Richard Sherman Really Wants The World To Know That Matthew Stafford Is Not A Hall Of Famer
BOSTON (CBS) -- It happens just about every time a quarterback wins the Super Bowl for the first time. The Hall of Fame debate. It's unavoidable.
That discourse is, of course, currently taking place regarding Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who at 33 years old escaped Detroit and immediately won a Super Bowl. He's got preposterous volume stats, currently ranked 12th all time in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and now he's got a Super Bowl ring. As such, the discussion about his Hall of Fame candidacy has taken center stage.
Richard Sherman is having none of it.
As a member of the NFL All-2010s Team at cornerback, Sherman knows the quarterbacks of the NFL rather well. And he does not think Stafford's name belongs anywhere near the Hall of Fame.
"I'm gonna talk about it on the podcast but the HOF bar is incredibly low now. Like a participation trophy. No all decade team. No All pro. No MVP. 1 Pro bowl. Not even MVP of the SB. Never considered the best in any year he played. At least M. Ryan has an MVP," Sherman tweeted on Monday. "There is no measuring stick that makes Stafford a hall of famer other than playing in the most passer happy decade in NFL history. Inflated numbers make [every] QB that starts 10+ years a 'hof.'"
When Sherman was told that Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning also had no All-Pro spots but will likely be Hall of Famers, Sherman's response was swift: "Stafford has literally no accolades."
"All Pro is a measuring stick. All Decade is a measuring stick. Those show you were considered best at your position during the time you played," Sherman tweeted. "If you were not in that discussion you def shouldn't be in HOF consideration."
Sherman also pointed out that despite the championship, Stafford was far from perfect on the run. He threw what could have (and should have been) a critical fourth-quarter interception in the NFC title game against the Niners, and he threw two picks in the Super Bowl.
"He did nothing spectacular," Sherman insisted. "It's really a macrocosm of his career. Did good. Not great. Made a few wow passes. Made a few face palm passes. Aaron Donald and Von are the two HOF he should thank."
When someone told Sherman that Stafford was just behind the best of the best during the 2010s, Sherman's reply was pretty straightforward. "Yea that's the thing about the Hall of Fame. It's the supposed to be the best. Not the next guy."
Sherman noted that he wasn't trying to rain on Stafford's championship parade, but that "just throwing around HOF like that just irks me. So many had to be the most dominant to make it."
For what it's worth, Sherman only played against Stafford four times, with Sherman's Seahawks beating Stafford's Lions in three of those four meetings. Stafford avoided turnovers, with six touchdowns and one interception in the four games.
Obviously, Sherman's comments won't end the debate and discussion. But as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL during Stafford's career, Sherman made his feelings rather clear on the matter.
