Carroll Loses On Worst Play
Andrew SlapTHE SANTA CLARAFebruary 5, 2015
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n second down from the New England Patriots’ one-yard line, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll made the worst decision in the history of the NFL. The Seahawks were one yard away from being back-to-back Super Bowl Champions and they literally threw the game away.
A Russell Wilson slant pass was intercepted by New England’s undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler.
Super Bowl XLIX exceeded all the hype it received the past two weeks.
Through most of the first half, the New England Patriots controlled the game. Despite an early interception, Tom Brady had no trouble with the “Legion of Boom.” The Pats kicked off the scoring with a nine-play, 65-yard drive ending with a Brandon LaFell touchdown.
Not much later, the Seahawks answered back, tying the game at 7. Brady led the Patriots to another touchdown late in the second quarter, but Wilson and the Seahawks responded again with an 80-yard drive and another touchdown in only 29 seconds.
For the entire third quarter, the Patriots seemed overmatched. Seattle moved the ball with ease on its first drive, but the Patriots defense buckled down in the red zone, holding the Seahawks to only a field goal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNWPhExcEMU
Seattle capitalized on another Brady interception, and after a Doug Baldwin touchdown, the Seahawks were up 24-14.
No team had ever come back from a 10-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, and it seemed unlikely that New England could do so against Seattle’s elite defense. But as great as the Seahawks defense may be, Brady is even better.
Midway through the fourth, Brady found Danny Amendola in the back of the end zone and after a quick three-and-out by the Seahawks, New England got the ball back with just under seven minutes left.
What ensued clinched Brady’s spot as the greatest quarterback of all time. Against a historically great secondary, he calmly led the Patriots down the field, going 8-8 and culminating with a Julian Edelman touchdown.
But with just over two minutes left, the Seahawks had time. Wilson’s 31-yard completion to Marshawn Lynch moved Seattle into Patriots territory. A few plays later, Wilson miraculously found Jermaine Kearse on one of the most ridiculous catches in Super Bowl history.
Just outside the five-yard line, everyone thought Lynch would run it in and on first down, he was stopped just one yard short of another Super Bowl. Then came the horrible decision.
No one can even pretend to defend Pete Carroll’s play call. Lynch would get that yard 100 percent of the time.
The Patriots stole the Super Bowl and proved to be the class of the NFL once again.
Andrew Slap is a sophomore communication major.