That was the worst play call in nfl history

[IlluminatusUIUC]

No doubt. Throwing on the 1 yard line with a time out left and Lynch in the backfield?????

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

there is nothing to add to this statement. I haven't been this mad since music city miracle....

[coastal]

Speechless

[Ingtar33]

No doubt. Throwing on the 1 yard line with a time out left and Lynch in the backfield?????

i agree... pats benefit from one of the worst calls in superbowl history on that one. i mean it's not even defensible.

[Novacane]

I'm still in shock.

[The Jokeman]

i agree... pats benefit from one of the worst calls in superbowl history on that one. i mean it's not even defensible.

Unless you want to make Russell Wilson the MVP instead of Lynch because you don't want the latter with a microphone in his mouth at the end of the game. [/NFL conspiracy]

[cookie G]

And that's how this SB will be remembered...for decades.

The game of the dumb call.

[Strongman]

Add another asterisk to that win. It was an illegitimate Super Bowl. One of the teams cheated to get there.

[coastal]

Leon Lett's fumble has just been replaced as the dumbest play in Super Bowl history.

[K-Gun]

I really wanted to see Beast Mode score the SB winning TD and celebrate by shaking his teammates hands.

[BertSquirtgum]

LYNCH JUST RAN FOR 7 YARDS AND ALMOST SCORED!!!!!!!!!! Let's pass it.

[The Natrix]

Pete wanted his butt buddy Wilson to get MVP and it cost the whole team the game. Pathetic.

[SeatownBillsFan21]

Stunning just dumb

[Mr. Pink]

Some of you have short memories...

The worst Superbowl play call of all time was in SB XVIII.

Redskins called a screen pass with 12 seconds left in the half near their own goal line, Jack Squirek picked it off and walked into the endzone to turn what should have been a 14-3 game going into half into 21-3 and the rout was on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5**E7OVc8Rw

Apparently this site is not allowing the letters f and k to be together so it's staring them out and I have no idea how to imbed videos, oh well.

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Some of you have short memories...

The worst Superbowl play call of all time was in SB XVIII.

Redskins called a screen pass with 12 seconds left in the half near their own goal line, Jack Squirek picked it off and walked into the endzone to turn what should have been a 14-3 game going into half into 21-3 and the rout was on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5**E7OVc8Rw

ok. That's pretty dumb but not giving the ball to the best running back in football on the one yard line on the last play of the game to score the go ahead score is wayyyyyy worse than a bad play all before halftime....

[YardRat]

I thought it was a terrible call. I would have given it to Lynch also. However, the biggest factor in it being bad is predicated on Butler making a great break and catch. If the kid is a split second slow reacting, it's a TD and everybody would be calling Bevell a genius. I can actually hear Collinsworth slobbering all over it..."Whoa-ho-ho! What a great call by Seattle's OC! Everybody in the world just KNEW BeastMode was getting the ball and he fools all of us and pulls the ol' pick play out of his book!"

[Novacane]

Some of you have short memories...

The worst Superbowl play call of all time was in SB XVIII.

Redskins called a screen pass with 12 seconds left in the half near their own goal line, Jack Squirek picked it off and walked into the endzone to turn what should have been a 14-3 game going into half into 21-3 and the rout was on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5**E7OVc8Rw

Apparently this site is not allowing the letters f and k to be together so it's staring them out and I have no idea how to imbed videos, oh well.



If Seattle runs the ball they almost certainly win the game. No comparison IMO

[Novacane]

I thought it was a terrible call. I would have given it to Lynch also. However, the biggest factor in it being bad is predicated on Butler making a great break and catch. If the kid is a split second slow reacting, it's a TD and everybody would be calling Bevell a genius. I can actually hear Collinsworth slobbering all over it..."Whoa-ho-ho! What a great call by Seattle's OC! Everybody in the world just KNEW BeastMode was getting the ball and he fools all of us and pulls the ol' pick play out of his book!"



If Wilson puts the ball on the WR's body instead of out in front of him it's probably a TD. It was still a horrible call.

[The Jokeman]

If Wilson puts the ball on the WR's body instead of out in front of him it's probably a TD. It was still a horrible call.

Horrible call and horrible pass. I'm no Wilson apologist and blame him more than his OC/HC because in the end it's Wilson who failed to make the play and/or made the bad pass.

