Even six months after the play that turned Super Bowl XLIX, USC coach Steve Sarkisian isn't about to second-guess the man who once hired him as the Trojans' offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Sarkisian was asked the hard question about the New England Patriots' 28-24 win over the Seahawks on The Dan Patrick Show: whether the Seahawks should have handed the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard line in the game's final minute, rather than call the second-down pass that was intercepted by defensive back Malcolm Butler to seal the Patriots' win.
"I agree with the decision to throw it. I don't know necessarily about the play call itself, because I wasn't in the game-planning," Sarkisian said. "I can't judge what they thought in game-planning and getting prepared for that game in critical moments, and all those things. But from a tactical standpoint with three downs to go, only one timeout remaining, the correct decision in my opinion would be to throw the ball on second down, knowing you could run it on third, then you have a run/pass option on fourth (down)."
Sarkisian's remark came at the 6:33 mark of the clip below:
There isn't any shortage of people who disagree, primarily Seahawks fans who wanted the ball in the hands of the powerful, 215-pound Lynch, who runs like he weighs even more. It certainly would have been the safer call, but whether it would have been a winning call, we'll never know.
"They chose that call to throw that ball," Sarkisian said. "I don't necessarily (know) if I would call that call. But that was their call and that's what they prepared to do -- you can't fault them for it. The kid from New England made a heck of a play."
His name is Malcolm Butler, coach.
And if he's never remembered for anything else, he'll forever be remembered for the interception that put another championship ring on the Patriots' fingers.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
