Welp, I've calmed down enough to write about the worst play call in the history of the Super Bowl and possibly football. AAAAnd MLB teams have reported! Spring Training is almost here! Opening Day is a little more than a month away!!
The asinine play call. Just for fun, I reread my previous post about the Seahawks @ Chiefs, reminding myself, as if I needed to, about my loathing of Darrel Bevell. Yup, still think he has one of the best teams and has no worldly clue what to do with it, glad I confirmed that. Now, on to the play call. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING????
Breakdown: 2nd and goal from the 1. 26 seconds left, down by 4 (so needing a TD), 1 timeout left. 2 plays earlier Kearse made a spectacular catch of a ball literally dropping in his lap (yet another amazing catch that SHOULD HAVE doomed the Patriots to a Super Bowl loss). In the previous play, Lynch rattled off a four yard run to get to the 1 yard line. Everyone at the Sports-in-Laws' house is already celebrating near-victory (maybe we jinxed it, but I still blame Bevell). The Seahawks have arguably the best running back in the league, especially in short yardage situations, and three (at least two, given the clock and a time out) chances to punch it in with Lynch. Darrel f-ing Bevell lines up a shotgun 3 WR, two TE set. I was actually encouraged to see the two TE's as it could (possibly should) have been a read-option. The two WR's on the right side are stacked. Lynch is lined up next to Wilson in the backfield on the left side, he eventually runs a flat route to the area cleared out by the one receiver on the left. The stack formation on the right, however, told New England all they needed to know. Butler, a little used DB, had had enough training to read the formation and know that it was going to be a pick route. With the NFL's rules on pick routes (mostly thanks to Denver's "legal" offensive pass interference plays) limit them to a point that if the DB knows a pick route is coming, there is only a few places on the field it can possibly go (within 5 yards, the front receiver can only make brief contact, etc). On a goal line play, it is almost assuredly going to be a quick slant, which it was. Butler saw it, jumped the route (within 5 yards, you can jam/hit the receiver, especially if playing the ball), hit Lockette while simultaneously picking off Wilson's pass.
Why the play call (and f-ing Bevell) is to blame: This quick slant would have worked wonderfully if Bevell had added the two little letters "PA" to the play call PA=Play Action. Faking a handoff to Lynch would (should) have frozen Butler just long enough for the quick slant to be open. With no trickery whatsoever, other than Bevell's "cuteness" mentioned in my previous post, Butler didn't have to respect a run, especially since the play called for Lynch to immediately sprint to the flat. Making the stack/pick read of the formation (DB 101), no play action to keep the db's honest, especially with Lynch being such a threat in short yardage situations, was beyond asinine. It should cost Bevell his job.
Breaking down the excuses:
"We didn't want to run into the center of that goal line D." So you THREW it into the center of that goal line D? A quick slant, even with the pick play was right into the jaws of the D! Lockette was running RIGHT AT THE CENTER OF THAT FORMATION!
"We were conscious of the clock, it was meant to kill the clock." Then have Wilson scramble out of the pocket and chuck the damn thing safely out of bounds. NOT INTO THE CENTER OF THE DEFENSE. That was a risky play call with some of the best QB's, and while Wilson, up to that point was undefeated against the best of the league, he had never had an amazing stat line against any of them. Marshawn Lynch was undefeated against the best of the league since Wilson had been drafted. The Legion of Boom (banged up, injured throughout the game) was undefeated against the best in the league since Wilson had been drafted. Wilson makes a hurried throw on an undisguised quick slant that was read by a nickelback (no, not that Nickelback), although I bet they could have also read that formation. Also, you were conscious of the clock and you decided to run a play that you had already planned to fail, just not to the magnitude of which it did? You were worried about the clock and still called a wasted play??
"They were in a formation ready for Marshawn."
THEN FUCKING FAKE IT TO MARSHAWN!
I don't have a problem with this being a passing play on the 1 yard line. I am actually a fan of the goal line pass. However, short yardage situations ALWAYS need misdirection. Play action, a draw, fake a handoff to one back and then give it to another, read option...SOMETHING! I will concede, even support, that a pass play here makes sense. The particular play call (shotgun from the 1??), obvious formation (stacked receivers basically holding up signs saying "I'm going to pick" and "I'm going to slant"??) and no trickery at all? Bad move.
The answers:
1. At the risk of repetition: PLAY ACTION
2. Wilson under center, full house or at least FB/RB backfield. Do you think New England could have stopped Lynch from the 1 with a pulling guard, double TEs AND a lead blocker? Maybe, but I put my eggs in that basket over the play called.
3. Wilson under center, full house or FB/RB play action quick slant, play action fade to Chris Matthews who had been picking apart New England's D until he got a trip to Revis Island. I could see a jump ball in the back of the end zone. Matthew is 6'5". Revis 5'11".
This isn't the first time F-ing Bevell has made bonehead calls. This isn't even the first time he's cost them a game. This is the first time he has done it at the most important time on the biggest stage where even casual spectators were wondering WTF. Yet, it appears he will be back next year.
Good Luck with that Seahawks fans.
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