Veteran Richard Sherman Has Seven Word Response to Titans QB Ryan Tannehill Saying He Won’t Mentor Malik Willis

Veteran Cornerback Richard Sherman has played in the NFL long enough. He definitely knows how important it is to have the best possible relationships with teammates. The Seahawks player was part of the ‘Legion of Boom,’ a defensive unit on the team which was instrumental in their rise to prominence and in winning them their first Super Bowl.

The CB reacted to the comments Ryan Tannehill recently made that caused a storm in the NFL, among players, fans, and analysts alike.

Many questioned what Tannehill meant by it and whether he was in his right mind to say such a thing. Speaking on the Richard Sherman Podcast, the veteran gave his honest take on the matter.

Earlier, Tannehill said he and Willis would be part of the quarterback room “competing against each other… watching the same footage… doing the same drills.” He didn’t think it was his “job to mentor him. But if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing.” 

Sherman said in response that he felt that “for him [Tannehill] to say that was disappointing.” From his perspective, this makes some sense because an NFL team’s performance highly depends on the cohesiveness of its players. Also, veterans mentoring new players is quite common in sports. 

Is the criticism Ryan Tannehill got justified?

While Sherman criticized Tannehill, he received support from certain quarters in the NFL, including New England Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Smith commented on the competitive nature of the league and mentioned Tannehill as an exceptional former teammate. Tomlin said it was not the players’ primary responsibility to be mentoring or helping others at their own expense.

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Tannehill himself clarified his comments soon after the matter went out of hand. He mentioned his relationship with the rookie QB and said he respected him as a player and was “disappointed in how things got spun and twisted a little bit.”

Tannehill is the first-choice QB for the Tennessee Titans, having played for the team since the 2019 season. He has struggled during the postseason for the last two years.

Many criticized his performance in the losses against the Cincinnati Bengals (19-16) in 2021 and the Baltimore Ravens (20-13) in 2020. Interceptions of Tannehill’s passes in both matches led to losses for the Titans. 2022 sign-up Willis is an understudy to Tannehill as a rookie QB. Many expect him to become the first-choice QB in the next few years.

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Source: | This article originally belongs to Essentially Sports