[imbondz]

Wilson could have audibled and handled it to Lynch. He could have tossed it to Lynch, Lynch runs 1 yd, then tosses it back to Wilson, Wilson runs it in for the score. Literally any running play would have scored.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I thought it was a terrible call. I would have given it to Lynch also. However, the biggest factor in it being bad is predicated on Butler making a great break and catch. If the kid is a split second slow reacting, it's a TD and everybody would be calling Bevell a genius. I can actually hear Collinsworth slobbering all over it..."Whoa-ho-ho! What a great call by Seattle's OC! Everybody in the world just KNEW BeastMode was getting the ball and he fools all of us and pulls the ol' pick play out of his book!"

In blackjack, you can hit on 20 and still win. It doesn't make it the smart call. Oh man I'm so steamed

[Mr. Pink]

If Seattle runs the ball they almost certainly win the game. No comparison IMO

Tell that to Earnest Byner in the 1987 AFC Championship Game.

There is an easy comparison...the pick play works as they usually do in the NFL, Seattle scores. Bevell is a genius for not doing what everyone was expecting. Throwing a screen pass from near your own goal line with 12 seconds left in the half where there is literally no possible positive outcome and coming away with the worst possible outcome and sets the wheels in motion for your team to be blown out is infinitely worse.

Although the hatred for all things Patriot likely clouds that judgement.

[imbondz]

3 downs remaining. 2 yards to the endzone. 50 secs on the clock. You wouldn’t even choose a pass play in a game of Madden.

[GvilleBills]

Mind numbingly stupid call. Worst.Call.Ever.

[starrymessenger]

May Bevell rot in hell forever!

[feldspar]

Dumbest playcall EVER!

No question.

[stuckincincy]

..."With the seconds ticking down, trailing 28-24, facing a second-and-goal on the New England Patriots' 1-yard line, the Seattle Seahawks didn't hand the ball to the most bruising running back in the NFL.
Instead of running with Marshawn Lynch, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell called a pass, Russell Wilson was picked off and the Patriots sealed the victory.
NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala asked Lynch after the loss if the running back was surprised he didn't get the ball. "No," he replied.

When pressed further why he wasn't surprised, the running back known as "Beast Mode" said, "because football is a team sport."

That response is one reason Lynch's teammates love him. He never throws anyone under the bus -- even if that play call warranted coaches to be sent under a 16-wheeler."

With NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reporting Sunday morning that the Seahawks want to give Lynch a contract extension that includes $10 million in 2015, Lynch and his Seattle teammates could have a chance to avenge their Super Bowl defeat next year."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000467628/article/marshawn-lynch-not-surprised-by-disastrous-play-call


What a cabal the NFL is... :teary:

[Mr. Cynical]

I know this sounds crazy and knee jerky and stupid...but....if I'm the hawks' owner, I fire Carroll tomorrow. That call was just simply unforgivable, regardless of all the success he's brought them to.

It literally cost them the SB, and as we all know too well, getting back there may never happen again.

[Frenchman]

Really the team gave the game away to the Pats! Big Time! Bad Call!

[Topas]

I know this sounds crazy and knee jerky and stupid...but....if I'm the hawks' owner, I fire Carroll tomorrow. That call was just simply unforgivable, regardless of all the success he's brought them to.

It literally cost them the SB, and as we all know too well, getting back there may never happen again.

Well, that makes sense. Probably he did not even make the call.
I have no problem with the call. Everybody expected a run. And they were agressive. Give me an aggresive playcaller any day of the week. He would have been lauded in infinity if it worked out, and there was a high likelyhood it would.

But it is good if you dont like the call. Because as Bills fans we are used to punting at the opponents 35 on 4th an short. So it s good that you like conservative.

Then again, I am also the guy who thought that Bellicheck made the right call going for it on 4th and two vs Mannings Colts a few years ago.

For the record, I hate it that the Pats won...

[Strongman]

If they gave the ball to Lynch, more times than not he would have scored. It was simply inexcusable to call a pass play in the center like that.

[Night Train]

Who else here thought " That's something only the Bills would do " ?

[John Doe]

Who else here thought " That's something only the Bills would do " ?

The reason that the Bills might do it is because they are so poor in short yardage situations. However, the most likely Bills scenario is that they would run it 2 times an and then kick the field goal.

[imbondz]

Who else here thought " That's something only the Bills would do " ?

ha it never even crossed my mind the Bills would be in that situation.

[Skooby]

Russell Wilson's Int on the final drive was the first interception thrown from the 1-yard-line by any QB this season.

