View From the Top
With the Seattle Seahawks winning big for the second straight week, everything is coming under a bit scrutiny.
After handing the Buffalo Bills an ass-whuppin’ Coach Pete Carroll has come under an attack for calling a fake punt with the game already determined.
To those who criticize: get over it.
It was a great call, at the perfect time. Let me ask you, when do you want to see a fake punt? And when else are the Seahawks going to practice it?
Failing to gain a first down wouldn’t have cost Seattle anything but it would have shown if this action needed work.
There are two views for Coach Carroll’s criticism. The first is the whiny, poor-loser attitude where the Hawks are being accused of running up the score. The second is the notion that the Coach has exposed too much of his tricks to future opponents.
Answering the first attack, the last time I checked this isn’t Pop Warner or pee-wee football where every game ends in a tie and everyone is supposed to go home happy.
This isn’t Pop Warner or pee-wee football where every game ends in a tie
Nope, this is big boy football played by professionals where careers are earned not awarded. If Buffalo fans are going start getting unruly because the Bills’ can’t stop a particular play, get ready for darker days in northern New York.
Let’s get to the bitter truth of this play; the Bills were losing, lackadaisical and a sense of apathy was creeping into their game.
Pete Carroll exploited this weakness like a preying lion. Scoring additional points was going to occur one way or another and they would have come just as easily.
Two weeks in a row the Seahawks have hung a half-century on their opponents. Everyone’s going to want to get in on the fun. Defenders be warned.
Besides, it should be Buffalo Coach Chan Gailey under the microscope for not having his players primed and ready for all situations.
The second prong of criticism comes from the school of thought that you never show your hand. In this case, not showing the rest of the NFL you are capable of pulling off such a well-executed fake punt.
Why not?
Do you not think San Francisco coaches aren’t now wasting valuable time and effort trying to scheme against this type of surprise? Time that they could be studying Marshawn Lynch’s third down tendencies, or Russell Wilson’s hand signals.
Coach Carroll just put a sliver of fear into co-ordinators across the league.
It’s deception at its’ finest.
And every once in a while you gotta show the world you’re holding a pair of Aces.
After the game, when questioned about the decision, Carroll apologized for the call and took full responsibility for his coaching staff on running the gadget play.
I applaud for Carroll for his sense of atonement but I also applaud him for working on the full range of exploits in his playbook.
I just can’t wait and see what he still has up his sleeve.
Cheers, The Bartender
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About Phil Slater
