The most controversial play call in super bowl history will continue to receive a ton of scrutiny from every football fan world-wide, and the more we learn about it, the harder it is to deflect blame from the Seattle coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell says that the play call that ultimately cost the Seahawks an opportunity at back to back Super Bowl titles was essentially made with the game clock in mind.
“We were conscious of how much time was on the clock, and we wanted to use it all,” Bevell said. “It didn’t turn out the way I hoped it would.
“Of course I can say now I wish we had done something different. There are 20 different things going through my mind that we can do. If you run it, that doesn’t mean you would score on that play.”
With the ball on the 1 yard line and it only being second down, there is no reason why the game should have been taken out of Marshawn Lynch’s hands. Trying to play the lock instead of the opponent is a quick way to lose a football game. Ultimately it was Pete Carroll’s final decision on the play call, and he took responsibility for the mistake afterwards.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll said the play call was ultimately his, and he made it based on New England’s defensive formation.
“I made the decision,” Carroll said. “I said, ‘Throw the ball,’ and we went with the play that we thought would give us a chance to get in the end zone.”
Carroll defended the Seahawks’ call as a logical choice with the Patriots stacking the box to stop Lynch.
“We were going to run the ball in to win the game, but not on that play,” Carroll said. “I didn’t want to waste a run play on their goal-line guys. It was a clear thought, but it didn’t work out right. The guy [Butler] made a play that no one would have thought he could make.”