Nope, I'm not convinced.Originally Posted by Bossman641
The Seachickens OL didn't drive off the ball to run block. If they had, you may have seen the Pats DL relax. Instead, the Seattle OL dropped back to pass block. Therefore, it is reasonable that the Pats DL would drive off the ball to disrupt Wilson's pass and contain him so he would throw the ball and not run with it, given they were trying to force an interception.
If Wilson had not thrown the ball, but rather tucked it and run, you may have seen the Pats defense relax. The Pats were playing for an interception.
As far as the run alignment goes, if the Pats wanted to force a pass and an interception, wouldn't you expect them to show a run defense to bait Wilson into throwing?
Moreover, I still haven't found anyone who will honestly say they expected the Pats to win the game by seriously mounting a goal line defense. As has been mentioned, the Pats defense was weak all season in goal line defenses. Certainly, Belichick knew this about his own defense.
Of course, we will never know for sure whether Belichick was employing the let-them-score strategy unless he or one of his players fesses up. But don't hold your breath.
The truth and reality of the situation would have been obvious to all of us if Carroll had less time left on the clock. If there were only time for one play, it would have turned into an Ice Bowl situation where the intentions of both teams were obvious.
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