The 12th man is what they call the Seattle Seahawks fans for being the loudest fans in sports. After Superbowl 49 they were anything but loud. The Seahawks were on the losing end of the stick; but it was how they lost that really made it sting. The final score was 28-24 in favor of the Patriots but it could have easily been 31-28 in favor of the Seahawks. It all came down to one play, which most say was the worst play call in Superbowl history.
Seattle had a chance to go on a game winning drive at the end of the game and did well on the drive. The drive was highlighted by an absolute catch by Seattle wide receiver Jermaine Kearse; similar to what we saw from Giants’ receiver Odell Beckham Jr. against the Dallas Cowboys. Seattle was now in New England territory and gave a handoff to Marhsawn Lynch, which brought them to the New England one-yard line. Almost every single person watching the game assumed Marshawn Lynch would be getting the ball and Seattle would be 20 seconds away from winning back-to-back Superbowls. But Seattle did just the opposite and threw the ball. The ball intended for Ricardo Lockette (Seattle wide receiver) on a slant pattern was intercepted which gave the Patriots the win and Brady his fourth ring.
Throughout America, Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll, has been questioned on why he would throw the ball on the one-yard line when he knew he could not risk a turnover in this situation. Another reason why this decision was especially peculiar is because Seattle has Beast Mode, aka: Marshawn Lynch. Marshawn Lynch is easily the best power running back in the league and there are none better in short –yardage gain than Lynch. Lynch has been scoring touchdowns and converting short-yardage plays all season for the Seahawks and it is baffling why they just wouldn’t do it again. As people say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”!
Although Tom Brady received the MVP honors, he was not the player who stood out for most people. The player who stood out was not Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork, or Darrelle Revis. The player who stood out was Malcolm Butler. Malcolm Butler is a corner for the New England Patriots who started out the year on the practice squad, yet made one of the biggest plays in recent Superbowl history. Malcolm Butler was the player who intercepted Russell Wilson with twenty seconds left to seal the win for the Patriots. When Malcolm Butler was asked about the play he was surprised he was even on the field. But, many would say that Malcolm Butler was just following his coach Bill Belichek’s mantra; DO YOUR JOB. Malcolm Butler most certainly did his job. But in the end the Patriots won, Foxborough is a happy place, and Tom Brady is happy as now he has four rings, three MVP awards, and a brand new Chevy.
