Cardinals' Patrick Peterson: Richard Sherman not a shutdown corner

Richard Sherman is no stranger to trash talk, and one hopes he can take it as well as he dishes it out. The outspoken Seahawks cornerback, who seems to thrive on criticism and doubt, got a healthy dose of fuel for his fire on Thursday, when a division-rival corner publicly took aim at him.  

The Cardinals' Patrick Peterson was on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, throwing down the gauntlet and looking to dent Sherman's reputation:

"I don't want to get into a debate as far as getting the stats that he has and things like that," Peterson said, via the station's website. "Obviously his job is much easier than mine." 

The two started subtly jawing at each other after Sherman was awarded a four-year, $57.4 million extension earlier this month, which made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Peterson, looking for an extension himself, took note. 

"I’m definitely observant of what (Sherman) got," he said. "Obviously by him being the highest paid cornerback, the goal for the guys that come after him is to be higher than him."

To which Sherman responded:

Peterson, on the radio show, claimed that those numbers don't tell the whole story:

If you look at their scheme and you look at our scheme, he's a Cover-3 corner, period. A lot of guys say he's a shutdown corner, but if you look at film and guys who understand the game, go back and look at film and see how his defense is.

I believe if you put him in our system, I don't think he'd be able to last, honestly, because I'm asked to do much more than he is.

[...] At the end of the day he has great stats, he has great playmaking ability -- I'm not taking that away from him because he is a good corner. But as far as being a shutdown corner, man-to-man guy, in my eyes, I don't believe he's that.

Not one to let a petty squibble die out, Sherman barked back soon afterward:

He later added:

The numbers seem to bear out Sherman's claim. Per ProFootballFocus.com, Peterson allowed seven touchdowns last year. Sherman's allowed seven combined in his three NFL seasons. 

But realistically, the best chance for these two guys to settle this will come when the Cardinals and Seahawks meet, in weeks 12 and 15, next season.