San Francisco 49ers fueled by Baker Mayfield's pregame snub
It would be an exaggeration to cite Mayfield's snub of Sherman and fellow captain DeForest Buckner as the driving force behind the 49ers' 31-3 beatdown of the Browns in front of 70,042 fans and a "Monday Night Football" audience, but it was a topic of discussion among the Niners before, during and after the game. And Sherman, who intercepted a Mayfield pass less than two minutes into the first quarter -- setting the stage for the quarterback's long, miserable night -- was eager to elaborate when he and I spoke alone at his locker about 20 minutes after the carnage was complete.
"What's amazing, and annoying, was him not shaking hands at the beginning," Sherman said. "That's some college s---. It's ridiculous. We're all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent -- that's NFL etiquette. And when you pull bush league stuff, that's disrespectful to the game. And believe me, that's gonna get us fired up."
"Respect the game," Sherman said, referencing Mayfield's pregame behavior. "You can have rivals, but pay your respect in that moment -- especially when you're young.
"He hasn't earned anything in this league. How many games has he won? He's acting like he was the MVP last year. If (Patrick) Mahomes did that, it would be one thing. But he would never do that, because he has too much respect for the game.
"And when you see a guy who doesn't? You humble him every chance you get. Because eventually, he will have respect for the league -- or he'll be out of it."
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...s-pregame-snub