Bevfool strikes again!

[monkey]

I don't know what you all are talking about, according to bevell it's lockette his fault http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... er-to-ball nice way to pass the buck coach.

And if I recall correctly bevell it's the second time this season that you pull a stunt like this on the year were you run the ball good and you just when you are within reach of the end zone you don't give it to Lynch and you decide to throw it. And I can't believe Pete is covering for you, he said they had people in to stop the run so he "decided" to "waste" a down by throwing it? Just "waste" the down by giving it to Lynch, and why in the world we had to use a time out to prevent delay of game penalty is beyond me

Well...Bevell does have a point there.
Lockette acted as if he was trying to draw a flag rather than fighting hard for the ball.
I thought the exact same thing, he didn't go hard for the ball, he let the ball come to him, and acted surprised and hurt physically that the defender shoved past him to make the pick.

Still, Bevell, what the H E double hockey sticks was that?!? Why make that call there??? Lockette and Wilson should have NEVER been put into that spot! Not EVER. You do NOT throw a timing pattern into the middle of a bunched up defense, when it's second down, you have one timeout and the best, toughest running back in all of football on your team.
There is no passing the buck or sugar coating this one. That call was CRAP!

[Zorn76]

Tough, tough way to lose a Super Bowl, obviously, especially when you're talking about the rare feat and opportunity of repeating.

The final play, naturally, is the one that's going to go down in history as the most memorable, since it ended the game.

That said, there were so many opportunities missed on both sides of the ball, that I'm not going to hang responsibility on any one coach, coordinator, player, or play call.

We were up 10 POINTS in the 4th quarter. Both units coughed up this lead - the offense for not scoring in the 4th, and the defense for giving up 3rd and longs that they should've been able to prevent (3rd and 14, 3rd and 8, etc.) There were also some deep shots taken down field that were not necessary, along with being well covered, particularly the failed 3rd down conversion to Kearse on 3rd and 3. That was a 20+ yd pass.

I understand that we led the league in plays covering more that 20 yds. But in this game - and especially against a team like the Patriots - you have to take what's given to you and be patient. We were clutch on some plays, and far from it on others. That's just football.

I'm still very proud of this team, as I suspect we all are, no matter how it feels right now in the moment. If any franchise/team is capable of recovering from this, it's us. No guarantees - you only have so many chances to win this with your core group - but I do think we have the wherewithal to pull it off. We are certainly in better shape than most teams out there to do so.

God Bless all our guys right now, along with fellow 12's. Disappointing ending, but we will live to fight another day.

Go Seahawks!!!

[obiken]

It was the worst call in the history of football.
Emmitt Smith.

[HumanCockroach]

In my book throwing a 4th string receiver under the bus, while absolving yourself of responsibility, allowing your QB and HC to accept the responsibility, is a one way ticket out of town. Bevell put his ego, and his pride and his belief in his system, ahead of a Lombardi trophy, the players that worked to get him there and the 12's that are supporting that team.... In my book NO ONE is bigger than the "team" regardless of how Bevell feels about the need for Lynch ( which he has numerous times made abundantly clear ISN'T a necessity in his book) the team comes first, and in this case, it didn't.

Bevell WANTED a pass from the shotgun ( which is why he called it) without involving Lynch even in a cursory play action situation. He didn't WANT a moving QB, he wanted what he has always wanted, HIS system, HIS way, and unfortunately IMHO that cost Seattle a second Lombardi.

He removed Wilsons "special" traits as sure as if he had broken his legs, and removed even the THREAT of Lynch with that call. And to boot he PLACED the spotlight on a seldom used receiver, in the most crucial moment on the biggest stage, and then had the balls to blame him for the play???

Bevell can kiss my a#*.

[HumanCockroach]

Sydney Rice: 2nd down, 1 yard to go? I wouldn't have thrown that ball if receiver was Jerry Rice.

I absolutely agree with him 100%. You could have Joe Montana throwing it as well, and Steve Largent on the other side, 100 times out of 100 times, the ball goes to Lynch, and no one is confusing Lockette ( no matter how much I like him) with two first ballot HOF receivers, are they? Apparently Bevell did, and then went against that wisdom anyway.

