You use a thief to catch a thief. And you use a wickedly talented QB-tormenting cornerback to outsmart other cornerbacks.

New San Francisco 49er Richard Sherman is enjoying his time among his younger teammates, having come from a graying defense in Seattle. But Sherman, ever watchful, has picked up on a throwing tic in the motion of 49er quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and he’s speaking up about it.

Jimmy G’s tell

“You just need to read him — hand off ball; he’s letting it go,” Sherman said of Garoppolo recently. “You have to be decisive when you make those decisions. If he takes his hand off the ball and doesn’t throw it, I think he’ll throw guys off, but when he takes his hand off the ball, you’ve got to be ready to break.”

In other words, when Garoppolo takes his non-throwing hand off the ball, he’s about to sling it. That kind of tell, in poker terms, is all someone like Sherman needs to make a break on the ball and go for an interception.

Garoppolo has been nothing short of astounding in his brief starting career, winning two games as a Patriot and five as a 49er. He’s still in that honeymoon period when opposing defenses don’t have enough film on him yet to shut him down, but having one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history in his corner will help his growth curve.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

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