02-15-2020, 09:23 AM
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Pete Carroll swore he was not thinking about Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday night, you know, the one he handed to the New England Patriots as sure as Roger Goodell handed them the Vince Lombardi Trophy. He said he was not rewinding the past, only living for the moment, all that blah, blah, blah.And then the 65-year-old coach of the Seattle Seahawks left his postgame microphone inside Gillette Stadium and skipped toward his locker room hollering and whooping in a liberating way, betraying the words spoken to a roomful of reporters. Sometimes Carroll acts this way as the NFLs answer to the late, great Dick Clark -- the worlds oldest teenager. But this was different. Carroll wanted this one badly, even if its part of his job description to never, ever admit it.The NBC cameras caught him acting out on the sidelines, and these regular-season scenes in November reminded me of a regular-season NBA night in January in 1995, when Pat Riley, coach of the Knicks, downplayed his first game in Houston since his team blew a 3-2 Finals lead there the previous June. To punctuate a crucial made basket in that Knicks victory in January, Riley let out a primal scream the likes I hadnt heard from him before or since. This was the sound of a coach who had allowed his guard, John Starks, to shoot 2 for 18 in Game 7 the previous June and had been having a hard time forgiving himself for it.Two years ago in the Arizona desert, Carroll made a much bigger mistake on the goal line. He needed to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch in the closing seconds to win his second straight Super Bowl title, and instead he ordered his quarterback, Russell Wilson, to throw a slant pass to Ricardo Lockette. Lynch had run for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns that season, and Wilson had run for 849 yards and six touchdowns. Pressured by Belichicks stunning decision to let the clock bleed away precious seconds, Carroll decided he wanted to get the ball to Lockette, who managed 11 catches all year. An undrafted New England rookie out of West Alabama named Malcolm Butler beat the receiver to it.Theres really nobody to blame but me, Carroll said that night.He has had to live with it ever since, just like Riley had to live with leaving in Starks in 94, and Grady Little had to live with leaving in Pedro Martinez in 2003. Carroll has done a good job of it, at least publicly. It sure seems he has taken the hit like a man.Only this return match with the Patriots was a wonderful opportunity to vent, to flex his considerable coaching muscles, and to let loose a scream or three from his toes. Pete Carroll wasnt just the coach who made the worst call in Super Bowl history to gift wrap Bill Belichick his fourth championship ring. He was also the coach fired by Robert Kraft after the 1999 season so Kraft could steal Belichick from the Jets.In the leadup to this game, you could hear the hurt in Carrolls voice. He said hed planned on having control in New England but that it didnt really work out that way, the way I hoped, until I went back to USC and when I got a chance to be in charge again. He pointed out that he was a smash hit at USC -- except with NCAA investigators -- when he had the power over his program that Kraft didnt give him in Foxborough. He pointed out that Kraft did give Belichick the chance to take that thing over and run it and do it exactly the way a football guy sees it, and the rest has been a great history and a great success story.So Carroll had so much invested in his first game back since Kraft fired him all those years ago. It was a wonderful back-and-forth football game, too, not unlike the epic Super Bowl encounter between these two teams. Tom Brady opened with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that culminated in the first LeGarrette Blounts three scores, and the Seahawks started to work the problem from there.Wilson ended up outplaying his legendary counterpart, throwing three touchdown passes to Bradys none, but the night came down to -- what else? -- a questionable decision by Carroll and a goal-line stand. First, the questionable call. After his team took a 31-24 lead on a beautiful Wilson throw to Doug Baldwin with four minutes and change to play, Carroll decided to attempt a two-point conversion rather than the safer kick that wouldve forced the Patriots to score eight points to tie.Why would they go for two here? Belichick was caught asking into his headset.We wanted to see if we could put it out of reach, Carroll explained, and make it a two-score deal. It was an unnecessary gamble, and one that predictably failed. New England drove the ball down the field and to the Seattle 1 with only seconds to play. Everyone in the building had a flashback. Some 2,700 miles from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Patriots and the Seahawks and Belichick and Carroll would battle again over a very small piece of real estate.The most recognizable Pats fan in the house Sunday night, Mark Wahlberg, recalled before the game that he was in Krafts suite for the Super Bowl. He described the chaotic endgame scene of security officials entering the suite and preparing to escort the winning owner and family and friends down to the field for the coronation before Jermaine Kearse made his absurd catch in the same building where David Tyree made his to beat New England in Super Bowl XLII.It was sheer devastation, Wahlberg told ESPN.com as he was promoting Tuesdays debut of his USA Network show, Shooter, for which he serves as executive producer. We saw [Kearse] bobble it and we thought he dropped it and we were all cheering, and then we saw the replay on the Jumbotron. ... But we went from crying tears of sadness to tears of joy after the Butler interception. It was one of the craziest rides Ive ever been on.Wahlberg says he keeps a picture on his phone of Carroll