Super Bowl XLIX: Final Take

[Papageorgio]

Well we have had time to calm down, reflect, and let the alcohol filter through our systems. Just my final take away and observations from the game.

- First total credit to the Patriots for their win. They played a fantastic game. They had a great offensive game plan. It's a shame I think that all the talk on media today is that the Seahawks pissed it away instead of giving credit to New England for the things they did to win. They played great and earned the victory.

- Losing Jeremy Lane and Cliff Avril....wow what a huge impact. Tharold Simon is not a slot corner. He is good at protecting the sideline as a traditional corner, but slot corners are expected to do different things and that's not Simon's game. Lane is very good at that and as soon as I saw Lane go out I was immediately concerned and to the Patriots' credit they took advantage and attacked that weakness. That's a bad break for Seattle and smart play by New England. As for Avril....we were never able to pressure Brady effectively after he went out and it gave Brady the time in the pocket to do what Brady does. Another bad break for Seattle and a great job taking advantage for the Patriots.

- I was also concerned when they reported just before kickoff that Sherman had torn ligaments in his elbow (which this morning is reported will require surgery), Thomas has a torn labrum, and Chancellor was in a knee brace. Leading up to the game Seattle insisted they were fine. Clearly they were not and it showed. That's not taking anything away from Brady. It's not his problem. He plays the game against what is out their and that's what was out there and he used it to his advantage. Great for him.

- The long Jermaine Kearse catch at the end. Luck or great catch? Both. It was a lucky bounce of the ball for sure but Kearse showed incredible concentration keeping focused on the ball, bringing it in, and then having the presence of mind to get up and run. It shows awareness of what was happening in the play. Seattle caught a break that the ball got a good bounce, but Kearse showed incredible skill by taking advantage.

- And of course.....the final play. I don't think there is a person alive who can really honestly look at themselves and say "we would have stopped Lynch at the half yard line on two or three attempts". I can't imagine even the biggest Patriots homer saying that. Seattle's offensive co-ordinator called Lynch and Carroll called a pass instead in order to get tricky. It wasn't a bad pass. It's wasn't a poorly executed play. It was a timing route that was designed to be quick so there was no opportunity to react. New England made an absolutely fantastic play and stole the game from the Seahawks. Total credit to them for that. But....like everyone else in the world is asking "what in the hell was Pete Carroll thinking passing that ball? It cost them the game."

So my final take is that you can't take anything away from New England. They played great. They did everything they needed to do to win. They took advantage of the breaks that came to them. Seattle also played well enough to win. They almost certainly should have won. But in the very final analysis...Pete Carroll out-thought himself by trying to do something unexpected instead of taking the easy touchdown, and the Patriots made him pay for it. You have to give as much credit to the Patriots for taking advantage of Carroll's stupidity as scorn for Carroll calling the pass in the first place.

So congratulations to the Patriots. Great game. You have a fantastic team and you earned your title. And Pete Carroll.....I swear to God if you ever do that again.........

The great teams and great defenses can overcome lots of injuries. The Bears and Steelers' great defenses had injuries but we're still great. Seattle starters are good, the depth was always a question.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

One of the things that really puzzled me completely, was If the Seahawks had scored, the question today would be: “Why in the world didn’t Belichick call a timeout ?"
After the miraculous catch, the Seahawks called a timeout, then on first down Marshawn Lynch ran for four yards.
Now it's second down on the one and time is running out for the Pats. At this point everyone in the world assumes Seattle is likely to score, so at this point it should have been a no-brainer to stop the clock and save as much time for a final drive as possible.
Instead, what does the great Belichick do ? He lets 40 seconds tick off the clock. Had the Seahawks scored on the pass to Lockette, the Patriots would have had 0:26 to come back, rather than 1:06. Had that happened Belichick would have looked like an idiot.

 

[Papageorgio]

One of the things that really puzzled me completely, was If the Seahawks had scored, the question today would be: “Why in the world didn’t Belichick call a timeout ?"
After the miraculous catch, the Seahawks called a timeout, then on first down Marshawn Lynch ran for four yards.
Now it's second down on the one and time is running out for the Pats. At this point everyone in the world assumes Seattle is likely to score, so at this point it should have been a no-brainer to stop the clock and save as much time for a final drive as possible.
Instead, what does the great Belichick do ? He lets 40 seconds tick off the clock. Had the Seahawks scored on the pass to Lockette, the Patriots would have had 0:26 to come back, rather than 1:06. Had that happened Belichick would have looked like an idiot.

I think Belichick want all three time outs for Brady, he knew he'd have 15-25 seconds no matter what. It put the pressure on Seattle who probably thought Belichick would call the time out, and when he didn't...it hurried the play call as reacting to New England's defense.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

NFL sucks. They bastardized their rules to accommodate Gruberite fans who need to be titillated by a ball being incessantly thrown across a TV screen.
However, hats off to the teams who have finally incorporated mobile QB option schemes that high schools and colleges have been using for over fifty years. That is ballet.

 

[BluePhantom]

Well we have had time to calm down, reflect, and let the alcohol filter through our systems. Just my final take away and observations from the game.

- First total credit to the Patriots for their win. They played a fantastic game. They had a great offensive game plan. It's a shame I think that all the talk on media today is that the Seahawks pissed it away instead of giving credit to New England for the things they did to win. They played great and earned the victory.

