To all the Patriot fans... Congratulations on the win. Brady was great and your team made plays when it had to, especially Butler at the end. Gotta give credit where credit is due.
To all the Seahawk haters out there... go ahead. Spew your hate. Talk your trash. We blew the game at the end. This is your chance.
To all my fellow Hawks fans... Wow. What can be said after a loss like this?
First of all, grieve. Grieve in whatever way you feel you need to. If that means having one good cry, screaming your lungs out in anger, or cursing out the ___ (fill in the blank), it's OK. Go for it. Sure, this isn't like the loss of a loved one in real life (heck, it's just a football game, right?). But like I said earlier, this game, this team, this season, transcends just a box score. It has become a part of our lives. And when you lose a game as big as this, as passionate as this and historic as this, it is a personal loss. It does feel like something inside you has died. And we won't get it back. It's over. It's history. People will tell you to get over it, move on. There's always next year. But those words don't help comfort much when the pain is so strong. So grieve, my friends.
Obviously, we all collectively share the frustration and the burning question, "WHY?" in regards to that final play. I have not watched any sports highlights or read any articles yet. It's too soon. We may never know who really was responsible for that decision. Maybe in time, I will learn the X's and O's reason why the slant to Lockette was called. But for now, it makes absolutely no sense: 2nd and goal at the 1, 50 seconds left with 1 time out. The playbook is completely open to you. There is no hurry. No panic. Lynch is having the drive and the game of his life. He just got you to the 1 yard line and you DON'T give him the chance to win the game for you, at least one or two times? I just don't get it. I kept saying "Give it to him again. Give it to him again!" Instead... disaster, shock, disgust, game over. Could someone with a better football IQ please give me one good logical reason why passing the ball in that situation was better than running it. Please? Because right now, I just don't understand it. Coach Carroll preaches "It's not how you start, it's how you finish" and "It's all about the ball".... Both went horribly wrong on the final play...
I love this team. And anyone who knows me, knows how much I believe and trust in the Seahawks. But, just like with the people in my life, there are times when I get frustrated, angry and disappointed with them. It doesn't mean I love them any less. Same goes with this team.
At the same time, unlike a lot of folks out there, I DO NOT believe OC Bevell should be fired because of one call. One mistake does not define a player or coach's value to a team. For one bad call, there were plenty of amazing calls made throughout the course of this epic, historic game. It also does not change my perception of Russell Wilson or how I value him as our QB moving forward.
I think what saddens me the most are the lost story lines that could have been and never will. It should have been Wilson beats Brady. Seahawks: Dynasty in the making. Greatest Super Bowl game in history. Jermaine Kearse: greatest catch in Super Bowl history. But now because of the loss, all the miracles this team accomplished this season, in the minds of the rest of the outside world, will be quickly forgotten. Instead, 2014-15 will be all about Tom Brady's return to MVP greatness, the Patriots rising as the superior team, etc... Oh, and guess what? It's not just our miracles that will be forgotten. Deflategate will be a distant blip on the radar, too. A water cooler, "oh, yeah. I forgot about whole silly story" anecdote people will joke about before they go back to talking about how great the Patriots are and the "See, I told you the Seahawks were just another one-hit wonder" conversation.
But... as I said, I love this team. I am a die-hard 12 and I trust in these coaches, the management and these players. They played their hearts out. They performed like true champions, answering every shot by the Patriots with one of their own. The Patriots were really good. It was a historic game. Russell was incredible. Beast Mode was fantastic. Chris Matthews, wow! The defensive stops. Two picks on Brady. The Kearse catch. So many great moments. When the season starts over again, I'll be right there to record and capture so many more. But for now, I got some grieving of my own to do...
GO HAWKS!!! And thank you, 12s...