50yrpatsfan":3b2rmxrl said:
as you look at the still, the play had no chance of success with Butler in that position. If he didn't intercept it, it's likely the ball would end up in the air for someone else to intercept it. Also there's a LB moving in from the right that would have tackled Lockette on the 1 even if he got past Butler somehow. Also, Butler did get a great jump but I don't see how Kearse would ever get over far enough to impede him.
The only way this works is if Butler really doesn't react well at all and lets Kearse run in front of him. Based on the way Butler had played the whole 2nd half - 5 passes defended if you count the miracle reception - the Hawks had no reason to think he'd play this one so badly. Watch the 2nd half and you'll see he was playing like an All-Pro.
When watching the video, it looks like Lockette sees LB #54, Dont'a Hightower, rushing to blow him up, and that affected his concentration, and thinking that after the catch, he'd have to turn upfield. I don't think Lockette ever saw Butler or knew he was there; his body flop from the Butler contact makes clear he was totally unprepared for that.
So, in a way, #54 Hightower's play was just as important as Butler's play. If Hightower isn't there, Lockette runs a little harder for the ball, maybe the 6 inches of difference between an incompletion and a pick.
Summing it up, 3 Patriots made terrific plays on that:
1) Browner, defeating Kearse's pick, jamming Kearse at the line. Unsurprising given he has 30 pounds of body weight and muscle over Kearse. Plus Browner knew what was coming and was determined to blow it up.
2) #54 Hightower - recognized the route and reacted and influenced the receiver, gave Lockette "alligator arms"
3) Butler - just a phenomenal play by the rook. Read it, reacted, executed, caught the pick.
Conversely, 3+ Seahawks were guilty of "fail' on that play:
1) Wilson, for placing the ball where he did, pickable, failing to see the DB. I really think Wilson was so busy celebrating his 2nd consecutive Lombardi, he mentally blocked out Butler's presence in that moment.
2) Kearse, for failing to driver Browner off the line enough to make the pick work. But really, how can you fault him, giving up 30 lbs to ultra-physical Browner? About all he could have done, was maybe take an inside release, to drag Browner into the path of Butler, but that has its own problems and I'm sure isn't what was practiced.
3) Lockette, but surprisingly, for not knowing where the DB was, and focusing on the LB that was coming to blow him up. Lockette has to learn to read the coverage and know where the DBs are going to be. He got all worried about #54 Hightower, and wasn't even aware of Butler's presence. A more polished WR would have known where the DB was, and been aware he needed to make sure a pick didn't happen. The reason Lockette wasn't strong to the ball is he was worried about #54 Hightower and totally unaware of Butler.
Of course, Bevell and the play design are a massive fail in this situation. At least let's go down fighting with our strengths. Let Russell make a real decision, let him run/pass decide. Wilson had next to no chance to make a quality read there, just plant and throw, bang-bang. Plus expecting Kearse to run Browner into a pick is a massive fail on Bevell's part.