- Losing Jeremy Lane and Cliff Avril....wow what a huge impact. Tharold Simon is not a slot corner. He is good at protecting the sideline as a traditional corner, but slot corners are expected to do different things and that's not Simon's game. Lane is very good at that and as soon as I saw Lane go out I was immediately concerned and to the Patriots' credit they took advantage and attacked that weakness. That's a bad break for Seattle and smart play by New England. As for Avril....we were never able to pressure Brady effectively after he went out and it gave Brady the time in the pocket to do what Brady does. Another bad break for Seattle and a great job taking advantage for the Patriots.

- I was also concerned when they reported just before kickoff that Sherman had torn ligaments in his elbow (which this morning is reported will require surgery), Thomas has a torn labrum, and Chancellor was in a knee brace. Leading up to the game Seattle insisted they were fine. Clearly they were not and it showed. That's not taking anything away from Brady. It's not his problem. He plays the game against what is out their and that's what was out there and he used it to his advantage. Great for him.

- The long Jermaine Kearse catch at the end. Luck or great catch? Both. It was a lucky bounce of the ball for sure but Kearse showed incredible concentration keeping focused on the ball, bringing it in, and then having the presence of mind to get up and run. It shows awareness of what was happening in the play. Seattle caught a break that the ball got a good bounce, but Kearse showed incredible skill by taking advantage.

- And of course.....the final play. I don't think there is a person alive who can really honestly look at themselves and say "we would have stopped Lynch at the half yard line on two or three attempts". I can't imagine even the biggest Patriots homer saying that. Seattle's offensive co-ordinator called Lynch and Carroll called a pass instead in order to get tricky. It wasn't a bad pass. It's wasn't a poorly executed play. It was a timing route that was designed to be quick so there was no opportunity to react. New England made an absolutely fantastic play and stole the game from the Seahawks. Total credit to them for that. But....like everyone else in the world is asking "what in the hell was Pete Carroll thinking passing that ball? It cost them the game."

So my final take is that you can't take anything away from New England. They played great. They did everything they needed to do to win. They took advantage of the breaks that came to them. Seattle also played well enough to win. They almost certainly should have won. But in the very final analysis...Pete Carroll out-thought himself by trying to do something unexpected instead of taking the easy touchdown, and the Patriots made him pay for it. You have to give as much credit to the Patriots for taking advantage of Carroll's stupidity as scorn for Carroll calling the pass in the first place.

So congratulations to the Patriots. Great game. You have a fantastic team and you earned your title. And Pete Carroll.....I swear to God if you ever do that again.........

The great teams and great defenses can overcome lots of injuries. The Bears and Steelers' great defenses had injuries but we're still great. Seattle starters are good, the depth was always a question.

A great team can overcome some injuries, sure but there comes a point when you are just not going to be able to execute the same no matter how good you are. To me the Jeremy Lane injury was the moment I got really concerned because I knew there was no one on the team that could cover that position. Good slot corners are hard to find and Lane is one of the best in the business. Most teams don't have one let alone two.

Hearing some people talk about how Seattle should have been able to cover that particular injury shows me just how little some people know about football. Tharold Simon is a good traditional corner but he's built to cover the sidelines. His game, like all outside corners is to influence the receiver to the sideline and use the sideline as an extra defender; play physical and lean on the receiver.

A slot corner, as I am sure you know, is totally different. They have to change directions quickly, they require more initial burst in regards to speed, they pivot their hips differently. That's exactly what Lane brings to the table and totally different than what Simon or any outside corner is well suited to do. You hear people say "well Patrick Peterson covers the slot"....yeah and he gets burned like crazy when he does too.

The last touchdown to Edelman I think it was, on that quick out pattern...there's no way a traditional corner is going to defend that pattern. That's precisely why New England ran it (and again giving credit where due, that's just great strategy). Lane can cover that pattern. He has that shiftiness and that quick change of direction that allows him to do that. In fact he does it all the time. Simon...that's just not his game.

So you know....total credit to New England for recognizing that and exploiting it, but at the same time let's not get carried away and act like New England took on the LOB at full strength, nose to nose...mano a mano...and all that stuff.

 

[Borillar]

Face it Jeremiah.

All of your fevered praying on your knees for the Patriots to be humiliated and lose the game was in vain. God apparently favored and blessed the Patriots with a stunning victory over satan's Seahawks.

Jeremiah you have proven to the board your a false prophet.

And the Bible says all false prophets are to be stoned to death.

So when is the stoning to take place? .....

.

Judging by a lot of his posts, I'd say he is already stoned.

 

[TruthSeeker56]

Wow, let's break out the cheese for all of the WHINERS!

Here are the FACTS:

1. Brady threw a VERY bad pass on the Patriots first drive of the game, and it was picked at Seattle's goal line. That play probably cost the Patriots a field goal, and possibly a touchdown.

2. Brady threw a 2nd interception at midfield. We don't know where that drive would have gone if that pick wasn't thrown.

WHOA THERE!!!! Ok...the first interception Brady threw the pass because he was heavily under pressure from Michael Bennett. That's the kind of stuff that is supposed to happen when the QB is pressured and hurried. Same thing for the second one. The Seahawks were getting to Brady and forcing him to make bad decisions. That's the whole point.

3. The Patriots STILL scored 28 points, and had the biggest 4th quarter comeback in Super Bowl HISTORY, against the vaunted "best defense in the history of the NFL".