[RiverDog]

It's pretty hard for me to put a lot of blame on Lockette. He had ran the right route and was looking back for the ball, and just like Russell, he did not expect the DB to jump the route. The DB got both arms clear inside the receiver and Lockette never even touched the ball, so it's pretty hard to blame him for not fighting for it. But he is part of the combination, so in that sense, he, too, has to take some of the blame.

And I'm not accepting Russell's "one inch off" explanation, either. If the pass was off, it was off by more than an inch. Lockette never got so much as a fingernail on it. More like a foot or two. IMO he did not anticipate the DB jumping that route. Plus if he thought they had 'the right play called' for that situation, then he's as guilty as Bevell. There's almost universal agreement that it was not the right play call, quite the contrary, most people are saying it is one of the worst calls in history. When the play call came in, a bell should have gone off in Russell's head that said "WTF, a pass play over the middle? On 2nd and goal from the one? If there's a defender within 10 feet of where that ball is supposed to go, I'm not throwing it."

[RiverDog]

C-bob, River, Z, HS, help me to understand.
You have the toughest back in the league; you have a mobile, 5-11 QB, and you have him throwing it over the middle on a bunched up End zone play?
Fake the ball on a roll out even, but to do it the way they did it, even if it worked, the risk far outweigh the options. Why?? He had just gotten 4 yards to get us that close. Man this tough.
Eric Wanalda, the US soccer player said: Players are the only ones that can win games, refs can ruin them, and coaches can lose them. Coaches lost this one period.
Hell of a year as champs but it was so close to being better!! Waaaaaaa!

I think Roach hit on it pretty well. That call did not play to Russell's long suit and did not give him any options except not to make the throw. If Russell was going to be called on to pass in that situation, I would have much rather Bevell called a play to the corner or back of the end zone so it could be put in a place where only the receiver had a chance to make a play, or some sort of play action with Russell rolling out where he had a run/pass option. The one yard line is the most compressed situation that a defense can ever get. Their ratio of defenders per square yard was pretty low.

But the point is that we did not have to throw. The Pats were letting the clock run (another very foolish decision that got overlooked) and we could have taken the game clock down to inside 10 seconds had the series gone to 4th down. Call two running plays, burn your last TO on 4th down with inside 10 seconds, then take your best shot, run or pass.

[savvyman]

Here is the Play - you can analyze it over and over.

What is clear from the play are two things:

1. NE Defender made a great play.

2. Both NE players on the ends in coverage were both committed to stoping Russel Wilson on the run - Look at the defender who covers Lynch - so as HC said - if Wilson would have rolled out the defender would have been stopped in his tracks allow an easy throw to a relatively open receiver.

https://vine.co/v/OtEvZjdte5D

[kalibane]

I don't think it has anything to do with strong suit/short suit of any player. I spent all night going over this before I went off just to make sure my take on it was lucid and not my anger talking.

It was purely the play call. It was just a ridiculous call to make. It was dumb to call a pass to begin with, but that wasn't the real problem. I cannot fathom what Bevell was thinking when he called this play. Here is why.

1. You had plenty of time and three more attempts with Lynch. Conventional wisdom is you just run it three times unless one of the runs results in a loss of yards.

2. This is what bothers me the most. Why did they run this out of a shotgun spread formation? The Patriots HAVE to sell out to stop the run. They HAVE to... (or let us score). Why let them off the hook with this shogun nonsense? Now they are looking for a pass.

3. A timing pattern to the middle of a field. As the cliché says, when you pass 3 things can happen and only one of them is good. In this case even if the DB doesn't jump the route and intercept the ball if Lockette doesn't catch it, the chances that the ball gets popped up into the middle of the field are insanely high.

It was the worst possible play call in the worst possible area of the field. There is no reason to even debate the execution. They should have handed the ball off to Lynch and either force the Pats to let us score or call their last timeout. If they insisted on throwing the ball they should have lined up in heavy personnel with play action and gotten Wilson outside with an option to run/pass or throw it away.

