherman just sorta compared himself to Jesus. That's the type of confidence you want out of your shutdown cornerback heading into the playoffs.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