4. Brady surgically picked apart the Seahawks defense the entire game. The Seahawks NEVER adjusted for the variety of slants and short passes that Brady rained downed on Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas, etc.

Ok again...taking nothing away from New England, but Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor were far more banged up than Seattle let on. Sherman had torn ligaments in his elbow that were kept secret until kickoff. Thomas had a torn labrum in his shoulder that wasn't disclosed until kickoff. Chancellor was described as having a bruised knee and then he shows up wearing a knee brace. I have never seen someone wear a knee brace for a bruise before so clearly he was more banged up than Seattle let on.

Losing Jeremy Lane in the first quarter was devastating. It forced Seattle to put Tharold Simon in the slot and while Lane's skill set is perfect for defending the slot, Simon's skill set is suited toward defending the sideline. Go back and look and you will notice that when Simon was outside he defended well, but in the slot he was a liability. An outside corner and a slot corner are two totally different skill sets and they are asked to do totally different things. So it's like putting a blitzing outside linebacker at free safety. He is just not going to have success. Unfortunately there wasn't any other option. Simon was all Seattle had to fill that void whether his skill set matched the position or not.

Now again to New England's credit they recognized that Simon was out of position and that the LOB was far more beat up than Seattle was letting on and they attacked that and took advantage. Good for them. That's good strategy. But let's not get carried away with things. Given the situation, had Brady not been able to move the ball it would have been a total disgrace on his part.

5. The Patriots offensive line allowed ONE sack on Brady the entire game, against the vaunted Seattle defensive line and linebackers.

The Seahawks defensive line is not a great sack machine. They are designed to stop the run (which they did) and bring pressure (which they did until Cliff Avril got injured and then Brady pretty much had all the time he needed to direct the offense). No one should have expected Brady to get sacked more than once or twice.

9. We will NEVER know if Lynch would have scored at the end of the game. The Patriots could have had a great goal line stand. Lynch could have fumbled. Wilson may have kept the ball on a read-option play and been stopped. ALL of you should know that NOTHING is guaranteed in football.

If you honestly think that a guy who routinely carries 3-4 defenders on his back for 4 yards can't get a yard on at least two chances, maybe three, you are absolutely delusional. Focus on the great play by Butler...that one you have a reason to argue. Arguing that Lynch wouldn't have scored isn't going to gain you much credibility.

10. NOBODY said a word about Wilson throwing an off-target pass on that last play. If Wilson had thrown a better pass, everybody would be praising Pete Carroll as a brilliant play-caller.

Oh I doubt it. The pass could have been slightly more to Lockette's left, but the reality is it's a timing play where the quarterback takes the snap, leans back, and immediately fires into the end zone. There is no time to make such adjustments or look for secondary options or anything like that. It's snap, lean, throw...bam bam bam. Butler made a great play on the ball and that's what you should be bragging about.

The rest of your post was typical crying about not getting your love and attempting to discredit the other team. You got the win. Your team played a great game. Quit acting like no one recognizes that.

I have never been to the "left coast", but I thought the Napa Valley in California was known as "wine country".

Turns out that SEATTLE is the real "whine country".

 

[TruthSeeker56]

I am not buying it. Why would Pete Carroll do such a thing? Read this:

Pete Carroll takes blame Seahawks question play-call ProFootballTalk


Pete Carroll takes blame, Seahawks question play-call
Posted by Darin Gantt on February 1, 2015, 10:54 PM EST

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll did what he had to do, even if it wasn’t necessarily the truth.

Carroll took the blame for the disastrous game-losing decision to pass at the goal line, which cost his team a chance to win the Super Bowl. Instead, quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception to Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, giving away a chance to win the game with 20 seconds left.

Carroll said after the game that since they had three receivers on the field, he didn’t want to take the chance to run it against the Patriots’ goal-line defense.

And that’s fine, and reasonable, except for a few things, namely, the timeout in their pocket and the Marshawn Lynch in the backfield.

Carroll was likely just jumping on the grenade for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, though he insisted it was on him.

But the questioning of the play-calling from within was immediate.

Cornerback Tharold Simon summed it up succinctly, saying: “How do you throw the ball when you got Marshawn Lynch?,” via Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News.

That’s a question that will haunt Carroll, Wilson, Bevell and Seahawks fans for years.

___________________
Carroll knows why he did it. He already knows. Now one day he is going to tell the truth about what happened. Until then? I do not buy his story. Not for one second. He's hiding something. The coach of the Seahawks is right about one thing. It's his fault they lost. His alone. He sold them out. Why is yet to be discovered but I believe he sold out his own team.

Perhaps. If I recall correctly I thought I heard Carroll say Bevell called a Lynch run and Carroll over-ruled him. Maybe he is falling on the grenade for Bevell, but at the end of the day, even if Bevell calls a pass, Carroll can and should have said "what the fuck? Are you out of your mind? Run the Beast!"

Whether Carroll called the pass or failed to over-rule a called pass by Bevell it still comes down to Carroll handing the game to New England. I am not buying the "let's make Russell Wilson a superstar" stuff I am hearing. I just think he out-thought himself and tried to get cute by doing the unexpected. It was stupid and New England made him pay.

