Twitter Reacts to Darrell Bevell's Controversial Play Call in 2015 Super Bowl

With the Seattle Seahawks facing a 2nd-and-goal with a chance to win their second straight Super Bowl and having the good fortune of employing Marshawn Lynch, it appeared obvious how they would handle the situation: Hand the ball to Lynch and keep doing it until he beasted that one last yard.  

Instead, Seattle called a pass play and fundamentally changed NFL history in the process. New England Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler jumped Russell Wilson's attempted slant, picking the ball off and giving New England a 28-24 victory in Super Bowl XLIX.

The interception capped a drive that at times made Seattle look like the team of destiny.

Needing a touchdown after Tom Brady threw what proved to be a game-winning touchdown to Julian Edelman with 2:02 remaining, Wilson started a 79-yard drive with a 31-yard pass to Marshawn Lynch to get immediately into New England territory.

Four plays later, Wilson and Jermaine Kearse connected on a 33-yard pitch-and-catch that undoubtedly had some in New England having flashbacks to David Tyree. Tipped in the air and up for grabs, the ball landed directly where Kearse was falling, and he was able to tip it again before securing the catch.

Had the Seahawks won, the play would have been perhaps the finest in Super Bowl history. The reality, as Justin Fenton of The Baltimore Sun noted, is that it'll instead be a mere footnote:

While many in the media will blame Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, reaction in the Seahawks locker room has been mixed. Tharold Simon, perhaps speaking a little too much in the heat of the moment, asked the question on many people's mind, per Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News:

Sheil Kapadia of Birds 24/7 showed how incredible Butler's play was to end the game:

Lynch, who'd taken a vow of silence with the media all season, opened up (slightly) to say he understood the call, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN:

ESPN Stats & Info provided an intriguing note surrounding Lynch in short-yardage situations this season:

Carroll and Bevell each took turns trying to remove the heat from the other by taking the blame, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times:

Ricardo Lockette was thrown under the bus by Bevell, per John Boyle of The Herald in Everett, Washington: 

As for the punditry, their thoughts were a little more pointed. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith had perhaps the strongest take possible:

Smith's First Take colleague, Skip Bayless, offered Bevell some (tongue-in-cheek) praise for taking the ball out of Lynch's hands:

Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders wasn't angry. He wasn't happy. He was more just confused about the uncharacteristic play call:

Adding some levity to the mix, ESPN's Buster Olney aptly described the reactions on his feed with a Family Guy clip:

Perhaps most important, perspective from ESPN's Dan Graziano:

Graziano's point sticks perhaps the most. Despite the soul-crushing way the Seahawks lost and the imprudence of the play call, they're still one of the youngest, most talented teams in football. Long-term contracts for Wilson and others will limit Seattle's ability to have depth going forward, but its most important players will be retained and are young enough that this should be far from the end.

Good luck telling that to Seahawks players and fans now, though.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tyleconway22) on Twitter