This was a pick play. It blew up because Browner jammed Kearse on the line of scrimmage and there was nobody to stop Butler from jumping the route. The idea it was holding is nonsense. Regardless of it being a dumb call, it was a great defensive play.
From the NFL Rule Book: Actions that do not constitute pass interference include but are not limited to: (e) Contact by a defender who has gained position on a receiver in an attempt to catch the ball.
If you're going to pass in that situation, you at least play action hard to Lynch, have Wilson roll out (like he does so well), he's too elusive to get sacked, he can either throw a safer ball to a receiver running some kind of out route, he can dart to the corner of the endzone and take it in himself, or he can throw it away.
I could totally see a play action pass there, no doubt - but at the same time - who's gonna bite really? You're already man to man coverage across the field. I think they chose the quick slant, especially that pick play since it's about as unrisky as it gets for a pass, unless they've been studying film. I mean, if they scored on that play nobody would be talking about this entire subject at all, it just didn't work out.
You know what, that is absolutely a great comparison except for the fact that Laetner probably should have been tossed after he stepped on Justin Timberlake's chest.... ok it wasn't Justin but it was Timberlake.
...but regardless of whether or not it was technically "in traffic", or "in a crowd", it was still the middle of the field, where a lot of things can happen....a D-lineman could have tipped it, the WR could have bobbled it into a defender's hand, the WR could have slipped, etc etc....with Wilson rolling and throwing an out, you eliminate those risks because you are outside the pocket so linemen can't tip it, and if the receiver bobbles it or falls down the ball is out in front of the play so the defender can't reach it, plus the players are more isolated so other defenders can't get in the way. Also, Wilson is so good at rolling out, scrambling, racing for the pylon, etc...just so many more ways the play can work out. And if not, more time for Wilson to just throw it away and you give it to beast mode next play.
Yeah, you're definitely right - I was actually thinking "but he threw it over the middle" when I was typing before. And went through exactly that scenario of a hard ball thrown and deflected. They really should have run a boot if they wanted to kill time. It would have taken some off the clock - if he had nobody open he could have run, technically in space since everyone is probably thinking A and B gap anyway. And at worst he could throw it through the uprights. Like everyone else I really thought the game was over.
Jim Zorn was in over his head as HC. He was hired to be OC, but no one wantd to be their HC, so he was given a promotion and clearly wasn't ready for it. The best part about that play is they showed the fake, the Giants called a timeout, and then the Redskins still went with that idiocy in the video.
Well somewhere Herm Edwards smiled and said that his blunders costing the Jets a win at Pittsburgh in the playoffs are no longer the stupidest thing of the last 10 years a coach has done to cost his team in the playoffs.
BTW, just hearing a caller on Boomer & Carton pointing out that Carroll blew the 4th & 2 call in the 2005 Rose Bowl as well. This is what makes the play so bad, not that it was a pass, but that it was the most ill-advised, poorly designed, highest risk play that could have been called in that situation
No Jet coach has anything done anything like this..and it is compounded by the situation and circumstances This is the stuppidest coaches' gaffe of all time.
Call me crazy I guess, and I might be the only person in the world to defend it, but I really don't think it was that bad of a call. Keep in mind we are judging it with the benefit of hindsight.. I think more credit should be given to that Pats defender than I think criticism directed at Seattle/playcalling. They simply got beat on an incredible defensive play. Give that kid some credit, unbelieveable play. Not every interception is a horrible throw or a horrible decision, sometimes defenses like to have a say in matters you know They said on the radio something like 200 passes were attempted this season from the 1 yard line by every team and that was the 1st one to be intercepted. And look at the success of both team's passing games in that game last night in short yardage. Hell NE ran a pass play from inside the 5 just 2 minutes earlier to take the lead! Where's the criticism for that playcall? Oh that's right it would be silly because they executed/SEA didn't make an incredible play.... It was also a very safe pass. A pick play that's very difficult to defend right in the middle of the field for the QB. Probably 99/100 times that's incomplete or a TD. Just the one freak time where it didn't work out. Also, Lynch suprisingly isn't the best short yardage RB. Seattle was testing NE there- they spread them out with multiple recievers and NE responded by keeping their base goalline D out there. That's what you do when the personnel matches up like that. Say they ran it on 2nd and 3rd down and get stuffed? then they make themselves one dimensional on a 4th down play where they have to pass. Then all you armchair coaches would be bitching at them for not throwing on 2nd down when they wouldn't have been forced to pass. It's worse for coaches to get too conservative in big situations and lose because of it than it is for coaches to make the decisions they made all year in those situations and get beat. Herman Edwards kneeling on 3rd down to set up a long FG is losing because you are too conservative. Pete Carroll throwing a pass on 2nd and goal, in a play they like to run, and losing is just getting beat. I think more criticism belongs to the reciever who didn't fight for the ball than I do the actual call or the throw. But really it was just an incredible defensive play. It's a shame that the story is about the call and not the play really.
I haven't read any other posts in this thread but I agree it was a dumb play call, probably the dumbest I've ever seen (although, admittedly, I haven't been watching football as long as many here). You're at the one, BB isn't using his timeouts so you can bleed the clock and you have your timeouts if you absolutely need to stop the clock...you have Lynch in the backfield who has been having a good game. I don't think any pass in that situation is a good play. Maybe just MAYBE if you had a taller WR/TE go on a corner route or something but a slant...a SLANT? Nah, that was a horrible play call. Honestly before they even lined up my thought was "fake handoff to Lynch, Wilson keeps it on a bootleg and tries to run it in himself" which was maybe pretty predictable but I think it would have been a better play call than a slant. The issue with a pass in general is even if it ends up incomplete it stops the clock which you don't want, it seemed like BB wasn't using his TOs but at least you force him to think about it if you run it again. Ultimately though we're operating in hindsight (albeit forethought would have indicated that was a bad playcall) and you can't take away from the play by Butler. He had excellent recognition, reacted extremely quickly and obviously wanted the ball more than the receiver (who I thought was a bit lazy on the play). I don't think he's some super-star now because of one interception but, man, talk about making a play at a big moment. The biggest moment. Good for him.
The Seahawks would have had THREE opportunities to punch the ball in from inside the 1-yard line. That was the stupidest fucking play-call I have ever seen, and it cost them the championship and even worse, handed it to the fucking Patriots. That decision to throw on 2nd down brought back great memories of the Jets having 1st and goal from the 2-yard line in the AFCCG vs. the Steelers.
I agree, inside slants are probably a weakness in Wilson's game due to his height. The playcall fails to utilize his talents and bizarrely targeted the worst WR of a suspect group. I can live with pass there if you are doing corner fade to Matthews or rolling out Wilson and giving him a run/pass option to a TE. I don't understand inside slant. They hadn't been using that play all game and you are right that Wilson's height is a slight detriment to succeeding on that play. It was just senseless on every level.
