Five Thirty Eight Sports Article - "It wasn't Pete"

[Stiletto]

Ok, it hurts…….bad. Nobody can say otherwise to me and be taken seriously. The casual family and friends who immediately proclaimed “There is always next year!” just don’t seem to have enough history to know how fleeting these opportunities are. It was absolutely gut wrenching for me.

That being said, I am thinking a bit more clearly than I was last night. I cannot remember a more heartbreaking loss ever and the emotions that came with that INT yesterday were sharp and varied. Mostly just pissed off beyond belief. Like a lot of you guys I really felt at the time that this had to go on the OC.

But I am reading more and as the emotion is starting to wear off I am finding some decent perspectives taking shape.

Take a look at this article that seems to shed some light on the play and what might have been going through the coaches minds when they called it.

I personally find it rather eye opening:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features...-of-the-super-bowl-and-it-wasnt-pete-carroll/

Combine that article with a pretty good break down from Heath Evans (I know...........ack.) on the NFL Network today that showed Kearse clearly failing in his assignment to push Browner into Butler, and it's no longer the clear cut case of bad play calling.

I have done a complete 180 from yesterday when I wanted a new OC by today. Looking at the replay over and over, there seems to be plenty of reasons why the play failed. It was not a terrible play in my mind at all - although at the time it was impossible to convince me of that. Throw a bit off, Lockette not breaking for the ball hard enough, Kearse not getting enough push on Browner etc. etc. There are lots of reasons why it didn't work. But now I look at calling the play itself as pretty low on the list of reasons why the Hawks did not win this one.

Just my take on it. Read the article and see if you come to the same conclusions.

I love our team. They are young and talented and I expect more great things from them in the coming years.
As bad as this loss was (and it was bad), in the grand scheme of things, we are still looking at a lot of playoff games in our future I believe.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hawk45]

Combine that article with a pretty good break down from Heath Evans (I know...........ack.) on the NFL Network today that showed Kearse clearly failing in his assignment to push Browner into Butler, and it's no longer the clear cut case of bad play calling.

I have done a complete 180 from yesterday when I wanted a new OC by today. Looking at the replay over and over, there seems to be plenty of reasons why the play failed. It was not a terrible play in my mind at all - although at the time it was impossible to convince me of that. Throw a bit off, Lockette not breaking for the ball hard enough, Kearse not getting enough push on Browner etc. etc. There are lots of reasons why it didn't work. But now I look at calling the play itself as pretty low on the list of reasons why the Hawks did not win this one.

Um, the play design relied upon Kearse to "push through" Browner? Or get a clean release? We're supposed to blame Kearse for that and not Bevell?

That article relies upon NFL-wide statistics and that's neato, but ask yourself if our particular offense executes that quick slant play well near the goal line or if we actually got that intercepted this year attempting a similar play to Lynch? Now ask yourself how the specific defense in question, NE, does in goal line and short yardage.

This is exactly the type of thinking that makes Bevell suck so hard. "Well derp we had the numbers we wanted" yeah okay great *in general*. But what about the personnel? Kearse v Browner? Lockette? Wilson and our offense with the quick slant? Lynch FFS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Stiletto]

Combine that article with a pretty good break down from Heath Evans (I know...........ack.) on the NFL Network today that showed Kearse clearly failing in his assignment to push Browner into Butler, and it's no longer the clear cut case of bad play calling.

I have done a complete 180 from yesterday when I wanted a new OC by today. Looking at the replay over and over, there seems to be plenty of reasons why the play failed. It was not a terrible play in my mind at all - although at the time it was impossible to convince me of that. Throw a bit off, Lockette not breaking for the ball hard enough, Kearse not getting enough push on Browner etc. etc. There are lots of reasons why it didn't work. But now I look at calling the play itself as pretty low on the list of reasons why the Hawks did not win this one.

Um, the play design relied upon Kearse to "push through" Browner? Or get a clean release? We're supposed to blame Kearse for that and not Bevell?

That article relies upon NFL-wide statistics and that's neato, but ask yourself if our particular offense executes that quick slant play well near the goal line or if we actually got that intercepted this year attempting a similar play to Lynch? Now ask yourself how the specific defense in question, NE, does in goal line and short yardage.