Even Belichick (essentially) admitted Seattle would have won had they run Lynch, but they didn't and New England got to say "wow...thanks! We appreciate it!" Again, taking nothing away from New England, but it was just stupid play calling by Carroll and he is the one who is ultimately responsible

Wow, let's break out the cheese for all of the WHINERS!

Here are the FACTS:

1. Brady threw a VERY bad pass on the Patriots first drive of the game, and it was picked at Seattle's goal line. That play probably cost the Patriots a field goal, and possibly a touchdown.

2. Brady threw a 2nd interception at midfield. We don't know where that drive would have gone if that pick wasn't thrown.

3. The Patriots STILL scored 28 points, and had the biggest 4th quarter comeback in Super Bowl HISTORY, against the vaunted "best defense in the history of the NFL".

4. Brady surgically picked apart the Seahawks defense the entire game. The Seahawks NEVER adjusted for the variety of slants and short passes that Brady rained downed on Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas, etc.

5. The Patriots offensive line allowed ONE sack on Brady the entire game, against the vaunted Seattle defensive line and linebackers.

6. The Patriots played in this Super Bowl WITHOUT their Pro Bowl linebacker, Jerrod Mayo, and WITHOUT their top running back, Steven Ridley, who were both lost to season-ending injuries many weeks ago.

7. The Patriots starting center, Bryan Stork, played with an injured knee, Julian Edelman played with an injured hip, Dont'a Hightower had a bad shoulder, and we don't know who else may have played hurt since the Patriots are notoriously vague on injured players.

8. TWO of the Seahawks touchdowns were the result of..........get ready..........short passes near the goal line.

9. We will NEVER know if Lynch would have scored at the end of the game. The Patriots could have had a great goal line stand. Lynch could have fumbled. Wilson may have kept the ball on a read-option play and been stopped. ALL of you should know that NOTHING is guaranteed in football.

10. NOBODY said a word about Wilson throwing an off-target pass on that last play. If Wilson had thrown a better pass, everybody would be praising Pete Carroll as a brilliant play-caller.

It SICKENED me last night that virtually ALL of the post-game attention by the sports commentators was focused on the "bad play call", and NOT on the Patriots hard-fought victory.

I have NEVER seen such a display of subjective commentary and blatant favoritism as I saw last night after the game. It was DISGUSTING, and NBC, ESPN, and the NFL Network should all issue apologies to the New England Patriot organization and their fans.

The Seattle Seahawks showed who they really are at the end of the game, when they took several cheap shots at the Patriots players after Brady's first kneel-down.

The Seahawks are immature, punk-ass thugs, who are coached by a guy who fled a top college football program after disgracefully committing numerous NCAA violations.

I find it interesting that the sports commentators NEVER mention Pete Carroll's USC scandals, but they go after Brady and Belichick with orgasmic glee over deflated footballs.

You are a DUFUS!!! Wilson hasn't been held for zero yards on the read option on ONE single play in ONE game all season.

I don't think Lynch was held to no gain once in the game. He deserved the TD ..it would have guaranteed him the MVP which he DESERVED!!!

You act just as immature, and you are just as much of a playground bully, as your "beloved" Seattle Squeal Hawks. Name-calling is EXACTLY what I expected from you.

Are there any other "injuries" that the Seahawks were "hiding" from everybody?

Maybe Russell Wilson started his PERIOD shortly before kickoff?

Perhaps Jack-ass Lynch ran out of Skittles halfway through the game?

Did Richie Sherman discover that HIS balls were deflated?

 

[BluePhantom]

Wow, let's break out the cheese for all of the WHINERS!

Here are the FACTS:

1. Brady threw a VERY bad pass on the Patriots first drive of the game, and it was picked at Seattle's goal line. That play probably cost the Patriots a field goal, and possibly a touchdown.

2. Brady threw a 2nd interception at midfield. We don't know where that drive would have gone if that pick wasn't thrown.

WHOA THERE!!!! Ok...the first interception Brady threw the pass because he was heavily under pressure from Michael Bennett. That's the kind of stuff that is supposed to happen when the QB is pressured and hurried. Same thing for the second one. The Seahawks were getting to Brady and forcing him to make bad decisions. That's the whole point.

3. The Patriots STILL scored 28 points, and had the biggest 4th quarter comeback in Super Bowl HISTORY, against the vaunted "best defense in the history of the NFL".

4. Brady surgically picked apart the Seahawks defense the entire game. The Seahawks NEVER adjusted for the variety of slants and short passes that Brady rained downed on Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas, etc.

Ok again...taking nothing away from New England, but Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor were far more banged up than Seattle let on. Sherman had torn ligaments in his elbow that were kept secret until kickoff. Thomas had a torn labrum in his shoulder that wasn't disclosed until kickoff. Chancellor was described as having a bruised knee and then he shows up wearing a knee brace. I have never seen someone wear a knee brace for a bruise before so clearly he was more banged up than Seattle let on.

Losing Jeremy Lane in the first quarter was devastating. It forced Seattle to put Tharold Simon in the slot and while Lane's skill set is perfect for defending the slot, Simon's skill set is suited toward defending the sideline. Go back and look and you will notice that when Simon was outside he defended well, but in the slot he was a liability. An outside corner and a slot corner are two totally different skill sets and they are asked to do totally different things. So it's like putting a blitzing outside linebacker at free safety. He is just not going to have success. Unfortunately there wasn't any other option. Simon was all Seattle had to fill that void whether his skill set matched the position or not.