It has nothing to do with Wilson's skills or abilities or even Lockette. It doesn't matter if Calvin Johnson was the target there it was just an insanely dumb play call. I'm not one of those guys who's had a huge problem with Bevell but it's going to be hard to ever not hate him for this one. I'd feel this way even if they completed that pass. It's just baffling

[kalibane]

Here is the Play - you can analyze it over and over.

What is clear from the play are two things:

1. NE Defender made a great play.

2. Both NE players on the ends in coverage were both committed to stoping Russel Wilson on the run - Look at the defender who covers Lynch - so as HC said - if Wilson would have rolled out the defender would have been stopped in his tracks allow an easy throw to a relatively open receiver.

https://vine.co/v/OtEvZjdte5D

That's why the formation was such a huge problem.

[savvyman]

Classic:

https://twitter.com/JeopardySports/status/562096634851753987/photo/1


https://twitter.com/raywert/status/562088943638704128/photo/1

[burrrton]

I'm not one of those guys who's had a huge problem with Bevell but it's going to be hard to ever not hate him for this one.

This.

[monkey]

It's pretty hard for me to put a lot of blame on Lockette.

There's a shock
If you're going to blame Wilson, AT LEAST admit that Lockette ran that route sloppy. Bevell wasn't wrong that Lockette didn't go hard to the ball, he didn't!
Hell, if we want to really dissect that play, Kearse deserves blame for not blocking that corner out the way he should have, Wilson should have thrown it closer to Lockette's body, or better yet, thrown it to Lynch for the easy touchdown (he would have been wide open and walked in) or out of the back of the end zone, and Lockette should have cut his route better and fought for that ball.
Blame enough to go around right?

Except NONE of that matters because NONE of them should have been put into that position. It was a STUPID play call! Throwing a timing route into the teeth of the goal line defense HAS to be the worst possible decision there.

[RiverDog]

Kal,

I do agree that the shotgun was not the preferred formation for a 2nd and goal on the 1, but I do not share your outrage at running a play out of it in that situation. I was expecting a read option handoff to Lynch, or Wilson, seeing the defense crashing in on Lynch, pulling it out and taking it in himself like he did in the NFCCG.

I also agree that not taking into consideration the relative skills of our players, and the weaknesses of New England's, is not the larger point. The largest point was calling for a pass to the short middle on the 1 yard line with the best YAC back in the history of the game in the backfield. But it is a point. Lockette's job in that situation was to explode off the ball and beat any defender to Point X, where the ball was to be thrown. If he was fast off the ball and fast into his breaks, with his speed and relatively decent hands, he would have been a starting WR a long time ago. The call did not play to Lockette's strengths anymore than it didn't play to Russell's.

[monkey]

That's why the formation was such a huge problem.

EXACTLY!!!
THERE was the root of the whole problem to begin with!
When they went out in that formation, they painted themselves into the proverbial corner, because New England just countered with goal line defense. They FORCED Bevell into "wasting a play" as Pete said, because they were in the wrong danged formation to begin with.

[c_hawkbob]

There is no understanding it Obi, the call cannot ever, on any level, under any circumstances, be justified.

There is only accepting it. It's done, it happened, no reset button, no take backs, we had the game, then we didn't.

Now we just move on. This team is going nowhere, we fight our way back to the same opportunity next year and we keep our eye on the damn ball.

We'll be fine.

[monkey]

I don't think it has anything to do with strong suit/short suit of any player. I spent all night going over this before I went off just to make sure my take on it was lucid and not my anger talking.

It was purely the play call. It was just a ridiculous call to make. It was dumb to call a pass to begin with, but that wasn't the real problem. I cannot fathom what Bevell was thinking when he called this play. Here is why.

1. You had plenty of time and three more attempts with Lynch. Conventional wisdom is you just run it three times unless one of the runs results in a loss of yards.

