The Call will live in infamy
The Seattle Seahawks’ decision to pass the ball rather than run it in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots was, not surprisingly, immediately questioned Sunday night.
On second-and-goal at the New England 1, quarterback Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler at the goal-line as the Patriots held off the Seahawks 28-24 for their fourth Super Bowl title and first in 10 years.
Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014, ran for 4 yards the previous play, but did not get another carry, to the shock of many football fans and writers.
Here are some of the national writers’ take on the goal-line play:
From Bob Smizek of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“As long as they play the Super Bowl, they’ll remember this game.
“As long as they play football, they’ll remember that call.
“With certain victory within their reach, the Seattle Seahawks got cute. When you’re on the 1-yard line and Marshawn Lynch is in your backfield, you don’t get cute. You get tough. You send the battering ram that is Lynch into the New England defensive front and in almost all certainty the result will be a touchdown. And if it doesn’t, you do it again.
“But not the Seahawks. For no other reason than crass stupidity, Seattle decided to throw a pass. And this pass was intercepted by the New England Patriots.”
From Gary Myers of the New York Daily News:
“Pete Carroll made the call and it was the worst coaching decision in the history of the Super Bowl.
“Carroll is a bright guy and a great coach. He’s engaging, full of energy, the owner of two college national championships at Southern Cal and a Super Bowl last year and he was within one yard of another Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night.
“Then he screwed up and cost his team Super Bowl XLIX.
“‘Man, what were they thinking?’ ” Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner said.”
From Mark Maske of the Washington Post:
“The Seattle Seahawks forgot who they are.
“And from that momentary lapse in identity came the worst play-call in Super Bowl history and a defeat that leaves the Seahawks historically irrelevant, further boosts the complicated legacy of Coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and ups the stakes for Deflategate even more.
“All of that from a single misguided play-call?
“You bet.”