Bad Coaching Clarity

If M3 was in that situation, I suspect the Cobb in the backfield formation would have been in play after first running Kuhn on the quick hitter on first down.

Lockette  has 18 career receptions. Lack of execution all around certainly was there, but he's not exactly a good option. Other than the horrible ST call on the fake FG the problems the Packers had against the Hawks were almost entirely related to execution.

They should have thrown to the guy who had 0 career receptions before the game.

Who's who

I don't like to harp on playcalling too much b/c it is such a hard thing to get right every single time, but the pass play was as bad as it gets.  This is what should have happened:

 

2nd down: Playaction fake, boot leg by Wilson.  Sneak a TE/FB to the flat, throw it away if nothing open.  Also gives Wilson the option to run.  Incompletion stops the clock, low risk of interception and stops the clock around 20 seconds, easily enough for 2 more plays with your 1 remaining timeout. 

 

3rd down: Run with Lynch, call timeout with 8-10 seconds left.  

 

4th Down: Run with Lynch.  

Or he could have dialed up the Peppers eligible play......

Feels cathartic that they would have a colossal failure when the spotlight was on and they "had to have it"

It was satisfying, the way everything went down.  I don't like either team but found some joy in the way things played out down the stretch.  

If the notorious play is divided into three categories, I think it ranks with the worst plays in the history of the league.

 

Category 1 - Context of Game When Play Was Called

3 plays to make a single yard making team the SB champion versus giving it away.

 

Category 2 - Decision to Call The Play

One can never know what is going to happen and in this case, the play calla for the ball to be thrown where there are a lot of players.  It is really crowded.  Also Lynch is a beast.  If a pass is called, as was already posted, do a fake handoff to Lynch followed by a boot leg with a run pass option where the pass is going to a fairly uncrowded area.

 

Category 3 - Execution of Play

Receiver not taking the territory, bad throw, bad decision to even throw (unless throwing it 20 feet beyond the back of the goal line).

 

Just a colossal gaffe at the worst possible time.

 

Actually, one game I can think of that ranks right up there was the DB for the Chargers not taking a knee in the conference championship against the Pats.  Take the knee, game is over.  But, it wasn't the SB.

 

 

It was obviously an awful decision that was over thought. But you could argue BB not taking a timeout after the first down run was an even worse decision. What on earth was he thinking? How do you not call TO in that situaion? If Seattle doesn't pull that gaffe, the entire world is asking how BB gives Brady 15 seconds to tie the game rather than 50.

 

I initially thought that Belichick should have called a timeout, but in hindsight, his thought process is more clear.  A timeout would have allowed Seattle to run the ball three times from the 1 yd. line.  By not calling it, Belichick forced Seattle's hand and got exactly what he wanted: Seattle was only going to be able to run once, maybe twice.  He was even more fortunately that Carrol chose to pass on the next play. 

I understood Carroll's reasoning and I don't necessarily think passing was a bad option, but a Slant was a very poor choice of pass at the goalline. The Slant is a great pass when you throw it all the time and the middle is cleared out by blitzing ILBs and the Safeties are 10-15 off the ball, but at the goalline your ILBs are 2-3 yards off the ball and your Safeties are stacked behind them probably 5-7 yards. That's an easy play for a DB with so little area to cover. Throw the fade to Matthews or Willson vs a shorter DB. If it doesn't work then just run it.

 

Bevell has said in 2 interviews it was his call. Carroll took responsibility claiming it was his call, but apparently local Seattle media said he says that all the time but reality is it was likely indeed Bevell's.

 

Regardless, buck stops with the HC. As others said in the SB thread, as bad as the meltdown was in the NFCC game by GB, this would have stung far worse that this been the Packers in the SB.

 

That may go down as the worst call in SB history.

I am still overjoyed that Bart's sneak worked.

Pete should have said, "let's run it and get the hell outa here"

 If a pass is called, as was already posted, do a fake handoff to Lynch followed by a boot leg with a run pass option where the pass is going to a fairly uncrowded area.

 

My thoughts exactly--Matthews in the corner quick pass, chance of success greater than the slant and maybe Wilson runs it in.

At least in thnPack/Seattle game MM tried to sscore 3 timers an d then kicked the FG.  If you recall on one of the running plays there, Lacy got thrown for a 2 yard loss.   Early in the game, the FG was probably the best choice.   In the SB, the Seahawks did not even try one running play from the 6 inch line.   THIS  was THE MOST STUPID PLAY.  Much worse than MMs call 2 weeks ago IMHO.

Wilson needed to throw it earlier and placed better. For all the praise Schneider has received he really hasn't done a very good job at the WR position.