Now again to New England's credit they recognized that Simon was out of position and that the LOB was far more beat up than Seattle was letting on and they attacked that and took advantage. Good for them. That's good strategy. But let's not get carried away with things. Given the situation, had Brady not been able to move the ball it would have been a total disgrace on his part.

5. The Patriots offensive line allowed ONE sack on Brady the entire game, against the vaunted Seattle defensive line and linebackers.

The Seahawks defensive line is not a great sack machine. They are designed to stop the run (which they did) and bring pressure (which they did until Cliff Avril got injured and then Brady pretty much had all the time he needed to direct the offense). No one should have expected Brady to get sacked more than once or twice.

9. We will NEVER know if Lynch would have scored at the end of the game. The Patriots could have had a great goal line stand. Lynch could have fumbled. Wilson may have kept the ball on a read-option play and been stopped. ALL of you should know that NOTHING is guaranteed in football.

If you honestly think that a guy who routinely carries 3-4 defenders on his back for 4 yards can't get a yard on at least two chances, maybe three, you are absolutely delusional. Focus on the great play by Butler...that one you have a reason to argue. Arguing that Lynch wouldn't have scored isn't going to gain you much credibility.

10. NOBODY said a word about Wilson throwing an off-target pass on that last play. If Wilson had thrown a better pass, everybody would be praising Pete Carroll as a brilliant play-caller.

Oh I doubt it. The pass could have been slightly more to Lockette's left, but the reality is it's a timing play where the quarterback takes the snap, leans back, and immediately fires into the end zone. There is no time to make such adjustments or look for secondary options or anything like that. It's snap, lean, throw...bam bam bam. Butler made a great play on the ball and that's what you should be bragging about.

The rest of your post was typical crying about not getting your love and attempting to discredit the other team. You got the win. Your team played a great game. Quit acting like no one recognizes that.

I have never been to the "left coast", but I thought the Napa Valley in California was known as "wine country".

Turns out that SEATTLE is the real "whine country".

Well I think you are doing a great job of representing who the New England Patriots and their fan base are. Take LaGarrett Blount holding a "bitch mode" shirt at the Patriot parade. This is guy who ran 14 times for 40 yards...a 2.9 yard average while Lynch ran 24 for 102 (a 4.3 ypc average) and a TD and would have scored the winning TD if Carroll hadn't botched the call. That guy did nothing to help his team and he is talking trash? It just goes to show what classless trash the Patriots and their fans are.

Yeah you got the win. In poker we call it a "bad beat"...you won but you really had no business winning...and frankly everyone in the world knows it. There is a reason why everyone is talking about how the Seahawks lost the game instead of how the Patriots won it. So keep flapping your gums and swinging those "bitch mode" shirts around and all you will do is keep proving what classless, cheap, trash the people of New England are. You are representing them well.

 

[mack20]

Wow, let's break out the cheese for all of the WHINERS!

Here are the FACTS:

1. Brady threw a VERY bad pass on the Patriots first drive of the game, and it was picked at Seattle's goal line. That play probably cost the Patriots a field goal, and possibly a touchdown.

2. Brady threw a 2nd interception at midfield. We don't know where that drive would have gone if that pick wasn't thrown.

WHOA THERE!!!! Ok...the first interception Brady threw the pass because he was heavily under pressure from Michael Bennett. That's the kind of stuff that is supposed to happen when the QB is pressured and hurried. Same thing for the second one. The Seahawks were getting to Brady and forcing him to make bad decisions. That's the whole point.

3. The Patriots STILL scored 28 points, and had the biggest 4th quarter comeback in Super Bowl HISTORY, against the vaunted "best defense in the history of the NFL".

4. Brady surgically picked apart the Seahawks defense the entire game. The Seahawks NEVER adjusted for the variety of slants and short passes that Brady rained downed on Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas, etc.

Ok again...taking nothing away from New England, but Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor were far more banged up than Seattle let on. Sherman had torn ligaments in his elbow that were kept secret until kickoff. Thomas had a torn labrum in his shoulder that wasn't disclosed until kickoff. Chancellor was described as having a bruised knee and then he shows up wearing a knee brace. I have never seen someone wear a knee brace for a bruise before so clearly he was more banged up than Seattle let on.

Losing Jeremy Lane in the first quarter was devastating. It forced Seattle to put Tharold Simon in the slot and while Lane's skill set is perfect for defending the slot, Simon's skill set is suited toward defending the sideline. Go back and look and you will notice that when Simon was outside he defended well, but in the slot he was a liability. An outside corner and a slot corner are two totally different skill sets and they are asked to do totally different things. So it's like putting a blitzing outside linebacker at free safety. He is just not going to have success. Unfortunately there wasn't any other option. Simon was all Seattle had to fill that void whether his skill set matched the position or not.

Now again to New England's credit they recognized that Simon was out of position and that the LOB was far more beat up than Seattle was letting on and they attacked that and took advantage. Good for them. That's good strategy. But let's not get carried away with things. Given the situation, had Brady not been able to move the ball it would have been a total disgrace on his part.

5. The Patriots offensive line allowed ONE sack on Brady the entire game, against the vaunted Seattle defensive line and linebackers.

The Seahawks defensive line is not a great sack machine. They are designed to stop the run (which they did) and bring pressure (which they did until Cliff Avril got injured and then Brady pretty much had all the time he needed to direct the offense). No one should have expected Brady to get sacked more than once or twice.