[Strongman]

The tripping non-call was worse IMO. The icing on the cake was Irvin getting ejected from the game. It started because Gronk first gave Bennett a cheap shot punch in the back of the head. Irvin then threw a punch at Gronk.

http://nypost.com/2015/02/02/seahawks-explain-punch-trading-brawl-that-ended-super-bowl/

[Night Train]

ha it never even crossed my mind the Bills would be in that situation.

Obviously don't remember SB 25-28, when Kelly (calling the plays) forgot Thurman was on the team for vast stretches.

[swiper]

The tripping non-call was worse IMO. The icing on the cake was Irvin getting ejected from the game. It started because Gronk first gave Bennett a cheap shot punch in the back of the head. Irvin then threw a punch at Gronk.

http://nypost.com/2015/02/02/seahawks-explain-punch-trading-brawl-that-ended-super-bowl/

Nice try. But no. Nice of you to post a video of only the last half of the melee. Gronk hit Irvin after Irvin took a cheap shot at his teammate. The ejection of Irvin, and him only, was the correct call.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lZZXOWvFOeY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Mr. Miyagi]

I could excuse not handing the ball to Lynch, but I would've rolled out Wilson for a QB run.

There's just no way you let the ball leave your hands at that point of the game. Jesus Christ.

[Albany,n.y.]

If they gave the ball to Lynch, more times than not he would have scored. It was simply inexcusable to call a pass play in the center like that.

According to an article in another thread, Lynch was 1 for 5 from 1 yard out, so according to his own stats, more times than not he would not have scored. I was rooting for Seattle & was hoping Wilson was going to fake to Lynch & run it in like he did near the goal line vs GB. Another thing that was stupid was being in shotgun.

[Bellowing4DaBills]

Sometimes coaches outsmart themselves with too much time to think and players fail in pressure situation.

They were trying to maximize the number of plays in a late game situation.

Choose a 2nd down pass cause on an incomplete, clock stops and gives them a run/pass option on 3rd down and then a timeout available to give them a chance on 4th down.

versus

Choose a 2nd down run, call timeout if no TD, gives you 0 timeout and only a pass option of 3rd down and may be not even enough time for a 4th down.

I've seen it before. You don't even consider your trusted QB to thrown an INT there.

[Discotrish]

The play made no sense because Seattle needed to take more time off the clock. If you hand it to Lynch and he scores, great. If you hand it to him and he doesn't, you take off time and can still run two more plays.

But, people don't always learn from their mistakes:

Back then, with Carroll's USC Trojans leading Texas and facing a fourth and two from the Texas 45 with 2 minutes 13 seconds remaining, he approved the ball being handed to LenDale White while Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush stood on the sidelines. White failed to gain a first down, Texas drove down for the winning touchdown, and Carroll was forever blamed for costing his team a third national title in a row in what was the biggest mistake of his coaching career.

Pete Carroll Has Ignored Star Back In Critical Situations Before
(http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-super-bowl-plaschke-20150202-column.html)
Patti

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Sometimes coaches outsmart themselves with too much time to think and players fail in pressure situation.

They were trying to maximize the number of plays in a late game situation.

Choose a 2nd down pass cause on an incomplete, clock stops and gives them a run/pass option on 3rd down and then a timeout available to give them a chance on 4th down.

versus

Choose a 2nd down run, call timeout if no TD, gives you 0 timeout and only a pass option of 3rd down and may be not even enough time for a 4th down.

I've seen it before. You don't even consider your trusted QB to thrown an INT there.

This is the real life version of Mr. Burns benching Daryl Strawberry after 9 home runs for Homer Simpson because Homer is right-handed

Burns: “It’s called playing the percentages. It’s what smart mangers do.”

The Hawks had exactly two weapons that scare anyone: Wilson's legs and Lynch's legs. They ignored both to throw a precision pass (Not Wilson's strength) to an undrafted wideout with less than 30 career catches. And the supposed "benefit" was to maintain a run/pass option on a down that may not have even been played.

I could understand that play if it was past the two yard line. I could understand that play if they were out of time outs. I could understand that play if they had even one dominant short-yardage wideout. NONE of those were true!

[IlluminatusUIUC]

The play made no sense because Seattle needed to take more time off the clock. If you hand it to Lynch and he scores, great. If you hand it to him and he doesn't, you take off time and can still run two more plays.

