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znModeratorMartz would make TA a star.
If he can really run a variety of routes well enough. I don’t think he could last year.
znModeratorThis is who Carroll is. For good … and for ill. You can’t laud the guy for the 1st call and rip him for the 2nd.
That;s a good point I think.
YOu are who you are and you dance with who brung you. You therefore also trip and fall over on your ass with who brung you.
znModeratorPeter King: MMQB – 2/2/15 – Super Bowl Edition
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/02/02/super-bowl-49-patriots-defeat-seahawks/
By Peter King
I ran into Steve Young on the field 90 minutes after the game, and he felt the way I did, and the way I suppose much of America still feels this morning. “It’s hard to accept, because you’re so sure the game was going one way,” Young said. “I still can’t believe it.”
On Saturday night, at the Patriots’ hotel, the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa (sounds more exotic than it is), the coaches had a one-hour staff meeting. What happened there is the essence of what Bill Belichick is as a coach.
As Belichick spoke, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took his blue Sharpie and wrote two things on the top of his laminated play-call sheet he’d carry with him on the sideline in Super Bowl XLIX. Whenever McDaniels looked down at the sheet, he’d see these two bold reminders:
ADJUST
CORRECT PROBLEMS AND GET THEM FIXED
———-
That was the dumbest big play-call in Super Bowl history.
Maybe Wilson shouldn’t have thrown it. Maybe he should have thrown it out of the end zone. But I’m not blaming Wilson for the play. It wasn’t an audible. The play came from the sidelines, from offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Though coach Pete Carroll took the blame afterward, it’s not his call, and it sounded very much like Carroll falling on his sword for a coach on his staff. Whatever, this was a play you simply do not call. Marshawn Lynch had 102 yards against a heavy New England defensive front in the game to that point. He’d just burrowed four yards over the left side, to the one.
When Lynch got up, the stadium clock read 1:00. And counting. Call a timeout, Belichick! Call a timeout!A stadium dumbfounded. What we knew just then:
New England led 28-24.
Seattle needed a touchdown, obviously.
Seattle had traveled 79 yards in 62 seconds.
Seattle had one yard and three plays and one timeout left.
Seattle had Marshawn Lynch. “The baddest back on the planet!” former Seahawk cornerback Brandon Browner, now a Patriot, said afterward.New England didn’t call timeout. Belichick is brilliant, and I’m sure he had his reasons. (He said he’d have called time if the Seahawks had run the next play and not scored, but by then, with 20 seconds left, there wouldn’t have been enough time left to do anything fruitful if Seattle scored.) But I think that’s a huge mistake. If New England calls time there, and Seattle scores on the next play, the Patriots get the ball back, down 31-28, with about 50 seconds left. That’s far preferable to getting it back down 31-28 with two timeouts and, say, 18 seconds left.
One Patriot told me a couple of things that made sense. He thought Belichick bypassed the the timeout because the coach was comfortable defensively—as comfortable as he could be with who was on the field trying to stop Lynch—and that a timeout would have given Seattle a chance to stop and consider different plays, and why give the enemy more time to think?
In the end, Seattle could have had either two or three shots with Lynch. Instead, Wilson passed.
“What were they thinking!’’ Browner said. “I just really feel like sometimes these coaches are so intelligent they out-strategize themselves. It’s simple. You turn around and give it to the best back in the game. He picked up like four yards and landed a yard away from the end zone the play before.’’
Carroll’s explanation:
“We sent in our personnel. They sent in goal-line [defense]. It’s not the right matchup for us to run the football, so on second down we throw the ball really to kind of waste that play. If we score we do, if we don’t, then we’ll run it in on third and fourth down. Really, with no second thoughts or no hesitation in that at all. And unfortunately, with the play that we tried to execute, [Butler] makes a great play and jumps in front of the route and makes an incredible play that nobody would ever think he could do. And unfortunately that changes the whole outcome.
“A very, very hard lesson. I hate to learn the hard way.”
But what’s the lesson? Carroll sounded like he had no regrets. So Seattle, after shredding some other defense and going 79 yards in a minute, with three downs to get one yard, given another chance, would throw a goal-line slant? I don’t get it. I never will.
Goat of the Week
Darrell Bevell, offensive coordinator, Seattle. For years to come, fans of the Seahawks and just plain fans will ask one simple question about Super Bowl 49: What in the world was Seattle doing throwing a slant pass on second and goal from the 1, with one of the game’s best short yardage backs in the backfield? It’s a question that will torment the Pacific Northwest for years and will make it difficult for Bevell ever to fulfill his dreams of becoming an NFL head coach. It simply was an incredibly wrong call.
