There’s one simple test that determines whether a defender is a shutdown corner: If an opponent throws passes his way, he’s not. If an opponent avoids his side of the field entirely, he is.

Since the Green Bay Packers didn’t target Richard Sherman once on Thursday night, a sign of grudging respect and implied intimidation, we can imply the brash Seahawks player is a true shutdown corner and one of the game’s finest pass defenders.

Not everyone sees it that way. They viewed Sherman’s lack of activity as a slight, not a compliment. Sherman stays on the left side of the field, which led to Green Bay lining up their best receiver, Jordy Nelson, on the right. This brought the incongruity of Seattle’s best corner not playing on Green Bay’s best wideout. (Sherman played on Jarrett Boykin instead.) The matchup was quickly mocked by injured Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett, who impishly tweeted that his teammate, self-proclaimed cornerback king Patrick Peterson, takes on more responsibility in his secondary.

Patrick peterson follows the #1 receiver….. But just pay me no mind I'm gonna go lay down and rest my knee. Ttyl. — DARNELL DOCKETT (@ddockett) September 5, 2014

It’s a nice burn (and the idea of an injured Dockett spending time on Twitter during the NFL season is an exciting development). It’s also absurd. The Seahawks gave up 16 points to the high-powered Green Bay offense. Though Richard Sherman didn’t play an active role in defending, his presence closed off the left and allowed the Seahawks to play a 10-on-10 game on half the field. Any defensive coordinator will happily take that contribution over a few defended passes.

Still, Dockett’s sentiments were echoed during NBC’s coverage by Hines Ward. During the pregame show, Ward said Sherman wasn’t the best member of his own secondary. That’s hardly a controversial opinion, as many agree safety Earl Thomas is the lynchpin of Seattle’s suffocating pass coverage. You can believe Thomas is better than Sherman, but it’s not insulting. It’s like saying Steve Young was the second-best quarterback on the 1990 San Francisco 49ers.

But Ward said it so dismissively that it came across as a dig. Indeed, he later took the same tack as Dockett.

Hines Ward: "Sherman is on the cover of Madden and he spent tonight covering Jarrett Boykin. How can you be best when you're on a nobody?" — mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 5, 2014

Even Boykin bought into it. “I mean he’s a smart corner but I don’t see him any different than any other corner,” the young receiver said after the game. “He’s beatable.”

Then go and beat him! And have Patrick Peterson hold the Packers to 16 points. (The last time Arizona played Green Bay, Peterson and his secondary “held” Aaron Rodgers to four touchdowns.) Sure, you might not have heard Sherman’s name much on Thursday night, but that’s a good thing. Cornerbacks are like offensive linemen and baseball umpires: The less you hear their names, the better job they’re doing.