Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots November 1, 2017 - Super Bowl XLIX Revisited

Episode Date: November 3, 2017

Mark Schofield looks back at Super Bowl XLIX with Rich Hill and Danny Kelly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I had no hope after that one. It was just so clear that the Seahawks were going to go ahead and score. This is Mark Schofield for Locked On Patriots. Super Bowl XLIX pitted the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots. Two teams and two fan bases looking to cement a legacy. For the Seahawks, it was the chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls, defeating Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the process. For a team and a defense to beat two of the game's best quarterbacks in back-to-back Super Bowls was an opportunity to take advantage of.

For the New England Patriots it was the chance for that team, that organization and their quarterback to win their fourth Super Bowl after losing in their previous two attempts. And while there were many sort of off-the-field issues surrounding the game, shall we say, once the game got underway, it became a Super Bowl for the ages. The game was tied 14-all at halftime, but the Seahawks built a 10-point lead as the third quarter ended. New England scored two straight touchdowns, however, and took a 28-24 lead with just over two minutes remaining. I'll allow Al Michaels, up in the booth, to set the standard. Overcoming a 10-point deficit. Again, we go back to Brady telling us yesterday,

there would not be a game I would want to win more than this one. Danny Kelly, however, did not feel confident at this point in time. Doubt in Phoenix for Super Bowl XLIX, Kelly, who was covering the Seahawks for field goals, was not at the game, but he was watching at a house near the stadium. And when the Seahawks took the field, even though they had all three timeouts, plus the two-minute warning, Kelly wasn't convinced that the Seahawks could get down the field and score. Well, first of all, I was down in Phoenix, which was really, really fun. You know, obviously in the run-up to the Super Bowl, we kind of did all the, you know, just the media

stuff that everyone does in all the Super Bowl week. I was palling around with actually PFT commenter, which was a blast. He's just kind of doing his thing. That was when we were both with SB Nation back then. So that was a lot of fun. And yeah, we just rented a house in the Patriots, sorry, in the Patriots, in Phoenix and just kind of hung out

and did all that stuff during the week. I didn't get to go to the game. They only had a certain amount of media credentials, so i just got to do most of the pre-game stuff but um yeah so my experience was it was really really fun we were coming off the high of beating the uh the packers and some crazy you know and just one of the most crazy nfc championship games in memory and you know kind of feeling like the seahawks were ready to kind of you know fulfill their destiny or whatever as a two-time Super Bowl champions or whatever

and back-to-back. I don't know. It was a lot of fun. It was a crazy, crazy experience. I feel like I was a little bit on the other side where I was not feeling very confident about it. Obviously, everyone has their opinion on momentum, but it really felt like the Patriots had taken all the wind out of Seattle's sails

at that point, and Seattle was really kind of reaching. And, I mean, the way that they began the drive, I think they hit Lynch for a big gain. Lynch gets flanked out. What do we got? We're going to lose it. We're not done. Come on. Let's go. We're not done. Come on.

Let's go. The empty backfield. Wilson. Down the sideline. Lynch makes the catch. And he'll get tackled by Jamie Collins. But that's a big gain. Taking us to the two-minute warning.

They still have their three timeouts. That's a gain of 31 yards. Puts the ball in Patriot territory. Fantastic finish coming up in Super Bowl XLIX. Al Michaels has no idea the kind of finish that he's truly in for. But the big throw and catch from Russell Wilson to Marshawn Lynch is often ignored or forgotten when people talk about the end of Super Bowl XLIX. But the route from Lynch, a hitch-and-go vertical route along the sideline,

was run to perfection. He beat Jamie Collins in man coverage. Wilson spotted the mismatch, made a perfect throw, and Lynch pulled off an incredible hands catch along the sideline to give the Seahawks a 31-yard gain, setting up a first and 10 at the New England 49-yard line. After the two-minute warning, Wilson's next two passes fell incomplete, but he made a conversion to Ricardo Lockett on third and 10, setting the stage for perhaps the second craziest play in this thrilling conclusion to Super Bowl XLIX.

After watching and re-watching and re-watching this play, what always stands out to me is the voice and the call from Al Michaels. He almost nonchalantly gives up, assuming the pass falls incomplete. It's one of many amazing aspects to this next play. Russell in the pocket. Russell for Kirsten. It's broken up again. And is it?

But somehow, did he wind up with a football? I think Butler hit it and it fell right back down to the ground. Unbelievable. That's exactly what happened, isn't it? Well, Kersh goes for it. It's still not on the ground. It's still not on the ground. Well, look at that.