February 2, 2015 at 1:27 pm in reply to: superbowl articles (ie. non- "the call/ the INT" articles) #17837znModeratorRams-related Super Bowl takeaways
By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/
EARTH CITY, Mo. — After one of the most exciting Super Bowls in league history, the New England Patriots emerged with the Lombardi Trophy after a dramatic late interception at the goal line.
For fans of the St. Louis Rams, that was only one of a handful of unfortunate takeaways from the game that brought up some bad memories.
With football over until the fall, let’s take a quick spin around some of the game’s events before fully moving into the offseason: •
Warner
There is no doubt that Rams fans probably would have liked to see Sunday’s game end in a scoreless tie. The Seattle Seahawks are an NFC West division rival and the New England Patriots are still despised in these parts for winning the 2002 Super Bowl under a cloud of suspicion that still exists here from the Spygate incident. So when beloved former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner presented the trophy to the Patriots after the game, it didn’t go over too well in Rams nation. I asked my Twitter followers for thoughts on that as it was happening. I’d post a tweet or two here, but we have to keep it family friendly. It was that bad.
•Obviously, the final Seattle play call will draw attention from all corners of cyberspace and beyond. I heard multiple analysts call it “the worst call in NFL history” given the situation and the stakes. I’ll leave such discussions to others, but here is what surprised me about it: Seattle’s M.O. is playing stout defense and relying on the power running of back Marshawn Lynch on offense. It’s their identity and it isn’t fancy. Even on defense, there is nothing special about what they do schematically, they just do what they do, and they do it very well. So for them to abandon that philosophy with the world championship at stake was jarring to see. And it also probably brought up some painful memories for the Rams and their fans.
Wilson
Russell Wilson’s interception was the only one thrown from the 1-yard line this season on 111 drop backs around the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Though it was the only interception thrown from the opponent’s 1, it wasn’t the only one thrown in close with the game at stake. Against San Diego on Nov. 23, Rams quarterback Shaun Hill threw an interception to Chargers defensive back Marcus Gilchrist from San Diego’s 4-yard line. That play also came on second down, with enough time for the Rams to run and with a timeout remaining. A touchdown likely would’ve given the Rams a 31-27 win. Instead, they lost 27-24. Then-Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer took heat for that call, but Hill had an open receiver in running back Benny Cunningham and simply never saw Gilchrist. The Seahawks had Lynch and a power run ability unmatched by most teams around the league, which makes their call far more head scratching than the one the Rams went with in a similar setting. But, like with Hill, all of the blame shouldn’t go to Seattle’s coaching staff. Wilson made a bad decision and throw similar to Hill. The call was for a pick play, and Wilson has to be sure that his receiver comes clean before letting it go. And to New England’s credit, young defensive back Malcolm Butler made a great play.
•Two former Rams played for the Patriots in the game, but three will walk away with championship rings. Receiver Danny Amendola, who not so long ago was the Rams’ best wideout, came up big for New England with five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui also played for the Patriots, coming up with a catch for 4 yards. One player not on the 53-man roster but who also had a cup of coffee with the Rams is quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who was on New England’s practice squad.
•It doesn’t mean anything but in the postgame, Patriots receiver Julian Edelman began by saying “St. Louis” is a wonderful team before quickly correcting himself to Seattle.
•That will do it for the actual games this season, which means we can now transition into the silly season. The Rams still need to hire an offensive coordinator, but the NFL scouting combine starts in just 16 days.
znModeratorReports: Johnny Manziel “entered treatment” on Wednesday
According to multiple published reports Monday morning, Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has sought treatment for undisclosed personal issues.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and several other reporters, Manziel “entered treatment” last Wednesday, an advisor for the quarterback said Monday, according to a statement released by Manziel’s publicist.
“Johnny knows there are areas in which he needs to improve in order to be a better family member, friend and teammate and he thought the off-season was the right time to take this step,” the publicist told the Plain Dealer and other media outlets. “On behalf of Johnny and his family, we’re asking for privacy until he rejoins the team in Cleveland.”
The 22-year-old Manziel appeared in just five games as a rookie, making two starts before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.
UPDATE: Browns General Manager Ray Farmer has released the following statement on Manziel, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:
“We respect Johnny’s initiative in this decision and will fully support him throughout this process. Our players’ health and well-being will always be of the utmost importance to the Cleveland Browns.
