Amazon Prime Video’s studio coverage is already the best in the NFL. It isn’t close. The work of Charissa Thompson coupled with a crop of freshly retired players — sans Tony Gonzalez — brings a fresh perspective unseen on the other networks. Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Andrew Whitworth have become stars, and rightfully so.
There’s a refreshing honesty about the way the speak. The group is unafraid of stepping on toes and equally unafraid of the pushback that comes with the unlimited candor they present their opinions.
And that’s the good, and the bad, of Richard Sherman. Last week, Sherman made headlines during a contentious interview with Mike Salk of Seattle Sports 710. For brevity’s sake, Sherman’s issue with Salk boiled down to “I didn’t like the way you spoke about me. I played the game, you didn’t, so I can criticize NFL players, and you can’t.”
It’s not the first time Sherman has taken that stance. In an uncomfortable appearance on First Take in 2013, Sherman told Bayless he was “better at life” than the controversial provocateur. Believe me, I don’t want to ever be in the business of defending Skip Bayless, but it was an unfair and unnecessary shot.
He continued that defense mechanism during a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, where he said media members don’t ever get to know the NFL players they’re commenting on.
I understand Sherman’s thought process on the surface, but at the end of the day it really is a defense mechanism. Gatekeeping, demeaning, condescending, whatever you want to call it, it’s a way for Sherman to talk down to people. “I did this, you didn’t, therefore I’m right and you’re wrong,” is a hell of a thought process. It ignores any potential truthful criticism and it’s somewhat unfair.
I’ve never worked in a restaurant kitchen, never taken a cooking class, and I didn’t go to culinary school. But guess what? I know when food sucks. The idea that because I didn’t play professional football a radio host can’t believe that Josh McDaniels isn’t a very good coach, or whatever opinion someone holds, is poppycock.
I genuinely believe that the analysis provided by Sherman is top-notch. He has a good understanding and feel for broadcasting, and his comprehension of what he sees on the field is unrivaled.
An NFL analyst like Sherman is desperately needed. Truthfully, an NFL analyst in a similar vein to Inside The NBA’s Charles Barkley is desperately needed. Barkley mixes humor and critical analysis with the best of them. He is unafraid to say what’s on his mind, and it’s a breath of fresh air in a broadcasting world consumed by not angering league and corporate partners. And TNT gives Barkley the support to feel like he has the ability to tell the truth.
If Amazon gives Sherman the support that Barkley gets, I have no doubt Sherman can be regarded the way Barkley is. However, there is one thing Sherman has to do get onto Barkley’s level.
Charles Barkley doesn’t give a shit what you think about him. And it’s very clear Richard Sherman does care. You see Barkley share his opinion, and if someone disagrees with him, at most he’ll call them fat, ugly, or some other sophomoric insult, and that’s the end of it. As far as I can tell, I don’t know that he harbors decade-long grudges against people he publicly views as beneath him. He has issues with former teammates or competitors, but he doesn’t go on radio shows and demeans the hosts for their past comments.
Sherman, like Barkley, was a polarizing figure as a player and has many of the same qualities Barkley possesses, but the advice Boomer Esiason gave Sherman this week — no matter how public or unsolicited it might have been — is true. Sherman has to learn to laugh off some of the things people said about him in the past to advance his broadcasting stature.
An analyst in the Barkley archetype would be welcomed by NFL fans. Increasingly, fans want to be told the truth, or what they view as the truth. They want to be told something without it being softened or sugarcoated. Opinions don’t need to be palatable, they need to be truthful, and Sherman often tells the truth. The problem is you become unpalatable if you’re unpopular. I don’t think Sherman is unpopular by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, I think it’s on the contrary. I think he is insanely likeable about 85% of the time. However, it’s easy to think someone is unlikeable when you treat people like they’re beneath you.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
