Is anyone else backtracking about the "worst call ever"?

[Optimus25]

How many quick drop slants have we ran in the ENTIRE postseason? Or the entire season for that matter? hell, the only one i remember was the td pass to lynch. take that into account with how many times Lynch has been able to grind a yard out when it looks like nothing is there. Absolutely, worst call in the history of the super bowl.

 

[NorCalHawk12]

Show me a worse play call in the Super Bowl and maybe we can talk. But it's going to be hard to find.

Garo Yepremian, Super Bowl VII

He said playcall not play.

Yepremian had a FG blocked and did something dumb, that had nothing to do with a coordinator.

Ooops, my mistake. I'll retract.

 

[RolandDeschain]

I don't think you understand why that play call was so bad, Austin Hawk.

Football Outsiders wrote a pretty good article on it: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/clutch ... -bowl-xlix

Also, a 49ers fan on this forum summed it up rather well in succinct fashion:

I've ranted about our offensive predictability and simplistic offensive formations for years. I'm tired of it.

 

[marko358]

For anyone defending the play call, imagine you're watching two other teams playing in the Super Bowl with the same scenario in place. In this scenario, the team needing to punch it in has (pick any of these legendary backs: Walter Payton, Jerome Bettis, Emmitt Smith, Earl Campbell, Terrell Davis, Marcus Allen, etc.) and decides to run a slant in traffic instead and loses.

You're telling me you wouldn't think that was the worst play call in Super Bowl history? Doubt it.

 

[Ambrose83]

how you can say anything but that was the worst call ever is beyond me? I dont give a shit about numbers...IF you are going to pass.. why in the hell would you run a slant into a tight window? and throw to a guy that has like 20 career receptions? JFC.... how about you line up with luke on the far left of the formation... run play action and he shed his blocker while russ rolls to that side... with the 2 wide set on the right there would be no safety help on the left side and either luke is wide open or russ walks in..... seriously... the pass was not the issue, the issue is they chose the only one in our playbook that could end that way IMO... pure stupidity.. and btw I still would have pounded it with lynch... that dude is getting 1 yrd in that spot.. our o line was getting good push the entire 2nd half.

 

[Optimus25]

how you can say anything but that was the worst call ever is beyond me? I dont give a shit about numbers...IF you are going to pass.. why in the hell would you run a slant into a tight window? and throw to a guy that has like 20 career receptions? JFC.... how about you line up with luke on the far left of the formation... run play action and he shed his blocker while russ rolls to that side... with the 2 wide set on the right there would be no safety help on the left side and either luke is wide open or russ walks in..... seriously... the pass was not the issue, the issue is they chose the only one in our playbook that could end that way IMO... pure stupidity.. and btw I still would have pounded it with lynch... that dude is getting 1 yrd in that spot.. our o line was getting good push the entire 2nd half.

my thoughts exactly. you wanna pass so damn bad? great, go for it DB. but surely we won't throw the one type of pass in the one type of offensive set that significantly raises the likelihood of an interception, right? oh damn, yup, we called THE ONE GD PLAY IN THE ONE GD OFFENSIVE SET THAT SIGNIFICANTLY RAISES THE LIKELIHOOD OF AN INTERCEPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[v1rotv2]

My huge problem with this is that the best short yardage weapon you have was left out of the play. There is no excuse for doing anything other than pounding the ball. Lynch had been getting the short yards all game. The odds were far more in favor for the run vs pass when looking at things that could go wrong.

While I am not calling for Bevell's head this is the dumbest decisions he has made and it cost us a Super Bowl.

 

[SonicHawk]

I find myself to be a relatively rational fan when it comes to how a game is called (I'm a huge incompetent fool elsewhere).

However, that was clearly A) the wrong play call at the worst time and B) a horrible decision by Russ to throw it where he did.

When you're on the 1 yard line in the closing seconds of the Super Bowl and you have the best back in the NFL and you decide to get cute and try to trick someone -- you've made the worst call in the history of the NFL.

You don't pass there, you have enough time to run the ball 3 times in the face of a defense that hasn't stopped Lynch for a loss yet. This isn't rocket science. You lose or win with what got you there.

That is the point right here. They did not have enough time to run the ball 3 times, with only 1 timeout. How about the burned timeouts earlier in the drive ... that was a huge issue in the play calling decision at the end.

You can't run 3 plays in 35 seconds with 1 timeout? Okkk...

 

[ivotuk]

The reason I was so upset at the call is because I was sure we were going to run the ball. But they got too cute.

I understand their reasoning, time was short and there was only 1 time out. You have 3 more downs to win the game. So you go with a pass play on 2nd down because if you have to you can throw it out of the EZ and stop the clock. A running play gets stopped and you are forced to use a time out. If it gets stopped again (it's possible but unlikely), the clock runs out before you can make use of 4th down.

So I see the reasoning, but I disagree with it.

Worst call ever? I'm to the point where I can't decide any more. I wish Russell would have seen Butler and threw it away. I wish Lockette would have gotten there faster. But most of all I wish they would have handed it to Marshawn.

So for now, yes, worst call ever. When we win SuperB Owl 50, that will move it to the back burner.

The upside is this, the team is young, we will have our Front Office and players around for a long time so we are going to see more success. But it's going to take a while to get over the hurt.

Honestly, I want to cry sometimes, but I try to keep my head up and be proud of what this team has accomplished. Something that has NEVER been done in Seahawks history.

 

[HawkFan72]

For anyone defending the play call, imagine you're watching two other teams playing in the Super Bowl with the same scenario in place. In this scenario, the team needing to punch it in has (pick any of these legendary backs: Walter Payton, Jerome Bettis, Emmitt Smith, Earl Campbell, Terrell Davis, Marcus Allen, etc.) and decides to run a slant in traffic instead and loses.

