Pete Carroll. The real
Super Bowl MVP.
In what was probably the
most controversial call of all season, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called for a
slant pass from quarterback Russell Wilson during the fourth quarter at the goal line with second and one and 66 seconds left in the game. Patriots’ undrafted rookie Malcolm
Butler intercepted the one-yard pass to save the Patriot’s victory.
After the game, Carroll
tried to validate his choice in an interview with the Boston Globe.
“It’s not the right
matchup for us to run the football,” said Carroll about the play. “So on second
down we throw the ball really to kind of waste that play. And unfortunately,
with the play that we tried to execute, the guy makes a great play and jumps in
front of the route and makes an incredible play. And unfortunately, that
changes the whole outcome.”
Waste a play? Wow. How
about a Super Bowl throw away.
Seattle has—arguably—the
best running back in the game in Marshawn Lynch. Lynch had a league leading 13
touchdowns on the year and averaged 4.8 yards per attempt. Within the Super
Bowl, Lynch already had 100 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.3 yards per
attempt.
It makes all the sense in
the world to give the ball to Lynch, who had up to three chances to get one
yard. Lynch was averaging 4.3 per attempt. He needed only one. One yard and
Seattle would have been named Super Bowl XLIX champions.
However, they chose to
throw the ball and Malcolm Butler deserves all of the credit in the world. Admitting
after the game that he doesn’t normally play at the goal line and was unsure as
to why Belichick put him in there, Butler still knew what was coming. Jumping
in front of wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, he intercepted the ball to preserve
the Patriots lead and win. Butler deserves every ounce of credit for that play.
However, the Patriots
could not have done it without Tom Brady. After going down by 10 points in the
fourth quarter, Brady settled down into comeback mode. Just like every other
come from behind, fourth quarter victory Brady has taken the Patriots through,
he would bring the Patriots down the field twice for two touchdowns. One was a
four-yard pass to Danny Amendola, the other a 64-yard drive capped off by a
3-yard pass to Julian Edelman.
In the end, Brady went 37
for 50 in pass attempts with 328 yards and four touchdowns. He was named Super
Bowl MVP. But he couldn’t have done it without his cast. He couldn’t have done
it without Julian Edelman, who had nine catches for 109 yards and the game
winning touchdown. He couldn’t have done it without Malcolm Butler. And he
couldn’t have done it without Pete Carroll’s blunder.
Patriot fans should
accept God’s gift. Carroll ultimately won the Super Bowl for the Patriots. Patriot
fans should thank him, 18 years after they hired Carroll as the franchise’s 13 head
coach and 15 years after Kraft fired him, Carroll finally has brought New
England that Super Bowl he promised.
