How Bellichick Outsmarted Seattle On That Pick Play

Even now, nearly a week after the most infamous play in Super Bowl history, many are scratching their heads regarding Pete Carroll's decision making in using that pick play to try to get a TD - instead of rushing Marshawn Lynch from the 1/2 yard 'line'. (Yes, that's all it was. One half yard, not 'one yard', not 'two yards').  As we all know, Carroll opted for that play rather than a run and it ended with Malcolm Butler intercepting it for the Patsies. (See image)

Carroll, in an interview with Matt Lauer several days ago, gave a bravura performance in what has to be the most ridiculous rationalization ever for a play - referring to the "process" the team went through in selecting a play.  And oh, by the way, the Pats had their goal line unit in. So what? Here's the deal, even if they had the unit on, the odds of a pass succeeding were slim and none, no matter how well Wilson threw the ball.

Here's why: In the Charlie Rose interview two days ago, with Robert Kraft, it was revealed the Pats knew all about that Seahawks' pick play from the tapes and had been working on it since before they left NE.  Kraft even joked that Brady rubbed it into Butler's face after he missed several chances to disrupt it. Finally, after solid advice from Bellichick - to launch his move before the receiver's turn - Butler nailed it.  He was ready and waiting- like a snake for a mongoose in a field- when Carroll fell into the trap of using it at the end of the Super Bowl.

How did Bellichick know it would be used? While being dunned all week by blowhards on 'Inside the NFL' and the NFL channel for letting time run off the clock (nearly 30 secs) there was actually a method to Bellichick's madness. That is, he opted to not take a time out in order to see Carroll's response. Remember, the Seahawks wanted to score but not leave too much clock time for Brady to get his offense moving.

Yes, Bellichick gambled - since if the pick was a success there'd have been virtually no time left to score. But again, the NE drills to defend the pick had been so successful there were no worries. Butler was zoned in and knew exactly what he had to do.

Bellichick and the Pats knew exactly what was coming when Carroll refused to stop the clock but let it run down to 0:26.  Thus, Bellichick knew with so little time left Carroll and his O-brain trust would not be able to afford losing many seconds if Lynch failed to score. Two failed run efforts might easily have sucked up all 26 seconds and even one failed effort might have knocked off more time than Seattle was willing to risk. Hence, the option to throw the ball on 2nd and goal instead of run - but leaving the run option if the pass failed.

But Carroll outsmarted himself. He planned for the pick play  -but so did NE. At the very least, if he was going to use a pass play he ought to have devised another option - maybe the would-be MVP Chris Mathews jumping for it in the flat - overpowering and out -jumping any NE DBs.

Carroll says he wants to use this failure to move forward, but for most Seattle fans they will never forget the golden chance they had and how Petie boy let it slip away. They also realize they may never get the chance again, given how difficult it is to get to the 'show'. 

From The Maryland Legislature to Seahawks: "BEAT PATRIOTS' ASS"! (And SB Follow-Up)

Tom Brady gets sacked in 4th quarter of Packers game in November.  Seattle should be able to do the same and keep this cheater off balance . 

The actual order (more of a request) from the Maryland Legislature (according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer) was "Please! Beat Patriot A**!"   With which no red -blooded American football lover with an inch of moral fiber could disagree. After all, these are the most notorious cheaters of all time, from their Spygate infamy to the recent deflategate.  (The most amusing aspect of which was science guy Bill Nye using a  simple demonstration to show Bellichick's explanation for "normal deflation after reaching atmospheric equilibrium" was a load of bollocks.)

Marylanders and their legislature are rightfully pissed at the New England Patsies for their cheating ways - including masking eligible receivers with ineligible - which they needed to take down the Ravens 34-31 in the divisional playoff round. Wifey, a diehard Ravens' fan, is as convinced as I am the Patsies and their Primadonna QB would be sitting at home today were it not for the blatant cheating.

But that's ancient history. All that matters now is Seattle and its "legion of boom" putting these cheaters down and the bigger the margin,  the better. Last year, the Seahawks made mince meat of the Broncos 43-8 and were dominating from the first play - a muffed snap from center with Manning bobbling it back five yards into the end zone.

