Jim Harbaugh nails it regarding The Pick

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...d/4778180/jim-harbaugh-on-malcolm-butlers-int

And that young man from the New England Patriots made a play -- I mean, that is a play that the stars of the game don't make. He made a play that was ... at best that ball gets knocked down and incomplete. But to make an interception on that play ... what a phenomenal play. That was the play of a lifetime.

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He says it much better than I ever did. I try to explain to friend/family who don't follow football just how amazing it is, and they tend to assume that the interception is a gimme once the ball is in your catch radius.

What is so amazing about The Pick is:

• In a high-stress time crunch, Butler and Browner got on the same page about the play they were going to execute. I read that the Patriots practiced that play only three times in the previous two weeks. But their pattern recognition is so good, their football intelligence so high, and their coaching so effective, they immediately recognized the situation and knew what they needed to do.
• His reaction time and speed were off the charts. He planted that foot and accelerated like his life depended on reaching the ball before Lockette (note Lockette is no slouch: he runs a 4.3 in the 40). This shows how receptive he was to the coaching. In practice, when Butler got burned on the play by taking steps back, Belichick told him to never step back in that situation, but to aggressively make a play on the ball. In the SB, when it mattered most, when the entire season was on the line, he came out shot out of a freaking cannon.
• Butler LEVELED Lockette. This is impressive, as Butler is 5'11" and weights 190 lbs. Lockette is 6'2", weighs 211 lbs. Yet Butler's hit literally sent Lockette flying in the air. Butler is a strong freaking dude.
  
• Perhaps most amazing is that despite simultaneously colliding with a guy 20 pounds bigger than him, he is able to catch the ball. That took very good hands, regardless of how easy he made it look. For many backs (ahem, Asante) that ball would have ended up being deflected at best, and it still would have been considered a great play.

The problem is, it is impossible to say all this quickly to someone who doesn't care about football. So we just say it was an amazing play.

neuronet said:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...d/4778180/jim-harbaugh-on-malcolm-butlers-int


He says it much better than I ever did. I try to explain to friend/family who don't follow football just how amazing it is, and they tend to assume that the interception is a gimme once the ball is in your catch radius.

What is so amazing about The Pick is:

• In a high-stress time crunch, Butler and Browner got on the same page about the play they were going to execute. I read that the Patriots practiced that play only three times in the previous two weeks. But their pattern recognition is so good, their football intelligence so high, and their coaching so good, they immediately recognized the situation and knew what they needed to do.
• His reaction time and speed were off the charts. He planted that foot and accelerated like his life depended on reaching the ball before Lockette (note Lockette is no slouch: he runs a 4.3 in the 40). This shows how receptive he was to the coaching. In practice, when Butler got burned on the play by taking steps back, Belichick told him to never step back, but to aggressively make a play on the ball. In the SB, when it mattered most, when the entire season was on the line, he came out shot out of a freaking cannon.
• Butler LEVELED Lockette. This is impressive, as Butler is 5'11" and weights 190 lbs. Lockette is 6'2", weighs 211 lbs. Yet Butler's hit literally sent Lockette flying in the air.
• Perhaps most amazing is that simultaneous with leveling a guy 20 pounds bigger than him, he is able to catch the ball. That took very good hands, regardless of how easy he made it look. For many backs (ahem, Asante) that ball would have ended up being deflected at best, and it still would have been considered a great play.

The problem is, it is impossible to say all this quickly to someone who doesn't care about football. So we just say it was an amazing play.

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A couple things from this: the fact the Pats practiced against that route in that situation even once in the days before the game shows how brilliantly they were coached. Also, Butler "leveling" Lockette was more incidental than intentional -- a byproduct of Lockette's head turned away from the collision and Butler simply making a more aggressive move on the ball. While Lockette was looking for the ball to come to him, Butler went and got it.

Summary:

It was a VERY GOOD play call - - it was 2nd and goal - - 199 out of 200 times that's a TD or an incomplete that stops the clock for the Seahawks, who had only one timeout left.

I don't get why so many across the nation came down so hard and so fast on the playcall.

---Well, actually, I do - - it was borne of frustration that the Patriots were going to win at that point.