2. This is what bothers me the most. Why did they run this out of a shotgun spread formation? The Patriots HAVE to sell out to stop the run. They HAVE to... (or let us score). Why let them off the hook with this shogun nonsense? Now they are looking for a pass.

3. A timing pattern to the middle of a field. As the cliché says, when you pass 3 things can happen and only one of them is good. In this case even if the DB doesn't jump the route and intercept the ball if Lockette doesn't catch it, the chances that the ball gets popped up into the middle of the field are insanely high.

It was the worst possible play call in the worst possible area of the field. There is no reason to even debate the execution. They should have handed the ball off to Lynch and either force the Pats to let us score or call their last timeout. If they insisted on throwing the ball they should have lined up in heavy personnel with play action and gotten Wilson outside with an option to run/pass or throw it away.

It has nothing to do with Wilson's skills or abilities or even Lockette. It doesn't matter if Calvin Johnson was the target there it was just an insanely dumb play call. I'm not one of those guys who's had a huge problem with Bevell but it's going to be hard to ever not hate him for this one. I'd feel this way even if they completed that pass. It's just baffling

This, every single word of this a billion times.
This is exactly what I've been saying over and over.
The formation painted themselves into a no win, "waste a play" situation which they never needed to be in to begin with. Analyzing how the play went wrong from there is missing the point. They could have randomly opened the playbook and with their eyes closed pick a play out, and done better than the play and formation they called!
Throwing the ball into the teeth of a bunched up goal line defense is the SINGLE STUPIDEST thing they could have possibly done there. Only one good thing could have happened, and even then he probably would have been stopped short of the goal line. A metric TON of bad things could have gone wrong, and the worst possible one did.
Parsing out blame is pointless, when NONE of those players should have ever been put into that position to fail to begin with.

Worst play call imaginable. Period.

[Futureite]

There is no understanding it Obi, the call cannot ever, on any level, under any circumstances, be justified.

There is only accepting it. It's done, it happened, no reset button, no take backs, we had the game, then we didn't.

Now we just move on. This team is going nowhere, we fight our way back to the same opportunity next year and we keep our eye on the damn ball.

We'll be fine.

I'll justify it. You put the ball in the hands of your QB and asked him to win the SB. Check that. Not win it, but just make one throw. Any other outcome on that throw and you still win it. And the odds of an int are so low there, it almost could not happen. No QB had thrown an int when attempting a pass from the 1 all year.

Plenty justified. Now call me a troll.

[monkey]

Oh and, as for playing to the strengths of the people on the field, who was out there in that goal line situation?
Lockette a track guy who doesn't run great routes and isn't that big, doesn't have exceptional hands, but is fast. Yeah...that makes sense in a goal line situation.
Kearse. Sigh. He was there to block apparently...(I'm still not getting the play call at all).
Lynch. Now there is someone who needs the ball in his hands! Funny thing too, he was WIDE open. He would have easily scored, but the primary read is a timing route...
Baldwin, yeah this guy makes sense as well, he's the best route runner.

Question. WHERE WAS MATTHEWS??? Where was that big tall red zone guy?
OMG this play just gets worse and worse the more you analyze it.

[kalibane]

Kal,

I do agree that the shotgun was not the preferred formation for a 2nd and goal on the 1, but I do not share your outrage at running a play out of it in that situation. I was expecting a read option handoff to Lynch, or Wilson, seeing the defense crashing in on Lynch, pulling it out and taking it in himself like he did in the NFCCG.

But they didn't call a read option... that's why the formation is such an issue. The whole advantage of running a read option out of that formation is the formation spreads them out and forces them to respect the pass at least a little bit.

The moment that Bevell decided he wanted to pass that formation should have been off the table. If the call is to throw the ball, which while I would not have done it in this particular moment is not the worst call, Bevell should have lined up in a power formation to take advantage of the Patriots need to sell out to stop the run.

In the 2nd quarter they might have hedged and played some cover but with 30 seconds left they can't afford to hedge. Unless their plan is to let Lynch score so they can try to answer with a field goal they have to crash on any play action. The Shotgun formation neutralized the need to sell out.

