Football Is Done: Any Second Guessing?

[Greg Ambrosius]

I know that some of you have been in full baseball mode since the last out of the MLB regular season, but now that the NFL season is officially over it's time to bring in the other 50 percent of our audience. Put down the NFL Draft notes folks, it's time to concentrate on the baseball diamond!! Let's Play Ball!!

Still, it's fun to second-guess the coaches who lose in the Super Bowl. Pete Carroll is a great football coach, but would anyone else in their right mind with the Super Bowl on the line NOT hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch in that 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard-line situation? C'mon, I don't care WHAT DEFENSE New England was in, you still run Marshawn Lynch there. And Belichick almost blew it by not calling a timeout with 1 minute to go and Seattle on the 1. I mean, he HAD to try and save some time for Brady in case the Seahawks scored there to make it 31-28. It's like the brains of the two head coaches froze in the last minute of the game.

Some people on our football Message Boards are calling it the worst blunder in sports history and it's hard to argue. 1 yard away from winning your second straight Super Bowl and you do something as stupid as this??

What do you think, how does it rate as far as sports blunders? (Bartman isn't even close, Cubs' fans!! )

Let's hear from ya as we have fun on Feb. 2nd. Man, Opening Day is just over 2 months away, a mere 9 weeks!!! Time to get serious.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I think in the abstract when it comes to football, so I know few will agree with me.
When coaches call a quarterback shuffle pass near the goal line, commentators always comment in what a great play call it is.
We react to the result of the play.
Sure, most everyone feels that Lynch should have been pounded three or four times.
If THAT doesn't work though, and Seattle is stopped or Lynch fumbles, Seattle is called 'unimaginative'.
Or 'The Patriots KNEW what was coming!' would be the cry.
The result of the play dictates our feelings.
If the pass is caught by the Seahawk, it is kudo's to all the Seahawks and the 'blame' goes to Bellichek for not calling a time out.
The outcome results in blame in sports.
Anyway, blah, blah, blah. Football is finally over.
Pitchers and Catchers in two weeks.
Ahhhh.

P.S.- I'm not an avid football watcher, but is Chris Collinsworth the best America has as a color guy?
If so, football may have lost some casual viewers. Man, he is hard to listen to!
That guy got on my nerves like the media with the stupid deflated balls.

[NorCalAtlFan]

disagree.

stupid call.

but hey, baseball!

[Quahogs]

hey Dough ! It's like Mariano throwing his fastball instead of the cutter with 2 strikes 2 outs and a guy on 3rd.

You just don't do that.

[DOUGHBOYS]

hey Dough ! It's like Mariano throwing his fastball instead of the cutter with 2 strikes 2 outs and a guy on 3rd.

You just don't do that.

I get the point....baseball is coming

I thought it was a great game anyway.
The game easily overshadowed the pathetic waste of 4 1/2 million dollars every thirty seconds by poor ads.
Corporate America (except NBC) was a big loser yesterday.
And the voice of Collinsworth, which will take weeks to wash from my memory banks.

[Quahogs]

Actually I think we're the real losers. Believe you me those advertising costs are baked right into those Doritos prices we're paying !

[DOUGHBOYS]

Actually I think we're the real losers. Believe you me those advertising costs are baked right into those Doritos prices we're paying !

Of course, you are correct.
When it comes to Corporate America, State Government, or Federal, we always seem to be on the losing end.
And still, those four words make me feel better...
'Pitchers and Catchers Report!'

[Yah Mule]

Carnival Cruise Lines love letter to the sea (using the voice of JFK) would have been more compelling if they didn't dump millions of gallons of raw sewage into the water annually.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/oceans/ ... 131017.htm

[Baseball Furies]

I'm not a football guy either anymore, but I am going to go a little bit out on a limb with this one and state that that was without question THE SINGLE WORST JACKASS, MORONIC, IDIOTIC, BONE-HEADED, IMBECILIC, DUMB ASS PLAY CALLED IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME BAR NONE! Seattle deserved to lose and New England didn't deserve to win. So an otherwise great game is soiled by not only this play, but the typical thuggery that followed on the next play which set yet another wonderful example in front of a billion people of why football has degenerated into what it is today as a sport. Yeah, and baseball has issues.