working a drive-thru window and reaching out to deliver an order to a customer. Should I just hand this to you, the mocking Internet caption reads, or step back five yards and throw it for no reason.The Patriots didnt throw it until fourth down, after Blount and Brady failed to barrel it in. Brady threw a fade pass to Rob Gronkowski, who was tangled up with Kam Chancellor, and the presiding official made a good no-call. When it was over, Carroll said the Patriots had worked on that very play with Chancellor and a tall practice squad receiver, Marcus Lucas, in the weeks final practice. Just as Butler had worked on jumping the slant before the Super Bowl.It was a big moment in practice, Carroll said of Chancellors victory over Lucas.It was a much bigger moment in the game. Belichick gave a warm hug to Carroll on the field, and then raved about Seattles program the way he has done in the past. Carroll called Brady and Belichick the best of all time, and spoke of how much the Patriots had going for them entering this game: their relatively good health, the fact that they were coming off a bye week, the fact that they werent traveling across the country, the fact that they werent coming off a short week (Seattle played Monday night), and the fact that they never, ever lose at home.It cant get any better than that, Carroll said.In the winners locker room, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman fielded a question about the Super Bowl and decided the similar finish in Gillette Stadium was more ironic than anything. He said he thought the Seahawks might see the Patriots again this season, in February. He said that potential rematch would do far more for his coachs legacy than Sunday nights.Its not going to eliminate the criticism [of Carroll], Sherman said of the victory. This game is not even close to the significance of the Super Bowl. I think he gets that its a different year and hes kind of moved past it as much as you can.As far as making good on his worst night as an NFL coach, Pete Carroll still as a long way to go. But he did gain ground Sunday night.?He did pick up a good 10 or 15 yards on the ghost that will haunt him from here to his next championship parade. Jordan Willis . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Colton Schmidt . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/chuc...-for-sale/ . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Oscar McBride . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Cheap NFL Jerseys China .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- There could be more last-minute additions to the Atlanta Falcons roster, possibly before training camp opens Thursday.General manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn already believe they have a stronger roster after an 8-8 finish in Quinns 2015 debut. Quinn said he expects stiff competition at several positions, including right guard, linebacker and tight end.The Falcons signed tight end Arthur Lynch and wide receiver Corey Washington on Wednesday and announced the retirement of safety Charles Godfrey.The moves left the Falcons with 88 players, two below the maximum.Lynch, from the University of Georgia, was a fifth-round pick by Miami in 2015 who was signed to Denvers practice squad last year. Washington had five receptions for 52 yards with the Giants as a rookie in 2014. Godfrey had 12 tackles and a forced fumble in eight games with Atlanta last season.Following Tuesdays release of wide receiver and return specialist Devin Hester, Dimitroff said theres no major push to reach 90 players. He said hes still looking at free agent defensive end Dwight Freeney.Quinn said he and Dimitroff also have discussed re-signing outside linebacker Brian Schofield.The 29-year-old Schofield had 30 tackles and two sacks for Atlanta last season.There already have been changes at linebacker. Second-year player Vic Beasley Jr. will play outside linebacker in the base defense and will be an edge rusher in nickel packages.Rookies Deion Jones and DeVondre Campbell and free-agent signees Courtney Upshaw, Sean Weatherspoon and LaRoy Reynolds are expected to add speed at linebacker. Jones, a second-round pick from Louisiana State, and Campbell, a fourth-rounder from Minnesota, earned compliments for the way they picked up the defense in the offseason.Even Paul Woorrilow, the teams leading tackler each of the last three seasons, could be pushed by the new talent.ddddddddddddWeve been pleased with the progress of Jones and Campbell, Quinn said Tuesday. Were going to have a battle on our hands with Worrilow and Spoon and Reynolds and some of the other guys.I love the speed weve added defensively. I cant wait for that part of our game to come to life. Its going to make differences in the way we rush, the style that we play. Were probably going to play some more man to man, knowing we have the ability to do that.Quinn said Chris Chester will open camp as the starting right guard. Rookie Wes Schweitzer and Mike Person are other candidates. Tackle Tom Compton also will be given a look at guard.Because of the signing of free-agent center Alex Mack, Quinn listed offensive line as one of the teams strengths. That claim hasnt been made by a Falcons coach in several seasons.Quinn also likes his talent and depth at running back and tight end, where Devonta Freeman and Jacob Tamme are the returning starters.Freeman was a breakout star in 2015, when he rushed for 1,056 yards and had 73 catches for 578 yards. Second-year player Tevin Coleman could play a bigger role behind Freeman.Tamme was third on the team, behind Julio Jones and Freeman, with 59 catches for 657 yards in 2015. Rookie Austin Hooper of Stanford will join Levine Toilolo, D.J. Tialavea and Lynch in the competition with Tamme.I love our group of tight ends, Quinn said. I feel thats for sure one (strength). Weve got some big guys, weve got some pass-catchers.---Online: AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '