Richard Sherman is not mad, it's just funny to him.
The 49ers cornerback didn't take kindly to some social-media criticism from retired All-Pro corner Darrelle Revis, who questioned Sherman's ability to cover wide receivers man-to-man after the veteran allowed his first completion of 20-plus air yards this season.
The two traded barbs in the wake of the 49ers advancing to Super Bowl LIV in Miami with a win in Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium, and it wouldn't be beef between the best defensive backs of the 2010s without Antonio Cromartie being brought into the conversation by those looking to embrace debate.
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Cromartie, appearing on Fox Sports 1's "First Fake" "Second Take" "Undisputed" on Monday morning, interjected some surprising nuance into what was already a played-out discussion just over 12 hours after Revis' first tweet.
"He's doing exactly what he's being coached to do," Cromartie said of Sherman. "And I think everybody need to realize that we don't have to sit here and argue over who is the best corner -- who cares anymore? If the man is out there doing his job every single day, week in and week out, that's all that should matter."
Fatigue with a fatiguing topic doesn't keep the bright studio lights on, however, so Skip Bayless interjected that traveling with a particular receiver is "much harder" than how Sherman is used in the 49ers' defensive scheme and that the All-Pro cornerback isn't "capable" of shadowing a receiver.
If you feel like you've heard this all before, it's probably because you have. Sherman bristled at the characterization that he simply is a zone cornerback just over a week ago, delivering an impassioned defense of his abilities after intercepting Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the 49ers' divisional-round win.
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He ripped the idea that he is a "system corner" and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey -- who, according to Sherman, played in the same system with the Jacksonville Jaguars -- is not.
“People want to hate me," Sherman said. "Because people want to treat me like a villain. They want me to fail. So, they don’t ever want to let me get what I’m supposed to get. It’s frustrating, but I’m about to talk about it in this press conference.”
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Perhaps Revis missed Sherman's post-game press conference nine days ago, but his Twitter take had all the hallmarks of a retired player doing their best Uncle Rico impression by remembering their golden days. It's a tale as old as time, just barely pre-dating the tale of overlong morning debate shows using Revis' equivalent of saying he could once throw a pigskin a quarter-mile as a launching point for a way-too-serious discussion on something so insignificant.
With just under two weeks before the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs actually play one another in Super Bowl LIV, this almost certainly is not the last time we'll see some variant of Is Richard Sherman Elite. If any ex-players interject further, one can only hope they're as reasonable as Cromartie.
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