Former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman is all about accountability.
And after Jake Moody missed three field goals in San Francisco’s 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sherman believes 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was totally justified in telling the kicker to “lock in.”
The sideline interaction led to an altercation between Samuel and Taybor Pepper after the long snapper defended Moody — something Sherman thinks Pepper shouldn’t have done.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Sherman said Sunday on “The Richard Sherman Podcast.” “Before the injury, I think [Moody] was 14 of 15, looked pretty good, looked like he was putting away all the all the doubt that people had, all the concerns. But then you come back from the injury after the two kickers that replaced you pretty much were flawless on PATs and field goals, if I’m not mistaken … the third [missed] kick, you start to have a lot of questions, and you start to see a frustration from both players and fans
“And when Deebo Samuel goes up to [Moody] and says ‘lock in,’ and apparently that’s what he said — that’s what Taybor Pepper said he said — you don’t defend him from that. You don’t get to defend him from from accountability from the team, when if I give up a touchdown pass and one of my teammates comes on like, ‘Hey, come on now. Lock in,’ somebody’s not going to come in and save me.
“You got to be tough. This is the National Football League.”
San Francisco 49ers
Pepper told reporters after the game exactly what led to Samuel striking him in the throat during the fourth quarter, and also shared why he felt the need to stand up for Moody.
“[Samuel] was telling [Moody] to lock in,” Pepper said. “We know what our job is. We got us. It’s hard being a specialist. As a young developing specialist like Jake is, the best mental exercise you can have is — I mean, I don’t know how much better it gets than missing three straight and having to step up and hit an almost 50-yard game-winner.
“So I’m super proud of Jake.”
Sunday’s win marked Moody’s first game back in action after he missed three games with a high ankle sprain, and the kicker ended up making a game-winning field goal from 44 yards out as time expired. If the 49ers’ offense continues to struggle in the red zone, the team certainly will keep relying on Moody to make every kick.
Sherman knows accountability is one way to help ensure success under pressure.
“Unfortunately, the San Francisco 49ers are not converting at a high rate in the in the red zone this year, so they are settling for a lot more field goals than usual. You got to make the kicks,” Sherman continued. “This game should not have been this close, and it’s coming down to the final kick because of missed kicks. And so I’m totally with Deebo here. There are better ways to handle it, and I understand, kind of, what Taybor is doing, trying to defend his guy, but you cannot defend people from accountability.
“I don’t care, not in this game. You can defend from people going overboard, or cursing him out, or saying you suck, or something like that. Then shield him from that. But if [Samuel’s] telling him to lock in, get out of his way and let him tell him. Let him look [Moody] in his eye and tell him lock in.”
Despite the drama, Moody was able to “lock in” after all and secure San Francisco’s fifth win of the season. Whether or not the sideline scuffle had anything to do with it is something that’s up for discussion.