[Hawktawk]

The play was doomed by Lockette being lazy out of his break, also it looked like Browner just got a little piece of him slowing it down even more. I wondered why a guy who looks like TO cant crack the lineup. Well now we know. And the defender made an excellent play on the ball. As has been said it wound up being a stupid call. Obviously the play design with no threat of Lynch was unilateral disarmament. But hindsight is 20-20. It wasn't the only factor in the loss. LOB got handled in the 4th quarter too, shockingly so.

[obiken]

Mike and Mike went over it really well. 1.Its a play that NE was ready for because we run it and they run it. Butler was interviewed and he was beaten on the play in practice. 2.The ball should have been thrown lower and to right, not left. Russell was not pressed he should have seen Butler coming forward. The right was wide open they block and he is in the corner easy. The key was Browner blowing up Baldwin.
This was an Iconic game we just lost. IF we won Brady is still the best of all time and we would have been talking RW being the next Joe Montana.

[Hawktown]

Terrible call, no doubt bout it. I am sure it has been mentioned but my next biggest frustration in that game is the Pat's TD over Wanger! Why was Sherman in the slot and Wagner in shermans spot. Why the HELL does this team like to play CUTE sometimes, it does not seem to work out for them too often. I hope Atlanta rethinks their decision for that call alone, i would LOL!

EDIT:

Third biggest frustration is THE DANG SLOW START ON THE OFFENSE!!! COME ON GUYS, HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE AND WAKE UP BEFORE YOU GO PLAY FOOTBALL!

[NorthHawk]

I don't recall Lockette ever having been asked to run that play for a short yardage gain.
I'm of the impression that he has been on the outside for almost every play and is used for his speed and not going across the middle.
Am I wrong or has he run a lot of quick slants?

It seems to me they ran a play with a WR they rarely use in that manner and it bit them big time.

Since they were down at the 1 yard line with less than a minute left, do they not have confidence in their OL to punch it in?
They out thought themselves on that one.

Gotta give credit to Butler. He trusted his coaching, saw the play and jumped the route. A great play by a rookie.

[HumanCockroach]

Terrible call, no doubt bout it. I am sure it has been mentioned but my next biggest frustration in that game is the Pat's TD over Wanger! Why was Sherman in the slot and Wagner in shermans spot. Why the HELL does this team like to play CUTE sometimes, it does not seem to work out for them too often. I hope Atlanta rethinks their decision for that call alone, i would LOL!

EDIT:

Third biggest frustration is THE DANG SLOW START ON THE OFFENSE!!! COME ON GUYS, HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE AND WAKE UP BEFORE YOU GO PLAY FOOTBALL!

If you are talking about Gronk's TD catch, it was KJ not Wagner in coverage. Maybe you are talking about a different play, not sure.

[HumanCockroach]

I don't recall Lockette ever having been asked to run that play for a short yardage gain.
I'm of the impression that he has been on the outside for almost every play and is used for his speed and not going across the middle.
Am I wrong or has he run a lot of quick slants?

It seems to me they ran a play with a WR they rarely use in that manner and it bit them big time.

Since they were down at the 1 yard line with less than a minute left, do they not have confidence in their OL to punch it in?
They out thought themselves on that one.

Gotta give credit to Butler. He trusted his coaching, saw the play and jumped the route. A great play by a rookie.

Not that I remember, and to be fair, I don't remember a quick slant from the one from the Seahawks the last couple seasons. The thing I really don't understand is the "waste a play" thought that it seems Carroll and Co seem to be fixated on. If you are "wasting a play" in that situation ( which is silly to begin with) than the ball goes low and outside or high and to the endzone, somewhere ONLY the receiver has a chance. Not into the teeth of the defense in goal line defense, OR run the dang ball, if you are stopped short, you lose NOTHING in that situation.

[NorthHawk]

Agreed.

[Vegaseahawk]

The thing about this call is that, had it succeeded, I still would've questioned it. I think the initials DB should stand for Douche Bag from here on out.