@AaronNagler

Butler said he recognized the look; he had been beaten w/it in scout-team practice. Never a better example of importance of the scout team.

@AndrewSiciliano

Highest rated @SuperBowl ever: 49.7/72 overnight rating/share

As good as Schneider has been drafting D and as good as TT has been drafting O, you would think they could give each other a little advice.

Wilson burned not 1, but 2 timeouts on the final drive when the clock was already stopped.  If they even have 2 timeouts they can run the ball 3 times from the 1.

 

 

Better not let Randall Cobb get into free agency, he's exactly the Percy Harvin-type Seattle needs (a mentally stable version).

Wilson needed to throw it sooner, but the blocking WR needed to drive his guy backward into the way of Butler. I knew the Pats were ready for that exact play when the up-CB didn't wait for the receiver to come to him, but instead he rushed and attacked the blocking WR at the snap. That opened up space for Butler to easily run forward into the spot where the ball was thrown. If that CB waits to take on the blocking WR and/or gets driven backward, there is a larger open area for Lovette to run into and a smaller one for Butler to get to the ball. In the GIF above you see the blocking CB looking at Wilson waiting for the throw. That was an example of good coaching, and film study...

 

On another note, ya gotta hand it to BB and Brady for having the patience to dink and dunk down the field when down by 10 in the fourth Q, not once, but twice. That showed great discipline and patience. I was wondering if AR and MM would do that...  

 

Kearse (WR) got stuffed by Browner at the GL, big play by BB.

 

An immature young man with substance abuse and anger management issues. What could possibly go wrong?

 

When the Hags got to the one yard line, I was thinking that BB might let them score, ala Holmgren, to give Brady as much time as possible, to get the tying FG.  At that point in time, it was a foregone conclusion, they were going to score and win the game.  Incredible turn of events, couldn't happen to a better team.  

That's exactly what I was thinking in the FA thread about Cobb.  He's not a #1 and another team will not offer him #1 money unless it's a team that has very specific plans for the type of player he is.  SEA could be one of those teams (see Harvin 2013).  Then again SEA has plenty of big contracts to sign their own players to so who knows what kind of $ they'll have left.

 Category 2.5 The play call itself- Even though it's a staple play...seemingly higher pct. due to catching a defense off guard, down at the goal line it ends up being very low odds of success. All 22 guys are bunched up, and as we saw even the slight separation Lockette does get...his route is into traffic, into that spot on the field most likely to see defensive players converging. The quick slant itself in such a bang bang situation has great possibility of being tipped in the air. Just a reckless call all the way around. Sure, they can point to execution, but Carroll and Bevell are also being disingenuous by claiming they gave their offense the best shot to score with such a call. You have a pretty intelligent and mobile qb who is adept at making plays with his feet....why not play fake and roll him out if you want to throw the ball?

It was a bad choice to call that play at that time...no doubt about it.  They had one remaining T/O and about 30 seconds to get three times into E/Z.   I am glad Seattle lost this way.   Only wished that NE would have lost too.

I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere but this isn't Bevell's first go round throwing when he should have run with one of the best RB's.

 

 

2010 Championship the Vikings  were on the 38 and decided to let hobbled Favre throw instead of running it with AP and taking a shot at the long FG to win it. 

With a tie game no less.....

I miss Coach Kick-Ass.

 

There was no individual call of MM I would look at and think was idiotic. It was more of the overall timid nature of his approach.

 

The Packers problems stemmed from either freak plays or poor execution (Dix on the 2 point conversion, Heyward getting burned on 3rd and 7, Bostick on the onside kick, Hawk on the fake FG).  

I wouldn't blame Bevell for the Favre meltdown. I'm sure the play wasn't intended to roll Favre out to the right and then have him throw back against his body across the entire field. That was a safe play call sabotaged by Favre losing his mind. Shoot, if Brent just runs right to the sideline he gains at least 2-3 yards. Or just throw it away out of bounds since he's out of the pocket.

 

Yesterday was totally on the play call. That's about the only play they could call that risks a turnover. Roll Wilson out, Run Lynch, throw a fade, any of those get you at least one more play even if you don't score.

The fake FG was more coaching than execution. The players executed the called play (a FG block attempt). The coaches and players were completely unprepared for any other eventuality and reacted accordingly.

Seattle is finally paying for grabbing all those former vikings- especially Bevell

Losing in the Super Bowl is all they do

 

Percy Harvin & Kevin Williams, thanks for effing up the seahawks- the purple curse lives on

 

Don't forget TJack

 

That feels like forever ago.

How many coaching changes have they had since?  like 2 or 3?

 

THANKS TED!