But, people don't always learn from their mistakes:

Back then, with Carroll's USC Trojans leading Texas and facing a fourth and two from the Texas 45 with 2 minutes 13 seconds remaining, he approved the ball being handed to LenDale White while Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush stood on the sidelines. White failed to gain a first down, Texas drove down for the winning touchdown, and Carroll was forever blamed for costing his team a third national title in a row in what was the biggest mistake of his coaching career.

Pete Carroll Has Ignored Star Back In Critical Situations Before
(http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-super-bowl-plaschke-20150202-column.html)
Patti

Uhhh, Lendale White was not some scrub. The dude had over 1300 yards and a 6.6 Y/C that year, and more importantly had been battering the Texas D more than Bush. And he outweighed Bush by like 45 lbs, which I think is relevant in a power situation. Not remotely similar.

[Bellowing4DaBills]

This is the real life version of Mr. Burns benching Daryl Strawberry after 9 home runs for Homer Simpson because Homer is right-handed

Burns: “It’s called playing the percentages. It’s what smart mangers do.”

The Hawks had exactly two weapons that scare anyone: Wilson's legs and Lynch's legs. They ignored both to throw a precision pass (Not Wilson's strength) to an undrafted wideout with less than 30 career catches. And the supposed "benefit" was to maintain a run/pass option on a down that may not have even been played.

I could understand that play if it was past the two yard line. I could understand that play if they were out of time outs. I could understand that play if they had even one dominant short-yardage wideout. NONE of those were true!

Yep. Bill Parcels who stayed in tune with the feel and flow of a game would have run Otis Anderson or Hos on a boot.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Interestingly someone pointed this out on another board:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqnQwKAI4OE

Similar situation, limited time left, up to the 2, the offense comes out in 3 wide and tries the same pick slant combo. Even though the QB and WR are miles better (Warner to Boldin), the result is total disaster.

[Ingtar33]

my biggest problem with the playcall is the following.

-it's bad clock management
-it was predictable
-it didn't force the defense to defend the run

there was 33 seconds left on the clock at the snap~ with 3 possible downs and 1 time out. Pete Carroll claims they threw it on 2nd down because they wanted 4 shots at the end zone. however this doesn't jive.

if they run it on second down and get stuffed figure 7 seconds runs on the clock, and they call a time out. OR they could have a 2nd call precalled and rush to the line and snap it and run the play, personally i would just call the time out
now it's 3rd and 1, with 20-25 seconds left.

a pass on 3rd down is a forgone conclusion, BB won't be surprised if you do it, nor will anyone else. however since you're comming out of a timeout you DO have time to call 2 plays in the event the play ends with the clock running. so they DONT have to pass. Personally i'd probably run out my goaline offense, stack the box and run a play action naked bootleg to give R Wilson the chance to run it in or hit the TE on the out along near the sideline (or throw it away), either way the key on this down would be to threaten enough run that you don't teligraph the pass. Even though everyone and their brother knows you'll pass. furthermore you're getting wilson outside the pocket, and into the open field, he'll likely be able to make something happen even if the TE is covered.

now you have 4th down, and on this play, i'd spread the field put wilson in shotgun with lynch back there, overload the line on one side and run a read-option run/pass, the seahawks were deadly in 2point conversions due to this threat, i'd go back to the well with it, and see what happens.

note, 4 plays still get off even with running on 2nd down

Personally i probably would have thrown on 2nd down as well, however i would have called the aforementioned naked bootleg with Wilson on 2nd down, instead of spreading the field and passing into the heart of the defense like they did. then run it out of the EXACT same look on 3rd (call a time out if necessary). however, the Seattle coaches made BB's job too easy.

So my point remains, the call was putrid, the explanation for the call was putrid. when i saw them line up i KNEW they were going to pass (NE was WAY too stacked against the run to run it out of that spread formation); and according to the NE players they didn't just know it was going to be a pass but they KNEW what the main WR's rout was going to be. That's like playing poker with your hand exposed to the table. They were predictable, and BB loves it when teams are predictable.

[starrymessenger]

Who else here thought " That's something only the Bills would do " ?