“We continually strive to create a supportive environment and provide the appropriate resources, with our foremost focus being on the individual and not just the football player. Johnny’s privacy will be respected by us during this very important period and we hope that others will do the same.”
znModeratorIt was an empty backfield, and I have no problem with that–it put a linebacker on Cunningham, and Cunningham beat him. As I understand it, the advantages of an empty backfield in that situation are twofold–one is, by sending out a back and then lining him up wide, the defense which has to honor the presence of a back with their personnel grouping, suddenly is caught in a mismatch. Usually of course a back can beat most LBs. Then if the defense honored the run personnel, they are lining up 2 CBs plus safeties and LBs against 5 receivers. That’s going to leave 3 guys with single coverage. Some say you lose the element of deception you get with a back in the backfield, but to me that’s 6 of one half of dozen of the other–deception or mismatch on the line. The 2nd advantage is that once you line up with 5 WRs the defense has to declare its coverage by how it lines up to counter, so you get a very useful pre-snap read.
Hill locked on to Britt, is the problem. He didn’t wait half a beat for Cunningham, who did spring free quickly.
znModeratorThe Seahawks were poor in converting short yardage situations by rushing the ball in 2013. I haven’t seen how they rated in 2014.
Actually…small correction. Lynch was 1st in the league on converting 3rd n short:
http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/leaders.asp?year=&type=Rushing&range=NFL&rank=016
1 Marshawn Lynch Sea 89.5% ( 17/19 )
He was 2nd in the league on TDs rushing inside the 10:
http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/leaders.asp?year=&type=Rushing&range=NFL&rank=074
2 Marshawn Lynch Sea 42.3% ( 11/26 )
znModeratorNo worries.
Now that you live in Maine, have you gotten drawn in to college Hockey? Not sure where U-Maine is or plays, but I know they play all of the Boston teams.
My daughter goes to BU, and hockey is BIG at her school. BC is their biggest rival, but they play all the Ivy League teams and all the locals, including U-Maine.
I’ve always found that hockey is best live. Looking forward to visiting my daughter and maybe catching a game.
My father played minor league hockey in Canada. I had a chance to get into hockey when I was young. I never really did.
znModeratorfrom off the net…some “wasn’t a bad call” posts
—
Speed_Kills
Sure in hindsight don’t make the call. I wouldn’t have made that call. However, they put the ball in the hands of Russell Wilson who is super clutch. Ultimately they lost because they failed to execute the play.
A throw that is inside a foot or a more experienced WR (we say this about Quick) who aggressively goes and gets that ball and its a TD. Imagine if that was Dez Bryant. Is he waiting for that ball to get to him or does he move aggressively to get it? Give credit to Butler… he studied and he made the play and saved the game for his team
If Wilson makes the throw there no one is taking about that being a dumb call.
Bottom line they didn’t execute it. That’s why they lost it. I don’t have a problem with them putting the ball in Wilson’s hands in that situation on second down.
The issue is they could not throw an int and they did.
—
flv
You can’t run the ball 3 times with 26 seconds on the clock and only 1 timeout. If you run on the 1st attempt and don’t get in you have to take your timeout there and then. Now you have 20 seconds and 0 timeouts. If you run on the next play you only get 1 shot. If you pass everyone is expecting it.
Passing on the 1st attempt would have allowed the Seahawks to either run or pass on 2 more attempts. Passing on the 1st attempt was good strategically. The specific pass play wasn’t a great call and it wasn’t well executed.
The Seahawks were poor in converting short yardage situations by rushing the ball in 2013. I haven’t seen how they rated in 2014. They failed to convert a short yardage situation by rushing early in this game.
—
Zaphod
At first I was baffled, but I think they really did have only one time out and 3 more attempts at a touch down. What they did was absolutely logical now that I think about it.
The Patriots were stacking the box and they had three wide-outs. If they run now, they pretty much burn a time-out and a down. If they call a time out and switch out personnel, then their next attempt after that is almost certainly a pass.
This was basically their last attempt at exploiting any element of surprise with time and downs running out. If that ball was thrown better, it was a touchdown, game over, Seahawks win. If if was thrown away, the next to plays are hand offs to Lynch, and at least one of them likely makes it in.
I want to place the blame on Wilson, but this wasn’t the first interception of the game, and this is a team game. If you eliminate the interceptions entirely, then this game probably isn’t even close.
But in the end, the Patriots really played well and overcame their mistakes and the better team won. I know everyone hates the teams involved, as do I, but it really was a fun game to watch, and it was as close to the 1999 super bowl as anything we’ve seen in a while, right up to pass call at the end that people will probably question for a long time.