 Granted, it may not be as easy today, because the Patriots offense runs a modified "Ron Erhardt - Ray Perkins" offensive system with multiple formations and personnel grouping variations on a core number of base plays. This allows them to keep most Ds off balance  (Unmentioned is how their O-line uses lots of despicable tricks such as punching opponents in the balls - ask Haloti Ngata).

Still, the Packers' D mostly had their way with them, with multiple looks and packages yielding a spate of hurries, knockdowns and sacks on "pretty boy" Brady - who in that late November game (which the Pack won 26-21) didn't coax the zebras to toss as many "roughing" penalties as he usually gets. The most critical Brady sack was a combo by Mike Neal and Mike Daniels on a 3rd and 9 near the end of the game where the Pats were about to go ahead. That sack, made a big difference.

But even bigger, which I have kept on disk, is when the Pack had the ball with barely less than 2 minutes left and needed a critical 3rd down conversion. Aaron Rodgers whipped a bullet pass to Randall Cobb to get it  -effectively sealing the win - and the cameras later swiveled to Brady on the sideline belching out multiple "FUCK!" s

Another secret to that game, defensively, was the Packers secondary being able to smother the Patsie WRs leading to several coverage sacks on Brady.  Given the Seahawks arguably have even a better secondary - with the likes of Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman, they ought to do at least as much (though yeah, Chancellor is nursing a knee injury he suffered on the next to last play in practice Thursday). Still, Chancellor at 80 percent is better than most safeties at 100 percent. And coach Pete Carroll will continually remind his charges of having the chance to make history (becoming the ninth SB team to win back-to -back) and it may not come again.

On  NE defense,  every talking head and his pet monkey keeps yapping about the Patsies' great secondary and especially Darelle Revis. But the Packers countered Revis by moving Randall Cobb all around in different positions. There's no reason why Seattle can't do the same.

I anticipate that coach Carroll -  and Russell Wilson - will not let that Hawks' team go to sleep at the switch and they will handily take down Brady and company, 31- 17.

The Maryland legislature, and 55 million unabashed Patriots haters,  ought to be able to rejoice by late this evening.

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Follow-up (10. 10 ET)

Well, we  now have seen stupidity and stupid plays is not the province of the Packers alone. In one of the all time dumb shit plays in Super Bowl history, the Seahawks literally gave the game away at the end to the Pats. With just under a minute left and Marshawn Lynch having already ground the ball  up to the 1 yard line, grade -A moron Darrell Bevell (offensive coordinator) pulls the bonehead pay of the century after Bellichick lets the play clock run down to 0:30.   Clearly panicked by the move - both Bevell and Carroll expected a Pats time out)-  the call comes in:  a slant to Ricardo Lockette which gets picked when an unknown from Western Alabama jumps the route, coldcocks Lockette and snatches the ball, End of game.

WHY the fuck send in a pass play when you had the game in hand, Bevell, you dope? You have the freakin' time, you have Marshawn - 'Beast mode' - there and ready at the one!  You have 2nd and goal and can use 2-3 plays to run the clock down then get the TD with zero time left for Brady's brats. What brain fart suddenly erupted in  Bevell's brain?  Well, trying to get too cute by half.

Now, thanks to this epic stupidity of Bevell (and Pete Carroll for not overriding the call) we are stuck with the Patsies and their boorish, arrogant, insufferable fans gloating for the next year on how great they are and they didn't even get to deflate one football.

Fuckin' sad, but there it is. I can imagine how sad the'12th man' of Seattle is, and how they wasted all their energy on this game - to end it with the dumbest play call of all time!

See also:

http://www.salon.com/2015/02/02/pete_carroll_made_the_worst_play_call_in_super_bowl_history_and_were_not_over_it/

NE Cheating Patsies Should Pay (Dearly!) For Their Deflated Ball Strategy

Tom Brady didn't need deflated balls to beat Tim Tebow and the Broncos in December, 2011.

Overshadowing the Super Bowl itself-  now ten days away - is a new NE  Patriots' cheating controversy. This came to light in the wake of the AFC Championship game in which the Patsies blew out Indy 45- 7. Since then, an ESPN investigation (citing anonymous sources) exposed that the NFL has  found that 11 of 12 footballs used by  these cheaters were deflated in the AFC Championship game. (The NFL still hasn't concluded its own investigation.)