Well as the football innovative trailblazers that we are, we have done it (and maybe that's your point ).
Just who is Ricardo Lockette? He's CJ Graham - a skinny unproven track star with the hands of a backup receiver.
Is that someone that you want to entrust with your Super Bowl hopes in the teeth of that defensive alignment (as opposed to ML for example, or a physical TE or 6'5 receiver running a back shoulder or fade to the corner of the end zone where Wilson faking a handoff rolling out can hit him if it's there or throw it away if it's not?
Unbelievably, incomprehensibly stupid stupid stupid.
Worst part was I then had to watch Kraft french kiss Tom Brady in the Pats victory celebration. The stuff of sex nightmares.

[sudzy]

The last thing I wanted was for the Pats to win, but, if they had to win I'm glad it was Carroll's fault.

[Mr. Cynical]

White failed to gain a first down, Texas drove down for the winning touchdown, and Carroll was forever blamed for costing his team a third national title in a row in what was the biggest mistake of his coaching career until yesterday.



Updated.

[coastal]

There should be no debate about the play call.

it was stupid.

period.

[upstart]

Carroll was a dumb ass coach, that's why Mr. Kraft fired him and hired BB.

[coastal]

I'll agree with u there. Carroll gets too wrapped up in the moment and clearly wasn't thinking straight.

[bdutton]

https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t31.0-8/s960x960/10917178_870648162981873_4434371057416389060_o.jpg

[bdutton]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10429471_10204468650970346_7317352911948279438_n.jpg?oh=83184c13e01b43d5b49c920e242250cc&oe=55500DE8&__gda__=1432415373_caaf1f56986d0d9561d390370be67fc5

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Well as the football innovative trailblazers that we are, we have done it (and maybe that's your point ).
Just who is Ricardo Lockette? He's CJ Graham - a skinny unproven track star with the hands of a backup receiver.
Is that someone that you want to entrust with your Super Bowl hopes in the teeth of that defensive alignment (as opposed to ML for example, or a physical TE or 6'5 receiver running a back shoulder or fade to the corner of the end zone where Wilson faking a handoff rolling out can hit him if it's there or throw it away if it's not?
Unbelievably, incomprehensibly stupid stupid stupid.
Worst part was I then had to watch Kraft french kiss Tom Brady in the Pats victory celebration. The stuff of sex nightmares.

im gonna be like cookie for a second. Who's cj graham? Is that like tj spiller?

now that I'm done being sarcastic yea.. I couldn't watch it after the int. I could not bring myself to watch those f@@@ers celebrate..

[starrymessenger]

im gonna be like cookie for a second. Who's cj graham? Is that like tj spiller?

now that I'm done being sarcastic yea.. I couldn't watch it after the int. I could not bring myself to watch those f@@@ers celebrate..
Got me. Just another little fast guy with two handsome initials instead of a name and who should never walk on a football field.

[Historian]

Hubris...plain and simple.

After the success before the end of the first half, Carroll's ego got the better of him.

Even if he HAD to pass, Lynch was wide open on the other side.

This is the stupidest play in the history of football bar none...sorry.

After the interception, my wife just turned to me and said...."Who the **** would call that play in that situation???"

My wife. Casual fan.

And Carroll's rationalization for it over the last day, makes matters even worse. He sounds like a moron trying to justify it.

If I'm Paul Allen, I fire him ASAP.

Even the players are dumbfounded.

[coastal]

U r on the 1 yard line with ****ing beast mode!!!!!!!!!!!

[CommissarSpartacus]

It's almost like the football gods reached down and crushed the black hearts of the haters right on the cusp of their greatest triumph.

20 measly seconds away from total triumph, from the unmasking of the Pats as a bunch of cheating cheaters who cheated their way to all their previous success, from validation of every outraged accusation.

It was RIGHT THERE in the palms of their hands....

And then it wasn't....

It would be heart-breaking if the haters weren't such ass holes about the whole thing, but since they were?

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blondie]

OK maybe Pete, knowing the history of the BILLS four former trips to the Superbowl, and not winning is what prompted him to NOT give lynch the ball!! Ya know being a former Bill and all ...

So maybe this is having the curse lifted for the BILLS.

now that you have Rex Ryan, he brings the Beast BACK to Buffalo and y'all win the Superbowl and its the BEAST who runs in the winning points!!!

Whose with me!?!?!

[coastal]

I am

[Bill Cody]

Lynch was 1 for 5 from the 1 this year, not a lock he gets in

[DraftBoy]

Lynch was 1 for 5 from the 1 this year, not a lock he gets in

I'll take my chances.

