[ad_1]
Richard Sherman was not a fan of the Denver Broncos throwing on fourth-and-1 with a chance to win an overtime game against the Indianapolis Colts in Thursday night’s 12-9 loss. The Broncos didn’t have to go for the jugular and get all 5 yards from the Colts’ 5-yard line, but they left the ball in the hands of Russell Wilson to win the game.
Wilson threw an incomplete pass, testing Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore as the former Defensive Player of the Year broke up the pass intended for Courtland Sutton. That won the game for Indianapolis and brought back a familiar flashback for Sherman when he vented on the “Thursday Night Football” postgame show.
“You gotta run the ball,” Sherman said. “Again, I wish I had Marshawn (former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch) up here. Run the ball. You need 1 yard. Run the ball. Run the ball! All he has to do is run the football.
“Necessary criticism. I said enough criticism for him, but God dang it — run the dang ball!”
Sherman went through this with the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, when the Seahawks were at the New England Patriots‘ 1-yard line trailing 28-24 with 25 seconds left. On second-and-goal, Wilson threw a slant over the middle that was picked off by Malcolm Butler to seal the Patriots’ win and take away Seattle’s Super Bowl championship repeat.
The Seahawks — and Wilson– could have handed the ball to Lynch. Instead, Wilson threw the ball and the takeaway created a major divide in the Seahawks locker room. Sherman has vented his frustration over the decision before, and used the opportunity to take subtle jabs at Wilson after the game.
Wilson had a wide open K.J. Hamler on the play, but went over the middle to Sutton. To make matters worse. Melvin Gordon is an excellent short-yardage back who has 23 touchdown runs of 1-yard since 2016 — trailing only Derrick Henry for the most in football since the 2016 season.
Is this on Wilson or head coach Nathaniel Hackett — who has been through his own share of management a play-calling issues in his short career. Hackett tipped the Colts’ hand by going shotgun on that fourth-and-1 play, letting Indianapolis know a pass was coming. Wilson, who was struggling all night, didn’t even try to just go past the sticks. Instead, he went for the end zone and misfired when targeting Sutton.
Hackett said the Broncos wanted to win the game and he “got the go to go for it,” creating even more speculation the play wasn’t his call.
Whatever happened in that decision-making process, running the ball wasn’t an option. Perhaps Sherman is on to something here.
[ad_2]
Source link