What Butler did was incredible - - as was what Browner did. As what the coaching staff did.

Just to piggyback on neuronet's excellent post, The real story of the play was how well prepared and well coached the Patriots were for any eventuality down there at the goal line. They had 8 in the box and man-to-man on the 3 WR's out wide. Each of the 3 CB's did their job to perfection (and one did his job BEYOND perfection) on that play.

******To say that BB was practically jumping out of his scivvies in the moments before the play is an understatement. He actually broke league rules by meandering closer down to the 12 yard line (see the non-NFL approved, in-stadium vids) because he was so excited to see the set-up that they had worked on. THIS is why he shockingly called no timeout - - he saw that he was holding a Royal Flush.........and the rest of the world didn't know it.

It quite truthfully was Michael Jordan's top of the key exhibition slam/Kirk Gibson's World Series grand slam/Bobby Orr's flying 1970 Stanley Cup goal and Eruzione's Miracle on Ice clincher all wrapped up in one.

And it was all consummated by the undrafted rookie FA who was the #53 man on the roster, and whom the coaches worked on the week before precisely for THAT play. How many other NFL teams pay THAT much attention to detail with their lowest roster CB?

THAT is the story.

Hopefully, with people like Jim Harbaugh and others recognizing it, it will someday be accepted more widely.

shmessy said:

Summary:

It was a VERY GOOD play call - - it was 2nd and goal - - 199 out of 200 times that's a TD or an incomplete that stops the clock for the Seahawks, who had only one timeout left.

I don't get why so many across the nation came down so hard and so fast on the playcall.

---Well, actually, I do - - it was borne of frustration that the Patriots were going to win at that point.

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....And that most people are idiots!

A couple of other tidbits (nothing new).

Lynch was 1 for 5 against a stacked goal line this year.

On 2nd down with 25 seconds on the clock, the Seahawks literally did not have enough time to hand the football off to Lynch for 3 straight running plays. They would *have* to pass on one of their next 3 downs -that is if they wanted to utilize every one of their 3 chances to get a touchdown.

The Seahawks threw from the 3 yard line to a wide open Baldwin earlier in the game.

Ninkovich stated that the Patriot's defense was actually expecting a pass there because film study informed them of the percentages the Seahawks liked to pass from that exact situation.

I can't remember who here has a gif of that play as their signature, but it still takes my breath away every time I see it: The way Browner and Butler lined up — Butler had to protect against the outside route too — and worked in sync when it went inside, and the amount of ground Butler made up was phenomenal.

Harbaugh's point about "at best that ball gets knocked down" is a good one — but for all those mocking the Patriots Way the past few years, that play was intercepted because of The Patriots Way.

It was a hell of a play by Butler but, if we're talking about what "really" happened, the play was also intercepted because the receiver didn't run his route properly, and the quarterback put the ball in the wrong spot.

It was a whole lot of moving parts coming together perfectly.

That being said, "The Butler did it!" now has a great, pro-Patriots interpretation, and the kid deserves all the praise in the world. He took to the coaching and, to be absolutely clear, Butler made an absolutely tremendous play.

shmessy said:

******To say that BB was practically jumping out of his scivvies in the moments before the play is an understatement. He actually broke league rules by meandering closer down to the 12 yard line (see the non-NFL approved, in-stadium vids) because he was so excited to see the set-up that they had worked on. THIS is why he shockingly called no timeout - - he saw that he was holding a Royal Flush.........and the rest of the world didn't know it.

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Are you sure about this? I've seen Pete Carroll down in the redzone on the sideline in a previous game. If it is a rule it's very loosely enforced. Or perhaps head coaches are exempt from this rule?

Wheelman said:

Are you sure about this? I've seen Pete Carroll down in the redzone on the sideline in a previous game. If it is a rule it's very loosely enforced. Or perhaps head coaches are exempt from this rule?

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We've been through this in another thread: it is very loosely enforced.

neuronet said:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...d/4778180/jim-harbaugh-on-malcolm-butlers-int

• Butler LEVELED Lockette. This is impressive, as Butler is 5'11" and weights 190 lbs. Lockette is 6'2", weighs 211 lbs. Yet Butler's hit literally sent Lockette flying in the air. Butler is a strong freaking dude.
  
