Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The play at the end of the first half would have been incomplete if Matthews had not caught it and they still would have had time to kick a FG. Gutsy call yes, but with a quick release pass to the outside front corner of the endzone it was low risk high reward.

The end of game pass was a quick release slant to a WR who was mostly used as a deep threat. Even if Lockette caught the pass, he might not have scored with Butler in good position and Hightower closing in along the goal line from the middle. Potential high reward, but a high risk pass in comparison to the end of the first half.

I cannot imagine the Patriots would have stopped Lynch. Even if they did, the Seahawks still had time, downs and a timeout.

LJP wrote:The play at the end of the first half would have been incomplete if Matthews had not caught it

Really? If you wouldn't mind telling me how you know what-would-have-happened-if, please share.

Bottom line, play at the end of the game was a "bad call" because it turned out bad.

Hindsight. 20/20. Always.

Warning: Grumpy old man post.

That game is a good example why I watch almost no football anymore. So typical with the passing offense and passing defense so out of balance, that how a game ends seems so much like a crap-shoot instead of NFL (old-school at least) football. Too often the first 57 minutes seem merely like warm-ups in a race for the final gun.

They have turned post-2000 football into those Olympic bicycle races where everyone goes as slow as possible until the bell lap when everyone takes off. Makes for great finishes but something seems lacking.

On the "worst call ever"- Kinda like Lombardi and Starr 3rd down call (as Evan mentioned) on the goal line in 1967. Tom Landry always thought it was a bad call on Lombardi's part, but success will always mask such things and failure will magnify all out of proportion.

BernardB wrote:Warning: Grumpy old man post.

That game is a good example why I watch almost no football anymore. So typical with the passing offense and passing defense so out of balance, that how a game ends seems so much like a crap-shoot instead of NFL (old-school at least) football. Too often the first 57 minutes seem merely like warm-ups in a race for the final gun.

They have turned post-2000 football into those Olympic bicycle races where everyone goes as slow as possible until the bell lap when everyone takes off. Makes for great finishes but something seems lacking.

On the "worst call ever"- Kinda like Lombardi and Starr 3rd down call (as Evan mentioned) on the goal line in 1967. Tom Landry always thought it was a bad call on Lombardi's part, but success will always mask such things and failure will magnify all out of proportion.

Excellent points.

Rupert Patrick wrote:The more I watched this play, the more I think this will be remembered as this generation's version of the Bill Buckner play. I never held Buckner responsible for the play, I held Red Sox Manager John McNamara responsible because he should have pulled Buckner for a defensive replacement, yet Buckner was unfairly blamed by the public for the miscue. Like the play we saw this evening, it turned out to be a total disaster. I think Carroll is a great coach, but this mistake is what he'll be more remembered for, I think. Russell Wilson will not get much of the blame for what happened.

"Russell Wilson will not get much of the blame for what happened."

And why is that? If Tom Brady had done it he would have received a LOT of blame.

BernardB » Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:23 am
"Warning: Grumpy old man post...
"...Too often the first 57 minutes seem merely like warm-ups in a race for the final gun.
They have turned post-2000 football into those Olympic bicycle races where everyone goes as slow as possible until the bell lap when everyone takes off. Makes for great finishes but something seems lacking.
"...but success will always mask such things and failure will magnify all out of proportion."

Grumpier Old Men say...
Football is finally catching up.
Basketball has been doing that for years.
Now, if they can only do something with those first seven innings of Baseball.
All praise be to the northland and that thing they call Hockey.
As for proportion, some always fall back on the often-attributed-to-Winnie but really unknown:
History is written by the victors.

-----

SixtiesFan » Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:42 am
"'Russell Wilson will not get much of the blame for what happened.'
And why is that? If Tom Brady had done it he would have received a LOT of blame."

No! No! No!
Soon it will be discovered that the Patriots have a satellite-mounted amplifier that picked up the call on the Seattle sideline and transmitted it to Bill Bellyache who immediately had it signaled to the "D."
Additionally, the ball will be returned from the lab where it was tested for tampering and labeled: Questionable
In the off-season (which begins today) Roger Goodfella will have to worry about balls and the ear in the sky.

SixtiesFan wrote:"Russell Wilson will not get much of the blame for what happened."

And why is that? If Tom Brady had done it he would have received a LOT of blame.

Forget Tom Brady -- what if PEYTON MANNING had thrown it? ESPN might have canceled all other programs for a week and shown that play around the clock, interspersed with talking heads discussing his "legacy."

Rupert Patrick wrote:The more I watched this play, the more I think this will be remembered as this generation's version of the Bill Buckner play. I never held Buckner responsible for the play, I held Red Sox Manager John McNamara responsible because he should have pulled Buckner for a defensive replacement, yet Buckner was unfairly blamed by the public for the miscue. Like the play we saw this evening, it turned out to be a total disaster. I think Carroll is a great coach, but this mistake is what he'll be more remembered for, I think. Russell Wilson will not get much of the blame for what happened.

From a football standpoint, this is somewhat akin to the Earnest Byner fumble in the '87 AFC title game. The Browns had the ball at the Denver 8 on 2nd and 5 with just over a minute to play, when Byner actually reached the end zone, which would have tied the game--except, of course, that the ball was stripped at the three. Byner took plenty of heat for fumbling, but the Browns never would have been in that situation without his efforts that day.

BTW, even if Buckner had scooped up the ball, the game was already tied and would have gone to the 11th inning.

BD Sullivan wrote:

Rupert Patrick wrote:The more I watched this play, the more I think this will be remembered as this generation's version of the Bill Buckner play. I never held Buckner responsible for the play, I held Red Sox Manager John McNamara responsible because he should have pulled Buckner for a defensive replacement, yet Buckner was unfairly blamed by the public for the miscue. Like the play we saw this evening, it turned out to be a total disaster. I think Carroll is a great coach, but this mistake is what he'll be more remembered for, I think. Russell Wilson will not get much of the blame for what happened.

BTW, even if Buckner had scooped up the ball, the game was already tied and would have gone to the 11th inning.

Yup. The "Curse of the Bambino" had already kicked in when the BoSox blew their two run lead with two outs and nobody on base.

BD Sullivan wrote: From a football standpoint, this is somewhat akin to the Earnest Byner fumble in the '87 AFC title game. The Browns had the ball at the Denver 8 on 2nd and 5 with just over a minute to play, when Byner actually reached the end zone, which would have tied the game--except, of course, that the ball was stripped at the three. Byner took plenty of heat for fumbling, but the Browns never would have been in that situation without his efforts that day.

Because of the chance of a fumble, the Browns clearly should have thrown the ball instead of risking a running play. A terrible call.