Monday, February 23, 2015

NFL FInal...

OK OK I get it.  The Seahawks should have run the ball.  Yes Patriot fans, I understand that.  Yes Bronco fans, I see that Pete Carrol meme you posted, about him throwing you the fast food instead of handing it off, funny...

Here's the main deal, it was a great play.  Rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler made the play of his life.  He saw the play coming, aggressively went after it, and beat Ricardo Lockette to the ball and physically beat him for the ball.  Great play.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Oakland offered him a huge paycheck because of it.  

The play call though?  One time out left, 14 seconds, 2nd and goal from the 1 yard line.  Down by four.  3 plays, to get in.  The entire defense geared to stop 1 man.  What would you call?  For me, it wouldn't have been the crossing rub.  It still would have been a pass though.  I would have run a play action bootleg to the left and give STRICT orders to Wilson to throw it to a wide open receiver, run it in ONLY if he's got an open lane, or throw it away.  If you don't score, it's about a 5 second play, which is a long play considering the time but throwing the ball away stops the clock and conserves the ONLY timeout you have left.  With about 9 seconds left and on 3rd down, give the ball directly to Lynch, not a read option, which NE had been blowing up all day, but directly to Lynch following Will Tukuafu up the A gap on the left side of the line.  If he doesn't get in, use the timeout to conserve what's left of clock, which by average would be about 3-5 seconds.  At this point, I would struggle between trying to ram it in again, or throw a fade to Chris Matthews, who had a breakout game in the Super Bowl.  I guess it would depend on the result of 3rd down.  Either way though, Monday morning quarterbacks would all debate the decision making. 

I did, I mean come on, the best RB in the game, biggest bully as a RB anyway.  Give him the ball!  Really looking at the time and scenario's going into that, you've got to understand why.  After the gut punch feeling faded and I started looking at it a bit more objectively, I asked myself what I would call, and the above scenario came to mind.  I can't see any other way to save the clock and still get more than 2 chances at punching it in.  I guess you could run it on 2nd down, call a timeout and throw it on 3rd and hope you can run it or throw the fade on third.  I would not though, I'd go the earlier described route. 

I've also heard the ridiculous story about they the Seahawks wanted to make Russel Wilson the MVP instead of Marshawn Lynch because Wilson is a better ambassador of the Seahawks.  Lynch's malcontent attitude had been a distraction leading up to the game.  Had it really though?  Most those "press members" that were torturing him for a soundbite weren't sports reporters, they were there for Vogue, or  Esquire or some other stupid mag/tv show that no one in there right mind cares about.  So the garbage they were spewing wasn't a real distraction anyway.  I also don't believe Pete Carrol would make a franchise decision like that in the 32 seconds he had to make it.  I think both he and Beville (who I've thought is an at best, below average play caller for three years) thought it was the right decision for the win. 

Did it work?  Nope.  Would they be heroes if it did?  Probably.  Look at the decision to run "refrigerator" Perry instead of Walter Peyton in the '85 Super Bowl.  The dude was a defensive tackle.  He could have fumbled, but he didn't.  He scored and the Bears won.  Ditka was a genius.  Though he second guesses that decision now because he thinks Walter Peyton deserved the score and the MVP, at the time he defended it by saying it was the right one for the team.  I'd bet if the Seahawks had scored, people would be saying genius for not calling the ever expected run and scoring.  It didn't work, therefor they are fools. 

As for the off season so far, who would you resign?  Two contracts of import are up.  Russel Wilson, who could be the face of the Seahawks and the league as the best of the next generation of QB's, or the almost 30 year old RB whose Beast Mode destroys defenses and helps the team in several ways.  You can do both, but you can't do both for long term without hand cuffing your finances.  You already have the highest paid defensive backfield in the league, do you want the highest paid offensive backfield in the league?  If so, where is the money for the offensive or defensive line?  WR's or LB's? 

All in All, Go Seahawks!!!