(Patriots Wire/USA TODAY Sports) — With Bill Belichick, it’s his way or get traded to the Cleveland Browns. With Richard Sherman, it’s his way or you’ll hear about it — at great length.
Imagine putting those two men into the same organization. Things would get weird.
That’s what Sherman, at one point, wanted. He went so far as to ask New England Patriots players to suggest Belichick trade for him last season, according to NBC Sports Boston. He now seems to want out of Seattle, according to reports, and it’s not unrealistic to think that New England might be a destination he’s still eyeing.
Sherman’s loquacious personality simply doesn’t jibe with how Belichick runs his organization. That’s abundantly obvious. The (reported) fact that Sherman reached out to players to persuade Belichick to trade for him is a misunderstanding of how things work in New England. It shows Sherman doesn’t quite get the Patriot Way — or the Belichick Way.
There’s nothing wrong with being an outspoken player. There’s nothing wrong with trying to get leverage as a player. But Belichick doesn’t seem to value those qualities in players. So if Sherman ended up in the Patriots locker room, he might have to assume a harmless but big personality like Martellus Bennett, who seemed to walk the tightrope with the media in a way Belichick didn’t mind. If Sherman turned into Adalius Thomas, who said he grew tired of being treated like a kindergartner, the experiment would end quickly.
But that may not be the strangest element if Sherman were to join the Patriots He not exactly flexible. Yes, he’s an elite defender and has been a shutdown corner for his NFL tenure. But he mostly done it in one system at one position — left cornerback. Admittedly, he moved around in 2017 more than he’d ever moved before. Still, Sherman is notorious for owning his side of the field.
What happens when Belichick asks him fully to abandon being a one-trick pony? Even cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who clearly succeeds with one assignment for a whole game, was asked to step outside his comfort zone after the Patriots signed him to the largest deal for a defender in the franchise’s history. Surely, Sherman has considered such a reality if he wants to join the Patriots. And surely, he feels like Belichick will put him in the best place to succeed, as he has with so many other players.
Belichick would not leave Sherman on one side of the field. Belichick couldn’t stand for that. It’s too predictable, too uncomplicated. It’s inflexible. There are not enough variables.
By letting Sherman do Sherman, Belichick would have to step out his comfort zone. And Belichick doesn’t really step outside his comfort zone.
So in the strange scenario where Sherman joins the Patriots — which probably would only happen if he gets released and signs with the Patriots on a prove-it deal — Sherman would be committing to doing things totally different than he’s done them for his NFL tenure. And for a year or so, Sherman is capable of complying to the Belichick Way.
But that won’t make things any less weird. If Sherman answers a question with a Belichick cliche — “it is what it is” — the response will sound strange coming out of his mouth. If Sherman starts on the ride side of the field or motions there a few times per game, the shift will be truly wacky for those who know him well as a player.
Belichick might turn Sherman’s world upside down. And to a lesser degree, Sherman might do the same for Belichick.
