BRADENTON, Fla. -- When 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman was last seen in Baltimore, it looked as if he could barely walk and stood little chance of being able to play a week later against New Orleans.
But Sherman was on the field Wednesday at IMG Academy and was a limited participant in practice despite the right knee injury and a quick recovery that prompted coach Kyle Shanahan to cite the 1984 movie, “The Karate Kid.”
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“Did some Mr. Miyagi stuff on him,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan quipped. “We’ll see, though. Sherm always battles. You expect him to be out there and, hopefully, he’ll get better each day.
“I know he’s not there all the way, yet. But he’s got a few more days to do it and hopefully, he’ll be good on Sunday.”
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As Sherman walked to the weight room with teammates for a post-practice workout, he was still walking gingerly. He missed just one snap on Sunday in the 49ers’ 20-17 loss to the Ravens on Sunday. Shanahan said Sherman has earned the right to have a large say in whether he plays on Sunday.
"Sherm knows his body better than anyone.," Shanahan said. "You always ask the doctors, 'Can they protect themselves?' If the doctor ever tells you he absolutely can't do it, then it doesn’t matter what they say. You’ve got to protect them from themselves, but if they say they won’t get any worse, if the guy wants to do it. . .
"Sherm’s a guy who knows his body. He’s gone through it a lot and he’s done it for a while. We usually leave it to him.”