49ers notebook: Sacramento’s Armstead ‘mad’ about Pro Bowl snub; Sherman vows to play
Arik Armstead this week made it clear he wasn’t happy with not being named a starter in the 2020 Pro Bowl.
“I’m mad,” he said Wednesday. “I’m mad, definitely. (It’s) something you dream about getting and you work hard for it, and you feel like you deserve (it), and you don’t get it. It’s beyond my understanding, but it is what it is.”
The 49ers’ talented defensive lineman leads the team with 10 sacks, which is higher than two at the position who were voted in from the NFC. Armstead, a Sacramento native who played at Pleasant Grove High School, is having easily the best season of his career ahead of his looming free agency in the spring.
Atlanta Falcons lineman Grady Jarrett, who was a nuisance for San Francisco on Sunday, has 5 1/2 sacks and was named a Pro Bowler for the first time. Philadelphia Eagles star Fletcher Cox was named to his fifth Pro Bowl despite having 3 1/2 sacks. Two-time reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, with 11 sacks, was the other defensive tackle voted in.
San Francisco has fielded the best defense in the conference throughout the season – and Armstead has arguably been the most productive member of the line widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best. The 49ers rank first, allowing 154 passing yards per game, and their 47 sacks trail only the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers, who each have 49.
Armstead was asked how not being honored impacts his mindset with two regular-season games left, both against NFC West rivals in the Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
“A little extra motivation for sure,” he said. “You want that respect from the coaches and your peers. And so, I guess I got more to prove.”
Four 49ers named starters for the Pro Bowl: tight end George Kittle, cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive end Nick Bosa and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Yet only two players were named on arguably the league’s best defense.
“We are a young team that hasn’t done a lot over the last few years and we’ve got an opportunity in front of us to do something about it and really cement our names in the history of the league, if you want to say it that way,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “There’s a lot more guys deserving of it than just two Pro Bowls, in my opinion.”
Armstead was among eight of the team’s alternates, joining fellow defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, linebacker Fred Warner, safety Jimmie Ward, left tackle Joe Staley, center Weston Richburg and running back Raheem Mostert, who was a candidate for his work on special teams.
They could play in the game – scheduled for Jan. 26 in Orlando, Fla. – if others at their positions get injured or appear in the Super Bowl. San Francisco would rather not have any Pro Bowlers and instead play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIV a week later in Miami.
Wins against the Rams and Seahawks would secure the 49ers the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which includes a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. San Francisco last earned byes after 2011 and 2012, when they had nine Pro Bowl starters in both campaigns, more than double this year.
“I think we’ve got a lot of guys who deserve it,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. “But I try to tell them, ‘Don’t put too much into it because not everyone who deserves to go to the Pro Bowl goes to the Pro Bowl.’ ”
Richard Sherman promises return vs. Rams
Sherman has been a full participant in practice this week after a hamstring injury kept him out of Sunday’s home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The day after receiving his fifth Pro Bowl nod, Sherman guaranteed he would be back in the lineup against the Rams.
“Yeah, I’ll be out there on Saturday. There’s no question,” Sherman said. “Today we had a full speed practice with no tweaks, no nothing to be concerned about on my end, so we feel comfortable about that, they feel comfortable about it.”
Sherman, a notoriously quick healer, had been dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which is often multiple-week injury. Sherman said last week he could have played Sunday, but the team was being cautious with the big picture in mind.
He was asked Wednesday about why he’s able to overcome injuries so quickly. He appeared in 117 straight games, including the postseason, with the Seahawks before going down with an Achilles tear in November 2017.
“If I can walk, I can get to full speed,” he said. “Now, if I ever felt like I was a detriment to the team and I couldn’t get to full speed or I couldn’t function at a high level, then I’d sit my behind down because I’m not helping anybody.
“A lot of it is mental. A lot of it is, making sure you conquer your body mentally. I think sometimes when you’re hurt or sick or down, mentally, if you’re pessimistic about the outlook, then things won’t go right, things won’t heal. ... But if you’re optimistic, you believe that your body will do better, you believe that your body could play through it, you believe that you can move forward, then your body will make it happen.”
▪ For the second day in a row, defensive end Dee Ford (hamstring), strong safety Jaquiski Tartt and reserve defensive tackle Jullian Taylor (elbow) missed practice and are trending toward not playing Saturday.
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 5:40 PM.
