Sherman, Seahawks take the trash-talk lead over Patriots

Richard Sherman gave Tom Brady an earful and trolled him on Twitter a few years ago. Now the All-Pro cornerback says the star quarterback isn't really a choir

Richard Sherman gave Tom Brady an earful and trolled him on Twitter a few years ago.

Now the All-Pro cornerback says the star quarterback isn't really a choir boy.

Sherman vs. Brady. Jeremy Lane vs. Rob Gronkowksi. Doug Baldwin vs. the world.

This Super Bowl between the New England Patriots (14-4) and Seattle Seahawks (14-4) will feature some epic yapping from some of the best trash-talkers in the NFL.

''I think people get a skewed view of Tom Brady, that he's just a clean-cut, does-everything-right (guy), and never says a bad word to anyone, and we know him to be otherwise,'' Sherman said.

Sherman said he dared Brady to throw his way during Seattle's 24-23 win over New England in 2012. He didn't like the three-time Super Bowl champion's response.

''He was pretty much saying that we were nobodies and that we should come up to him after they get the win,'' Sherman said.

Sherman intercepted one of Brady's passes in that game and got in his face after Seattle rallied to win on Russell Wilson's touchdown pass to Sidney Rice in the fourth quarter.

Sherman then posted a picture of the confrontation on Twitter with the caption: ''U mad bro?''

''In that moment of him being himself, he said some things and we returned the favor,'' Sherman explained. ''Unfortunately, he apparently didn't remember what he said.''

Brady was too busy talking about deflated footballs to fire back this week. But he'll get plenty of chances in Arizona before the teams meet next Sunday.

''I just thought he came up and said, `Good game.' So that was all a bit of a surprise to me,'' Brady said about Sherman's postgame taunting in 2012.

Brady doesn't back down from anybody and is quite animated during games so expect to see these two go back-and-forth in the Super Bowl.

It also will be interesting to see if Gronkowski tries to bounce Lane after the slot cornerback dissed the All-Pro tight end.

''I actually don't think he's that good,'' Lane said Thursday.

Those are fightin' words for Gronkowski. When Sergio Brown riled him up in November, Gronkowski tossed aside the Colts' safety and joked that he ''threw him out of the club'' because he was talking too much.

Then there's Baldwin, the wide receiver known as ''Angry Doug'' to teammates.

Baldwin launched into a tirade directed at reporters after Seattle's overtime win over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. Baldwin claimed the media counted the Seahawks out when they were 3-3 and also took a shot at Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who criticized Seattle's receivers.

Here are some of the best trash-talking moments from past Super Bowls:

JOE NAMATH: Broadway Joe guaranteed the underdog New York Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl. The Colts were 18-point favorites against the Jets, but Namath made his bold prediction three days before the game. Namath backed up his declaration, leading the Jets to a 16-7 victory.

LYLE ALZADO: The intense defensive end was one of the NFL's wilder personalities. Alzado tried to intimidate opponents and often backed up his brash talk. Before the Los Angeles Raiders played the Washington Redskins in the 1984 Super Bowl, Alzado said: ''I'm gonna take off Joe Theismann's head.'' Alzado didn't get any of the six sacks on Theismann, but his Raiders beat the Redskins 38-9.

THOMAS ''HOLLYWOOD'' HENDERSON: The flamboyant linebacker known for his self-promotion caused a stir before the Dallas Cowboys played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1979 Super Bowl. Henderson questioned Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw's intelligence: ''Bradshaw couldn't spell `cat' if you spotted him the `c' and the `a''' Henderson said. Bradshaw got the last laugh, leading the Steelers to a 35-31 win.

SHANNON SHARPE: The Hall of Fame tight end never stopped yapping throughout his career. After Atlanta Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanon said Sharpe looked like a horse before the 1999 Super Bowl, Sharpe responded: ''Now I know he ain't talkin' with them big teeth in his mouth. I think he's ugly.'' Sharpe had just two catches, but his Denver Broncos beat Atlanta 34-19.

JERRY JONES: On a team with notorious trash-talkers Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, the Dallas Cowboys' owner irked some of the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 1996 Super Bowl when he said: ''Nothing against the Steelers, but we are the better team.'' Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Irvin and Sanders made sure Jones didn't eat crow. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17, handing Pittsburgh its first loss in a Super Bowl after starting 4-0.

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