9. We will NEVER know if Lynch would have scored at the end of the game. The Patriots could have had a great goal line stand. Lynch could have fumbled. Wilson may have kept the ball on a read-option play and been stopped. ALL of you should know that NOTHING is guaranteed in football.

If you honestly think that a guy who routinely carries 3-4 defenders on his back for 4 yards can't get a yard on at least two chances, maybe three, you are absolutely delusional. Focus on the great play by Butler...that one you have a reason to argue. Arguing that Lynch wouldn't have scored isn't going to gain you much credibility.

10. NOBODY said a word about Wilson throwing an off-target pass on that last play. If Wilson had thrown a better pass, everybody would be praising Pete Carroll as a brilliant play-caller.

Oh I doubt it. The pass could have been slightly more to Lockette's left, but the reality is it's a timing play where the quarterback takes the snap, leans back, and immediately fires into the end zone. There is no time to make such adjustments or look for secondary options or anything like that. It's snap, lean, throw...bam bam bam. Butler made a great play on the ball and that's what you should be bragging about.

The rest of your post was typical crying about not getting your love and attempting to discredit the other team. You got the win. Your team played a great game. Quit acting like no one recognizes that.

I have never been to the "left coast", but I thought the Napa Valley in California was known as "wine country".

Turns out that SEATTLE is the real "whine country".

Well I think you are doing a great job of representing who the New England Patriots and their fan base are. Take LaGarrett Blount holding a "bitch mode" shirt at the Patriot parade. This is guy who ran 14 times for 40 yards...a 2.9 yard average while Lynch ran 24 for 102 (a 4.3 ypc average) and a TD and would have scored the winning TD if Carroll hadn't botched the call. That guy did nothing to help his team and he is talking trash? It just goes to show what classless trash the Patriots and their fans are.

Yeah you got the win. In poker we call it a "bad beat"...you won but you really had no business winning...and frankly everyone in the world knows it. There is a reason why everyone is talking about how the Seahawks lost the game instead of how the Patriots won it. So keep flapping your gums and swinging those "bitch mode" shirts around and all you will do is keep proving what classless, cheap, trash the people of New England are. You are representing them well.

The butthurt is strong with this one.

 

[Boss]

The thing I love about football fans is how they jump on a heartbreaker of a play like the Seahawks ended their season with. Everyone is saying "Stupid Play" and I am guilty of thinking that as well, but we fail to understand our sentiments would not be the same had the play worked. You wouldn't be talking about how lucky the Seahawks were to have won on such a stupid play. Carroll would be a brilliant coach for outsmarting the Patriots at the goal line and unexpectedly passing for a TD!

I personally understood his rationale for calling a pass play at that time. 20 seconds left with one time out. There is not enough time for 3 run plays, even with a time out. If you run on 2nd and don't score, you will have to use the last time out or call a quick pass play at the line. The best option, if one play has to be a pass play, was on 2nd down. If it works you've scored and if not. it stops the clock and you have two plays with a timeout where you can run twice. It was an inside route and I would have 'play actioned' Lynch up the gut and thrown to the TE on a quick out in the left flat, something very safe. I didn't understand Wilson trying to force something in the middle of all that hoard, just throw it away and go to the next play.

Am I the only one besides Pete Carroll who gets that?

 

[Papageorgio]

Wow, let's break out the cheese for all of the WHINERS!

Here are the FACTS:

1. Brady threw a VERY bad pass on the Patriots first drive of the game, and it was picked at Seattle's goal line. That play probably cost the Patriots a field goal, and possibly a touchdown.

2. Brady threw a 2nd interception at midfield. We don't know where that drive would have gone if that pick wasn't thrown.

WHOA THERE!!!! Ok...the first interception Brady threw the pass because he was heavily under pressure from Michael Bennett. That's the kind of stuff that is supposed to happen when the QB is pressured and hurried. Same thing for the second one. The Seahawks were getting to Brady and forcing him to make bad decisions. That's the whole point.

3. The Patriots STILL scored 28 points, and had the biggest 4th quarter comeback in Super Bowl HISTORY, against the vaunted "best defense in the history of the NFL".

4. Brady surgically picked apart the Seahawks defense the entire game. The Seahawks NEVER adjusted for the variety of slants and short passes that Brady rained downed on Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas, etc.

Ok again...taking nothing away from New England, but Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor were far more banged up than Seattle let on. Sherman had torn ligaments in his elbow that were kept secret until kickoff. Thomas had a torn labrum in his shoulder that wasn't disclosed until kickoff. Chancellor was described as having a bruised knee and then he shows up wearing a knee brace. I have never seen someone wear a knee brace for a bruise before so clearly he was more banged up than Seattle let on.

Losing Jeremy Lane in the first quarter was devastating. It forced Seattle to put Tharold Simon in the slot and while Lane's skill set is perfect for defending the slot, Simon's skill set is suited toward defending the sideline. Go back and look and you will notice that when Simon was outside he defended well, but in the slot he was a liability. An outside corner and a slot corner are two totally different skill sets and they are asked to do totally different things. So it's like putting a blitzing outside linebacker at free safety. He is just not going to have success. Unfortunately there wasn't any other option. Simon was all Seattle had to fill that void whether his skill set matched the position or not.