[RiverDog]

[But they didn't call a read option... that's why the formation is such an issue. The whole advantage of running a read option out of that formation is the formation spreads them out and forces them to respect the pass at least a little bit.

The moment that Bevell decided he wanted to pass that formation should have been off the table. If the call is to throw the ball, which while I would not have done it in this particular moment is not the worst call, Bevell should have lined up in a power formation to take advantage of the Patriots need to sell out to stop the run.

In the 2nd quarter they might have hedged and played some cover but with 30 seconds left they can't afford to hedge. Unless their plan is to let Lynch score so they can try to answer with a field goal they have to crash on any play action. The Shotgun formation neutralized the need to sell out.

I agree. Perhaps I misunderstood you. I thought your point was that there was no way we should have come out in a shotgun even if the plan was to pound it in. IMO a shotgun might have been a very good formation to come out in if we intended to run something like the read. It spreads them out a little and gives Beast the ball deep enough to where he has a choice as to where to hit the LOS and find the weakest spot and it gives Russell the option of pulling it out if he sees an opening to the outside. Beast doesn't get that same flexibility taking a handoff when the QB is under center.

[Anthony]

It's pretty hard for me to put a lot of blame on Lockette. He had ran the right route and was looking back for the ball, and just like Russell, he did not expect the DB to jump the route. The DB got both arms clear inside the receiver and Lockette never even touched the ball, so it's pretty hard to blame him for not fighting for it. But he is part of the combination, so in that sense, he, too, has to take some of the blame.

And I'm not accepting Russell's "one inch off" explanation, either. If the pass was off, it was off by more than an inch. Lockette never got so much as a fingernail on it. More like a foot or two. IMO he did not anticipate the DB jumping that route. Plus if he thought they had 'the right play called' for that situation, then he's as guilty as Bevell. There's almost universal agreement that it was not the right play call, quite the contrary, most people are saying it is one of the worst calls in history. When the play call came in, a bell should have gone off in Russell's head that said "WTF, a pass play over the middle? On 2nd and goal from the one? If there's a defender within 10 feet of where that ball is supposed to go, I'm not throwing it."

Riv try as you might your need to blame Wilson is wrong, and the axe you seem to have is getting old. Fact Bevel called the play, fact it is a timing play, facts Wilson threw it were it was suppose to be and the guy jumped it. Done over. Wilson is not to blame the blame here is on Bevel for calling this stupid play that did not use Lynch, did not allow Wilson to have other options besides a timing pass. So give it a break your need to always find some blame to put on Wilson even when there is none is boarding on trolling status.

[Hawktawk]

Come on Anthony. Ive been on the forum that became Hawkshack for 14 years and pretty much all that time RD has been a valued contributor. As fans we shouldn't be having a food fight and mucking up the forum with troll accusations.

The truth is somewhere in the middle on that last play. Wilson clearly did not see that the DB was jumping the route and ultimately the QB is responsible for the ball he threw. RW has said as much himself. Theres plenty of blame to go around on the play but Wilson was not blameless. Rd isn't the only one who gets hung up on his position sometimes.


Riv try as you might your need to blame Wilson is wrong, and the axe you seem to have is getting old. Fact Bevel called the play, fact it is a timing play, facts Wilson threw it were it was suppose to be and the guy jumped it. Done over. Wilson is not to blame the blame here is on Bevel for calling this stupid play that did not use Lynch, did not allow Wilson to have other options besides a timing pass. So give it a break your need to always find some blame to put on Wilson even when there is none is boarding on trolling status.

[Anthony]

Come on Anthony. Ive been on the forum that became Hawkshack for 14 years and pretty much all that time RD has been a valued contributor. As fans we shouldn't be having a food fight and mucking up the forum with troll accusations.

The truth is somewhere in the middle on that last play. Wilson clearly did not see that the DB was jumping the route and ultimately the QB is responsible for the ball he threw. RW has said as much himself. Theres plenty of blame to go around on the play but Wilson was not blameless. Rd isn't the only one who gets hung up on his position sometimes.


