NFL Super Bowl XLIX - Game Day Thread

Discuss the NHL, NFL, CIS, NCAA, Lacrosse, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Motorsports, Golf, Rugby, Amateur Sport, Curling, Wrestling ... Whatever Sport or Leisure activity you like!

Moderator: Team Captains

South Pender
Legend
Posts: 2779
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:24 am
Location: Vancouver weekdays; Gulf Islands on weekends

I think that the play to Lockette was sent in because he would be just about the last guy the Patriots would expect to be the intended target. Lockette is the fastest guy on the team (4.34 sec./40)--not that that was important in this situation--but he's also big--6-2, 211, and his size might have made him a reasonably logical choice in that tight goal-line situation. I'm disappointed in Bevell's placing the blame on Lockette, and I suspect he now wishes he hadn't. He made the comment while still devastated by the outcome. However, the Seahawks benefited from some similar completely-unreal--some would say unjustified--breaks this year--most notably in the NFC Final, which, by rights, they should have lost--and they just have to suck it up now, learn from their mistakes, and come back stronger than ever next year, something I think they will do. They are truly a complete team, and, with just a little tweaking, should be able to firm up their vulnerable areas (O-line--LG, RT--and WR). Tough loss, but, hey, that's football. The game gave us all the excitement we could ask for.
User avatar
Rammer
Team Captain
Posts: 22320
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 6:04 pm
Location: Coquitlam, B.C.

WestCoastJoe wrote:Ya live by the sword, and ya die by the sword.

The Seahawks got to where they are by living on the edge. Go for it. Attack. If they make that play, it is a great call. If not, it becomes one that gets criticized.

The Patriots had 8 in the box, possibly 9. So the rookie makes an incredible read, and play on the ball. Game over.

Personally, I can't really fault the call. Gonna second guess Pete Carroll and his staff, after all the gutsy calls they made along the way? Nah ... Not me anyway.

As Wilson noted, calling Lynch is always a good call. But I think that DB made an unlikely play. If the Patriots stuffed Lynch, then it gets tougher for the Hawks. To me, that call was completely in character for the way Carroll and the Hawks approach the game. They do not play it safe.

In retrospect the play would have been very high percentage if Wilson rolled out. Not much help on defence on that side. Plus the receiver can find a soft spot. I think that receiver was passive in his play for the ball, like he was in shock at crunch time in the big game. The DB was ready for it. I would put it on the receiver. He did not get himself in position. He did not protect against the oncoming DB. Pending further review. And more review.

Lockette has good size and incredible speed. Not drafted. And one wonders why. On that play I thnk we can see why. You have to go after the ball. You have to establish a position. You have to "defend" against the DB. He has been something of a project, I would guess. The Hawks have been getting by without a top notch receiving corps, methinks. Just IMO ... (not an avid follower of the NFL).

Don't know if Pete Carroll got in the face of that receiver as he did to Matthews earlier, working his magic on the player, pumping him up for the big play, the play of his life. Guess it might have been too obvious a second time.

As noted, Lynch would have been a good call too. And if he is stopped, then it gets tougher.

On his run to the 1, he was just barely tripped up. Just barely.

Great finish. Good game. Two truly excellent teams. Respect between the Head Coaches. Respect between the QBs.

Hindsight? Absolutely. Monday morning quarterbacking? Absolutely. For fans, that is almost as good as watching live first time around.
My first reaction was that either Lynch or Wilson are set for MVP if they are the trigger man in that late TD. Lynch got his shot and then Wilson wanted his chance, knowing that the clock would stop and give Lynch another opportunity from the one. So if you ask me, I think that Wilson took the opportunity to go to center stage with a TD toss.

I just can't see Carroll making that call despite what he has said in the media, it just wasn't worth the potential outcome. Plus, does the HC really make that call, or the OC at that stage? Putting himself out there sure takes the heat off the guy he has to count on to go back to the SB.

Great play by the DB regardless of who made the call though, he not only broke to the ball but was able to hold onto it during contact.

The catch by Kearse, the INT were superb plays in the ultimate game for NFL players. But what the heck is Bennett doing taking the offside after the INT? That was crazy as it looked to me that his own players were trying to pull him back from making contact or going offside. What a selfish move.
Entertainment value = an all time low
User avatar
BC 1988
Legend
Posts: 1357
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 1:58 pm
Location: BC (since 1988)

KnowItAll wrote:as for the hawks, ya got the best running QB in the league and you don't let him run once in the 4th? On the second last possession, he should have ran on 3rd and 5, and then there is the last play. Maybe they let a sideline reporter call that last play. Shades of 88 grey cup, sort of.
That was what my best friend and I both said as it was happening.

I was with a table of 2 Pats, 2 Seahawks and 2 neutral (myself being one of them, as I'm not a real hard-core NFL follower). It was so emotionally draining for the 4 committed fans they were too stunned to process what just happened. For me, it was one of the most entertaining NFL games I`ve ever seen.

