And just like that, the 2014 NFL season has officially come to a close. However, with the end of the games comes a multitude of questions in need of answering. Is Tom Brady the best quarterback of all time? Is Bill Belichick the best coach of all time? What sorts of drugs was Pete Carroll on when he called a pass at the end of the game? In this edition of the Beej Knows Best, I will evaluate the game, as well as answer a few of these lingering questions. But first, lets pour one to commemorate what has been a very exciting and eventful NFL campaign.
The first half of the game was an absolute snooze-fest. Other than a Brady red-zone interception, the first 30 minutes of action featured little drama until the last minute and change. First, the Patriots, followed by the Seahawks, scored to close the half out at a 14-14 deadlock. All four scores were tallied in the second quarter; naturally fans were looking to Katy Perry to help revitalize their teams’ offenses.
Although the number of points scored in the second half was less than in the first, the second half was clearly the more exciting one for the fans. Seattle opened up with 10 unanswered points as the New England offense sputtered and struggled to gain momentum. However, midway through the final quarter of the game, Brady led a precise nine play, 68-yard drive culminating with a Danny Amendola touchdown reception. After a Seattle three-and-out, Brady led another touchdown drive, connecting with Julian Edelman. With two minutes left, Russell Wilson led the Seahawks down the field in a fury, including one of the craziest catches I have ever seen in my entire life which came from Jermaine Kearse. A Marshawn Lynch run put the Seahawks at the one-yard line. Then, Carroll and the Seattle coaching staff made the controversial decision to run a pass play, with 31 seconds left and a timeout remaining. Malcolm Butler jumped the route, and intercepted the pass. Pinning New England at their own one-yard line, however, presented the opportunity for a safety and repossession of the ball. But, Seattle ended up jumping the snap for an encroachment penalty, and after a brawl caused by Bruce Irvin of the Seahawks, the Patriots were crowned champions.
So where does this leave Tom Terrific? He now has tied Joe Montana for most Super Bowl MVP awards with three. He now has tied Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl wins with four. He has the fifth most yards during the regular season ever, and he has the most passing yards in playoff history. I believe that making the claim, in any sport, of “best of all-time” is difficult because the league is fluid and ever-evolving. Each generation has its own greats, and the argument that Brady is the greatest of our current generation is easily defensible. Other than Randy Moss, he has never had a superstar game-breaking wide receiver, yet he has consistently put up phenomenal stats. His ability to stay cool under pressure, manufacture comeback victories and elevate the play of others around him makes the Patriots a threat year-in and year-out. I understand that New England had a successful regular season with Matt Cassel when Brady was out; I believe this was an aberration as opposed to the rule. Without him, the Patriots wouldn’t have won more than seven games this season. I don’t think he needed this victory for his legacy, but after winning his fourth Super Bowl, Brady has cemented himself as one of the best ever, and definitely the best of our generation.
Belichick is an evil genius. His ability to impact decisions on both the offense and defense make him the ideal head coach. Additionally, his ability to create value through the draft by trading down, stockpiling picks and finding hidden gems just by taking as many players as he can has revitalized the roster every year. This has allowed for difficult emotional decisions to be made, such as cutting Richard Seymour a few years ago and, most recently, trading veteran Logan Mankins. Between the much-publicized controversies surrounding Spygate and Deflategate, there certainly will be those who question whether or not Belichick has played by the rules, and whether or not that should affect his legacy. However, I believe that his creative play calling, cunning during the draft and ability to get the most out of his players puts him in the upper echelon of head coaches.
I just threw up a little after writing all that praise for people on the Patriots. Go Jets. Anyways, I digress.
Carroll will continue to get heat for his play-call for the entire off-season, but I don’t think passing was a bad idea. Instead, I think that running a pick play would have been a mistake. Replaying the scene, there was about 40 seconds left when the ball was lined up, and the Seahawks had one timeout left. New England stacked the box up, leaving the Seattle receivers in one-on-one coverage for the most part. One aspect of a head coach that is crucial is the ability to adjust on the fly. Chris Matthews was absolutely torching the Patriots. He already had a red-zone touchdown at that point. Why not line up Matthews on an island, and let him go up for a jump ball? The potential risks for a pick play, other than an interception, is that the pick causes an offensive pass interference penalty. Additionally, because it is a rhythm pass over the middle, there are many opportunities for the ball to be batted down, or even for a tackle before the end zone to occur. If I were Carroll, I would have sensed the pressure up the middle, and ran a fade to Matthews. If he wasn’t open, I would have instructed Wilson to throw the ball away. This would allow the option to run on third down, call a timeout if Lynch got stuffed and re-evaluate all options on the pivotal fourth-down play. It is foolish to look at a situation during an NFL game and say that it is absolutely a run or definitely a pass play. The Seahawks decided to make the bold move, and the interception was obviously not predictable. However, I feel that it was the wrong move not to go with the hot hand and get the ball into the man that had been the biggest offensive impact player of the day in Matthews.
Overall, this was an amazing season with an incredible finish. However, the 2015-16 campaign has already started, so get ready for draft predictions and free-agent analyses in the coming weeks. Be well and go Jets.
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