This is exactly the type of thinking that makes Bevell suck so hard. "Well derp we had the numbers we wanted" yeah okay great *in general*. But what about the personnel? Kearse v Browner? Lockette? Wilson and our offense with the quick slant? Lynch FFS!!!!!!!!!!!

I am merely saying that my initial take in the heat of the moment has changed. It is no longer (in my mind) the worst play call in the history of the SB - which is where I was most the night and into this morning. Nor am I attempting to make the case that it was the best possible play for the situation or anything remotely like that.

There seem to be plenty of reasons why the call made solid sense and why it failed. One which I failed to mention is that Butler simply made an unbelievable play and deserves credit for making it.

It is what it is.

 

[SuperFreak]

Lockette is a pretty good blocker, seems the rolls should have been flipped but then again Chop Chop has stone hands. Really dislike the playcall not so much that they wanted a pass there.

I would have liked the RO, pass option we've seen a few times would have given Russell a chance to make the call hand it off, run or throw it instead of the timing pass which N.E. was all over.

 

[lobohawk]

Before the game I said Bevell needed to throw Bill off by taking some of their standard plays and twisting them. Bill is great at breaking them down and prepping players to break them up. This is a great example. We've relied on this play a lot and had some success.

A twist would have been to have Lockette take a step or two to the middle and then break hard for the corner using Browner to screen his own man. Like a fade. Any game planning would have led the deep DB to lean to the middle and be late to the outside. Nothing complicated and within the realm of possibility. I know it's all in hindsight, but...

 

[kearly]

Two things I disagree with.

#1: Lynch was tackled at the 1 yard line with 1:02 still left on the clock. Even if Seattle had ZERO timeouts, they would have had enough time to get their run heavy personnel on the field and run-run-run. When the ball was snapped at the :26 second mark, Seattle could have called two plays in the huddle and ran back to back before calling a timeout with seconds left. I'm kind of surprised how many intelligent people are missing this very obvious fact.

#2: The decision to pass bothered me a lot less than how predictable the setup was. Passing would have been an okay play if it had been disguised with a play action or if it was some manner of play that might catch New England off guard (line up with no WRs then have a TE, OL, or FB leak out for a catch). The way Seattle set up that offense on that last play, they would have had almost no chance of scoring with a handoff to Lynch since there were only 6 men on the line for Seattle. The defense may have been in a run-defense mode pre-snap, but the entire D knew that a pass was coming because a handoff to Lynch with 3 WRs on the field had almost no chance of success. On top of that, Seattle lined up Kearse and Lockette in such a way that a rub route was very obvious. The formation and the fact that Seattle would almost certainly pass with a 6 man OL meant the defense could expect to see a rub route. And with Browner there to blow up the screen and a DB who saw this play dozens of times a day in practice, it was the dumbest play the Seahawks could have possibly called.

People can cite stats about passing vs. running, but those stats will never capture the full context of the play.

 

[SonicHawk]

RW should have never thrown that ball.

Bevell should have never called that play.

Lynch should have been in the endzone.

We should be repeat Superb Owl champions.

That's it.

 

[chet380]

RW should have never thrown that ball.

Bevell should have never called that play.

Lynch should have been in the endzone.

We should be repeat Superb Owl champions.

That's it.

Your list is missing this:

The Head Coach should have over-ruled the call.

 

[HommyHawk]

They were trying to play chess when it should have been checkers...

 

[Bigpumpkin]

RW should have never thrown that ball.

Bevell should have never called that play.

Lynch should have been in the endzone.

We should be repeat Superb Owl champions.

That's it.

Your list is missing this:

The Head Coach should have over-ruled the call.

:13: :13: :13:

 

[gulliver]

Two things I disagree with.

#1: Lynch was tackled at the 1 yard line with 1:02 still left on the clock. Even if Seattle had ZERO timeouts, they would have had enough time to get their run heavy personnel on the field and run-run-run. When the ball was snapped at the :26 second mark, Seattle could have called two plays in the huddle and ran back to back before calling a timeout with seconds left. I'm kind of surprised how many intelligent people are missing this very obvious fact.

Good catch--I hadn't thought of it. I thought :26 was the hard and fast number we had to live with, but we ate up the entire play clock between 1st and 2nd down.