You're telling me you wouldn't think that was the worst play call in Super Bowl history? Doubt it.

Agree. It's just awful.

A TD there probably cements Marshawn Lynch as the best postseason back of all time, or at least the runner up. Especially if he wins MVP.

 

[Jacknut16]

This blaming it on Wilson is individuals trying to be unique and different, for differents sake. It's a pick route/slant...Wilson is to release it as he hits last step on his drop.

None of that takes into account Browner baited them into it.

People are reaching to make it sound like they're more nuanced an eye. It's laughable, embarrassing, and remiss of reality. Quit embarrassing yourselves and the site.

You're not seeing anything we aren't. Knock it off.

He did the Cardinal sin of throwing a slant, up and out in front. A slant needs to be trajecting downward, and in the gut of the WR, not up and out front, AND he threw it late after all that.

It was Wilsons fault as well.

 

[HansGruber]

I feel worse about it today because even if Lockette had caught it, he's tackled inbounds on the 1 anyway. Zero benefit over running. Further, who other than a complete moron challenges NE's secondary and LBs like that? Their run defense was soft all night while they had been shutting down the passing game with relative ease, and we pass with the game on the line?

Even worse is that we had this problem before, and Carroll actually apologized and said we would go back to the run on the goal line, and we started scoring and winning again.

So Bevell waits for the biggest moment in this team's history and pulls out the same crap that cost us so many games? Bevell needs to go. Now.

Sorry, I'm done with Bevell. That was it for me. No possible way to excuse that play call. I'm madder today than I was last night.

Bevell might have just cost this team a shot at dynasty status. Being arguably the greatest defense ever.

 

[BullHawk33]

I'm not backtracking from anything, that was still the worst play call in Super Bowl.

Russ didn't make a perfect throw, which that play required. It should have been on the numbers not out in front. Lockette didn't make a strong play on the ball and looked like a rag doll.

The better pass play would have been a high throw on an out route or a touch pass to the corner, something that either results in a great play or out of bounds if no play is there. Unfortunately, we don't have any bigger receivers in that set. Might even have been better to roll out Wilson to the left and see if he can work the clock or make some magic.

coulda, woulda, shoulda, none of those things happened. We lost the game on a pass thrown to a 4th string wide receiver covered by a rookie that made a hell of a play. 3 feet short of a dynasty.

 

[Missing_Clink]

Not backtracking at all as it relates to that specific pass play. As has been stated before, it does make sense to run a pass play there to ensure you get to run 2 more plays after that if necessary, but they absolutely did not have to run that stupid, incredibly risky pass play, which required so much to go right, and put them at such a huge risk of a pick. Roll Russell out, have him look for a WR or TE at the back of the end zone, and throw it away if its not there. He might even be able to run it in. So stupid. Worst call ever.

 

[lukerguy]

I find myself to be a relatively rational fan when it comes to how a game is called (I'm a huge incompetent fool elsewhere).

However, that was clearly A) the wrong play call at the worst time and B) a horrible decision by Russ to throw it where he did.

When you're on the 1 yard line in the closing seconds of the Super Bowl and you have the best back in the NFL and you decide to get cute and try to trick someone -- you've made the worst call in the history of the NFL.

You don't pass there, you have enough time to run the ball 3 times in the face of a defense that hasn't stopped Lynch for a loss yet. This isn't rocket science. You lose or win with what got you there.

That is the point right here. They did not have enough time to run the ball 3 times, with only 1 timeout. How about the burned timeouts earlier in the drive ... that was a huge issue in the play calling decision at the end.

Actually they could have. If you run the ball with 26 S left when the 2nd play started, then you finish with 21/22 s. As long as they didn't change personnel you could run another play with 8 seconds left, and call TO if you didn't score on 3rd down.

 

[SonicHawk]

You can run two plays in 25 seconds -- call a timeout if the second play doesn't work. there only has to be 1 second left on the clock.

 

[NorCalHawk12]

He did the Cardinal sin of throwing a slant, up and out in front. A slant needs to be trajecting downward, and in the gut of the WR, not up and out front, AND he threw it late after all that.

It was Wilsons fault as well.

This is not supposed to be funny. Please don't take it as such. But is Wilson too short for that pass? Is that why it was up a little too high? Could a taller quarterback have gotten the ball over the linemen and down to the receivers gut?

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

I'm not so much down on calling a pass play, as much the play they selected.

Third down would have been my choice after a run on 2nd and a TO. If it goes to a 4th, all options are open.

 

[Jacknut16]

He did the Cardinal sin of throwing a slant, up and out in front. A slant needs to be trajecting downward, and in the gut of the WR, not up and out front, AND he threw it late after all that.

It was Wilsons fault as well.

This is not supposed to be funny. Please don't take it as such. But is Wilson too short for that pass? Is that why it was up a little too high? Could a taller quarterback have gotten the ball over the linemen and down to the receivers gut?

Sure, but Wilson has so many other great attributes that you cant just pick and choose, nobody is perfect.

But how about this: What the Hawks called is Akin to having Brady keep the ball on a read option from the one yard line and then fumbling the ball. Its not to Brady's strength and the slant isnt Wilson's strength. He does so many things better than throwing a slant, yet, we threw a freaking slant.

Roll him out, let him scramble and if nothing is there throw it away when the guys are closing in on him.

More and more I think of it , it is the worst situational play Ive ever seen at any level of football.

 

[Jacknut16]

You can run two plays in 25 seconds -- call a timeout if the second play doesn't work. there only has to be 1 second left on the clock.

Agreed, we should have done three runs, or two runs and a Wilson scramble play on 4th down if they stuff us twice.