Oh, my. I can't believe he didn't get up and get the end zone in time. And then Butler takes him out. So he breaks up the play. But at the end of the day, look at that. Jermaine Kearse is juggling on his back. Acrobatic catch gave the Seahawks a first and goal at the Patriots' five-yard line with just over one minute remaining in Super Bowl XLIX.

Malcolm Butler, who was in coverage on the play, was quick enough to get back to his feet and force the receiver out of bounds. Again, in a game filled with perhaps forgotten moments, Butler's recovery helped set the stage for his dramatic play to seal Seattle's fate. But at that moment in time, most Patriots fans felt sick to their stomachs. Yeah, so I was watching the game with two of my good friends that we went to high school together and we've seen all of the, how all of this has played out. But we were also playing with someone who is a huge Giants fan, and she was dating one of the Patriots fans.

And so we all just kind of were just like, oh, man, did you do this? That's Rich Hill, the managing editor of Pat's Pulpit, and the voice you heard talking about hope at the start of this episode. Like many Patriots fans, Rich saw that catch and just assumed the worst. So I had no hope after that one. It was just so clear that the Seahawks were going to go ahead and score. They were on the five or was what how deep were

they? They're on the 38 five yard line. They're on the five yard line. They had over a minute to go. They were going to score. Down in Phoenix, Danny Kelly, who was not confident at the start of the drive, began to believe again. I did not feel that confident basically going into that drive. I thought they had a long way to go, and it just felt like New England was really, really on a high, and there was no way they were going to let the Seahawks go downfield. Now, when they hit that curse pass, that was sort of when I was like, holy crap, they're actually doing it.

That was with just over a minute minute left and just a miraculous catch. And so from that point on, I started my opinion change. But up until that point, I was like, this isn't looking good. In the aftermath of the curse catch, the Seahawks tried to get to the line of scrimmage to run another play. But by the time they lined up, the play clock was nearing zero and they were forced to burn their second timeout. Perhaps, like many, the Seahawks players themselves were just stunned at the play they had just witnessed. Their timeout gave everybody a chance to catch their breath and it also gave the producers at NBC a chance to rack up a video

montage that made nauseous Patriots fans feel even worse. And now a curse. This was where Tyree had the helmet catch. This was the scene of the crime for New England. And Tom Brady had that look on his face like, you've got to be kidding me, not again. Here you go back to Super Bowl XLII. Tyree makes the catch. Our buddy Rodney Harrison had a bird's eye view. Plexiglas Burress winds up with the touchdown to win the game and end what would have been a perfect season for the Patriots.

They were 18-0 coming in. You know, Al, you play 16 games, a couple of playoff games, and it comes down to one tip ball that falls on the ground to somebody who's lying on his back. Paul Allen has seen it all, but not that. Look at that. But they're not in yet. The montage may have been nauseating for Patriots fans to endure, but as Chris Collinsworth said at the end of that clip, they're not in yet. And on first down, Dante Hightower made one of those underrated plays to help save a Super Bowl. Oh, it was so good. I mean, if you watched,

that was the play of the game, especially with him having a separated shoulder while he was doing that. And the way that was a Russell O'Koon, he just threw him away. I mean while he was doing that. And the way that was a Russell Okun, he just threw him away. I mean, he was doing superhero moment after superhero moment with Okun and Lynch. Those are two all pro caliber players that Hightower was able to throw away to make the biggest stop on the biggest stage. And Hightower is one of the most under some players in the Belichick era I think that he deserves his place right next to the the brew skis and the variables and this is the play that I will always point to as him doing a lot of the dirty work with the other players getting more of the the glory and attention

but Hightower will never complain he'll never go back and say hey what about me he'll just go in there and he'll do his best every single time so I give so much credit in the world to Hightower first comes up with it amazing the ball to five now you have to stop here he goes. Beast mode to the half yard line. As Collinsworth said, now you have to stop Marshawn Lynch. And that's what Dante Hightower and the Patriots did on first down. And for Danny Kelly, this more than any other play perhaps sticks out in his mind as the one that changed the course of Super Bowl XLIX. I think, honestly, when I think back to that Super Bowl, that run, that play is more depressing than the interception. Just because

Lynch had a full head of steam. It looked like he was about to get outside and just go right in. And I just, I don't know. To me, that was the play that they could have sealed it. And it was so close to just springing him for a touchdown. So when I look at that play, when I rewatch that play, that's almost more depressing than watching the interception just because, I mean, they had it all set up. And, yeah, it was a great play.

