Cornerback Richard Sherman and the San Francisco 49ers are preparing to go against one of the best in the game on Monday night — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Sherman has a good relationship with Rodgers. While the two never get together, other than an occasional sighting at an event like the ESPYs, they'll sometimes exchange text messages during the season.
Said Sherman: "If he has a great game or I see something on tape where he's in his bag and doing something crazy like some of the Hail Mary's that he's thrown, you text him like, 'Man, that's crazy. I don't know what you were thinking right there.'"
Sherman had no shortage of complimentary things to say when asked about Rodgers on Friday.
"He's really smart. He has great control of the offense," Sherman said. "He can change a play at the line if that's what he's feeling. He has a rapport with the wideouts that's good enough — well, you know, in the years that I've played him, he had a rapport that's good enough that they kind of knew what he was thinking.
"He's great at manipulating the pace of the game. If he sees you sub and they don't sub, then he'll hurry to the line and get a penalty and get a free play. He's king of the free play. He's great at understanding tempo."
An ailing left knee may be hobbling Rodgers, but there remain both physical and mental challenges when going against him on the football field, says Sherman.
"You're going to have to run," he said. "You're going to have to cover for a longer period of time. You've got to be ready for the backyard football. He's a great passer. He can get the ball anywhere. He can be on his back foot and throw it 75 yards if that's really what he wanted to do."
Sherman hasn't noticed Rodgers trying to get the football out of his hands any quicker because of his injury.
"He doesn't seem to care about the bad knee," Sherman continued. "He still takes his time. If he wants to take a shot down the field, he takes it. They're predominantly quick-game in the first place. It's always been that way. But he just makes some shots. He makes some deep developing plays."
The 49ers and Packers kick off on Monday night from Lambeau Field.