February 2, 2015 at 9:57 am in reply to: superbowl articles (ie. non- "the call/ the INT" articles) #17824znModerator
Ten Takeaways from Super Bowl XLIXBy Randy Karraker
http://www.101sports.com/2015/02/02/ten-takeaways-super-bowl-xlix/
The New England Patriots came back from a 24-14 deficit in Super Bowl XLIX, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers with their fourth title, training only the Pittsburgh Steelers with six and the San Francisco 49ers with five. It was one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. Here are my ten takeaways…
1) Malcolm Butler’s interception with :20 left in the game provided another classic ending provided by a previously relative unknown, turning that guy into a hero. Like Mike Jones of the Rams making The Tackle in Super Bowl XXXIV, or defensive MVP’s such as Dallas’ Larry Brown, Tampa’s Dexter Jackson or Malcolm Smith of the Seahawks last year, Butler has etched his name into Super Bowl lore with one play to win a Super Bowl.
2) I found it amazing that Danny Amendola and Michael Hoomanawanui would play in a Super Bowl together for any team. They were both always hurt for the Rams, but were durable and somewhat productive for New England in 2014. And Amendola was actually productive in the game, grabbing five balls for 48 yards and a touchdown.
3) Like Timmy Smith of the Redskins in 1988, Seattle’s Chris Matthews turned into a star on the Super Bowl stage. During the ’87 season, the rookie Smith carried the ball in four games, totaling 29 carries for 129 yards. In the Super Bowl, Smith carried 22 times for a Super Bowl record 204 yards. Matthews, who had never caught an NFL pass, made that amazing catch to set up Seattle’s first touchdown, and the caught the tying touchdown right before halftime. He finished with four catches for 109 yards and that score. How can the Seahawks find a guy like him working at a Foot Locker store, and have five undrafted receivers in the Super Bowl, yet the Rams fail to get as much production out of drafted receivers Mardy Gilyard, Austin Pettis, Greg Salas, Brian Quick, Chris Givens, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey?
4) I thought Seattle dodged a bullet when the Patriots didn’t really utilize their big X-factor, Rob Gronkowski, in the first half. Aside from his 22 yard touchdown catch, he had only two other first half catches for a total of six yards, and six for 68 overall. He did have huge twenty and thirteen yard catches in New England’s game winning drive, but they could have used him much more effectively than they did.
5) I told the people I was with that after Gronkowski’s late first half touchdown that the Patriots had left too much time for Russell Wilson. I figured he’d drive them into field goal range, but he did better than that. As the Packers learned, he has a remarkable ability to put together late drives. Sure enough, he turned in a five play, 80 yard touchdown drive that took just 29 seconds. And what a gutsy call by the Seahawks to run the play with just six seconds on the clock. It was perfect, because if even if it had been incomplete, there were still two second left to try a field goal.
6) What is Tom Brady doing throwing key interceptions? The pick by Jeremy Lane in the end zone on New England’s first possession was a cruncher. New England could have won in a blowout if not for that. The Pats used up more than half a quarter…7:41…and got nothing out of it. And then the Bobby Wagner interception midway through the third quarter to set up Seattle’s third touchdown and make it 24-14 put the Patriots behind the eight ball.
7) I loved the way the officials let the teams play. We saw early on that they weren’t going to call the ticky-tack illegal contact and interference penalties. This is the way the sport was about ten years ago. There are just too many rules in the NFL. It was nice to see a game with some flow that wasn’t consistently interrupted by the zebras.
8) Back in the Patriots run of Super Bowl wins in the early 2000’s, two of the most underrated parts of the team were running back Kevin Faulk and wide receiver Troy Brown. It seemed that whenever New England needed a first down, Brady would find one of those two. It’s the same way now with Shane Vereen and Julian Edelman. While they brought in Brandon LaFell and Amendola, it’s the home grown guys that the Patriots go to in crunch time. Vereen had eleven catches for 64 yards and added four runs for thirteen. Edelman had nine catches for 109 and the lead touchdown just before the two minute warning.
9) Jermaine Kearse’s fourth quarter catch provided shades of the heroic David Tyree in the same stadium in 2008. What an amazing, athletic catch that was, that should have provided Seattle the opportunity to win. But the Seahawks didn’t take advantage of their great fortune. Like the Rams in San Diego this season, there was no good reason to throw the ball in the middle of the field when they had Marshawn Lynch, who led the NFL with seventeen touchdowns this season, from the one yard line and a time out left. Like Rams QB Shaun Hill, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw an incredibly inopportune interception into the end zone. So Kearse’s miracle was wasted and New England won the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade. Nine of Lynch’s seventeen scores this season were runs of six or fewer yards, with five of those being three or less. And the ‘Hawks decided to throw the ball on 2nd and goal from the one.