And yes, Dough, thank God it's time for America's National Pastime.

[Money]

.

[Edwards Kings]

You know, I see both sides. First, the Seahawks should not have been down there in the first place. That "tipped ball-bouncing off my knee-pop-up-catch it from my ass" catch was so much pure luck.

And yes, you go where your money is. Everyone in the world knew that was what was going to happen. The pick pass was a high percentage alternative that took a PERFECT defensive move to cover it.

I hate both coaches, so I did not really have a dog in the fight. But it was nice to have a game really go down to the wire and effectively end on such unpredictable plays.

I almost made me look up from going over pitchers....

[DOUGHBOYS]

I almost made me look up from going over pitchers....

I was choosing between a reliever or backup catcher in the 43rd round of a 50 round draft.
And thinking this pick was more important to me than the result of this game

[Captain Hook]

So far viewed as the worst play call in Super Bowl history by many of the talking heads on TV and radio - and it may well be but there are some damn stupid plays run earlier in games that are forgotten about - the end of the game when that close sticks in our memories for quite a while - certainly will for Pete and his OC.

I think he was wrong in his (admitted) thought process leading to that play - that they had very little time and one time out and wanted to run three plays - I agree on maybe needing wanting the three plays but they could have had those by running Lynch on that play and IF unsuccessful callig time out and then they should still have had time for two passes or on pass on third down and then if they needed another play the pass/scramble/roll out option for the final play

But as others have said - more importantly > Pitchers and Catchers report in just three weeks

Dan and I are in another DC draft and at the same time I am halfway through a survivor league draft at FBG - so a little more football but far more baseball picks in the next week.

[uky]

I don't necessarily disagree with not running Lynch. Everybody in the world new that was coming. NE had it stacked and that's exactly why he didn't do it. Carroll and Belichick are known to think outside the box in managing a football game. My only question was the pass play they selected. It was a busted pick play that Butler saw coming. The safer play was the 6'5" Chris Matthews in the corner of the EZ. It would have taken 5-6 seconds and probably been a TD or incomplete pass. If incomplete, run Lynch twice. JMO

Trendsetters starts this Saturday..

[Navel Lint]

I think in the abstract when it comes to football, so I know few will agree with me.
When coaches call a quarterback shuffle pass near the goal line, commentators always comment in what a great play call it is.
We react to the result of the play.
Sure, most everyone feels that Lynch should have been pounded three or four times.
If THAT doesn't work though, and Seattle is stopped or Lynch fumbles, Seattle is called 'unimaginative'.
Or 'The Patriots KNEW what was coming!' would be the cry.
The result of the play dictates our feelings.
If the pass is caught by the Seahawk, it is kudo's to all the Seahawks and the 'blame' goes to Bellichek for not calling a time out.
The outcome results in blame in sports.

100% Totally Agree.

It's amazing how the results of one play can change the narrative.
The 'idiot' Pete Carroll was ballsy just two hours earlier when he decided to run one more offensive play with 6 seconds remaining at the end of the first half. A pass-play that resulted in a TD, but that could have been disastrous with a bad snap or any dozen other things that could have gone wrong that would have prevented a FG attempt at minimum.
Right NOW everyone says that it was a no-brainer......because it WORKED....

Tom Brady had nothing to do with Russel Wilson's intercepted pass at the end of the game, but today there is plenty of legitimate debate that he is the greatest QB in NFL history; that debate doesn't happen if Seattle scores. If Seattle scores, Brady is a very good QB with questions ( ball-gate ) hanging over his head, yet he was on the sidelines when his possible legacy was fashioned.

