Richard Sherman: Brees Second Smartest QB in NFL
Dec 22, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to pass as Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson (95) defends in the third quarter. The Panthers defeated the Saint 17-13 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Everyone has their opinion of Seattle corner back Richard Sherman. The 6’3 Stanford product has created a reputation of a trash talking, get under your skin type guy off the field and arguably one of the greatest corner backs on the field today.
We’ve seen this kind of show before (Deion Sanders anyone?), but what makes it so impressive today is how much of the league is built around the quarterback and wide receivers being able to challenge for the ball more than defensive backs. There’s a lot of film study that goes into being able to actually get inside the mind of a quarterback and anticipate what he is going to do at different periods of the game.
To beat the best you have to know the best and Richard Sherman has certainly done his homework when it comes to studying quarterbacks and figuring out their tendencies. On mmqb.si.com with Peter King, Richard Sherman listed his opinion of the top 5 smartest quarterbacks in the league.
After Peyton Manning, Sherman listed Drew Brees as the second smartest quarterback in the NFL. This is what Sherman had to say about Brees:
"He makes incredible adjustments during the game. He’ll struggle for a stretch and then go to the sidelines and look at pictures and then come back and attack the defense a new way. It’s almost like they installed a whole new game plan. He’s never done that to us, but I can recall the first Carolina game, when it was a back and forth battle at first and then he finally found the weakness and he just kept attacking it. He caught momentum, and then he just kept them off balance. He went to Colston, then to the outside with Graham, then Sproles and Kenny Stills and Lance Moore. Once he has you on your heels, you don’t know what’s coming. -Richard Sherman"
You can read the rest of the article here. It’s a pretty good read and he leaves one quarterback out of his top five that might surprise you. The Saints will be playing in what may prove to be a winter wonderland in Philadelphia to get the opportunity to face off against Seattle in the divisional playoff round.
Brees’ ridiculous amount of accolades stand for themselves, but it’s always nice to get a nod from one of the best defensive backs in the league.
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