What do we mean here?

A deflated football is a helluva lot easier to handle - by QBs or receivers- in the rain or slippery conditions, as existed in Foxborough last Sunday. According to league rules, two hours before game time  the footballs (12 for each  team),   are measured and weighed by game officials to meet NFL specs-  this is indicated by being marked with the ref's signature.

Ten minutes before the game the balls are given to ball runners for each team. So how could ball deflation occur with such a small window of time?

CBS' Ron Mott demonstrated how last night on a CBS Evening News segment. As he noted - pulling out a small pump needle:

"In just a few seconds someone using a pump needle like this can insert it into the ball and release two or three pounds of pressure. Enough to gain an edge even if it's barely noticeable. "

NFL standards require pressures from 12.5  to 13.5 pounds per square inch for each football.  The ESPN source cites 2 psi less for 11 of the 12 Patriots' balls.

According to NFL rules:

"If any individual alters the footballs he will face discipline including a fine of $25,000"

But for many of us, especially after the earlier NE "Spygate" scandal, this is less than a slap on the wrist.

Echoing many sentiments, Mike Lupica of the NY Daily News Sports - noted last night:

"I believe a suspension of the head coach might be in play depending on what kind of proof the NFL has and what kind of chain of custody they find on these stupid footballs."

This is a sentiment echoed by Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis  Star, e.g.

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2015/01/21/doyel-patriots-have-to-be-at-super-bowl-not-belichick/22118459/

What should happen? In the ideal universe and in a nation of moral rectitude - with its sports' standards to match - the Patsies would be summarily "DQ'd" from the Super Bowl. The stupid, useless 'Pro Bowl' scheduled for Sunday in AZ would be replaced by a special playoff round with the two NE- victimized teams, Baltimore and Indy, playing for the Patsies' place, to go against Seattle.

But in the real world that will never happen, and it's even unlikely Bellichick will be suspended. Indeed, many otherwise sober observers are treating it all as a big joke. NE QB Brady himself laughed it all off on a radio talk show interview and so did ex-sub par QB Matt Leinart who offered: "This is a joke, all teams fiddle with footballs". Which is kind of like saying in response to massive tax cheating, "this is a joke all taxpayers cheat".   Which is bollocks because many of us don't, believing paying taxes is an honor and helps the country pay its freight.

But this uncovers the ethical blind spot in many who also spout nonsense such as:

"Cripes! Big deal! The Patriots killed them 45 to 7 ! So without the tampering maybe it would have been 45-14. Who cares?".

Which totally misses the central point:  cheating to gain an unfair advantage irrespective of the outcome, while destroying the integrity of the game itself - risking fan alienation similar to the PED effects in major league baseball. .  It doesn't matter if the final score was 70-7 or even  100-7, it is the principle  and the intention that we are about here. That so many Americans seem to have this ethical blind spot is disturbing and suggests the recent polls with a majority seeing no problem with CIA torture are no fluke.

Some also dismiss it all as "entertainment" which is the take of a person who probably lacks any discerning judgment or ethical radar, period. They are so inured to PR and media junk food, they are no longer able to discern flatulence from significance. Sad. But note this: if we disallow our most cherished sports and games adhering to principle or honor, why should we demand any principle or honor in regular life?

Hell, assassinations of heads of state are fine and dandy so are films depicting them, just don't do any to our guys! CIA torture?  No biggie. Rectally excavating a prisoner is just a "little discomfort" to use Dick Cheney's parlance. Hacking into another nation's computers to gain a spy edge? No biggie again, it's all good! 

Once the small transgressions are permitted, all others can follow with even fewer apologias.

What would my sanction be? Well, I'd disallow ALL NE draft picks for this year. Zero.  None. Nada. Suck it up, cheaters.

But whether that happens or not, New England's legacy will be tainted, and alas, so also will this year's Super Bowl given the Pats will be involved in it.

Maybe it's just as well the Pack won't be a part of this year's  sorry spectacle.

Denver Broncos Want No NE Fan "Chowderheads" In Their Stadium - But It Won't Matter!