The result of one play can change the fortunes of many

[Greg Ambrosius]

I don't necessarily disagree with not running Lynch. Everybody in the world new that was coming. NE had it stacked and that's exactly why he didn't do it. Carroll and Belichick are known to think outside the box in managing a football game. My only question was the pass play they selected. It was a busted pick play that Butler saw coming. The safer play was the 6'5" Chris Matthews in the corner of the EZ. It would have taken 5-6 seconds and probably been a TD or incomplete pass. If incomplete, run Lynch twice. JMO

Trendsetters starts this Saturday..

Watch the replay and the safest pass would have been to Lynch on the outside as he had his linebacker beat like a drum. That pass would have been a touchdown or incomplete, but it was still dumb to pass. Yes, Seattle had their bigs in there, but Seattle was still getting 4+ yards a carry no matter who was in there defensively. Poor decision.

[rkulaski]

Horrible decision.
I hate to think no football until August. Will have to wait that long to see MVP Aaron Rodgers take the field again. But hey basketball is heating up and time to focus on baseball and take down some of the Nfbc's best. Hope springs eternal in February.

[Doctor Who]

It was a dumb play. If you like statistics, which I doubt this crowd does, NE was 32, yes DEAD LAST, on short yardage run defense in the NFL this year if an offensive team needed 2 yards or less. With the timeout situation, you easily could have ran the ball on 2nd, call timeout. Throw on 3rd. And if don't get it, anything on 4th for the game and no time remaining. Petey boy even said after the game they were playing for 3rd and 4th down. Uh, what? Why are you not playing for that down Pete? Ah, and I thought nothing could ever top his days at USC. But on to baseball! I was sure happy for that last second gift!

[whale4evr]

I'm liking read option, their bread-and-butter play there. Even though the Pats were spying that all game, I like the odds of Wilson outrunning Ninkovich or whoever to the pylon. That juggling catch must have just scrambled their brains too much though.

[rickerbockerNFBC]

The best analogy is playing Blackjack and you have 18 with the dealer showing a 5 up card and you take a hit. Sure, you can grab an Ace, Deuce, or a three, but to put yourself in the best opportunity to win, you stand. The Seahawks lightly tapped the felt for another card.

Now, I even said this before they ran the 2nd down play which resulted in the INT and Seattle's demise, "Watch out for the bootleg." I have absolutely no problem with Seattle calling a Pass play on 2nd down. But, it had to be a QB rollout with pass option. First, throw a PA and maybe the defense over commits to Lynch. Then, have Wilson rollout with the option to run out of bounds to stop clock, run it in end zone, or throw it to corner of end zone. The pass option gives a receiver option to throw the ball away just in case Wilson gets caught inside the tackle box and has to get rid of it while avoiding a Grounding call. If the play doesn't succeed, you now have 3rd & 4th downs with a TO left in your pocket. This would have given them an option to run or pass on 3rd down and I almost certainly give Lynch the ball on 3rd down. I mean, the dude's nickname is BEAST MODE.

Just one person's opinion.

[headhunters]

dear dough- great article as always. one small disagreement with you. on the whole "corporate america vs state gov vs fed gov- you DON'T HAVE to buy the doritoes- you have a choice. with the government- no choice- or jail.

[headhunters]

ps- back to topic. THAT pass was a bad choice- but a pass was a good choice. new england had their goal line "d" in and if lynch lost 2 yards then where are they? also- they run with 21 seconds left and run again- time is out. they were choosing 3 plays over 2 by passing- huge increase in the odds of scoring on 3 tries vs 2. when things don't work everyone is out to lynch you.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Thanks Mike....And I don't buy as many Doritos.
Not because of health or anything like that. I only buy them on sale now.
The bags are getting smaller and yet their cost goes up.
The way they are going, in 20 years we'll be paying 10 bucks for no chips...just a sniff of what they used to smell like!