You’d think the Seattle Seahawks would have learned by now.
The Seahawks had a first-and-goal on the Los Angeles Rams’ 1-yard line in the third quarter Thursday night. But rather than run the ball, Seattle opted to pass. The result was a near-disaster: Rams linebacker Bryce Hager intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass intended for Jimmy Graham, but he was ruled out of bounds after review.
After a failed second-down run, Seattle threw again, with Wilson this time finding a wide-open Doug Baldwin for the score.
All good, right? Not for Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who was so incensed over Darrell Bevell’s decision to pass twice at the goal line that he got into a heated confrontation with the offensive coordinator mid-game.
Sherman didn’t exactly simmer down after the game.
“I’m upset about us throwing from the 1,” Sherman told reporters, via ESPN.com. “I’d rather do what most teams would do and making a conscientious decision to run the ball.”
The Seahawks famously didn’t make that conscientious decision in Super Bowl XLIX, when Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson at the goal line to seal the New England Patriots’ shocking victory. And that play apparently still is fresh in Sherman’s mind.
“Yeah, I was letting (head coach Pete Carroll) know. We’ve already seen how that goes,” Sherman said. “I’m sure you guys have seen that play enough times.”
According to Carroll, Sherman wasn’t the only one trying to do Bevell’s job on the sideline.
“Between what (Sherman) was saying and what Doug was saying — Doug was saying, ‘Give me the ball.’ And Richard was saying something else,” Carroll said, via ESPN.com. “I needed those two guys to go sit down and have a little timeout and talk it over what we should do next.”
Fortunately for Seattle, Bevell’s play-calling didn’t result in Super Bowl heartbreak, as the Seahawks won 24-3 to clinch their fifth straight NFC West title.
Here’s what Richard Sherman thinks of “Thursday Night Football” >>
Thumbnail photo via Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Sports Images