Credit NE coaching for exploiting the injuries as they happened. SEA coaching took risks and they paid off at Halftime, but the feeling that you are destined to win can only carry you so far.
User avatar
Rammer
Team Captain
Posts: 22320
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 6:04 pm
Location: Coquitlam, B.C.

Another interesting take on the potential safety was that it was up for the bettors on whether there would be a safety in the game, plus some other bets available.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... es-penalty



(Bloomberg) -- Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett was the villain of the Super Bowl for some bettors.

Bennett jumped offside when the New England Patriots had the ball at their own 1-yard-line with 20 seconds to go while leading 28-24, erasing the last chance for a safety -- and for gamblers who made that bet to collect a win.

His encroachment penalty brought the ball out to the 6, giving Patriots quarterback Tom Brady plenty of room to take the snap, kneel down and let time expire.

Whether there would be a safety -- each of the previous three Super Bowls had one -- was among the hundreds of proposition bets offered by sports books on the Super Bowl. Jeff Sherman at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook said those “prop” wagers -- usually not tied directly to the final score of the game -- accounted for about 60 percent of the total amount bet on the Super Bowl.

Here’s how the rest of some of the more popular bets on the National Football League’s championship game turned out.

-The coin toss landed tails. So now tails leads heads in the Super Bowl 25-24. Action so heavily favored heads that some books were making it less expensive to bet on tails, according to RJ Bell, who runs betting information website Pregame.com.

-Special teams or defenses didn’t score.

-The first score was not a field goal or a safety, rather it was a 11-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Brandon LaFell in the second quarter. LaFell had been listed at 16-1 odds by William Hill Plc, meaning a $100 wager paid off $1,600.

-Patriots receiver Julian Edelman had the game’s last touchdown, the go-ahead score that paid off at 12-1 odds.
Lynch Score

-Bettors had to wager $165 to win $100 that Marshawn Lynch would score a touchdown for the Seahawks. Beast Mode did, and 95 percent of the tickets at William Hill’s 105 Nevada sportsbooks were on the winning side of that prop.

-Rob Gronkowski also scored a touchdown for the Patriots, returning a $100 profit on a $110 wager, with 97 percent of tickets at William Hill taking the “yes” on that prop.

-Brady had been the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award at Bovada, with 8-5 odds. He did, for a record-tying third time.

-Like every other Super Bowl, there was no overtime. The NFL title game hasn’t gone to extra time since the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in 1958.

-Neither fullback James Develin of the Patriots nor Seahawks receiver Bryan Walters scored, meaning that an Ivy League player still has yet to get on the board in the Super Bowl. Develin, who went to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, had 20-1 odds at Bovada.lv. Walters, of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, also was 20-1. Develin caught one pass for six yards; Walters had no receptions.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Sillup in New York at msillup@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net Erik Matuszewski, Dex McLuskey
Entertainment value = an all time low
User avatar
Rammer
Team Captain
Posts: 22320
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 6:04 pm
Location: Coquitlam, B.C.

BC 1988 wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:as for the hawks, ya got the best running QB in the league and you don't let him run once in the 4th? On the second last possession, he should have ran on 3rd and 5, and then there is the last play. Maybe they let a sideline reporter call that last play. Shades of 88 grey cup, sort of.
That was what my best friend and I both said as it was happening.

I was with a table of 2 Pats, 2 Seahawks and 2 neutral (myself being one of them, as I'm not a real hard-core NFL follower). It was so emotionally draining for the 4 committed fans they were too stunned to process what just happened. For me, it was one of the most entertaining NFL games I`ve ever seen.

Credit NE coaching for exploiting the injuries as they happened. SEA coaching took risks and they paid off at Halftime, but the feeling that you are destined to win can only carry you so far.
I agree on the entertainment value in the game, but still shake my head at the KO's to start a hald or after a scoring play. Simply give the opposition the ball at the 20, it is a waste of time watching guys run down field only to watch teh ref blow the play dead. Perhaps it will take a large injury to take place on a KO for the NFL to address this and at least put the ball on the 20, but better yet move the KO back so that the team is actually rewarded if they attempt to return it.
Entertainment value = an all time low
User avatar
BC 1988
Legend
Posts: 1357
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 1:58 pm
Location: BC (since 1988)

Rammer wrote:I agree on the entertainment value in the game, but still shake my head at the KO's to start a hald or after a scoring play. Simply give the opposition the ball at the 20, it is a waste of time watching guys run down field only to watch teh ref blow the play dead. Perhaps it will take a large injury to take place on a KO for the NFL to address this and at least put the ball on the 20, but better yet move the KO back so that the team is actually rewarded if they attempt to return it.
That is exactly why I am a hard-core CFL fan, not NFL. I hope we continue to have our own unique game.
User avatar
Ravi
Legend
Posts: 1051
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 9:01 pm
Location: St Catharines, Ontario

