SEATTLE - When Richard Sherman gave Michael Crabtree a pat on the backside, got shoved in the face and made a choke sign toward

SEATTLE - When Richard Sherman gave Michael Crabtree a pat on the backside, got shoved in the face and made a choke sign toward the San Francisco bench, he was just getting warmed up. Nike Air Max 270 Ispa White . Get ready for two more weeks of the unfiltered Sherman with the Seattle Seahawks headed to the Super Bowl. "I hadnt gotten many opportunities all game and Im happy. Im happy about that," Sherman said. " Im sure if our team knew it was going to come down to a play like that they would be pretty confident going into it." Sherman stole the attention on Sunday, first by deflecting a pass intended for Crabtree in the corner of the end zone with less than a minute left, right into the arms of Seattle teammate Malcolm Smith to seal the Seahawks 23-17 win. But then came the antics and Shermans words that revealed a deep dislike for Crabtree and satisfaction in Seattle knocking off its division rivals to reach the Super Bowl. While Smith was celebrating the interception, Sherman exchanged words with Crabtree, got shoved in the face as a rebuttal then made a choking gesture toward the San Francisco bench that he said was intended for quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Asked about the incident afterward by Fox reporter Erin Andrews, Sherman lit up Twitter with a rant that began: "Im the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, thats the result you gonna get. Dont you ever talk about me!" Sherman didnt back down even after getting some time to collect his thoughts. He apologized to Andrews, then proceeded to call Crabtree "mediocre," making sure to annunciate each syllable of the word. "I was making sure everybody knew Crabtree was a mediocre receiver," Sherman said. "And when you try the best corner in the game with a mediocre receiver thats what happens." It was a fiery, emotional rant from Sherman, who celebrated his first conference title by racing around the field after Russell Wilson took the final knee, then leaping into the first row of seats in the south end zone to celebrate with fans. "I know how passionate he is about the game of football. He said to me before the game its going to come down to us making big plays. Weve got to do it. Somehow weve got to find a way to make big plays," said teammate Doug Baldwin. "(Sherman) has been doing it all season. He is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL. They were trying to stay away from him the whole game. Eventually they were going to have to go his way and eventually they did and they made a mistake." Sherman was rarely targeted by San Francisco, with most of the throws going toward Shermans teammate Byron Maxwell. But when Kaepernick had to make a throw in the final seconds, he decided to challenge the All-Pro. Sherman stayed with Crabtree, leaped and batted the ball into the air with his left hand. That allowed Smith to run underneath and make the interception that clinched the victory. It was San Franciscos third turnover in the fourth quarter. "I knew if I tipped it high enough someone would get there," Sherman said. Sherman then ran over to Crabtree and gave him a pat on the backside, then appeared to extend his arm for a handshake. Instead, Sherman got shoved in the face before picking up his personal foul as his celebration continued. "Sherman made a good play. Thats probably the only play he made all game," Crabtree said. "I aint getting into that, he knows what time it is. When were on the field, he aint doing nothin. Thats one play, you know what Im saying? ... Hes a TV guy, Im not a TV guy. I play ball." Sherman said his issues with Crabtree go back to something that happened during the off-season. He would not go into detail about what happened. "He said something personal face to face," Sherman said. "He knows what he said and he knows Im going to be tough on him the rest of his career." Nike Air Max 270 React Bauhaus Cheap .I shared with him how much I appreciated all he had done for us, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said of that Thursday night farewell. Nike Air Max 270 Discount . This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. http://www.max270cheap.com/nike-women-s-air-max-270-triple-white-ah6789-102.html . -- Slugger Jose Abreu, All-Star left-hander Chris Sale and closer Matt Lindstrom are on the disabled list.METAIRIE, La. -- Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has travelled to Philadelphia to have arthroscopic knee surgery, but how long hell be sidelined remains unclear, coach Sean Payton said Thursday night. "Well have him back and well kind of go from there," Payton said. The 31-year-old Vilma has had numerous surgeries on his left knee during the past two seasons. He missed five games in 2011 and started last season on the physically unable to perform list. However, Payton stopped short of saying he viewed Vilmas latest surgery as a setback. "This is a little different procedure, so well how he does when he gets back," the coach said. Vilma opened training camp working as a first-team middle linebacker in New Orleans 3-4 defence, but had missed a handful of practices lately. His absence will move veteran David Hawthorne, who was acquired as a free agent last season, up to the first team in advance of Friday nights preseason game against Oakland in the Superdome. Payton portrayed Vilmas absence during preseason as an opportunity to better evaluate other linebackers before coaches have to decide who to cut and who to keep as current 90-player roster is trimmed to 53 by the start of the regular season. "The most important thing is getting the chance to evaluate alll these players," Payton said. Nike Air Max 270 Flyknit Sale. "A guy like Jon Vilma, I know exactly what we have in that player. It gives us a chance to see not only Hawthorne more, but then if hes going earlier, the guys behind him are getting to play quicker, too." The 28-year-old Hawthorne started 10 games last season but was hampered by left knee and right hamstring injuries and said he is eager to show he can provide more support to his unit than he did a year ago. "I came here to play football and then when you get sidelined by injury after injury, it kind of gets you down, you know. You dont really know your place," Hawthorne said. "Thats kind of all behind me and Im feeling good and Im feeling healthy." Meanwhile, Curtis Lofton, the strong side middle linebacker, was absent from practice Thursday and Payton did not offer an explanation for that. Lofton practiced Wednesday without showing any apparent limitations. Ramon Humber worked in Loftons spot Thursday and sounded as if he expected more playing time against Oakland. "I definitely feel comfortable," Hawthorne said. "As a linebacker, you kind of have to learn the whole defensive system. You have to know what everybody is doing because youre the quarterback of the defence." ' ' '