SANTA CLARA
Tarvarius Moore Jersey White , Calif. (AP)Richard Sherman has been cleared to practice for the San Francisco 49ers at the start of training camp.Sherman
joined San Francisco after getting released by rival Seattle following
season-ending surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. He was unable to
participate in the offseason program but pronounced himself 100 percent when he
reported to camp Wednesday and will take part in the team’s first practice
Thursday.Sherman earned a $2 million bonus for passing his physical under a
contract he negotiated himself following the injury that ended his season last
November. Sherman consulted with former Lakers great Kobe Bryant on what it
takes to come back from that kind of injury and always believed he would be
ready for the start of camp.”It was a grind,” he said. ”But I think it was more
like one of those things that you can look at optimistically or pessimistically.
You can look at it as, `Woe is me, why did this happen to me? Why do I have to
go through this?’ Or you could look at it as, `I needed another great challenge
and I needed another mountain to climb.’ That’s how I treated it.”Coach Kyle
Shanahan said the initial plan for Sherman will be to practice the first two
days, take a day off Saturday and then return to the field Sunday. The 49ers
will take Monday off and the team will see how Sherman has responded to figure
out what’s next.”We trust what he thinks and how he works,” Shanahan said. ”A
lot of it is up to Richard. If he’s being too aggressive, it’s our job to pull
him back. It’s a matter of time when he gets back and we want to be smart with
that.”Six players will open camp on injured lists, although most are expected
back relatively soon. Guard Jonathan Cooper (knee), receiver Trent Taylor (back)
and linebacker Dekoda Watson (calf) are on the physically unable to perform
list.Linebacker Malcolm Smith had a lower leg injury while working out on his
own recently and will begin camp on the non-football injury list, along with
rookies Marcell Harris and Kentavius Street, who were hurt when they were
drafted.But having a healthy Sherman to start camp is a big boost for a team
full of optimism after winning the final five games last season under
quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to finish 6-10.The midseason acquisition of
Garoppolo from New England turned around a struggling franchise that had lost 24
of 27 games before he took over as starter late last season.”I don’t think
anybody is thinking about last year
http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authentic-robbie-gould-jersey ,” Sherman said. ”It was a 6-10 team that didn’t make the playoffs. The few
positives that come from last year, you can appreciate them, but it’s still a
6-10 team that was picking in the top 10 in the draft. There’s not a lot to
celebrate. That’s the way to approach it. Guys are hungry, they’re excited to go
out there and prove this is a great team that can win ballgames.”Sherman talking
up the 49ers is an odd change following his years tormenting the franchise when
he played for Seattle. He made the deflection that led to an NFC title-clinching
interception in January 2014 before trash-talking Michael Crabtree and then
memorably celebrated a Thanksgiving night win over the 49ers the following
season by eating a turkey leg at midfield at Levi’s Stadium.Now he’s mentoring
young cornerbacks such as Ahkello Witherspoon, trading tips with Garoppolo, and
quickly turning into a locker room leader.”He’s been pretty much the exact
opposite of what I thought,” veteran left tackle Joe Staley said. ”I thought he
was going to be annoying like he was annoying to me when he was in a Seahawks
uniform but he’s been nothing but great.”The 49ers are also hoping Sherman can
get back close to his level of play during his prime in Seattle when he was
perhaps the game’s top shutdown cornerback. He was a first-team All-Pro for
three straight seasons starting in 2012, leading the league with eight
interceptions in 2013.Sherman still was one of the better cornerbacks the past
three seasons, ranking second in the NFL by allowing just 49.2 percent of passes
against him to be caught, according to Pro Football Focus.He said he feels
re-energized after the injury.”I’m not saying you get complacent, but you get
bored,” he said. ”It’s a routine. You go out there and play 16 games
Terrell Owens Jersey , play at a high level and do your best and you enjoy it, but sometimes when you throw a wrench in the plans kind of helps you. It
wakes you up. It reignites the fire. It takes you back to where you need to
be.”NOTES: Second-round WR Dante Pettis signed his rookie deal late Wednesday
afternoon. … The 49ers signed OL JP Flynn to a two-year deal and DLs Will Sutton
and Cedric Thornton to one-year contracts. DB Don Jones, OL Jamar McGloster and
DL Blaine Woodson were waived to make room on the roster.— 49ers rookie Jalen
Hurd is ranks sixth all-time in rushing yards at the University of Tennessee,
but he was neither a running back nor a Volunteer when he finished his time in
college.Hurd transferred to Baylor and moved to wide receiver for the 2018
season with an eye on avoiding the physical punishment that comes with playing
running back. That went well enough for Hurd to be selected in the third round
by the 49ers, although he may not be done moving around the offense.49ers head
coach Kyle Shanahan said he thinks Hurd could thrive as a tight end and said
Hurd’s versatility sets him apart from other players. Hurd seems to agree as he
called himself a “mismatch guy” who can make plays wherever the 49ers want to
line him up.“I have been at slot. I can play on the outside. Obviously I have a
running back background, so there’s not really any limit to me on the offensive
side,” Hurd said, via ESPN.com.Hurd said he’s not going to guess about how the
team will deploy him during his rookie season, but defensive coordinators may be
doing a lot of it if he’s able to make the most of his chance with the
Niners.
