Richard Sherman can certainly multitask. The San Francisco 49ers cornerback jumped on a video conference call with reporters on Wednesday and did so while driving around his child, who sat in the back seat.
Sherman discussed numerous topics. Among them was the strange offseason that has created limitations amid concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom meetings on the couch or in a home office have replaced in-person ones. On-field work has been replaced by players finding their own ways to stay in shape and mentally prepare for the day when they can return to practice fields.
Mentally, Sherman believes his 49ers teammates are where they need to be.
"There has been a ton of growth from guys, a ton of growth within the nuances of the defense, and the nuances of coverage," Sherman said. "You (typically) kind of gloss over things because you're moving so fast. You just want to get to the next thing, and the next thing, and get to football, and get to on-the-field stuff.
"I think, this time, everybody having to step back and slow it down and take their time, that guys are learning more and understanding more than they ever have."
Are there health concerns surrounding returning to football too soon? COVID-19 hasn't disappeared. There has even been speculation that some NFL teams might be forced to play games without fans in the stadium seats.
"There hasn't been many people who relayed any true concerns about health risks," Sherman explained. "The concerns and the questions usually are in regards to when are we coming back? Are we coming back for [training camp]? What is the exact date? And all those things, right now, are really fluid.
"Obviously, the NFL put out the testing protocols that are going to be in place, and obviously how we're going to maneuver going forward. But I think, just like a lot of the experts, who dealt with this novel virus, and things have changed day by day ... as science improves, as the information and knowledge improve about the virus, and about how to best combat it and stay safe.
"At the end of the day, football is football. No matter how much you keep 90 guys away from each other, they'll run into each other. They'll play football, at some point or another. It will be what it's going to be."
A report on Wednesday from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero stated that the NFL and NFLPA are in discussions about potentially reducing the preseason for the upcoming season. That could provide teams and players the extra time needed to finalize game-day protocols headed into the regular season.
"I think it's a mixed bag because you want younger guys to get a good opportunity to go out there and get some real preseason action," Sherman said, "and not have their first NFL reps be live bullets, and really count. But there's also a safety aspect of understanding that there was not OTAs. There's no minicamp.
"With everything closed, you have to go under the assumption that they didn't have adequate training facilities since most places were close. Obviously, guys are going to be pros. They're going to find ways to get it done. But it's not reasonable to expect them to be training at facilities at the level that you would need to compete at the NFL level.
"There will be a ramp-up period. We're still in discussions about that. But I have no real problems with us having limited preseason games. Obviously, I don't play a ton in them as is, but there are some of us who need to go out there and get some reps before the real thing happens."