Now again to New England's credit they recognized that Simon was out of position and that the LOB was far more beat up than Seattle was letting on and they attacked that and took advantage. Good for them. That's good strategy. But let's not get carried away with things. Given the situation, had Brady not been able to move the ball it would have been a total disgrace on his part.

5. The Patriots offensive line allowed ONE sack on Brady the entire game, against the vaunted Seattle defensive line and linebackers.

The Seahawks defensive line is not a great sack machine. They are designed to stop the run (which they did) and bring pressure (which they did until Cliff Avril got injured and then Brady pretty much had all the time he needed to direct the offense). No one should have expected Brady to get sacked more than once or twice.

9. We will NEVER know if Lynch would have scored at the end of the game. The Patriots could have had a great goal line stand. Lynch could have fumbled. Wilson may have kept the ball on a read-option play and been stopped. ALL of you should know that NOTHING is guaranteed in football.

If you honestly think that a guy who routinely carries 3-4 defenders on his back for 4 yards can't get a yard on at least two chances, maybe three, you are absolutely delusional. Focus on the great play by Butler...that one you have a reason to argue. Arguing that Lynch wouldn't have scored isn't going to gain you much credibility.

10. NOBODY said a word about Wilson throwing an off-target pass on that last play. If Wilson had thrown a better pass, everybody would be praising Pete Carroll as a brilliant play-caller.

Oh I doubt it. The pass could have been slightly more to Lockette's left, but the reality is it's a timing play where the quarterback takes the snap, leans back, and immediately fires into the end zone. There is no time to make such adjustments or look for secondary options or anything like that. It's snap, lean, throw...bam bam bam. Butler made a great play on the ball and that's what you should be bragging about.

The rest of your post was typical crying about not getting your love and attempting to discredit the other team. You got the win. Your team played a great game. Quit acting like no one recognizes that.

I have never been to the "left coast", but I thought the Napa Valley in California was known as "wine country".

Turns out that SEATTLE is the real "whine country".

Well I think you are doing a great job of representing who the New England Patriots and their fan base are. Take LaGarrett Blount holding a "bitch mode" shirt at the Patriot parade. This is guy who ran 14 times for 40 yards...a 2.9 yard average while Lynch ran 24 for 102 (a 4.3 ypc average) and a TD and would have scored the winning TD if Carroll hadn't botched the call. That guy did nothing to help his team and he is talking trash? It just goes to show what classless trash the Patriots and their fans are.

Yeah you got the win. In poker we call it a "bad beat"...you won but you really had no business winning...and frankly everyone in the world knows it. There is a reason why everyone is talking about how the Seahawks lost the game instead of how the Patriots won it. So keep flapping your gums and swinging those "bitch mode" shirts around and all you will do is keep proving what classless, cheap, trash the people of New England are. You are representing them well.

Frankly, Seattle, being all that and a bag of chips, should never put themselves in a position to lose a game after leading by 10 with just over 8 minutes to go. New England took Seattle apart and scored not once but twice in a game Seattle had, in spite the fact of sucking for almost three quarters.

Bitch, whine and moan about the better team, use all your excuses but at the end of the day...Seattle proved they were NOT a great team, they were a good team and the team that executed in the fourth quarter won the game.

The bottom line, excuses aside, Seattle's defense or lack there of, lost the game. Bottom line Lynch didn't score, fact is New England kept their composure and won.

Seattle didn't lose the game, New England scored twice and took the game away from the Seahawks.

Seattle can whine, bitch and moan...bottom line they got beat in the fourth quarter and beat bad. 14 points in under six minutes, no gimmicks, no tricks, straight up loss to New England.

Minimize the loss, give all the whiney excuses and New England still won the game.

 

[DGS49]

One of the perversities of sports is that in a game like this, where both teams played EQUALLY well, and frankly either one of them could easily have won or lost it on that last play, the follow-up coverage tends to make it look like one team KILLED the other team, through strategy, hard work, good planning, or whatever. Baloney. Either team could have won, and for N.E. fans to say, "we won because...." anything other than a bonehead call by the opposing coach is bullshit.

Having said that, my vote goes for this reason for the "bonehead" call: Coach Carroll wanted Wilson to win the game MVP award, over Brady. And he just might have.

As Homer Simpson would put it, "D'oh!"

 

[Boss]

I disagree, I have heard all this "wanted Wilson to shine" stuff, but I don't buy it. At 0:20 with the Super Bowl on the line, you're not thinking about who will win the MVP... if that's where Carroll's mind was he doesn't deserve to be a coach in the NFL or Pee Wee league.

I think it was pure 100% strategy. On that play, if you run and don't get in, you're screwed. While an unsuccessful pass play stops the clock and gives you two more plays with a time out. I don't think it was a terrible call to pass, it was just a terrible pass play to call.

 

[antiquity]

I disagree, I have heard all this "wanted Wilson to shine" stuff, but I don't buy it. At 0:20 with the Super Bowl on the line, you're not thinking about who will win the MVP... if that's where Carroll's mind was he doesn't deserve to be a coach in the NFL or Pee Wee league.

I think it was pure 100% strategy. On that play, if you run and don't get in, you're screwed. While an unsuccessful pass play stops the clock and gives you two more plays with a time out. I don't think it was a terrible call to pass, it was just a terrible pass play to call.