“No offense to proper Bostonians or any wicked arrogant fan of the New England Patriots. But the Broncos do NOT want you here in Denver. The local NFL franchise did not give blood, sweat and tears all season long to surrender the home field advantage to an invasion of loudmouths from New England. No Chowderheads allowed!"- Mark Kiszla, 'Go HOME, Chowderheads!', Denver Post, Jan. 17 column

Yes, Kiszla and other promoters of the Denver Broncos are on their high horses again. And we ain't talking MJ.  They believe they can effectively keep all NE fans out of Sports Authority Field tomorrow afternoon so there will be no competitive screams (or colors) to rival the Denver fans'.  This means their boys will have the optimum chance to win with a real "home field advantage", or so they believe.

Why this animus to opponent fans in their stadium? According to one Bronco quoted by Kiszla:

"Our fans remember what happened during the last AFC championship in Denver and they didn't like it".

He was referring to the Denver- Pittsburgh AFC 2006 face off when Broncos' players arrived at their stadium to find thousands of yellow "terrible towels" waving- leaving them to wonder where the Denver fans were.  According to former Denver player John Lynch, who was on the 2006 team:

"It was brutal. I'll never forget walking out into the stadium with Champ (Bailey) as we were going out for DB drills early, before the game. We both looked at each other and said: 'What is this?' The problem with the Pittsburgh fans was the Terrible Towels were so visible, so it felt like there were more Steelers fans than Broncos fans. You shouldn't let that affect you but it affected us....and the Steelers got off to a hot start.

We let a great opportunity go. It was a sickening feeling and I think people in the Denver Broncos' organization said: 'We can never let this happen again'"

The upshot,  according to Kiszla, was a 24-3 Steelers' lead at half time from which Denver never recovered .

The hidden reason, buried in another paragraph, is that Denver fans were "too subdued" in their purchase of championship tickets, leaving 30 % unsold just days before - which the Steelers' fans bought up. Kiszla notes this won't happen this time because under the new Bronco dictates, orders can only processed to zip codes in the Mountain West, Massachusetts zips are disallowed. Thus, according to Kiz, all 2,800 available tickets went to buyers in Bronco country.

This means, theoretically, there should be no Patriots' fans in the stands. Of course, this overlooks the money-greed dynamic present in every town's fans, so the ability to sell tickets over eBay or Craigslist remains. So I suspect enough "chowderheads" will show up to at least be heard, maybe part of the time.

In the end, it won't matter. The Broncos are hobbled by having lost star corner Chris Harris Jr. to an ACL injury, after having already lost  LB Von Miller. As SI has noted, this means the Broncos D will struggle to generate pressure. Add on to that NE RB LeGarrette Blount, who doesn't so much run through D-lines as plow through them, and the Pats have the formidable means to dominate time of possession and keep Manning off the field. Finally, let us recall that Brady is 7-0 vs. Jack del Rio coached defenses. Each time he faces them he puts on a QB clinic.

People - superficial observers - say that the Chargers running game didn't succeed  last week in Denver,  so why should New England's now? But they forget that the Chargers' top RB, Ryan Matthews, was only at half strength - having been injured the week before in Cincinnati. This time, the Pats bring a full deck for their running game and Bellichick won't let them be stopped.

Even if the Broncos manage to keep every last NE fan out of their stadium it won't matter in the end:

Patriots 31  Broncos 20


P.S. Don't look for Manning's "OMAHA!" callout  to be used more than once, if at all. It was designed to provoke SD defensive lineman into false starts - but it won't work against the Pats. All those who plunked down $100 for "OMAHA!" tees, sorry 'bout that!

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Footnote: 1/ 20

Arrrgh! YES! Yes, I was wrong on both counts: The Ponies managed to take the game (after Wes Welker took out Patriots' D-back Aqib Talib, thereby assuring Manning would have a field day, and Manning also barked 'Omaha!" at least 25 times.  I only later discovered corporate sponsors in Omaha  (of Manning's charity) had planned to donate in proportion to how many times he yelped 'Omaha'. So naturally, he'd try to help his own charity.

Anyway, let the ponies enjoy their brief time as champs. It won't be so easy against the No. 1 defense in the NFL - the Seahawks. As we know great SB D's beat great O's. Wanna see the script? Look at Superbowl XIX!