One more day to wallow in misery and then we have to move on
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Let's move on. Please. Read on.
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• Tennessee Titan fans of long ago, the 12s feel your pain. Is there any secret you can share about getting over the agony of being a yard away from a Super Bowl championship? Such advice would be highly appreciated. Everywhere I went yesterday you could tell the Seahawk fans. Though they had put away the jersey or T-shirt from the day before, they weren't all that hard to spot. They were the ones with the zombie-like glassy stare, or the red-rimmed eyes. Some seemed to be nursing the mother of all hangovers, even the ones I know are teetotalers. Others had a scowl that would curdle cottage cheese, an angry look that made Doug Baldwin seem downright friendly. And all were depressed. Yesterday might have been a good day to run a full-page ad in the paper offering counseling services. Some soothing words might have helped. I know it did for me. They came from former Cougar quarterback Jason Gesser and we spent about an hour on the radio with Dennis Patchin and Rick Lukens talking about the Super Bowl. Most of the time was spent on the play that shall not be mentioned. After listening to Gesser's explanation – and well-thought-out criticisms – I felt much better. I understood the thought process behind the play, I understood what everyone on the field saw and I understood why it didn't work. I still don't agree with the decision, or the decision-making process, but I have a better feeling why it happened. And I am ready to move on.
• Oh, you want me to share? OK, I will, if only in the name of mental health. Gesser's pointed out the play call should have worked as it intended, considering the defense the Patriots had on the field, if it had been executed correctly. He laid a majority of the blame on receiver Ricardo Lockette, whose pattern was sloppy at best. Lockette was supposed to break hard down the line of scrimmage, shielding the defensive back from the ball even if he broke quickly, as Malcolm Butler did. Instead, Lockette bent his route up field, moving toward the end zone and opening a door for Butler to steal the pass. Russell Wilson put the ball in the right place, it just was Lockette wasn't there. Butler was. Game over. Now Gesser didn't agree with the call. He believes, like most 12s, the Hawks should have given the ball the Lynch. And we agreed the Seahawks didn't use the time inside the 5-yard-line wisely, as Bill Belichick seemingly snookered Pete Carroll by not calling an expected time out and subbing a different personnel group. Faced with either burning his last time out to get a goal-line run package on the field or throwing a pass, Carroll opted for the latter. And Gesser pointed out the pattern selected is a bit more dangerous, higher-risk if you will, than sending a stacked receiver to the outside. Do that and a wayward pass is more likely to fall incomplete, not be intercepted. In other words, the worst-case scenario on an out-breaking route is usually third down. We saw the worst-case scenario on an in-breaking route. And now every Seahawk – and every 12 in the world – is living with the consequences.
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• WSU: Tomorrow is signing day, the first day of the football signing period. This pas week has been hold on to your butt week, as the Cougars have seen some of their better "committed" recruits poached by other programs. So WSU is out trying to get late replacements. Jacob Thorpe has a couple of blog posts on the new, late-breaking recruits. One of those posts also serves as his morning post with links. ... The California women held off WSU 57-54 in Berkeley last night. ... The Cougars' Josh Hawkinson, who played sparingly as a freshman last year, is on this midseason All-Pac-12 first team.
• Gonzaga: The Zags moved up to No. 2 in the nation in the latest polls. ... The recent Santa Clara loss to BYU will actually be remembered fondly by those connected to the Broncos program. This story explains why.
• EWU: With letters-of-intent signings just hours away, Jim Allen has a feature on one of the Eagles' biggest recruits. He's, literally, the boy next door, Keenan Williams (pictured). ... The Eagles feel as if they have a pretty good recruiting class coming. ... But the most important recruit, quarterback Vernon Adams, was silent on his future yesterday. ... Jim also has a story and a blog post on how the basketball team is dealing with its comeback win over Idaho.
• Chiefs: Nothing from Spokane, but we do have a WHL notebook from Everett.
• Preps: SWABS announced its junior winners yesterday, with Shadle Park's Brett Rypien the headliner. ... There was one tiebreaker basketball game last night.
• Seahawks: As can be expected, the last play was the focus of many pieces this morning, though for varying reasons. John Blanchette has more in this column. ... Pete Carroll spoke about it in a presser as he was preparing to leave the scene of the crime. He defended the play and the process. And he's optimistic his team can bounce back. ... That was a theme as well, how will the Hawks be able to handle the mental anguish such a loss inflicts. ... The physical anguish is real as well, as many Seahawks face off-season surgery and treatment due to injuries either suffered during the game or prior to it. Richard Sherman (pictured) won't be able to pitch next season but the Tommy John surgery he may have is probably not as bad for a defensive back. ... Just about everyone has an opinion on the final play, some of it informed, some of it not. ... The Hawks are in the market for a defensive coordinator, as Dan Quinn is now the head coach of the Falcons. ... The snap counts are interesting in that they reveal the depth of the Hawks' injury problems.
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• Just remember this. Pitchers and catchers report in about two weeks. Baseball, and all it entails, begins soon. Until later ...
