07.05.2016, 02:55
RENTON, Wash. Troy Tulowitzki Authentic Jersey . -- Pete Carroll pulled Richard Sherman aside on Monday and made sure his fiery cornerback understood that his rant against San Franciscos Michael Crabtree was overshadowing the Seattle Seahawks reaching their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Sherman seemed to get Carrolls message. "He was really clear that the last thing he wanted to do was take something away from our team, what we had accomplished," Carroll said. Sherman became the focal point of attention -- both positive and negative -- after Seattle beat San Francisco 23-17 on Sunday to win the NFC championship. Sherman was already going to be in the spotlight for what he did on San Franciscos final offensive play, twisting his body to deflect a pass intended for Crabtree into the air and allowing time for teammate Malcolm Smith to run over and make an interception in the end zone to clinch the Seahawks victory. The athleticism on the play was worthy of praise. But Shermans antics from that point drew praise from some for being honest and unfiltered, and criticism from others for being too harsh and combative. "This is a very emotional kid and thats what drives him," Carroll said. "We did sit down and talk about it because I want him to present himself in his best light. Hes an incredible kid. "He has a great sense about things and understanding and sensitivity and awareness and he cares and hes a very thoughtful person so when he puts out those kind of thoughts he has to know what hes saying and understand it and I think hes very understanding at this point that he caused a stir that took away from the team." Sherman had been rarely targeted by the 49ers, with most of Colin Kaepernicks passes being thrown in the direction of Byron Maxwell. But in the final minute, Kaepernick decided to take a shot to the end zone with Crabtree and Sherman matched up one-on-one. Sherman won the matchup, staying in position to deflect the pass and have it fall into Smiths hands, similar to a tipped interception from Sherman to safety Earl Thomas in Week 15 against the New York Giants. Except this was far more meaningful, giving Seattle its second conference championship. But Sherman didnt let the celebration end with Smith and his teammates. Sherman ran over to Crabtree and gave him a pat on the backside, then appeared to extend his arm for a handshake. Instead, Sherman got shoved in the face before picking up his personal foul as his celebration continued. The taunt included a choking gesture in the direction of Kaepernick. Asked about the incident afterward by Fox reporter Erin Andrews, Sherman lit up Twitter with a rant that began: "Im the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, thats the result you gonna get. Dont you ever talk about me!" And Sherman didnt back down later, apologizing to Andrews but calling Crabtree "mediocre." He said his issues with Crabtree went back to an incident during the off-season. Carroll said he viewed the situation as a father talking to his son and wanted Sherman to realize some more thought should have gone into what he was saying. "Theres some stuff in there I think you should think about and did you really want it to come out the way it did and talk our way through that," Carroll said. "And he didnt. He didnt feel right about that. "There were a lot of great things that happened last night and were talking about some other stuff." For Carroll, the return to New York is heading back to where he got his start as a head coach in the NFL, albeit a short-lived tenure as the head coach of the Jets. Carroll was the Jets head coach for one season in 1994 before getting fired after a 6-10 season. "I think my first time in New York as a head coach was kind of in the middle of the circle somewhere or maybe it wasnt even a circle, it might have been some other shape," Carroll joked. "It was kind of a hairy time." Notes: Carroll said WR Percy Harvin (concussion) could be cleared to practice later this week and is expected to be ready for the Super Bowl. Harvin was injured in the first half of Seattles divisional playoff win over New Orleans. ... WR Doug Baldwin (hip), DT Brandon Mebane (foot/ankle) and RB Marshawn Lynch would be eased back into practice when the Seahawks return to the field on Wednesday, Carroll said. ... LB K.J. Wright was sore but otherwise came out of Sundays game fine, Carroll said. It was his first game since breaking a bone in his right foot in Week 14. Troy Tulowitzki Jersey . The fourth-year CFLer will miss Thursdays game against the Edmonton Eskimos, still bothered by his sore left knee. Roy Halladay Jersey . It sure looked as if it was going to be a long night for the Houston Rockets. Then everything changed in the third quarter.Spains 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands on Friday came as a shock to everyone who follows the beautiful game. It also served as a reminder that at the highest level of the game, the margin for error is incredibly small. Up 1-0 in the first half after Xabi Alonso had converted a dubious penalty kick, Spain had a glorious chance to double their lead in the 43rd minute. An exquisite reverse pass from Andres Iniesta (pictured below) sent David Silva in alone on the Dutch goal. Unfortunately, Silvas finish wasnt up to the same standard as Iniestas pass. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) Just one minute later, the Netherlands equalized through a spectacular Robin van Persie diving header. With no apparent danger coming from the Netherlands, Spain set up in a very narrow defensive shape. (Spains opponents will do well to take note – exploiting this is a key to success against the reigning World Cup champs.) Yet just two passes later, the ball was in the back of the Spanish goal. The first pass came from Bruno Martins Indi to Daley Blind, who took up a wide position on the left flank. It was a free pass, with no Spanish player in a position to put pressure on Blinds first touch. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) Once Blind received the ball, Spains back four was vulnerable to the diagonal ball over the top to van Persie – because Sergio Ramos, the left central defender, fell asleep and got caught ball-watching. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) With no pressure on the ball, Blind was able to spot that van Persie managed to get a step in front of his marker, Ramos. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) The ball from Blind was exquisite, and it was matched only by the finish from van Persie - a diving, looping header over Iker Casillas in Spains goal. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) So what could Spain have done differently? In this situation, when the ball went wide to Blind, Gerard Pique was tight with Arjen Robben, the first striker – as he should be. R.A. Dickey Youth Jersey. His defensive partner, Ramos, needed to be in a deeper covering position, so that he could support Pique while also nullifying the threat of the ball in behind to van Persie. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) It is only a matter of Ramos being 3-4 yards deeper, but at the World Cup, that is sometimes all that is needed to create scoring opportunities. Had Spains back-four been properly aligned (highlighted in yellow, above), Blind would never had played the ball forward for van Persie to run onto because Ramos would have been in a position to head the pass away. This goal, scored right before the half-time break, was a real blow to Spains confidence. From nearly doubling their lead a minute earlier, to conceding a wonder goal to the Dutch, the momentum turned in favour of the Netherlands going into the second half. The Spanish collapse after the break – where they conceded four unanswered goals – should have been prevented, though. The second goal was down to a combination of wonderful skill from Robben and slack marking from Pique and Ramos; the third and fourth goals down to mistakes from Casillas, with the fifth goal a classic counter-attacking move from the Dutch. It would be naïve to presume that this result – as shocking as it was – is an indication that Spains style of play is now ineffective. La Roja still possess a squad full of some of the worlds most talented players, and they will continue to employ their tiki-taka possession game to great effect. Players like Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta and Silva are still a joy to watch, and they will go into their next game with Chile knowing they must win, as a loss will effectively end their tournament. What it does prove, though, is that even the best are fallible on an off day. Cheap China Jerseys