Riv try as you might your need to blame Wilson is wrong, and the axe you seem to have is getting old. Fact Bevel called the play, fact it is a timing play, facts Wilson threw it were it was suppose to be and the guy jumped it. Done over. Wilson is not to blame the blame here is on Bevel for calling this stupid play that did not use Lynch, did not allow Wilson to have other options besides a timing pass. So give it a break your need to always find some blame to put on Wilson even when there is none is boarding on trolling status.

Sorry dude I never said Riv was not valuable but this constant need to blame Wilson for stuff is getting old. Rw taking blame doe snot mean he really is to blame, everyone took blame for it, well except Bevel. The issue is Riv is going above and beyond to ensure Wilson gets blame on this forum, and others. So sorry I will not, this axe of his is getting old. I put little to no blame on Wilson and every expert on the radio says the same thing. Wilson was put in a position were he had one play a timing route were he has to throw it period. IT was open when he threw it but the DB made a great play, and the Wr did not.

[Hawktawk]

You are not entirely correct about the media perception of the role RW played in the pick.There are critics. The throw was a back foot high throw without proper velocity and just a whisker late as well.Not to mention RW was locked onto him before the snap. Nobody is debating that the play call itself was a disaster but the execution was very poor by both reciever and QB. And once again WILSON HAS ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY. So why wont you?

[Anthony]

You are not entirely correct about the media perception of the role RW played in the pick.There are critics. The throw was a back foot high throw without proper velocity and just a whisker late as well.Not to mention RW was locked onto him before the snap. Nobody is debating that the play call itself was a disaster but the execution was very poor by both reciever and QB. And once again WILSON HAS ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY. So why wont you?

First off I have not seen anyone put any blame on Wilson, second it was a timing pattern he has to lock in as soon as his back foot hits he throws. Again As to Wilson taking responsibility, of course he did, he always does, unlike Bevel who blames others, That does not mean it was his fault. that just means he did what leaders do. I have no problem giving him blame when it is warranted I did in the NFCG on 2 of his INTs, but I will not on this one as it was not on him. Why do you and Riv feel the need to put the blame on him when it clearly is not?

[Hawktawk]

Bevell is a tool, everyone knows that.I cant stand coaches who throw player under the bus for their own mistakes And PC had a "hormonal moment"as he would say.He hasn't had too many of those the last couple of years but he picked the worst possible time.
And I have definitely heard some media criticism of RWs execution of the play whether you have or not. I'm not just making it up.Everyone agrees the call was stupid. RW and especially Lockette were put in a position to fail and they did so spectacularly.
IMO PC and probably Bevell wanted their favorite son to win the MVP and their greed cost the Hawks the Lombardi.

[monkey]

Truth is, Lockette didn't go hard for the ball, Bevell was right about that. Truth is, Wilson's throw wasn't spot on, it was late, and a couple inches off the mark. Truth is Kearse didn't get a very good block on his guy, which contributed to the problem.
Truth is, Beast Mode was WIDE OPEN on the left side, if Wilson throws there instead, we're all talking about a great play call, because it is actually a well designed play.
Still, truth is, that's is NOT the play that should have been called there, and it was called there because they brought in a three receiver set and were trying to force Bellicheck into making a counter move, and or calling a timeout, but Bellichick didn't flinch. He went goal line, all out run stop, and Bevell and Pete felt they had to "waste a play" as a result. I disagree, I don't think you should EVER waste a play, but that's the sort of decision I don't get paid the big bucks to make, because I couldn't do that job. Truth is, there's plenty of room to place blame, Lockette, Wilson, Kearse, Baldwin, Bevell, Carroll...the DEFENSE that let the Pats get back in the game down 10...
Truth is, it's really hard to do what this team did, and I for one am DAMNED PROUD of this group of guys for getting that far, especially with all the injuries.
What a great freakin team!

[Hawktawk]

True that. At the end there the Hawks were a mash unit and still they were only a yard short. Im so proud as a fan.I think this is a mentally and physically tough enough group to go make another run.

[Zorn76]

Well said, monkey.