10) During the week leading up to the game, former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was asked about Bill Belichick’s cheating ways on KJR Radio in Seattle and said “I don’t want to believe that there was anything outside of his team beat our team. That’s what I want to believe. There’s a sliver of a doubt because I think, as a human, you can’t help it.”
“To know that if you were a part of that process at that time, was there any advantage they gained in any game, not just our Super Bowl game, but maybe a game before that to get to the Super Bowl? I mean, all those things enter your mind.”
With that thought, Warner had to deliver the Lombardi Trophy to the victorious Patriots. It must have been a walk of mixed emotions to that podium.
And so New England has their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
We’ll find out soon enough if the NFL chooses to punish them for have deflated footballs in their game against Indianapolis. But with authentic footballs and plenty of safeguards in place to prevent another Spygate episode, they have to feel good about winning a Super Bowl in a legitimate manner.
znModerator…anyway, the good thing is this will haunt
seahawk fans, players and coaches for eternity.
Bad thing is, it makes the Pats organization
the best ever, i would think.I think this is a many edged sword.
Just talking about how this will be “construed.”
1. Did Brady & Patz win? No they lucked out.
2. Carrol faces key moment and screws up, it will haunt the team to eternity and beyond.It’s lose/lose.
znModerator/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3366162/PATSPATSPATS.0.gif)
znModeratorDarrell Bevell hints Ricardo Lockette could have been more physical on pivotal play
Because it ended in the game-clinching interception in Super Bowl XLIX, the Seahawks’ decision to throw on the New England one-yard line in the final minute Sunday night will be a part of NFL lore for years to come.
Criticism has fallen on Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell for the second-down call resulting in an interception by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, securing a 28-24 win for New England. And in the immediate aftermath, Carroll showed accountability, taking the blame for the call and explaining time and again to reporters why Seattle was throwing instead of handing off to Marshawn Lynch.
For his part, Bevell has also taken ownership of the call, per John Boyle of theEverett (Wash.) Herald.
However, Bevell also indicated wide receiver Ricardo Lockette — the intended target on the play — could have showed more strength finishing his route. Lockette was knocked off the ball by Butler, who ran through the receiver and made the pick in a spectacular effort.
“We could have done a better job staying strong on the ball,” Bevell said afterwards, according to Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune.
The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta also observed Bevell had suggested Lockette needed to be stronger, as did Boyle of the Everett Herald.
The lamenting about the Seahawks’ final offensive play won’t stop anytime soon. While Bevell might be right about Lockette, there’s no escaping that Seattle passed at a curious time — and failed.
znModeratorWell…they won.
.
znModeratorButler snatches Lombardi Trophy from Seahawks
By Jim Thomas
PHOENIX • Seattle was on the doorstep of a dramatic Super Bowl victory — just 1 yard to go for the go-ahead touchdown and just half a minute left to play.
One handoff to Marshawn Lynch, who already had 102 yards rushing and a touchdown, and into the end zone he goes for a victory over New England.
But in what has to be one of the worst play calls in Super Bowl history — maybe THE worst — the Seahawks chose a pass play. It was a quick slant to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, who had position on defender Malcolm Butler and could see the ball coming right into his hands for Super Bowl glory.
But no. Butler, a rookie cornerback, bumped Lockette off the ball for an interception, grabbing the Lombardi Trophy away from the “12s” in the process. The play sealed a 28-24 victory for the Evil Empire — aka the AFC champion Patriots — Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
“This is our fourth Super Bowl championship in (13) years,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said as he cradled the Super Bowl XLIX Lombardi Trophy. “The first one we won (against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI) I thought was really special.”
But this one even tops that victory over the Greatest Show on Turf in terms of last-second heroics.
It was New England’s first Super Bowl triumph in a decade. And as much as Rams fans or Patriots haters may detest the outcome, it was an amazing comeback for quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots, who trailed by 10 midway through the fourth quarter after giving up 17 unanswered points to the NFC champion Seahawks.
“It wasn’t exactly how we drew it up,” said Brady, who earned his third Super Bowl MVP. “It’s been a long journey. It’s just a great win. We left it all on the field.”
Brady completed a Super Bowl record 37 passes, good for 328 yards and four touchdowns. He now has 13 Super Bowl TD passes, breaking Joe Montana’s record of 11.
Touchdown catches on throws to former Ram Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman wiped out a 24-14 Seattle lead, giving the Pats their final 28-24 advantage with 2 minutes, 2 seconds to play.
