Super Bowl: Competition Fuels 49ers Star Richard Sherman's Strong Will To Win
MIAMI (CBS SF) -- When it comes to star athletes, there is a rare switch deep within their psyche that flip on when the lights shine their brightest. San Francisco 49ers star defensive back Richard Sherman is one them.
During one of the endless interviews done during Super Bowl week, Sherman gave a brief glimpse into the psychology that makes him one of the NFL's top coverage cornerbacks.
On the field, the nature of the position he plays, forces Sherman to elevate his mental game. The awareness of what is going on around him, the quick-firing synapses to react -- all play a key role in covering some of the league's fastest and most elusive players.
"Richard's game is he knows how to play football," said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. "He knows when to take his shots. He knows when he needs to be aggressive. He knows when to be conservative. He knows how to do it all and he plays the game within the game."
Sherman said competitiveness powers his ability to command that game within a game.
"I think it (the mental switch) flips itself because it's just a natural competitiveness," he said. "And I don't even know if its just on the field, it's when I'm in a competitive setting. When there is a win or a loss."
Like other elite athletes, basketball great Michael Jordan for example, competitiveness is the juice that has driven Sherman from his earliest days.
"That's one of the things that my parents and teachers realized early on – that if you make it competitive then I'll put everything I can into it," he said. " It doesn't matter what it is. It can be a spelling bee. It can be a quiz. It can be a paper. Make it a competition and I'll do my best to win. So I guess honestly my mind get in that mode anytime there is a competition."
Shanahan believes Sherman's ability to harness that competitive drive gives him the ability to impact the game.
"He's a physical guy," the 49ers head coach said. "He's not afraid of contact. He'll go up and support the run. He'll be physical with receivers. Also even though he seems wound up a lot ... there is also a control to him that makes him play like a very smart player.
Even in the lockerroom, Sherman has an understanding of what it takes for a team to maintain a winning mentality.
"I think Sherm does a great job," said 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. "He does a little bit of everything, interacts with everyone. He knows when to keep it light. When to take it seriously. Balancing that is a touch combination."
When it comes to turning that switch off away from the field, Sherman said becoming a father has helped with that.
"I'm a father now, that's the biggest change (from when he first came to the Super Bowl with Seattle in 2013)," he said. "That changes you in a lot of things fundamentally. It gives you more patience, more understanding. Changes your perspective a bit."
So he's learned to leave those brightly burning competitive fires on the playing field.
"Off the field when I'm with my family, when I'm with my friends and not in a competitive environment, I'm an entirely different person," he said.