 

[RolandDeschain]

#2: The decision to pass bothered me a lot less than how predictable the setup was.

This is the vast majority of the problem I have with Bevell. The simplicity of our offensive formations and schemes. Even a hungover defender that has to crawl onto the field to line up from partying too hard the night before can figure out exactly what we're doing much of the time. Simplistic formations benefit our defense for various reasons which DO NOT apply to the Seahawks offense; at least, not with the players/personnel we have right now.

Sigh...

 

[Mick063]

There is no amount of rationalization that can justify that horrible call.

None.

This is a game of matchups and execution. In other words, bad matchups typically result in poor execution.

No one in their right mind would prefer a scenario where Kearse manhandles Browner above a scenario where beastmode and the offensive line manhandles the Patriot front seven. Put both scenarios on a balance scale and it will always tip to one side. One weight will always be heavier than the other and no amount of wishful thinking can change that measure of mass. Especially when one considers that there was ample time for a panic pass if the run failed. Especially so.

No one will ever convince me that the call was nothing short of boneheaded.

Ever.

Fire Bevell.

Cripes...not done with this rant. You beat Browner by faking him out of his shoes, not trying to beast him at the line of scrimmage with a receiver that is much smaller. So very, very stupid to make that call.

Idiot tried to rub Browner with a small receiver in a small space. I'm still pissed.

Can someone post a GIF of Beastmode's TD run against the Raiders? Please? The apologists need to see it again.

Just watch this and weep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0bfUb33m70

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

If you're gonna pass on 2nd even tho I'm not in favor of that play call, at least call a safe fade route where it's either a TD or incomplete (clock stops!).

Bevell won't be gone if Pete OK'd it. Hopefully him copping to being part of the one of the biggest mistakes in football history will keep him from losing the lockerroom.

 

[RolandDeschain]

If you're gonna pass on 2nd even tho I'm not in favor of that play call, at least call a safe fade route where it's either a TD or incomplete (clock stops!).

Bevell won't be gone if Pete OK'd it. Hopefully him copping to being part of the one of the biggest mistakes in football history will keep him from losing the lockerroom.

We already know from that Bevell interview transcript pic that Bevell calls ALL the plays and that Pete only said let's pass for that down.

Literally 90% of the remaining plays in the playbook were better choices in that set of circumstances. Quick slant dependent on a smaller receiver manhandling the biggest, most physical CB in the NFL on the shortest possible field you can have, particularly considering how predictable a lot of our pre-snap formations are and how easy they are for opposing defenses to diagnose?

God, it sickens me.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

If you're gonna pass on 2nd even tho I'm not in favor of that play call, at least call a safe fade route where it's either a TD or incomplete (clock stops!).

Bevell won't be gone if Pete OK'd it. Hopefully him copping to being part of the one of the biggest mistakes in football history will keep him from losing the lockerroom.

We already know from that Bevell interview transcript pic that Bevell calls ALL the plays and that Pete only said let's pass for that down.

Literally 90% of the remaining plays in the playbook were better choices in that set of circumstances. Quick slant dependent on a smaller receiver manhandling the biggest, most physical CB in the NFL on the shortest possible field you can have, particularly considering how predictable a lot of our pre-snap formations are and how easy they are for opposing defenses to diagnose?

God, it sickens me.

Likewise Ro, and the sad thing is he's not going anywhere and you know as well as I do. I don't think I've ever wanted to be wrong more in my life though.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

What do you mean if Pete Ok'd it. He is the freaking head coach. Everything lies with him, which is why his salary is 5 times what Bevel's is. So Bevel made the call, Pete either did 1 of 2 things. He ok'd the call as the Head Coach or he went ahead an decided not to coach at all an just let it go. So which is a fireable offense, Bevel's terrible call or Carroll's brain fart an doing nothin at all. I for one don't blame either of them. I think Russel Wilson sh** the bed. Just like Kaepernick did last year. End of story

 

[Mick063]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0bfUb33m70


"He never quits! He never quits!"

 

[brimsalabim]

They were trying to play chess when it should have been checkers...

And they had no Buisness playing chess with Belichick. He was three moves ahead.

 

[Seafan]

Well, Pete. That's exactly what happened. Proud of beating yourself?