What it boils down to me is this: While this is a tough, tough, way to lose a Super Bowl, I have to keep in mind that, while difficult, we have a Great shot at getting back to and winning another SB with this team.

We are going to secure RW, Wagner, and have a solid chance of keeping Lynch.

We were Beyond Fortunate to even play in yesterday's game, given what happened 2 weeks ago vs the Packers. We played and fought hard all season, and just came up short.

It stings.

Badly.

But our Seahawks do have a future. We will win the West again in 2015, IMO, and be right back in the thick of it playoff wise. The mental toughness and collective team psyche of our guys is tremendous. They know they let one slip away, and will do everything in their power to get back to Santa Clara next February.

Btw - I live 15 minutes from Levi Stadium. Should we make it back - and we have a great shot at doing so - it would be awesome to meet other fans from here, should they travel to the game. Getting way ahead of myself, I know, but still...it could happen:)

We have good things ahead of us, fellas (and Sista). Time passes, this game will not hurt as much, and we can win another Lombardi.

If nothing else, just look at our divisional rivals. The Rams still don't have a franchise QB, AZ's fortunes are riding on the same thing, along with the mess that is now the 49ers. Those franchises are in rough shape, while we are poised to make another run at getting another ring.

It's all good.

Keep the faith.

And Go Seahawks!!!

[HumanCockroach]

In no way do I want anyone, anywhere to mistake my anger at the call, for a lack of pride I have in this team. It's a hell of a team, with a cast of individuals that as a whole are greater than their parts, that said I will never be able to comprehend the dicision to forgo what is the teams IDENTITY in that moment, ever.

That IS exactly what they did, and the fact that Wilson WANTED to run the ball and was over ridden, is something to me that is absolutely insane. Wilson wants to WIN more than he wants to be the "star" and in this circumstance he was indeed content to take a back seat, in order to do so. WHY Bevfool and Carroll chose THAT moment to override his imput, is beyond me. How many times in the last several seasons has Wilson ( NOT Bevell) been the one to run a hurry up offense with time ticking down, and won the game? Hell it happened in THAT game only an hour earlier.

It happened just two weeks prior, and it has happened numerous times over the course of the last two years. Wilson KNEW what should be run, and was ignored, I simply cannot fathom, that decision, in that moment. If they wanted so desperately to make it about Wilson, than let HIM make the damn call, and give him praise in the post game interviews. But to try and force feed it, while ignoring his wishes is ridiculous, and stubborn. Simply No justifiable reason for "wasting" a down in that situation, even if it IS Tom Brady on the other side, run the clock down, and run the damn ball if you want to run the clock, and with 29 seconds left ( probably LESS) had they run the ball, is Seattle fans or coaches really concerned that Seattles D can't hold them out of FG range ( Brady would have had 15 or so seconds to score with one TO if they had run for a TD and the ensuing kickoff depending on whether they decided to kick it through the endzone, or force a return on a shorter kick).

Nah, this one is going to sting forever, will be referenced in the same manner as the Buckner leg thing, forever, and will always be what is brought up, everytime they have a coach make a poor decision, for the rest of our lives....

Lose doing what you do best, I can live with, losing doing something that isn't remotely in that category, isn't something I'll ever accept ( and that IS exactly what happened). How many times have we heard about Seattle's identity, and how they refuse to vary from that identity ( hell they didn't against GB in the last two minutes down twelve), in that particular moment, Carroll and Bevfool, decided to completely change from that identity, and it cost the team, it's fans and really anyone watching the ultimate prize.

[Hawktawk]

I saw a stat that said there were 100 something passes thrown from the 1 yard line in the NFL last season including the playoffs and Wilson's was the ONLY such pass picked off in the 2014 season. WTF.....The great Hawk in the sky gives favor and it takes it away. Oh well there have been more good times than bad the last 10 years.I think the future can still be bright.
I dont know if this is a Buckner moment or not.I think this is a more mentally tough team. PC Fd up the Atlanta playoff game in 2012 and the Hawks came back and won it all. A lot of great teams have heartbreaking losses on their resume.Thats why no team has ever won 3 in a row.