In the dying moments of Super Bowl XLIX, the Seahawks were close to the red zone and down by 4 points. Realistically they could run the clock and try for a score. There was a good chance, with the right play calling they could win the Super Bowl right there and then on that drive. If you are a Seahawks fan, I apologize for the bitter reminder, but yes Coach Pete Carroll made the call to put the pigskin in the hands of Russell Wilson who ultimately threw for an interception, costing his team the game.
Now that Cliff Avril ha been released by the Seahawks, he saw fit to describe the chain reaction Pete Carroll's decision had on some of his teammates. "So I think guys started questioning him more, more so than actually following his lead if we would have won that Super Bowl," said Avril in reference to his former coach.
ESPN first reported in 2017, that Malcolm Butler's interception and Carroll's insistence on Russell Wilson carrying the offence, had become a cause of tension in the locker room. The leadership core wanted to see Coach Carroll give running back Marshawn Lynch more assurance in the team's offence. "The situation sucked regardless of who took the blame," Avril said. "It's just the fact that we were so close and we weren't able to get it, so I think a lot of guys got turned off by the message." Something tells me they should be thankful for the Super Bowl they won as a team the year before, but who am I to blow against the wind?
