by Fago Franklin
Super Bowl XLIX did not disappoint the fans and lived up to the expectations of a classic Super Bowl for the ages, but it was a glitch in the Seattle Seahawks’ coaching ability that had ultimately lost the game for them.
Closing in on their second SuperBowl with the game and time in their hands, Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson marched his team down the field in attempts to win the game. The headliner during this drive was the magnificent catch by Jermaine Kearse that kept Seattle’s hope of a game winning victory in store. Kearse’ catch had put a lot of pressure on the New England’s secondary, which at times seemed to bend but not break.
With only 22 seconds left in the game and the ball literally at the one yard everybody around the world knew the ball was going to Marshawn lynch, but Seattle lined up in shotgun formation and tried to throw a slant route, which was intercepted by Malcolm Butler to win New England the game 28-24.
The coaching strategy that Seattle’s coaches had dialed up had everybody around the world pondering. “You have the best running back in the game and you tell me you can’t hand him the ball” says numerous of furious fan.
Marshawn Lynch had a humbling answer on why he did not get the ball. “It’s a team effort, not just one player.”
Seattle’s head coach Pete Caroll apologized for the call and said it was gutsy, but in the end Seattle outplay”,” For it to come down to a play like that, I hate that we have to live with that coach Pete Carroll said, “because we did everything right to win the football game.” (Huffington Post)
On the other side of the Ball Patriots’ QB Tom Brady and organization can now sing the queen song “We are the Champions.” Just in a two week span they had to deal with a lot of adversity with the deflation of footballs in the Colts and Baltimore playoff game to how well can they handle Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle’s henchmen of defense
New England answered every question that many people doubted. They had put a lot of pressure on Russell Wilson and came back from a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter to bring them to another Super Bowl.
You know, whatever it takes,” the record-setting Brady said after throwing for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder to Julian Edelman with 2:02 remaining as New England rallied from a 10-point deficit. “Every team has a journey and a lot of people lost faith in us, but we held strong, we held together, and it’s a great feeling for all us to experience. It wasn’t the way we drew it up, it was a lot of mental toughness. Our team has had it all year. We never doubted each other.” (NFL.com)
Brady surpassed the legendary Joe Montana with 11 Super Bowl touchdown passes.
The person who sealed this victory was very thankful for the opportunity to be playing.” I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true,” Butler said. “I’m just blessed. I can’t explain it right now. It’s crazy! (Huffington Post)
“Malcolm, what a play,” Brady said. “I mean, for a rookie to make a play like that in a Super Bowl and win us the game, it was unbelievable.”(ESPN)
In recent years there has not been a Super Bowl that went literally down to the last play. Thus by far had the feel of what a Super Bowl game suppose to feel like. It was thrilling and both teams lead up to their expectations this year. Both teams played with a chip on their shoulder and had something to prove in this game. It was the test of toughness and who wanted it more.
They always say “Defense wins games” and that was what had happened in the tick of seconds. The Patriots made a huge stonewall play to finally bring the Lombardi trophy back to New England.
Tom Bray had 328 yards, 4td’s, and 2 interceptions to finish the game, while Russell Wilson had completed 12/21 for 247 yard, 2 td’s, and 1 interception.
Only time will tell if this Super Bowl was considered a classic game for the ages.