

The Seahawks and Richard Sherman held an actual practice, involving actions and not words. (Shannon Stapleton / Reuters)

Updated with Manning’s response

A few weeks ago, Richard Sherman, the Seattle Seahawks’ full-time cornerback and MMQB.com’s part-time columnist, listed the five smartest quarterbacks in the NFL.

Coming in at No. 1 was the guy he’ll face in Super Bowl XLVIII, Peyton Manning. Not much of a surprise, but one of the things he said about the Denver Broncos’ quarterback has been revisited this week. Specifically, Sherman noted that Manning is terrific at adjusting to what he sees from a defense as he approaches the line of scrimmage. “Nobody else has both the authority to do that within their offense and the understanding to know when it’s appropriate,” he wrote Jan 3.

But …

“His arm, however, is another story. His passes will be accurate and on time, but he throws ducks.”

On Thursday morning, Manning tamped down DuckGate before it could really get going by … agreeing. “I believe it to be true as well. I don’t think that’s a real reach what he’s saying. I’ve thrown a lot of yards and touchdowns with ducks. I’m actually quite proud of it.”

Richard Sherman says Peyton Manning "throws some ducks." Peyton Manning… agrees??? MUST-SEE: http://t.co/HPLJYQrIHN #SB48 — NFL (@nfl) January 30, 2014

Sherman isn’t the first to say that and it certainly was visible at times in 2012, Manning’s first season back after missing a year because of multiple neck surgeries. In 2013, though, he set single-season records for touchdowns (55) and yards (5,744) and the Broncos offense set a record with 606 points. On Wednesday, during a 45-minute conversation with reporters, Sherman was asked about that.

“I still feel the same way I felt,” he said (via the Seattle Times). “He’s a great quarterback, he does a great job. But at the same time, when he catches the ball, he doesn’t necessarily catch the laces all the time. But he throws an accurate ball, regardless of how he catches it, how he gets it — he delivers it on time and accurately.”