ivotuk":ysntcvnc said:
Year of The Hawk":ysntcvnc said:
Would it have been a bad play call if we would have scored? Would everyone be calling for Bevels head then? I think not. The only reason it was a failed play is because the DB mad a great play. Simple. They beat us on that play. It could also have been executed better as well but like I said the biggest factor on that play was the DB making a great read and jump on the ball. Plenty of other plays int he game that could have made things different. Is anyone calling out our defensive coordinator for letting up 2 touchdown near end of game. I am not.
Good points. The biggest mistake there was in not rolling Russell out. That gave him plenty of options to throw, run, or get rid of the ball.
It was a bad play call but there's plenty of blame to go around.
1. Russell should not have led Lockette so far. Or he should have recognized the bad matchups and gotten rid of the ball.
2. Lockette should have been more aware of the DBs position.
3. Kearse should have thrown more weight in to getting past Browner.
But let's not gloss over a great play by Browner and the NE DB.
However, in the end, imho, this comes down to Pete Carroll and Darrell Bevell over thinking the play, and not recognizing the poor match ups.
1. Brandon Browner is not going to be pushed out of the way. He was a Seahawk, they have seen that, and they should have known better. According to them they recognized the run stopping defense. How did they miss Browner?
2. Ricardo Lockette is not the name you call in that play. He's a below average receiver whose sole claim to fame is speed. Put someone in there who has a history of catching the ball in tough situations. Doug Baldwin. This is the Superbowl, you don't risk an INT or deflected pass to Ricardo Lockette. He's more likely to have the ball go through his hands than to be the hero.
3. That play calls for Russell to catch the ball and let it go. Why take it out of the hands of your best player? Russell (and Marshawn) got you there, finish it with them.
4. Who in the hell worries about using all of the downs up when you have the best run offense in the NFL? You have Marshawn Lynch and 1 time out, use them. If the Patriots stop that twice, then they earned the win.
5. Never, ever, ever put the fate of a Superbowl in the hands of Darrell Bevell, Jermaine Kearse, and Ricardo Lockette all three working in unison. Don't make matters more complicated than they need to be when the game's on the line. Instead, put it on your strength.
For all the reasons stated above and elsewhere, it was a brain-dead call by Bevell. Also as Chris9-whatever pointed out, it was disgusting to see Bevell then proceed to throw Lockette under the bus. Absolutely disgusting. Scapegoating Lockette for Bevell's failure.
The one point I haven't seen others making is that this play is one where Russell's height, or lack thereof, hurt him. He couldn't see Butler hiding behind the LB/OL and Browner/Kearse. Again, to me, that's on Bevell, for creating the situation in the first place.
ONE SCENARIO FOR TELL-THE-TRUTH MONDAY FOR "THE PICK" (and plays/situations leading up to it)
1) Bevell's truthful confession:
My situational awareness sucked on that play:
- I was asking Jerome Kearse, giving up 30 lbs to Browner, to push ultra-physical Browner off the line. Simply dumb.
- Apparently I have become so predictable in my play-calling that NE knew exactly what was coming based on the formation.
- I set up a problematic situation for Russell, because his height IS a disadvantage in that situation, and the replays show that the onrushing Butler was "hidden" behind other players where Russell couldn't see him, where a 6'4" QB would have.
- I failed to use a primary weapon, Russell's mobility and decision-making, by not giving Russell the opportunity to make a decision, not allowing him to use his feet. By calling a non-decision quick-slant, I failed to use our team's best offensive weapon in a situation that screamed out for it.
- I ran plays that resulted in two consecutive 3-and-outs leading up to the Patriots winning TD. Instead of sustaining drives, running clock, maybe scoring more, I called a game that allowed NE back into the game.
2) Russell's truthful confession:
- I was in such a hurry to get the TD and get to celebrating another win, I was so sure it would be a TD, that I blocked out everything else
- I never even saw Butler, even though I threw it straight to him
- I need to have better awareness of where DBs are hiding behind players I can't see over
- I needed to put the ball lower, and more on Lockette's body, instead of out in front, and with more zip
- I was so concerned about not screwing up what looked so wide open that I threw a cautious lolli-pop ball that allowed the pick to occur
3) Kearse's truthful confession:
- YOU try pushing Browner off the line creating a pick on Butler. Go ahead, YOU freakin' try it. I gave it everything I had and I was not able to get it done in that situation against that man.
- I should've caught the 3rd down ball when we were up 10. I had it in my hands and didn't finish the play.
4) Lockette's truthful confession
- I knew the ball was coming to me and was more concerned about not messing it up than going and getting the ball.
- I was worried about getting blown up by the LB (Hightower) and not getting in, so I was trying to hand-catch it out front and then duck inside and under for the score.
- I never even saw Butler til he hit me, and I need to improve my awareness of where DB's are likely to be on different routes, instead of focusing only on avoiding the onrushing LB.
5) Carroll's truthful confession
- Darell, I have taken the arrows for you and done my best not to throw you under the bus, because that's not how we roll here.
- This puts me in an awful position because I'd rather just outline the parameters and then trust my guys to operate within them and get it done. This was way too cute; it really was the dumbest play-call in Super Bowl history, and didn't take advantage of our strengths.
- I can't be focusing on every play call, and there's no way I want to have to overrule or micromanage my OC on every critical call. I need the OC to be better prepared, less predictable--NE knew exactly what was coming--we have to give opponents more to look at on tape, in terms of situations and formations, to prevent this.
- This has to improve. I want you to use this next week to figure out a plan on how you'll improve our Red Zone and especially our "Goal-to-go" performance next year, to be less predictable, and better utilize team strengths. And don't assume better weapons; assume the same weapons we had for SB49.
I left out the whole part about burning timeouts unnecessarily, but it's fertile ground for Tell-the-Truth, if anyone is up to laying out how that conversation would go down in tell-the-truth mode.
It was a ridiculous play-call by Bevell, in that situation, with that personnel, against those opposing personnel. At first, the similar play from the Saints game was interesting to see, but as others pointed out, it was our 6'5" TE out there. He possibly draws a LB cover assignment instead of a CB assignment. Apples and oranges. No amount of defending Bevell can change the lunacy of that call. All that's going on here is the OP playing deaf and ignoring all the great points explaining why the call sucked so badly.