Super Bowl Backlash: Should Darrell Bevell Be Fired?

The Seattle Seahawks are down 28-24 with :30 seconds remaining in the Super Bowl. They have second-and-goal from the one yard line, and the best running back in the NFL in the backfield. Possibly the best short yardage back since Earl Campbell.

And what play do they run?

Ricardo Lockette on a slant route in a crowded formation? No, surely not. Tell me I’m dreaming. Tell me that didn’t just happen.

I’m in shock. My fingers are moving to type these words, but my mind is saying words I can’t write on the internet.

What went into that call? Pete Carroll took the blame for the mistake like the leader and man of integrity that he is, but I’m going to assume that it was called by Darrell Bevell, being that he is the playcaller.

It’s like he was playing Madden and wanted to make sure his QB got Super Bowl MVP. It’s like he was in an alternate reality where Marshawn Lynch didn’t exist. It’s like he tried to lose the Super Bowl on purpose.

How? Why? As I’m writing this, I’m still trying to process what happened, so forgive me if I seem a little spacey.

WHY WOULD YOU CALL A SLANT IN A CROWDED AREA OF THE FIELD FROM THE ONE YARD-LINE?!?!

Ugh.

I know there was more to this game. I know that the defense had multiple chances to force New England off the field in their two fourth quarter TD drives. I know the offense played as awful a first quarter as they played in the NFC Championship.

But I also know that Seattle wins games with that kind of stuff going wrong all the time due to the fact that they don’t make idiotic plays or playcalls like this one.

After losing games earlier this season to the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, in which Lynch was given six and ten carries, you would think Bevell would have learned not to forget about Marshawn.

Some have credited Bevell with the bringing up of Russell Wilson from his rookie season to now. But does that outweigh a mistake of this magnitude?

We’ll see going forward. My guess is that Pete Carroll will stay loyal to his offensive coordinator. It would go against his whole philosophy to scapegoat like that and fire a guy for one mistake.

But it was a really, really, really bad mistake.