OT- Pete Carroll

[amory]

Won me the $1500 in the UConn-Syracuse squares! So I can't complain about his stupid decision

 

[tentoes4rings]

Won me the $1500 in the UConn-Syracuse squares! So I can't complain about his stupid decision

Congratulations, nice haul. I suspect Pete Carroll is now on your Christmas card list.

 

[Danzz]

Tbat was the dumbest call in NFL super bowl history. Wow, Seahawks are going to get killed for that. Can't even begin to feel the pain seattle fans will feel, it's always worse after the shock and anger wears off. Game was over, pats didnt even call time out, which was confusing as well. Tbey could have ran 2x before passing. What a bad call.

It wouldn't have been a dumb call after they ran Lynch twice. The call was a real head scratcher in that situation and it wouldn't have been any smarter if the pass was completed.

 

[pnow15]

Carroll should have used the Pat's old standby on that last series: take the air out of the ball.

 

[Deadrody]

For the first time, I'm thinking the NFL may be fixed. Why didn't Belichick call time before, obviously Brady could get them in fg range in 40 secs or so. It's like he knew what was going to happen.

I suppose the NFL choreographed the ridiculous circus catch that allowed the plays at the goal line to be relevant??!

 

[Deadrody]

I thought it was a defensible call, to be honest, and his explanation makes sense - you're not going to be able to run three straight times in that spot, so you might as well throw while their run-heavy group is in there, knowing you can come back to Lynch on third and fourth down. It isn't Carroll's fault that a quarterback who never throws interceptions threw one at the worst possible time.

Indeed. And I've now seen a stat that the Seahawks gave Lynch the ball at the 1 yard line 5 times this season and he only scored once. So its not inconceivable that, facing the Patriots goal line package, and their history with obvious running plays from teh 1 yard line, it makes sense.

Fact is, that was a GREAT play by Butler. Its not like it was a badly thrown pass or something.

 

[jibsey]

Indeed. And I've now seen a stat that the Seahawks gave Lynch the ball at the 1 yard line 5 times this season and he only scored once. So its not inconceivable that, facing the Patriots goal line package, and their history with obvious running plays from teh 1 yard line, it makes sense.

Fact is, that was a GREAT play by Butler. Its not like it was a badly thrown pass or something.

They had 3 cracks at 1 yard.

 

[Deepster]

Carroll's explanation made perfect sense to me.

They couldn't run the ball 3 times from the 1. They had 1 timeout left. If the pass falls incomplete, the clock stops. They can run it on 3rd and if they don't get in, they call a timeout and likely run it on 4th. Butler made an all time great play on it.

The big gaff was being disjointed after the freak catch by Kearse. They let way too much time elapse and went from over 1:00 left there to like 25 seconds before that final play.

 

[nomar]

They had 3 cracks at 1 yard.

And if we're looking at statistics, the Seahawks are great at short-yardage offense and the Pats are bad at short-yardage defense. This isn't really hindsight -- wasn't everyone yelling when they saw Wilson go back to pass? You win or lose with Marshawn Lynch there.

You don't win or lose with your crappy WRs. As good a play Butler made, Lockette screwed it up by getting beat to the ball by a smaller guy who didn't know the play call beforehand but did a pretty good recognizing it right away.

Seattle over-thought the clock situation when they should have worried about getting the ball in the end zone. (I thought it was crazy when Bradshaw tried not to get in. Crazy. Take the points.) Had they gotten a play off earlier, they could have run it three times, easy. It was Belichick who really should have been concerned with the clock and lord knows what he was thinking in letting the clock run down. That was indefensible as well. All in all, some horrific coaching by good coaching staffs.

 

[dtrumpet]

I thought it was a defensible call, to be honest, and his explanation makes sense - you're not going to be able to run three straight times in that spot, so you might as well throw while their run-heavy group is in there, knowing you can come back to Lynch on third and fourth down. It isn't Carroll's fault that a quarterback who never throws interceptions threw one at the worst possible time.