However, that appeared to be more than enough time for Seattle QB Russell Wilson to rally his team to a last-second victory. Two weeks ago in the NFC title game, a Wilson TD pass in overtime gave the Seahawks a victory over Green Bay.
On Sunday, after a tremendous catch by Jermaine Kearse for 33 yards to the New England 5, it looked like another last-second victory was in the works for Seattle. On a deep ball from Wilson, Butler tipped the ball away.
But as Kearse was falling to the ground, the ball bounced up off his left knee, then Kearse swatted at the ball with both hands, keeping it alive. Next, he tapped it with his right hand, and corralled it just before his back hit the ground.
Odell Beckham Jr., eat your heart out.
With 1:06 to play, Lynch carried off left tackle for 4 yards to 1. Second-and-goal and at worst three cracks at the goal line with Lynch? This looked like a sure thing for Seattle.
On second down, the Seahawks let the clock run down to 26 seconds before the snap, and then Butler stepped in to make the greatest defensive play in the Super Bowl since Mike Jones and The Tackle against Tennessee 15 years ago.
“I feel good. I made a play to help my team win,” Butler said in understatement. “I’ve worked so hard in practice, and I just wanted to play so bad and help my team out. I got out there and did exactly what I needed to do to help my team win.”
That’s for sure.
Butler was signed as an undrafted free agent out of NCAA Division II West Alabama, and that happened only after a tryout at a rookie minicamp. He played only two years of high school ball in Vicksburg, Miss., got kicked out of Hinds Community College and worked at a Popeye’s chicken restaurant for a while before enrolling at West Alabama.
But down by 10 points late in the third quarter, the Patriots were staggered, in large part because of the work of another obscure player — Seattle wide receiver Chris Matthews.
First signed by Cleveland as an undrafted rookie in 2011 out of Kentucky, he spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
He had played in only three NFL games and hadn’t caught a pass before Sunday, when he caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Besides his TD with two seconds left in the second quarter to tie the score at 14-14, he also made a 44-yard grab to set up Seattle’s first TD and then caught a 45-yarder to set up a go-ahead field goal to start the second half.
Brady threw his second interception of the night shortly after that Seattle field goal, and it led to a Wilson-to-Doug Baldwin TD pass that gave the Seahawks their 24-14 lead. Then Brady and the Patriots took over.
“Unbelievable play by Malcolm,” Brady said. “We didn’t call a timeout and the clock was winding down and we realized, you know, this is basically it. … I saw the interception and couldn’t believe it. It was just an incredible play. You know, what a play. A championship play.”
That it was.
Pardon the Deflategate pun, but for the Seahawks it was about as deflating as it gets. Their efforts to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since the Patriots were foiled because the Butler did it.
Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman conceded he was “a little bit surprised” that the Seahawks didn’t run the ball at the 1.
“Their guy made a heck of play,” he continued. “You’ve got to give him all the credit.”
Would he have handed the ball to Lynch instead on that play?
“What I would have done is irrelevant at this time,” Sherman replied. “We went with that play. We trusted our quarterback, and unfortunately they made a play.”
znModeratorYeah I thought more sports guys would see it and respond on the Rams board.
I should have left an alert.
Sry.
znModerator“He’s probably the best rookie I’ve ever played with, and I’ve played with some really good football players,” defensive end William Hayes said at the end of the regular season. “But we will be remembering his name 15, 20 years from now, I can promise you that. He’s something special.”
…
Donald’s 9.0 sacks also rank as the sixth most by a rookie defensive tackle since the stat became official in 1982. Additionally, only three interior rushers in franchise history have posted more sacks in a season than Donald in 2014.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for that kid,” defensive end Chris Long said. “He’s just been a pro since he got here. He can hang with the guys, he’s a good locker room dude, and he’s a hell of a player. He’s been pro ready since he got here, and I just admire the way he plays the game, the way he brings intensity and physicality to Sunday, and he’s a good teammate.”
znModeratorAaron Donald Wins DROY
Congratulations to defensive tackle Aaron Donald on being named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Aaron-Donald-Wins-DROY/323f2d45-703e-4a02-8099-d947e0cc28e8
znModerator7 things to watch : Seahawks vs. Patriots
By Jim Thomas
FOCUSING ON LYNCH
Marshawn Lynch’s ongoing media “feud” has become laughable, basically a marketing tool for Lynch to get his name out there and increase his brand. However, no one on the New England defense will be laughing on Super Bowl Sunday. Every time Lynch has the football he runs as if it’s his last carry. Since the start of the 2011 season, he has more rushing yards (5,357) and more touchdowns (56) than anyone in the game. Rest assured, the focal point of coach Bill Belichick’s defensive game plan for the Patriots is to stop Lynch. Load the box, gang tackle and trust your gifted cornerbacks, Darrelle Revis and ex-Seahawk Brandon Browner, to blanket the Seattle wide receivers.
