NFL: 30 of the biggest what-ifs in NFL history

NFL: 30 of the biggest what-ifs in NFL history: 11. Pete Carroll makes the right call

It’s easy to criticize from the outside but the job of an NFL head coach must be incredibly difficult. For the most part, the players will receive the bulk of the credit if they win. If they lose, the coach’s seat goes from lukewarm to blazing hot. Understanding the right play to call at the right is complex but with that said, Pete Carroll made things much more complicated than they needed to be.

Carroll’s Seahawks fell behind 28-24 with roughly two minutes remaining in the 2013 Super Bowl. On the second to last play, running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for four yards to bring his team to the New England Patriots one yard. His total on the night reached an incredible 102 yards. Everyone knew Lynch was going to get the ball on more time. He was one of the best backs in the league and was itching to finish them off. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Carroll opted to have his quarterback Russell Wilson throw the ball which was subsequently intercepted by cornerback Malcolm Butler.

The play by Butler sealed the fate of the Seahawks and everyone in Seattle including the players, coaching staff and fans were all left wondering why? If the Seahawks were to win, how different would they be now? A victory would have handed them their second straight Lombardi Trophy. Considering that they had one of the best defenses in the “Legion of Boom” there’s reason to believe that they could have reeled off more championships. Instead, the team grew a certain disdain for Carroll in an obtrusive way. The team would eventually break up entirely and several members of that failed championship club acknowledged that they simply didn’t get over what happened. Now, all the NFL world is left with is “what if?”