Keenan Allen Comments on Richard Sherman Following Seahawks vs. Chargers

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is one of the fastest-rising stars in the NFL. That's a position Richard Sherman was in before he helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win, solidifying his status as one of the league's premier players.  

Like Sherman, Allen isn't afraid to be bold in his comments to the media. That was evident after the Chargers defeated Seattle 30-21 in Week 2. ESPN.com's Terry Blount recorded what Allen had to say about Sherman.

"He's just a normal guy," said Allen. "We can go at him. We took some shots at him. We are not going to shy away from him. He's not really a shutdown corner. We definitely wanted to come out and show we could go any way we wanted to and that we were in control of the game."

Sherman, of course, responded on Twitter with numbers that go contrary to Allen's testimony:

But there is no denying that Allen, who finished with five catches for 55 yards on six targets in Sunday's game, crossed Sherman over on one quick-slant pattern.

The young wideout posted footage of that particular play on Instagram (h/t CBSSports.com's John Breech):

Brendan Leister of DraftBrowns.com implied the reaction to the play is being a bit overblown:

It's hard to question Sherman's status as one of the best cornerbacks in the game. However, detractors will insist that he benefits from arguably the best safety tandem in Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor playing behind him.

Although Allen made the most of his opportunities Sunday, racking up 55 yards receiving isn't the grandest achievement. The second-year pro has a bright future, but many will argue he didn't have quite enough ammunition to go after Sherman with so much conviction in this instance.

If the two teams happen to meet up in the Super Bowl this year, it would be fascinating to see Allen and Sherman battle both in the media and on the field.

The Chargers were in a must-win situation at home Sunday to avoid a 0-2 start, while Seattle didn't badly need a victory. Those circumstances led to San Diego rising to the occasion versus a flat Seahawks team.

Only far later in the 2014 season will we know whether this was the beginning of Sherman being "a normal guy" or if Allen's assertions were misinformed and misguided.