And credit to New England, that's why they won the Super Bowl is they made two great plays right in a row to hold the Seahawks out of the end zone. So, yeah, that play, again, like that play, just you have nightmares about that play. Hightower's tackle of Lynch set up a second down play and yet one more bizarre turn of events. While everybody wondered if the Patriots were going to take a timeout to try and preserve some clock, Bill Belichick, their head coach, kept his hands to his sides. There would be no timeout coming from the New England Patriots. Yeah, no, totally. I i mean after the game it's like yeah he was he was brilliant he knew what he was doing but at that time you need to save as much

time on the clock as you can and so they let 40 seconds go off between the lynch run and then the interception and so with them letting the clock run down, that was Belichick saying, you know what? We're not, this is it. We're going to let this series decide the Super Bowl. And he says after the game and all of those interviews that he was confident with the defense that they had put on the field. And he saw that the Seahawks were a little bit confused and scrambling out there. So you have to trust him, and also it worked out.

But you just don't let the other side kind of determine the game, right? What happens if there's a defensive penalty and then the Seahawks get an automatic first down? And then you're out of luck. So he just put the timing of the game in the hands of the Seahawks and let themselves ruin it. I mean, that's what we've seen over the past two Super Bowls. Our teams just not take advantage of what was right in front of them. And I thought that Belichick should have called the timeout,

but ultimately it worked out. Oh, yeah, I was incredibly confused. And, I mean, I don't know, to this day, like, I don't know what the actual, like, was there a specific plan or were they just didn't know what to do? You know, I don't know how that all went down. But, yeah, I was really confused as to why it was happening and i think it created a little bit of chaos you know and then there was the whole issue with the seahawks kind of looking at the personnel and deciding to throw instead of to run because i think the patriots

came out in sort of a run heavy look and so that was sort of like dictated to the seahawks that they should try and attack with the with the pass So, yeah, that was a really confusing few seconds. So a timeout would not be coming from the New England sideline. But Malcolm Butler would be. Three corners! Three! Three, Malcolm, go! Words that will live in Patriots lore.

The phrase, three corners malcolm go oh yeah and you know obviously we all watch the videos afterwards because we knew how it was going to play out but to rely on a kid out of west alabama at a pivotal moment like that perhaps more than anything maybe that exemplifies the Belichick-era Patriots. That's true. And also, don't forget Brandon Browner with his huge block at the point that just opened up that lane for Butler. And Browner deserves, I mean, not just as much credit because Butler got the interception, but if you had that number two most important player on that play, it was Brandon Browner. Real! Malcolm Butler, who almost made the phenomenon of play that wound up in Persia's arms.

There are flags on the field for celebration. Amazing. I don't think I recognized it. I don't think it registered with me until the interception. And what was it? Al Michaels was just like, he intercepted it it was just like it's just i didn't see it happen yeah it was just confusion with everyone and the people i was with were started freaking out being like oh my gosh it was an interception i'm pretty sure i blacked

out i'm pretty sure i don't remember the the three minutes after that interception because it just it didn't make sense none of it made sense the throw didn't make sense the interception at the goal line didn't make sense the Patriots winning the Super Bowl didn't make sense after seeing that Jermaine curse catch where I thought that meant that it was over none of it worked for me and so I just just, I honestly, I don't recall the minutes following that interception. While Rich Hill was trying to piece together what he had just witnessed, Danny Kelly was coming to grips with it as well. I can remember in my head, like it's seared into your memory.

Al Michaels going, it's intercepted. You know, like i just couldn't believe it um and i mean that's a play honestly that they've they've run a bunch during the year and you know it worked essentially every time before for them and obviously that's why you know another another huge credit to bill bill belichick and sort of the patriots defense and their game plan because i think they'd actually practiced that play the week before, you know, Malcolm Butler had been aware of that play and that's why he jumped it.

It was, it was great game planning, great preparation, and they made an amazing play. And honestly, like when you watch that, it's, it's actually pretty incredible that he caught that ball too,

because it was, it was, I mean, Wilson threw it in there, you know, it was like, it was a laser pass in there and it it even i think it hit or it hit um lockett's hands so it was like a deflected really fast

pass it was amazing that he even caught it so all around just amazing play i was kind of stunned i was just like you know it was one of those moments it was like just a great moment in sports where you're just like, what just happened? And then the implications start flooding through your head like that was the stupidest play call in the history of football, things like that. Yeah. I mean, how quickly was that sort of the thought that set into your head where you were like, wow, that was amazing what I just saw? Wait, why did that have to happen? Yeah.