Never throws interceptions? Did you see the Packer game?
If you want to call pass play instead of 3 straight runs, fine, but not that one. Call a fade, or run the route the pats ran to score, a play where the ball is either caught or incomplete, not picked.
The read option, or a play action bootleg run/pass takes advantage of what Wilson does best, which is move. Can you imagine how hard the defense would have crashed the line on a Lynch fake? Wilson would have had maybe one guy to beat to the endzone.

 

[junglehusky]

Anyway... I'm looking forward to Mark Emmert vacating the Deflatriots championship and giving it to the Colts. Belicheat gets a show-cause penalty.

(That's how it works in the NFL right?)

 

[superjohn]

Carroll's explanation makes him look even more ridiculous than I could have imagined. Instead of all the blabbing and nonsensical rationalizations his interview should have been three words, "I'm an idiot."

 

[Adios]

It was Belichick who really should have been concerned with the clock and lord knows what he was thinking in letting the clock run down. That was indefensible as well. All in all, some horrific coaching by good coaching staffs.

Belichick created a panic on the Seattle sideline.

 

[tzznandrew]

Belichick created a panic on the Seattle sideline.

Yeah. I think they were expecting the Patriots to use a TO once they didn't.

 

[jibsey]

From what I understand the offensive coordinator's call goes through both the head coach's and quarterback's headset. Pete and Wilson just let it go. Time is tight and they let it go. Wilson followed orders. No one is going to throw anyone under the bus at this stage. Seattle had numerous opportunities to pressure or stop Brady in the second half but they didn't, but the idiocy of the call can't be disputed or explained.

 

[Dribbles]

The last minute was just a whorehouse of bad coaching, but that call on the goal line....wow.

Previously, I used to think Joe Torre leaving Jeff Weaver in the game in the 12th inning of the WS in 2003 was about as dumb a sports gaff as I could imagine. Maybe Bill Shoemaker standing up early and losing a Derby is in the mix....but not anymore.

Pete Carroll will never sleep again thinking about that play.

Marshawn was heard speaking to the press: "Does anyone know why I'm here?"

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Won me the $1500 in the UConn-Syracuse squares! So I can't complain about his stupid decision

Favorite post on this subject. Congrats.

 

[jibsey]

It doesn't matter how many times Lynch failed to get in during the season when it didn't mean as much, this is the Super Bowl and he gained 4 yards on the previous play. Nothing keeping him out with at least 2 tries in that situation. Wilson rolling out from a running set would be the second play with Wilson scoring or passing so there were numerous choices. Pats are lucky for now until they find more tapes of the equipment guy going into and locking the bathroom before other games while carrying their footballs. I just started taking my football to the bathroom.

 

[tzznandrew]

It doesn't matter how many times Lynch failed to get in during the season when it didn't mean as much, this is the Super Bowl and he gained 4 yards on the previous play. Nothing keeping him out with at least 2 tries in that situation.

To be fair, that is really easy to say in the abstract, when we can never really know. You can say this as if it were a fact, and we can accept it as if it were...but it's not.

Carroll was playing to win the game, not score the touchdown (in that he'd rather get 4 plays in that time rather than 3...or, rather, that he'd rather have the opportunity to run whatever he wanted instead of being forced into passes). It failed. But it failed on an unbelievable play that happens 1-2% of the time.

Not the best call, but not indefensible, especially since he doesn't get to live in that alternate world where Lynch scores 100% of the time in those 2 runs.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

To be fair, that is really easy to say in the abstract, when we can never really know. You can say this as if it were a fact, and we can accept it as if it were...but it's not.

Carroll was playing to win the game, not score the touchdown (in that he'd rather get 4 plays in that time rather than 3...or, rather, that he'd rather have the opportunity to run whatever he wanted instead of being forced into passes). It failed. But it failed on an unbelievable play that happens 1-2% of the time.

Not the best call, but not indefensible, especially since he doesn't get to live in that alternate world where Lynch scores 100% of the time in those 2 runs.

If he called a qb rollout or a back endzone fade and Wilson just made a terrible decision and threw a horrible pick then fine. It's not necessarily the decision to pass that was so horrific (although i still think it was dumb).