If Seattle ran with 20 seconds to go and didn't make it they still had a time out. The mistake I saw was that New England was bunched up in the middle to stop the run and Wilson passed right into the crowd. If Seattle felt they had to pass then the outside, IMO, to either Willson who I believe wasn't passed to over the entire game, or Lynch would have been a better play.
But personally I would have run Lynch off tackle or Wilson on a fake to the outside.

If Seattle had won I think Mathews would have been the MVP.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

The thing I love about football fans is how they jump on a heartbreaker of a play like the Seahawks ended their season with. Everyone is saying "Stupid Play" and I am guilty of thinking that as well, but we fail to understand our sentiments would not be the same had the play worked. You wouldn't be talking about how lucky the Seahawks were to have won on such a stupid play. Carroll would be a brilliant coach for outsmarting the Patriots at the goal line and unexpectedly passing for a TD!

I personally understood his rationale for calling a pass play at that time. 20 seconds left with one time out. There is not enough time for 3 run plays, even with a time out. If you run on 2nd and don't score, you will have to use the last time out or call a quick pass play at the line. The best option, if one play has to be a pass play, was on 2nd down. If it works you've scored and if not. it stops the clock and you have two plays with a timeout where you can run twice. It was an inside route and I would have 'play actioned' Lynch up the gut and thrown to the TE on a quick out in the left flat, something very safe. I didn't understand Wilson trying to force something in the middle of all that hoard, just throw it away and go to the next play.

Am I the only one besides Pete Carroll who gets that?

reggie bush and other players at USC accused pete carrol of throwing the championship game back then when he took bush out of the game,jerry rice and tim brown said that about Callahan in the raiders/bucs game,why would pete carrol be any different now than at usc or any different than Callahan? oh and 26 plays is PLENTY of time to run the play twice,get serious.fuck the NFL.

oh and here is what I am talking about on rice and brown accusing callahen of doing what carrol did,throw the game,you should read it.

Jerry Rice agrees with Tim Brown Bill Callahan sabotaged us ProFootballTalk

Jerry Rice And Tim Brown Say Bill Callahan Threw Super Bowl XXXVII

 

[Boss]

If Seattle ran with 20 seconds to go and didn't make it they still had a time out.

Right, so you have to burn your last time out if he doesn't make it in. This gives you two plays, no timeout, maybe 13 seconds left. You cannot run on the next play or the game is over if you don't make it. From a strategy standpoint, I understood completely what the thinking was and it wasn't incorrect. If you've got a maximum of 3 plays left and one has to be a pass, it's best to pass on 2nd down and set up the 3rd and 4th down running plays with a timeout in between. The problem was the pass play that was called.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

If the play results in a TD or an incompletion there is no discussion. Only mistake I saw was the offense not employing cut blocks play side. That would have allowed for a lower trajectory which would have made an interception less likely.
I thought it was much more of a defensive coup than it was an offensive mistake. Apparently the defense was either perfectly prepared and anticipated that play based on field position, personnel and alignment or it was the result of a stolen signal. More likely the former. The offense banked on a legitimate rub or pick scenario (legit because the contact was initiated within 5 yards of the LOS and maintained throughout the play, nullifying any pass interference possibility) but the defensive backs reacted out of perfect anticipation. Way more of a good defensive play than a bad offensive play call.

 

[Boss]

If the play results in a TD or an incompletion there is no discussion. Only mistake I saw was the offense not employing cut blocks play side. That would have allowed for a lower trajectory which would have made an interception less likely.
I thought it was much more of a defensive coup than it was an offensive mistake. Apparently the defense was either perfectly prepared and anticipated that play based on field position, personnel and alignment or it was the result of a stolen signal. More likely the former. The offense banked on a legitimate rub or pick scenario (legit because the contact was initiated within 5 yards of the LOS and maintained throughout the play, nullifying any pass interference possibility) but the defensive backs reacted out of perfect anticipation. Way more of a good defensive play than a bad offensive play call.

I think the Pats D reacted like champions on that play, take nothing away from them-- but if Wilson passes to his tight end quick cutting to the outside, it's a different result. He threw the ball into a very dangerous place and that lost the game. There were two things that couldn't happen there, a sack and an INT. I think you have to call a safe pass and if it's not there, throw it away.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

If the play results in a TD or an incompletion there is no discussion. Only mistake I saw was the offense not employing cut blocks play side. That would have allowed for a lower trajectory which would have made an interception less likely.
I thought it was much more of a defensive coup than it was an offensive mistake. Apparently the defense was either perfectly prepared and anticipated that play based on field position, personnel and alignment or it was the result of a stolen signal. More likely the former. The offense banked on a legitimate rub or pick scenario (legit because the contact was initiated within 5 yards of the LOS and maintained throughout the play, nullifying any pass interference possibility) but the defensive backs reacted out of perfect anticipation. Way more of a good defensive play than a bad offensive play call.

I think the Pats D reacted like champions on that play, take nothing away from them-- but if Wilson passes to his tight end quick cutting to the outside, it's a different result. He threw the ball into a very dangerous place and that lost the game. There were two things that couldn't happen there, a sack and an INT. I think you have to call a safe pass and if it's not there, throw it away.

It was a relatively safe pass had the defense not reacted with perfect anticipation. A lower trajectory would make it even safer but the play side linemen didn't utilize cut blocks which is appropriate for a predetermined slant route like that.