Darrell Bevell, Pete Carroll's Last-Minute Play Call Not as Terrible as It Seems

"It was the worst play call in Super Bowl history." 

That piping-hot take, a quick and sudden reaction crafted from the result rather than the process, sounds like it would come from ESPN's Skip Bayless, who is basically a professional feather-ruffler. But no, Bayless was off trolling in a different manner, while countless other pundits were taking the merciless stance. 

You know the play in question. With less than 30 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks—on 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard line and trailing by four points—opted to throw a quick slant to Ricardo Lockette (he of 25 career receptions) instead of handing it off to punishing back Marshawn Lynch (he of 80 career touchdowns).

Russell Wilson's pass is intercepted by unheralded rookie Malcolm Butler, the New England Patriots win and madness ensues. 

Seahawks fans, shield your eyes:

Should Darrell Bevell and Pete Carroll—Bevell calls the plays, but Russell Wilson explained that Carroll later took blame, per USA Today's Jim Corbett—have given the ball to Lynch? I'm part of the overwhelming majority that thinks yes, but it's far from as simple as the worst call in history. 

As Carroll explained after the game, clock management was a key factor in the decision. 

“So on second down, we throw the ball, really to kind of waste that play," he told reporters, via The Seattle Times' Jerry Brewer. "If we score, we do. If we don’t, then we’ll run it on third and fourth down. Really, with no second thoughts or hesitation in that at all.”

"Waste that play" is not the kind of wording that is going to paint Carroll in a positive light, but it's understandable that he wants to run the clock down as far as possible after Tom Brady marched down the field with ease on the previous two drives. 

Moreover, it's often about maximizing chances and keeping the defense off balance. 

If Seattle ran it on second down and was stuffed, it would have had to use its last timeout. That essentially takes a third-down run out of the equation (can't afford getting stuffed again and running out of time before lining up for fourth down), allowing the Pats to sell out against the pass in a small space. 

Conversely, an incompletion on second down allows the Seahawks two runs (can call timeout if they get stuffed on third) against a defense unable to commit either way. 

Many will argue that the risk of an interception, especially with the NFL's ultimate prize on the line, trumps everything else. But the risk is hardly as sizable as it seems. 

This season, according to Grantland's Bill Barnwell, there were 108 pass attempts from the 1-yard line before Wilson's attempt. And 61.1 percent of those attempts resulted in touchdowns, while zero were intercepted. Compare that to 223 running plays from the one, which produced a 57.8 success rate and two fumbles lost.

Seattle, up against a defense that had eight defensive linemen and linebackers stacking the box and previously stuffed Lynch on 3rd-and-1, got exactly what it wanted, as PhillyMag.com's Sheil Kapadia illustrated:

But it's being called the worst play in history because of the result, and because hindsight makes everyone experts. 

What if Wilson throws a more accurate ball? What if Lockette makes a more aggressive play on the ball? If Seattle completes that pass, then the exact same call suddenly goes from worst in history to another cheeky moment of genius from Carroll. 

Perhaps Carroll overthought the decision, getting away from his workhorse during the most important moment of the season. But there was plenty of justification in his reason. 

So don't label it the worst call ever. Label it a poorly executed play at the worst possible time.