[Ingtar33]

I'll take my chances.

i would too. and if you're gonna pass... pass out of a goal line formation, with a naked bootleg after a fake stretch run the other way, get Wilson into space with two receivers running with him in the end-zone. maybe he takes it in himself, maybe he throws a touchdown, maybe he throws it away. either way its a lot more "guaranteed" of a play at the 1 then that mess.

[Mace]

OK maybe Pete, knowing the history of the BILLS four former trips to the Superbowl, and not winning is what prompted him to NOT give lynch the ball!! Ya know being a former Bill and all ...

So maybe this is having the curse lifted for the BILLS.

now that you have Rex Ryan, he brings the Beast BACK to Buffalo and y'all win the Superbowl and its the BEAST who runs in the winning points!!!

Whose with me!?!?!

You might be right, Carroll may have brought the curse down on himself by mistake, which would be very much in line with my opinions on Carroll being too much for himself. "Hah, the Book of the Dead, I can so do this....."

[Mace]

Dumbest thing about it to me btw, is that Carroll keeps repeating "we wanted 3 plays" while also saying "if it's a touchdown great, if not we have more plays". So they were trying for a touchdown incompletion. A running TD would have taken as much time as a short timing route incompletion. A touchdown would have saved no time and not taken all the precious plays he wanted, so why not have Wilson run around and throw it out of the endzone for the extra plays ?

"We meant to burn off clock before scoring, but tried to score to not burn off clock."

Lockette wasn't even meant to catch that ball, but if he did great, but he probably won't because there are a lot of people all standing there, and we don't think he will, unless he does. They dorked Wilson, dorked Lockette, and dorked Quinn and dorked the defense they didn't feel could hold 20 seconds, while dorking Lynch and their own o-line.

Good luck next year Pete.

[Discotrish]

Lynch was 1 for 5 from the 1 this year, not a lock he gets in

He had three shots, so that raises the odds to 3/5.

Patti

[Bill Cody]

He had three shots, so that raises the odds to 3/5.

Patti

Not likely. The ball was snapped with 26 seconds left. You run a running play, if it fails you use your last time out, maybe 18 seconds left. I don't think it would be easy to get the Patriots to unpile after a 2nd run and get a 3rd play off with no time out. Guaranteeing 4 downs was partly why they did it, that and NE was in their goal line D. Not saying it was the right call but if the run fails on 2nd down there's a high chance you pass on 3rd down and NE would be expecting it. If you watch the play Butler just sold out totally on the slant and he barely got there. It was a tremendous play by a street free agent. I think Seattle figured 70% chance we score on the pass, 29% it's incomplete, 1% pick. <shrug> I would have run it but I'm just saying there's a decent chance NE stuffs it. Then you either have one chance to win or lose on a 2nd run or you pass on 3rd down into a D expecting it. No Seattle fan will ever hear any of this I get that.

[Strongman]

Not likely. The ball was snapped with 26 seconds left. You run a running play, if it fails you use your last time out, maybe 18 seconds left. I don't think it would be easy to get the Patriots to unpile after a 2nd run and get a 3rd play off with no time out. Guaranteeing 4 downs was partly why they did it, that and NE was in their goal line D. Not saying it was the right call but if the run fails on 2nd down there's a high chance you pass on 3rd down and NE would be expecting it. If you watch the play Butler just sold out totally on the slant and he barely got there. It was a tremendous play by a street free agent. I think Seattle figured 70% chance we score on the pass, 29% it's incomplete, 1% pick. <shrug> I would have run it but I'm just saying there's a decent chance NE stuffs it. Then you either have one chance to win or lose on a 2nd run or you pass on 3rd down into a D expecting it. No Seattle fan will ever hear any of this I get that.

They over-thought it instead of relying on their offenses' strengths. Sometimes doing the obvious thing is the correct decision.

[Bill Cody]

They over-thought it instead of relying on their offenses' strengths. Sometimes doing the obvious thing is the correct decision.

I agree, my only point was it wasn't a stone cold lock that they win even if they hand it to Lynch. You have to give Carroll credit though. He took the mortar shell on this which believe a lot of HC's would have thrown their OC's under the bus so fast your head would spin. The OC called the play. Wilson has the option to audible to the run. Damndest finish to a super bowl ever. I was reading in the paper today a quote from a seattle fan "I'll be 90 and I'll still be thinking about that play".