THE GRONK
If Seattle has the best running back in the game in Lynch, the Patriots boast the NFL’s top tight end in Rob Gronkowski. The last thing the Seahawks want to see is a couple of those thunder spikes in the end zone after Gronkowski touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how Seattle attempts to cover him. A linebacker won’t work; it almost never does against Gronkowski’s combination of speed, size, and athletic ability. It’s even debatable whether strong safety Kam Chancellor can hang with him — coverage isn’t his strong suit. So that leaves free safety Earl Thomas or one of the Seattle cornerbacks. In the AFC title game, the Colts used cornerbacks against him with some success.
LEGION OF BOOM
The health of this talented group bears watching. In the NFC title game, Thomas suffered a dislocated shoulder and cornerback Richard Sherman finished the game playing with one arm because of a hyper-extended elbow. And late in Friday’s practice, Chancellor fell near the end of practice and tweaked his left knee. All three stars are listed as probable, but let’s see how they hold up over the course of what figures to be a physical game.
DEFENDING WILSON
For most of the NFC title game, Green Bay was able to harass Seattle QB Russell Wilson with pressure up the middle coupled with good outside containment. The combination forced him to throw several balls away. Some teams “spy” him with a linebacker to combat his scrambling ability, but that often doesn’t work because of his speed. If the Patriots have success vs. Lynch, we could see more read-option keepers by Wilson.
DEFENDING BRADY
When QB Tom Brady gets in a rhythm, the Patriots’ passing game is a well-tuned machine — virtually unstoppable. So the idea here for Seattle is to disrupt Brady in the pocket. Sure, sacks are the best way to do that, and the Seahawks have a good — but not great — pass rush. Brady’s been sacked only 24 times in 18 games this season. But QB hits, hurrying throws, forcing Brady to move around in the pocket will work as well.
THE PEDESTRIANS
The Seahawks lost underrated Golden Tate in the offseason to Detroit via free agency. Percy Harvin, who was expected to add sizzle to the attack, was traded to the New York Jets five games into the season. Even so, the Seahawks WR corps — which calls itself The Pedestrians (as a way of mocking critics) — continues to get it done. Getting open against the Patriots’ cornerbacks represents a huge challenge for Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse.
X-FACTORS
There’s usually someone unexpected who steps up in the big game. Who will it be this time? For New England, 250-pound RB LeGarrette Blount gained only 281 yards rushing over the regular season. But he has accounted for 149 of the Pats’ 191 postseason rushing yards. For Seattle, the Ontario-born tight end known as “Canadian Bacon” — Luke Willson — has 11 catches for 250 yards and three TDs in his last four games. He runs a 4.5.
znModerator“Donald also had 17 tackles for loss, the most by a rookie defensive lineman in league history.”
znModeratorWarner, Pace shut out in Hall of Fame vote
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/warner-pace-shut-out-in-hall-of-fame-vote/article_f2e8ae07-2ad8-5613-8b30-e013027c74d0.htmPHOENIX • Quarterback Kurt Warner and left tackle Orlando Pace were shut out in Saturday’s Hall of Fame election. But the night wasn’t a total loss for the Rams. Running back Jerome Bettis, who spent the 1995 inaugural season for the Rams in St. Louis, was elected to the Hall.
And Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year, as voted on by The Associated Press. He was named earlier this month as the Pro Football Writers Association as the NFL defensive player of the year. So the rookie from the University of Pittsburgh has won both major honors.
In the Hall of Fame voting, both Warner and Pace made the final 10 candidates, but did not survive the so-called last cut.
The five modern era Hall of Fame inductees were Bettis, wide receiver Tim Brown, defensive end/linebacker Charles Haley, late linebacker Junior Seau and offensive lineman Will Shields.
Center Mike Tinglehoff made it as a senior player, while former team executives Bill Polian and Ron Wolf made it as contributors.
znModeratorznModeratorAaron Donald wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/
In the early 2000s, the St. Louis Rams had a knack for drafting defensive tackles in the first round, only to see them fail to pan out or never ascend much above the level of average. Names like Damione Lewis, Jimmy Kennedy, Ryan Pickett and Adam Carriker were all first-round selections but only Pickett (the lowest drafted of the three, by the way) turned into a good NFL player.
