Emotion Got The Better of Me

Losing hurts. Emotions of the moment will get the better of you. It happens. It happens when you win, too. Opposite end of the spectrum; extreme states of mind.

Richard Sherman and Bill Belichick both spoke from the heart last Sunday and Monday. Sherman’s now infamous post-game rant lit up the internet, crowd-sourcing a discussion on everything from Erin Andrews’ cred as a sideline reporter to the not so comfortable reminder that middle-aged white America still isn’t ready for an angry black Jesus. Bills Belichick’s view that ex-Pat Wes Welker took a deliberate, illegal and immoral shot at Aqib Talib didn’t generate nearly as much discussion. It was just Bill being Bill; a mean, bitter, petty spoilsport.

 

Sherman has been doing some damage control – but not too much. More than a few observers found Sherman’s rant to be refreshing in its naked honesty. There is something simple and honest about Sherman’s punch in the face outburst. You think you’re a badass? Watch that clip of Richard Sherman and then look yourself in the mirror. Be honest. If Richard Sherman wants to dance with your date, you say, “Please, be my guest.” When Demaryius Thomas lines up across from Richard Sherman he’s going to be thinking, “That Richard Sherman is crazy. And a badass. I bet he’d trade 15 yards for a chance to totally fuck me up without thinking twice about it. What’s all that jibber-jabber from Manning? Why’s he pointing at me? Doesn’t he see Sherman over there? Are his eyes all red like a demon?”

Okay, that’s what I would be thinking. Demaryius Thomas is mentally and physically tougher than me by a considerable margin so he’s probably thinking about that Manning jibber-jabber stuff.

Note: Whether I was referring to Manning or Sherman when I thought “his eyes” will have to remain my secret.

Still, it’s hard to imagine that Demaryius Thomas, who is assuredly tough, is tougher than the guy barking spit all over America’s favorite snake oil spokesmodel. Sherman doesn’t want to lose that edge. That edge will turn into an unforced error, waiting to happen. A dropped pass. A fumble. A tipped pass for a Pick 6. So, he apologizes for distracting from the team’s great win, not for punking Michael Crabtree, and the link is synopsized as “Sherman apologizes for rant.”

Richard Sherman is renting space in Michael Crabtree’s head and he has no intention of giving up the lease. They are divisional opponents after all.

It will be interesting to see how Sherman manages this in the pre-Super Bowl feeding frenzy. He needs to lead with a response that features self-deprecating humor and draws chuckles from the media gaggle. Then he needs to follow up with something thoughtful – but not too thoughtful.

While Sherman was speaking literally in the heat of the moment, Bill Belichick had a day to think about what he said. Despite the almost universal judgment that he should’ve taken the high road, Belichick hasn’t been making any acts of contrition. What can you say? He’s the Alec Baldwin of NFL Head Coaches. They’re both funny in an unconventional fashion that doesn’t play well across the great middle of America, fiercely protective of family, subject to sudden, inappropriate outbursts of anger and too smart for their own good. The League has handed down their verdict that Welker’s hit did not violate the rules of the game but interestingly enough, Belichick has found some supporters. ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss has squared the circle, noting that he thought the Welker hit should’ve drawn a flag and he appreciated Belichick’s honesty but ultimately it would’ve been better had Belichick kept his opinions to himself in this case.

It’s easy to sit in judgment of Richard Sherman and Bill Belichick, the thug and the martinet. It’s fun to think we could do better. We probably wouldn’t. We generally don’t in our humdrum lives of quiet desperation so why should we think we would do better in such extreme circumstances?

Sherman and Belichick overshared in moments of emotional distress. That we as a culture were so disconcerted by their honesty may say more about us than it does about them.