As the Seahawks came to the 1-yard line for that fateful play, two thoughts were swirling through my head.
1. Is there a danger of scoring too soon? If they score on that second down, they’ll be up 31-28, but Tom Brady will have a reasonable chunk of time to get the ball into field goal range to tie it.
2. Can Marshawn Lynch control himself? When Lynch crosses the goal-line for what probably will be the game-winning touchdown, will he be able to resist the temptation to stick it to the NFL by grabbing his crotch? I would have been funny and historic just to see it play out, but he’s been warned about it, and referees were on the lookout. Had Lynch executed a crotch grab, the Seahawks would have been penalized 15 yards, making it even more possible for the Patriots to potentially tie it at the end.
A couple of other Super Bowl thoughts.
Seattle needs a wide receiver.
Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse are OK. They belong an NFL rosters. Baldwin would be a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver on a lot of rosters. Kearse is a No. 3 for a lot of teams. But they’re not dynamic enough. They didn’t get open often enough on Sunday, and that played a big role in New England being the more compelling team for the majority of the game. Kearse played a role in the loss-clinching interception, failing to get off the line decisively enough to create the pick action that was suppose to clog Malcolm Butler in traffic. Kearse was also the intended target on all 4 interceptions Wilson threw in the NFC championship game.
Chris Matthews. The youngster looks like he’ll be part of Seattle’s receiving corps going forward. He’s big (6-foot-5) and he was able to use that size to create some mismatches against smaller defensive backs. He had the two long receptions, and he also had the touchdown at the end of the first half. But Seattle also needs to add more of a difference-maker guy.
Percy Harvin. Seattle traded away Harvin. I would how he would have impacted that game? But there were attitude and scheme problems with Harvin, so they might not have even made it to the championship game if they’d stayed on the Harvin course.
Bill Belichick, teacher. No coaching staff does a better job of taking younger, seemingly insignificant players and preparing them to come through with game-deciding plays. Remember the AFC Championship game against Baltimore a few years back? Lee Evans had a Super Bowl clinching ball in his hands, and Sterling Moore had the foresight to get his hand in knock it out before Evans had held on long enough. Malcolm Butler came up with a similar play on Sunday. He was coached up well enough to know exactly what Seattle was doing, and then had the confidence to go strongly after it and make the game’s defining play. New England’s coaching staff seems to do a better job of preparing their players – even their younger, lesser-type guys – to make these kind of plays.
Tom Brady, greatest ever? Julian Edelman, I thought, did a nice job of laying out some arguments for Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback ever. “I’m a big Joe Montana fan, I love him to death,” Edelman said. “I thought he was the best. He won four, he’s undefeated in four, but they didn’t have a salary cap back then. He had some great players around him. He had some great defenses. “Tom Brady came out here, he’s been to six Super Bowls. He’s won four with the salary cap. It’s hard to argue against that.” Good points. Montana certainly benefited from playing with Jerry Rice, a historically underrated defense, and most of all Bill Walsh, who was light years ahead of the rest of the league in the ‘80s. But whatever. It’s good enough, I think, to say that they both belong in the top tier – the best of the best.
Baldwin’s B.A.I’m not sure where Doug Baldwin was going with his touchdown celebration. He appeared to do some kind of a faux BA deal, but NBC didn’t really show it in the broadcast, and it wasn’t really discussed. I wonder if it was supposed to be some kind of shot at Randy Moss. Maybe Moss is one of Baldwin’s critics? A dumb penalty. Even with a 10-point lead, you don’t want to be risking giving the Patriots 15 free yards.
2015 season. The season will start with a Thursday night game at Foxborough. That’s the formula: the Super Bowl champion gets to open the next season at home. The eight possible opponents include the Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Steelers and Washington. Not a particularly sexy rack of games. I’m guessing it will be one of the two Pennsylvania games – Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Both the Bills (Rex Ryan) and Jets (Todd Bowles) have new coaches.
Super Bowl odds. William Hill, one of the most respected oddsmakers in Nevada, has released it’s initial odds against winning next year’s Super Bowl. No big surprises at the top. The Seahawks, Patriots and Packers are the favorites. The Titans have to feel a little insulted. Less than half as likely as the Jets or Raiders to win the whole thing, and over three times less likely than the Browns.
| ODDS OF WINNING NEXT SUPER BOWL | |
|---|---|
| Seahawks | 5-1 |
| Patriots | 6-1 |
| Packers | 6-1 |
| Cowboys | 10-1 |
| Colts | 12-1 |
| Broncos | 12-1 |
| 49ers | 18-1 |
| Eagles | 20-1 |
| Steelers | 20-1 |
| Lions | 22-1 |
| Bengals | 25-1 |
| Saints | 25-1 |
| Cardinals | 30-1 |
| Chiefs | 30-1 |
| Ravens | 30-1 |
| Chargers | 40-1 |
| Giants | 40-1 |
| Panthers | 40-1 |
| Bears | 50-1 |
| Dolphins | 50-1 |
| Falcons | 50-1 |
| Texans | 50-1 |
| Bills | 60-1 |
| Rams | 60-1 |
| Vikings | 60-1 |
| Browns | 75-1 |
| Jets | 100-1 |
| Raiders | 100-1 |
| Washington | 100-1 |
| Buccaneers | 150-1 |
| Jaguars | 150-1 |
| Titans | 250-1 |
