Sherman's brashness and confidence is a magnet for punks, head cases, loudmouths, and the less-self-assured. Brady would appear to be above that, but he had no idea what he was in for when he started running his mouth at the CLink. The Cult of Sherman had not yet exploded.
But in that 'U Mad Bro?' case, as well as with Revis, Roddy, and Trent Williams, Sherman was reacting to the other guy. Of course he knows the way he carries himself will get people riled up and people will be talking; that's the way he wants it. He's not playing dumb about that.
The whole thing with Revis started with fans on Twitter telling Sherman he was not as good as Revis. Sherman responded by posting images of comparative stats. He left it up to others' interpretation of those numbers, while making his opinion clear that he, himself, was the better of the two at this point, as based on those stats. Fans still went at him as not being as good, so after being named 1st team All-Pro, he took it to the streets for a Super-Bowl-week, punk'd style, informal poll. The joke was not on Revis. He wasn't belittling Revis at all. The point was, here's a guy who was just named the best at his position and regular joe fan doesn't even know his face. Sherman is cool, collected, smart, and funny enough to let these people go off on him for everything from cheating and drugs, to being 'fat & slow', then laughing and introducing himself. So the joke is on the casual fan and Sherman's current anonymous status with them. It highlights the difference between Pro Bowl and All-Pro, considering fans are part of the PB voting. Anyway, it's just a laugh. No harm done.
Sherman's pumping himself up, not putting the other guy down... unless you believe that Revis is entitled to some kind of crown that Sherm is trying to unjustly steal. For a few years, it seems the Best CB discussion has lasted as long as it takes to say 'Darrelle Revis.' Sherman's just telling everyone, when you have that discussion now, don't forget me. Here's my 24 PDs, 8 INTs, and 3 FFs, to help you figure it out.
Certainly it's reasonable that Revis would reply to all this at some point. He could have responded with something about how great his rehab is going and he's psyched out of his mind about getting on the field next season and showing everybody he's still the best. That would have been easier than what he did, and it would have done well to solidify his image as he looks ahead to a possible trade. Instead, he chose to call Sherman a girl. He put down the other guy. He said Sherman was 'using (Revis') name' to get attention and make himself part of a discussion he shouldn't be in. All Sherman ever did was answer fans' claims with stats, and mention the fact that Revis didn't play but 2 games last year.
On-field play is #1 for Sherman. He could just say 'I'll let my season speak for itself' and 'My play next year will speak for itself.' That is an option, but that's not who he is. He lets his play speak for his play and his brain/mouth apparatus speak for his ranking in the minds of the media and fans. If he's confident about being the best and willing to back it up with his play, there's no problem in trying to get other people on his side. If people are going to talk about him, he will confront anything he feels is disrespectful or uninformed with factual evidence. And he'll do it with confidence and a wink. Revis will call you a girl.
Personally, I am not a self-promoter and I am not drawn to trash-talking athletes or showboats of any kind. Given that, I am not bothered one iota by Richard Sherman. I hope we can afford to keep him a Hawk for life while still fielding a complete, championship-calibre team. If he gets too expensive later down the road (after the first big contract), he should command a doozy of a draft-pick package. Win-win Seahawks.