I think my first initial reaction was to just go on twitter and like yell like why did you not run it like that was the stupidest play you know at the time i remember thinking it was the stupidest play ever but i kind of you kind of like can rationalize it you know afterwards and the way that they approached it and the fact that the seahawks had run this play multiple times in the past a great success and all this but um at that moment, I remember just thinking, like, that was idiotic. But now when you look back on it, I don't feel the same way. I don't feel like it's the stupidest play call of all time. I obviously regret it.

But, yeah, I mean, it was just an amazing play by Butler. And it was great preparation by the Patriots. Like, again, credit to them because I think a lot of it is, like the everyone talks about how the Seahawks should have run it but like you have to give credit to New England for making a miraculous awesome play and winning the Super Bowl you know when the clock finally ran out Rich Hill took a moment to sit back and collect his thoughts and piece together what this victory meant for the New England Patriots. They hadn't won in a decade.

And so it felt like a lifetime apart, especially with them reaching it in 2007, 2011, and coming up short. And so it felt like a weight was lifted from the team from the the region where all right he won his fourth they finally made it back we can say that his career wasn't wasted because he you know i mean that's the the biggest first world football problem to have right you know that he was able to win again after those first three so his entire career isn't just hinged upon the opening to his his career but this just it seemed like a freeing

moment after they won when looking back himself danny kelly takes a more big picture view of super bowl 49 oh my god yeah it's totally seared into your memory I mean it's an iconic moment in Super Bowl history honestly one of the best Super Bowls I can think of you know obviously the Patriots-Falcons Super Bowl from this last year kind of

topped it in a lot of ways obviously the comeback and just all the miraculous sort of heroics that happened in that game too but um i just remember thinking obviously you're bummed out that this you know i was bummed out that the seahawks lost because i was covering them and sort of really invested in in their success at the time i thought it was and honestly it would have been like a legacy building win you know they would have had two straight super bowl wins against the two of the greatest quarterbacks in nfl history and like it would have cemented their defense in you know history

as one of the best defenses ever beating peyton manning and then and and then tom brady and back to back super bowls like you couldn't top that so i was really like invested in all that all that lore and like the legacy and all that um but when you look back on it, it's like, man, that was such a great game, such an amazing game. Back and forth swings. Obviously the Seahawks won it by 10, and then the Patriots came back and chipped away and came down to last play. There's an amazing play by Kirsten, then an amazing play by Butler.

I mean, the list just goes on. It's hard to sort of feel bad about it because it was such a fun, awesome game too. All right, Danny, I'll get you out of here on this one. And, you know, while it was a great game and all that stuff, I'm sure you were just thrilled when I reached out to you to relive these moments. So I guess I can just let you get in. You know, how badly do you want to sort of kick me in the face right now? No, honestly, I've gotten over it.

It's taken a little bit, but I'm kind of over that whole thing. And I'm not feeling bad about it. Then on the other hand, I did contemplate re-watching the game so I could sort of offer more memories and things like that. But I decided not to. I'm like, no, I'm not quite, I'm not quite ready to like go in and actually like study the game and like, you know, dredge up all those, all those feelings. But no, it's all good. It's fun. It's a great game between two great teams. And it's always fun to talk about. In the 2014 NFL season, offenses attempted 109 passes on their opponent's one-yard line.

On only one of those pass attempts did the play result in an interception, and it sealed Super Bowl XLIX. Malcolm Butler's interception was the only time that happened in the entire 2014 NFL season. With the victory, the Patriots secured that fourth Super Bowl title and Tom Brady took his place among the greats in the pantheon of NFL history at the quarterback position. For the Seattle Seahawks, the interception and Super Bowl loss gave them an entire offseason to wonder what could have been. I want to thank my two great guests, Rich Hill, the managing editor of Pat's Pulpit. Again, please follow Rich on Twitter. He is pp__rich__hill. And I also definitely want to thank Danny Kelly, a staff writer over at The Renner. You can follow Danny on Twitter.

He is at DannyBKelly, K-E-L-L-Y. Again, massive thanks to both of them, especially Danny, to come on and talk about a game in which his team lost in the fashion that they did. I'll be back tomorrow with a look at Super Bowl XXXIX with two more great guests. Rich will be back to talk about things from the Patriots' perspective. And Michael J. Kiss, the host of Locked on Eagles,

will be with me to talk about what it's like to see the Philadelphia Eagles lose in a Super Bowl. Until next time, everybody, keep it locked right here to me, Mark Schofield, and Locked on Patriots.