I don't enjoy looking for a scapegoat in the Seahawks demise in Super Bowl 49. Still, it's NFL football, and that's how things go in the NFL. People are at fault, and the consequence is often swift and brutal. I think most 12s prefer to love the whole team, even those that don't always come through. I know everybody has ran over this to death, but I haven't. At least not yet. I guess I will now. What bastard ass bastard is responsible for this loss.
1. Tharold Simon - Simon has showed promise through the season. What happened in the Super Bowl? Simon let Edelman walk all over him. Edelman! This is a guy that is nowhere near good enough to be a number one wide receiver. Still, Edleman does have spectacular route running, which got the best of Simon. I've read an article or two that the Legion of Boom was exposed. Well, Simon was. Everyone else on defense was solid. Earl Thomas played injured and had to cover the slack Simon gave through the game. I can only imagine Thomas was not happy with the Simon. Way too many points were given up on defense, and Simon was the number one culprit. Will he be back next season? It's hard to say. The return of Lane after the wrist fracture is questionable. CB is thin in Seattle, and Simon doesn't have much trade value. Expect him to return, and get ready for some painful games if he is a starter.
2. Ricardo Lockette - It was wrong of Bevell to say Lockette didn't work hard enough to catch the final pass of the game. That does not mean Bevell wasn't right. Lockette didn't even look close to giving 100% on that final play. Lockette has had some great moments all season. Really, though. This is the Super Bowl and you're not going to put everything into the final play of the game? What the fuck? I expect Lockette to be back next season as Seattle is already thin at WR. He may very well not be a starter, though, unless he can show 100% on all plays. Don't make the common wide receiver mistake of getting all cocky, dude.
3. Bevell, Freaking Bevell - You've probably heard the conspiracy now that Pete Carroll wanted to give all the glory and MVP to Wilson, and that is why he avoided running Lynch. I'm going to pin this conspiracy on Bevell, and I believe that it is sort of true. Why? Because Bevell made this same offensive mistake of passing too much instead of running Lynch all season. Since his heavy pass calls lost some games, Bevell was forced to commit to run Lynch. It seems Lynch and Bevell don't exactly get along either, most likely because he doesn't allow Lynch to run it like he should. The reason goes deeper. Bevell wants Wilson to be the star of the team. Bevell selected Wilson to be the star. Bevell holds a lot of interest in Wilson's success. The better Wilson looks, the better Bevell looks. It should also be noted that Bevell and Wilson are both from Wisconsin. It seem like Bevell may care more about making himself, Wilson and their Alma Mater gain some cred. In a way, it's a conflict of interest. He seems to be pulling just a bit more for these other things than the Seahawks victories. Will he be back next year? Probably. He should be gone because he never learns from his mistakes. Carroll really seems to like him. Still, the 12s want him gone. They know Bevell cost Seattle the game, because he made the same mistake early in the season. He did not learn his lesson. And also, Bevell blamed Lockette for the loss! Even if that's true, take some credit on yourself, asshole.
4. Pete Carroll - Pete ain't going nowhere, baby. Pete's weakness is also his strength. He puts too much faith in his team and coaching staff. Pete trusted Bevell. He trusted Wilson. That's what a good coach does. He does have the final veto, but the odds were still 1/100 that the final play would have that ending. That's a reasonable risk. Still, Pete, you forgot that every time the ball leaves a player's hands, it is high risk no matter what. That's the Seattle strategy. Run it. Do not take that risk if you don't have to. And you didn't have to. A turnover on a run play is closer to 1/150, and that's better odds. The lesson forgot is that every time you throw the ball, it is dangerous as hell. You looked the gift horse in the mouth after the luckiest, most incredible reception in Super Bowl history. You looked it in the mouth, Pete. Just don't do it to us next year.
5. Russell Wilson - The more you learn about the situation, the less blame goes on Wilson. It turns out that Bevell's instructions were to throw to Lockette on the slant, and under no circumstance was Wilson supposed to run the ball. Wilson was told to throw the ball no matter what. Ummm? Why would you take away Wilson's legs? Oh, right! Because you want to prove his arm ability. Wilson fucked up, plain and simple. He had several options, the corner fooled him, game over. Going back and looking at the play, that final throw was nor normal for Wilson. He's one of the most conservative QBs in the NFL. He takes extra time to make sure he won't get picked. He runs around a bit, looking for any good option. This time, he went in with only one option on his mind. Wilson's most guilty of not fighting to keep more options open.
In the end, I'm giving my trophy of the person that lost this game the most to Bevell. He's made this mistake way too many times, continues to make it, and will probably do it again. It's becoming more transparent now that Bevell wants to build his Wisconsin star QB into an elite and will sacrifice wins to get it. Simon is a very, very close runner up. You have a lot of work to do, because you may not be around much longer.
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