BC 1988 wrote:
Rammer wrote:I agree on the entertainment value in the game, but still shake my head at the KO's to start a hald or after a scoring play. Simply give the opposition the ball at the 20, it is a waste of time watching guys run down field only to watch teh ref blow the play dead. Perhaps it will take a large injury to take place on a KO for the NFL to address this and at least put the ball on the 20, but better yet move the KO back so that the team is actually rewarded if they attempt to return it.
That is exactly why I am a hard-core CFL fan, not NFL. I hope we continue to have our own unique game.
I agree. You see few punt returns in the American game as well. Special teams just aren't anywhere near the factor in the American game that they are in the Canadian game which is one of the great advantages our game has.
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

Very nice words from Brandon Browner about his time in the CFL. He loved the league. He matured while in the CFL. Nothing but praise for the CFL and the Canadian experience. (Take that Michael Bennett, along with your late game penalty. :thdn: ) -- interview by Arash Madani

Does Browner have good karma? Grey Cup with Calgary. Super Bowl ring with Seattle. Super Bowl win with the Patriots.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
TheLionKing
Hall of Famer
Posts: 25103
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Vancouver

aklawitter wrote:I never knew JC moonlighted as the Seahawks' OC.

:wink: :wink:
User avatar
Rammer
Team Captain
Posts: 22320
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 6:04 pm
Location: Coquitlam, B.C.

WestCoastJoe wrote:Very nice words from Brandon Browner about his time in the CFL. He loved the league. He matured while in the CFL. Nothing but praise for the CFL and the Canadian experience. (Take that Michael Bennett, along with your late game penalty. :thdn: ) -- interview by Arash Madani

Does Browner have good karma? Grey Cup with Calgary. Super Bowl ring with Seattle. Super Bowl win with the Patriots.
There is an aroma about him.Image
Entertainment value = an all time low
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

Rammer wrote:
WestCoastJoe wrote:Very nice words from Brandon Browner about his time in the CFL. He loved the league. He matured while in the CFL. Nothing but praise for the CFL and the Canadian experience. (Take that Michael Bennett, along with your late game penalty. :thdn: ) -- interview by Arash Madani

Does Browner have good karma? Grey Cup with Calgary. Super Bowl ring with Seattle. Super Bowl win with the Patriots.
There is an aroma about him.Image
Browner's partner on that side, Butler, recalls the play.
The Patriots recognized a three-receiver formation from Seattle and so they put three cornerbacks on the field with Butler joining Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis.

"We prepare for that situation as part of our goal-line package," Bill Belichick said. "Three corners, two corners, one corner, no corners if they have all tight ends and an offensive line in there."

Still, Butler had to be purrfect in his execution.

"Eyes. Eyes tell everything. I (saw) Wilson looking over there and trying to keep his head still, just look over there like this," Butler said as he shifted his eyes right.

"So that gave me a clue. And stack receivers, I just knew they were going to throw and my instincts went with my mind and made the play."
http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2015/ ... ature.html

It was a close run thing. I had that feeling that Wilson would take the Hawks down the field. And Lynch came so close to running it in. The defender just got a hand on his ankle to trip him up. So close.

But Lockette played it weak (a mouthy opponent would call him a name). Very weak. Hesitant. Unaware. Overwhelmed by the situation no doubt. Fell off a much smaller guy (3 inches and 23 pounds). Did not stake out the territory.

Lots of blame to go around. Wilson with a possible tell, that Butler picked up on. Lockette playing it weak. The play call. I think the play call was a natural in that situation, but not with a weak receiver.

No squawking from me. I was hoping for the Patriots by the end. Brady. Even Belichick. But I have huge respect for Carroll, Wilson and the Hawks also.

Incredible read and play by Butler. "I just knew they were going to throw and my instincts went with my mind and made the play" ... "instincts" ... What Butler had, and what Lockette did not have. In the gladiatorial contest at the goalline, Butler won, and Lockette bit the dust.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
User avatar
Sir Purrcival
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4621
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:48 am
Location: Comox Valley

If you are going to throw in that situation, you have only one real call and it is coffin corner. That way if the receiver doesn't get it no one does. Throwing a quick in that can be disrupted for all sorts of reasons; deflection (aka Michael Gray 1988), receiver disrupted or even just a bounce off the hands. I know that some have defended the call but given the chances they had left, the timeouts they had left, the running personnel they had, its was a silly call, a call that had much higher chances for disaster than other options available. There is going to be a lot of soul searching about this one and it will go down as one of the all time controversial play calls in a Superbowl. Even the Pats fan I was with watching the game couldn't believe that the Hawks made the call they did. He was as stunned as the rest of us.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
User avatar
Toppy Vann
Hall of Famer
Posts: 9789
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:56 pm

I read where Carroll was supposed to have said post game that the play could have been wasted if it didn't work. They'd still be able to get it in....

He's a great coach but passing there with both their top RB and QB who can run a read option like no one can would have been better options - any play that didn't need to have Wilson throw it.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
TheLionKing
Hall of Famer
Posts: 25103
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Vancouver

Carroll can defend the play til the cows come home. It was a bad call.
User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

So many famous football plays have names associated with them.

The Catch.

The Holy Roller.

The Play.

The Immaculate Reception.

4th & 2.

Red Right 88.

Wide Right.

Music City Miracle.

The Helmet Catch.

This one has already been dubbed:

"2nd & dumb."
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
Post Reply