[Strongman]

I agree, my only point was it wasn't a stone cold lock that they win even if they hand it to Lynch. You have to give Carroll credit though. He took the mortar shell on this which believe a lot of HC's would have thrown their OC's under the bus so fast your head would spin. The OC called the play. Wilson has the option to audible to the run. Damndest finish to a super bowl ever. I was reading in the paper today a quote from a seattle fan "I'll be 90 and I'll still be thinking about that play".

No, it's not a stone cold lock, but I think they had a better chance to score if they hand off to the league rushing yard leading, Pro Bowl running back nicknamed Beast Mode instead of throwing an inside slant to an undrafted WR. I'd like to think even Hackett would have ran it in that situation.

[Albany,n.y.]

He had three shots, so that raises the odds to 3/5.

Patti

There's a difference between 5 random chances & 5 controlled chances at something. That math works when there are a limited number of possibilities, like if you are asked to pick 1 of 5 numbers and you have 3 chances of getting the number right, then odds increase to 3/5 or 60%. If you are doing an exercise (in this case running the ball from the 1) and you have a statistically valid 20% chance (which 1 for 5 really isn't, but anyway), each time you run it your odds are still 1 in 5 of making it. So each time you have a 20% chance of success, if you try it 5 times there's no guarantee of 100% success. The other variables that come into play not found in a simple pick the number exercise are penalties, fumbles, loss of yards etc. Stats are fool's gold.

This is similar to a lottery. If you buy 2 tickets to a million to 1 odds against you, all you really do is decrease the odds of losing from 1 in a million to 2 in a million. That's not the same as dropping your chances to 1 in 500,000 because in one in 500,000, you only have 499,999 odds of failure where 2 in a million you have 999,998 chances of failure.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I agree with Bill Cody.

At that moment of the game, my initial reaction was still run the ball, even though NE was at goal line personnel - I don't get that Belichick is a genius for that; almost 100% defensive coordinators would have done that facing 2nd and 1 at the goal line. But I certainly see what Seattle was doing, like THE cute play at the right time. If it fails, then a lynch power run at the middle, then a Wilson option.

What I would say though is that I'd choose a play action and/or a Wilson roll out based on what the Pats were showing on D. But, then again, Bevell supposed to have all the statistics, planning, goal line situation mapped out while we are speculators.

One thing though, Wilson being short, is a factor here. If he were 6'3", he could've thrown the ball low and led his receiver diving across the goal line. There is virtually no chance of INT for that type of play. You don't want to throw shoulder high level to the middle of the goal line with that type of crowd for chance of a deflection etc.

[stuckincincy]

TMQ chimes in:

"Sweet 'N' Sour Play: Leading 28-24, with a minute left in the 2014 season, New England had defending champion Seattle facing second-and-goal on the 1-yard line, holding a timeout, possessing the league's No. 1 running attack. Three was sufficient clock for Marshawn Lynch to stage three power rushes, and it's difficult to believe any defense could stuff three straight Lynch rushes when only a single yard was needed. New England's Super Bowl-clinching interception was sweet. It was doubly sweet that undrafted who-dat Malcolm Butler made the interception. It was triply sweet that during the Super Bowl, Butler also had three passes defensed -- the best such number in a contest that featured star defensive backs Darrelle Revis, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. It was quadruply sweet that in the Patriots' two previous postseason games, Butler had a grand total of 14 snaps.


Seattle's decision to throw, rather than give the league's best power back three tries to gain one yard, will go down as among the all-time bone-headed decisions in sports annals. That was sour. Doubly sour was that New England lined up with only four defensive linemen and middle linebacker Dont'a Hightower more than five yards off the line of scrimmage. Hightower lined up in the bar of the H in "SEAHAWKS" painted in the end zone. Your columnist has no clue why he was so far off the line when Seattle needed to gain only one yard. But his position meant that if Seattle had simply done the obvious and run up the middle, at the point of attack there would have been five blockers and a power back versus four defenders.

Triply sour was the pass wasn't a play fake! Seattle made no attempt to draw the defense toward Lynch. Malcolm Butler, who intercepted, could jump the route because he knew from the snap the down was not a run. Ricardo Lockette and Jermaine Kearse were in a "stack" on the right. On a quick combo move, the ball always goes to the second who cuts beneath the first man, who sets a pick. Between no play fake and Lockette being the second guy in a combo, Butler knew the call was a slant to Lockette -- so he jumped the route and won the Super Bowl."...


http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/TMQSuperBowlRecap150203/strong-d-real-mvp-super-bowl-tuesday-morning-quarterback