That history of misses on first-round defensive tackles was wiped away Saturday night when defensive tackle Aaron Donald added the crown jewel of rookie defensive awards, claiming the “official” Defensive Rookie of the Year award at the NFL Honors Awards show.
Donald had already been feted with major awards such as a Pro Bowl trip and the Pro Football Writers of America’s version of the defensive rookie of the year, but Saturday’s trophy is the one that is recognized as the primary honor as voted on by the Associated Press panel of voters.
“It’s a blessing,” Donald said. “It’s huge. It’s something you dream about coming into the NFL. To be able to accomplish it is just amazing.
“I always set my goals high. I wanted to get double digit sacks and things like that but you always have to set high goals so you have something to chase. You have got to have that mindset to stay hungry, stay humble and just continue to work.”
For Donald, it was an award well earned as he beat out other top candidates such as Oakland linebacker Khalil Mack and Baltimore linebacker C.J. Mosley. In the process, Donald becomes the first Ram since linebacker Isiah Robertson in 1971 to win the award and only the second Ram to earn it since it’s inception.
Donald proved one of the Rams’ best players, let alone rookies in 2014, with a breakout season that coaches, teammates, media and fans saw coming almost from the moment the team drafted him No. 13 overall.
“I’m thrilled to congratulate Aaron on this tremendous achievement,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said in a statement. “From the moment he arrived in St. louis last spring, Aaron worked extremely hard to prepare himself for a great rookie season and he certainly delivered. His production on the field speaks for itself. As an entire organization, we’re very proud of Aaron and we celebrate with him.”
Donald’s nine sacks led all rookies and represent the most by any first-year player in the past three years. That total was second most on the team behind defensive end Robert Quinn and eclipsed the eight from Detroit defensive end Ezekiel Ansah last year and Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin in 2012. It’s also the sixth most by a rookie defensive tackle since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
Those nine sacks were the second most among all defensive tackles in the NFL in 2014, trailing only behind the 10 of Buffalo’s Marcell Dareus. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded Donald as the best defensive tackle in the NFL. Donald also had 17 tackles for loss, the most by a rookie defensive lineman in league history.
znModeratorJim Thomas @jthom1
Rams DT Aaron Donald named AP Defensive rookie of the year.
znModeratorfrom PFF’s Top 101 of 2014: 20 to 11
PFF Analysis Team | May 18, 2015
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/05/18/pffs-top-101-of-2014-20-to-11/
18. Aaron Donald, ID, St. Louis Rams
What a rookie year! Donald didn’t start until Week 6 but still managed to not only log 724 snaps but also earn the highest grade of any defensive tackle. That was the level of dominance the former Pittsburgh Panther produced. There was a feeling he was too small heading out of college but his ability to penetrate made him more than just a situational player, with him earning marks in run defense comparable to his excellent work pass rushing.
Best Performance: Week 10, SL @ ARZ, +5.7
Key Stat: Finished in the Top 10 in both Run Stop Percentage and Pass Rushing Productivity.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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The-Night-Flier
The votes are in, according to Peter King. Almost a nine hour meeting.
Just have to wait to see if names are leaked before the official announcement.
znModeratorBernie Miklasz joined Kevin Wheeler to talk about who holds an advantage in the Big Game, how much this teams are built alike, the X-factors in the game, and they discussed at length the Hall of Fame and the former Rams chances.
Bernie Miklasz and the gang talk Super Bowl…past and present
znModeratorStacy wasnt quite
the same back last year. He seemed a bit off to me.
Like maybe he was injured.w
vWell, he was injured. We just don’t know how severely. Also, last I saw him, he seemed heavier and less explosive.
znModerator;
You know I did a quick look at this a couple weeks back.I went to Over.the.cap.com and looked at the Seattle cap situation, and who their FAs will be, and so on. I took it from 2015 through 2017.
And, I don’t agree that extending Wilson and giving him his 20 or so M will hurt them.
It looks to me like they managed things quite well. They can sign Wilson and keep the defense intact through 2017 at least, near as I could tell.
Plus they have 3 drafts from now through 2017 too.
I ain’t no paid professional cap-xpert or nothin, but I didn’t see where they would get hurt.
…
look harder.
Really, they have this managed.
The Wilson Contract Penalty? It aint there. The numbers are good for them.
January 31, 2015 at 9:28 am in reply to: Miklasz: Three ways to view Goodell's remarks (relocation thread) #17731znModeratorDo you think it will affect
the play on the field?w
vIt could. But remember, JF has been through this before, AND he has a knack for creating “us against them” environments. So, he could make it the one team in existence that thrives off of not having a complete home field advantage.
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