• Perhaps most amazing is that despite simultaneously colliding with a guy 20 pounds bigger than him, he is able to catch the ball. That took very good hands, regardless of how easy he made it look. For many backs (ahem, Asante) that ball would have ended up being deflected at best, and it still would have been considered a great play.

The problem is, it is impossible to say all this quickly to someone who doesn't care about football. So we just say it was an amazing play.

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A deflected ball may have been caught by another member of the other team. Even if he was laying down!

SammyBlueCat said:

A deflected ball may have been caught by another member of the other team. Even if he was laying down!

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Can you freaking imagine?

neuronet said:

Can you freaking imagine?

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If that had happened, there would still be a line of people waiting to jump off the Tobin. . . .

shmessy said:

Summary:

It was a VERY GOOD play call - - it was 2nd and goal - - 199 out of 200 times that's a TD or an incomplete that stops the clock for the Seahawks, who had only one timeout left.

I don't get why so many across the nation came down so hard and so fast on the playcall.

---Well, actually, I do - - it was borne of frustration that the Patriots were going to win at that point.

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I know exactly why fans came down so hard. It's the same reason that the Snow Bowl in 2001 became known for the tuck rule. The person announcing the game to hundreds of million fans wanted it that way and pushed their agenda at the moment.

1960Pats said:

I know exactly why fans came down so hard. It's the same reason that the Snow Bowl in 2001 became known for the tuck rule. The person announcing the game to hundreds of million fans wanted it that way and pushed their agenda at the moment.

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I think a big part of it was that the particular play did absolutely nothing with Lynch whatsoever. If it had been a play-action or short pass to Lynch—or anything else that made Lynch an integral component of the play—I think everybody would have accepted it. But throwing a play into the middle of traffic while making Lynch a complete bystander was a headscratcher. In Irvin's WFAN interview, he even pointed this out: the Seahawks believed that Lynch, not Wilson, was their Brady: "so long as we have <X>, we'll be fine." The Seahawks went away from that, and probably lost the game because of it.

ewg_gestalt said:

I think a big part of it was that the particular play did absolutely nothing with Lynch whatsoever. If it had been a play-action or short pass to Lynch—or anything else that made Lynch an integral component of the play—I think everybody would have accepted it. But throwing a play into the middle of traffic while making Lynch a complete bystander was a headscratcher. In Irvin's WFAN interview, he even pointed this out: the Seahawks believed that Lynch, not Wilson, was their Brady: "so long as we have <X>, we'll be fine." The Seahawks went away from that, and probably lost the game because of it.

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No, they lost because they failed to execute a basic pick play, while Butler and Browner executed their defense of it in textbook fashion. If the Seahawks had handed off to Lynch, and Lynch had been stopped and stripped (almost identical percentage of Lynch fumbles and Wilson INTs), people would be calling THAT the stupidest call ever:

"You had the perfect setup for a pick play! New England wasn't giving any help to the corners, and Wilson had just completed those huge passes to get you down there in the first place!"

Honest to God, I'm so jaded about Harbaby I can't escape the feeling that he is in a coverup/suckup mode because he was in on the sting with the Colts. He's as dirty and greasy as they come.

Al Michaels was on the Adam Carolla podcast this week, and talked about what an amazing play it was. He called Butler's play "the play of the century."

He pointed out that running it in from the 1 yard line is statistically tough.

And he also went out of his way to credit Brandon Browner for not letting Kearse push him back. If Kearse is able to get a push on Kearse, or shake him in pull him deeper, the alignment is right for Butler to get picked and not have a clear line to jump that route. EVERYBODY did his job.

Here's the link to the podcast if you want. The discussion is about 1:10 in.

http://adamcarolla.com/al-michaels-and-david-wild/

Jackson 2 said:

Honest to God, I'm so jaded about Harbaby I can't escape the feeling that he is in a coverup/suckup mode because he was in on the sting with the Colts. He's as dirty and greasy as they come.

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Why would Jim Harbaugh have been in on the alleged sting?

Deus Irae said:

Why would Jim Harbaugh have been in on the alleged sting?

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My mistake. I bet you got a chubby waiting to jump all over that one.