Seahawks CB Richard Sherman says elbow is healthy enough to "slap my brother"

Richard Sherman said his elbow, which he injured in the NFC championship game, is still “a little bit sore,” but is “better than it was during the game.”

How much better? Asked about his range of motion, Sherman grinned and said, “If I had to slap my brother, I’d be able to do it.”

After Sunday’s, Sherman said he would 100 percent be playing. Asked if that was still the case, Sherman said, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

Asked if he’ll need to wear a brace, Sherman said, “I’m not sure. I think they’re going to have me practice in one, but they think it’ll be better by game day. There shouldn’t be any limitations, honestly. My left stiff-arm might not be the greatest right now, but other than that, I think I’ll be pretty decent.”

After Sherman injured his elbow on the final play of the fourth quarter, it was very apparent he was hurting, and with his left arm pinned to his chest, he was basically playing one-handed. Yet Aaron Rodgers never really tested Sherman after the injury, something he thought might happen. Then again, as Sherman notes, Rodgers paid the price for testing him earlier. The Packers did complete one short pass in front of Sherman to Jordy Nelson, forcing the cornerback to make a painful tackle, but that play forced the Packers to settle for a field goal, and was the last time Seattle’s defense was on the field.

“Was I surprised? Somewhat,” Sherman said. “I thought they’d try at least one… The pass to Jordy, it did not feel great at all. Not fun, it wasn’t a fun down for me, but I got him down, they were off the field. They kicked a field goal and we didn’t have to go back on the field, so that was a good moment for us. It was sore, but I got an interception earlier in the game. Everybody that told him to throw at me kind of swallowed what they said after that point, ‘oh, maybe that’s why you don’t throw at him, because he intercepts the football, and he’s caught 27 of them in the last four years, so you probably should stop throwing at him.’ That might have been what they were thinking.”