It was the fact that they decided to throw a laser pass into a congested pack of about six guys. It could've easily bounced off anyone straight into the air for a pick. Or been tipped at the line for a pick. Or easily dropped by their fourth wide receiver. You really can't draw up a riskier passing play there. And all of this ignores the fact that they have the toughest back in the league whose nickname is Beast Mode and who has been bowling guys over all game.

I can not believe people are trying to justify that call.

It was the dumbest coaching decision of all time.

 

[upstater]

If he called a qb rollout or a back endzone fade and Wilson just made a terrible decision and threw a horrible pick then fine. It's not necessarily the decision to pass that was so horrific (although i still think it was dumb).

It was the fact that they decided to throw a laser pass into a congested pack of about six guys. It could've easily bounced off anyone straight into the air for a pick. Or been tipped at the line for a pick. Or easily dropped by their fourth wide receiver. You really can't draw up a riskier passing play there. And all of this ignores the fact that they have the toughest back in the league whose nickname is Beast Mode and who has been bowling guys over all game.

I can not believe people are trying to justify that call.

It was the dumbest coaching decision of all time.

They are not calling read options there. Too dangerous.

Run it up the gut, your best bet.

If you throw, go into shotgun.

But read option? With the defense so close to the line, Wilson risks someone getting him for a 4 yard loss.

3rd and 5 and no timeouts. This is why you run it there 2 out of 3 times. With only one timeout, you have to pass it once.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Yeah. I think they were expecting the Patriots to use a TO once they didn't.

I think Patricia basically said as much after the game. They wanted to put the onus on Seattle to manage the clock and not bail them out with a timeout, load up the line and dare them to throw. You could see that slant coming a mile away. Browner did a great job jamming Kearse and the kid Butler just made an unbelievable play. I don't think Wilson had any sense that Butler could close the space that quickly. Probably didn't help that he put the ball face-high.

 

[tzznandrew]

If he called a qb rollout or a back endzone fade and Wilson just made a terrible decision and threw a horrible pick then fine. It's not necessarily the decision to pass that was so horrific (although i still think it was dumb).

It was the fact that they decided to throw a laser pass into a congested pack of about six guys. It could've easily bounced off anyone straight into the air for a pick. Or been tipped at the line for a pick. Or easily dropped by their fourth wide receiver. You really can't draw up a riskier passing play there. And all of this ignores the fact that they have the toughest back in the league whose nickname is Beast Mode and who has been bowling guys over all game.

I can not believe people are trying to justify that call.

It was the dumbest coaching decision of all time.

Passes from the 1 had been intercepted exactly 0 times this season before that play. And historically, it's 1-2%. Their plan avoided potential sack, and 98% of the time it results in either a TD or an incomplete (that serves as the TO they need to run it twice).

So, yeah. Once again--I wouldn't call that play. But it is thoughtless, absurd hyperbole to call it "worst call ever."

 

[noeynox]

It's the worst call when taken into context that you have Marshawn Lynch and your on the one yard line. I highly doubt Pete was considering the stats you posted on passes from the one yard line, when he opted to not give the ball to a rb that all night long was falling forward for an extra yard or two when it looked like should have been stopped.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

If he called a qb rollout or a back endzone fade and Wilson just made a terrible decision and threw a horrible pick then fine. It's not necessarily the decision to pass that was so horrific (although i still think it was dumb).

It was the fact that they decided to throw a laser pass into a congested pack of about six guys. It could've easily bounced off anyone straight into the air for a pick. Or been tipped at the line for a pick. Or easily dropped by their fourth wide receiver. You really can't draw up a riskier passing play there. And all of this ignores the fact that they have the toughest back in the league whose nickname is Beast Mode and who has been bowling guys over all game.

I can not believe people are trying to justify that call.

It was the dumbest coaching decision of all time.

I don't see Seattle risking a sack and potential loss of yardage by dropping Wilson back or rolling him out. If the pass wasn't there he should have just thrown it away.