The Seattle Seahawks were close to becoming a dynasty. One year after drubbing Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos and their high-powered offense in the Super Bowl, they were close to defeating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Behind a dominant defense, dominant running game led by Marshawn “Beast
Mode” Lynch and the wizardry of a young Russell Wilson, the Hawks looked like a team that could be playing on more Super Sundays.
Marshawn Lynch simply had the best runs in NFL history, his legacy won't be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/i2Fx2PH04g
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 24, 2019
That changed in a flash, as head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell made a call that would change the trajectory of the franchise going forward. A slant from the 1-yard line to the fourth receiver on the depth chart, which as we all know was an odd call, to say the least. If you wanted Wilson to be the hero, a bootleg would’ve sufficed with the Patriots ready to sell out on the handoff to Lynch.
On a recent episode of “Cold As Balls” with Kevin Hart, Lynch talked about the call and how he just laughed when he heard it.
“I come off the sideline, and in my mind, I’m confused. … And I’m walking by Pete, I’m just laughing at him like, ‘Bro, what the …’”
The pass was intercepted by Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler and preserved the win for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots, giving them their fourth Lombardi Trophy and first in ten years.
Lynch Was Shocked He Didn’t Get The Ball: He Would’ve Been MVP Had He Scored
Lynch the dreadlocked, Skittles-eating running back who’s known for his power running and punch lines like “I’m about that action, boss,” or “I’m only here so I don’t get fined,” had this to say in the days following the Super Bowl loss:
“To be honest with you. I would be a liar if I didn’t tell you I was expecting the ball. I think it was more of a — how do I say this? When you look at me, and you let me run that ball in, I’m the face of the nation. You, know MVP of the Super Bowl, that’s pretty much the face of the nation at that point in time. I don’t know what went into that call. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t get the ball. I mean, you know, it costs us a Super Bowl.”
Many believed the Seahawks wanted Russell Wilson to win MVP, to solidify his standing as the face of the franchise. With Lynch it could’ve been a PR nightmare, considering he pretty much skipped media day and other allotted interview sessions.
Lynch Says He Drank Heavily To Cope With Letdown
Never one to sugarcoat anything, when asked by Hart what he did to overcome the loss, Hh said he would drink and drink heavily.
“So they had this little resort for us. I’m talking about, we blew the ‘bleep’ down. I’m talking the whole resort, bruh. They probably gave me, I think it was 76 cases, Hennessy, and it was probably, I think like 12 bottles each case. How many cases I went through? I mean, realistically, probably had 15 cases.”
Following the loss, the Seahawks still had a lot of success under the leadership of Wilson, making the playoffs six more times in eight seasons. But they never reached Super Sunday again. Wilson was traded to the Broncos this offseason after 10 seasons. Lynch played one more season in Seattle before stepping away for a year and then returning to play for the Raiders in 2017. He did return to the Pacific Northwest late in the 2019 season as the Seahawks’ running backs depth was decimated.
