Things you're most excited to watch next season

[RavenMad31]

I hate where this is going

You made me do it!

Next year, I'm most excited to see how the races in the NFC East, AFC West and maybe even the AFC South shake down. I think all three of those divisions have a chance to have no less than three contenders until the final couple weekends of the season. The AFC South has a good chance of it being because no team is good enough to pull away more than from having three or four good teams though.

(don't let anyone say that Raven Mad can't be self-policiing)

[bluejerseyjinx]

Ugh. I still get annoyed at the narrative surrounding this call and the finger pointing at Pete Carroll. That slant pass was as good as a slam dunk in basketball. Butler got a historically great jump on the ball and an amazing catch in the midst of a collision just for us to have this conversation. The corner made a freaking incredible play. That's all. It wasn't a dumb call. It wasn't even terribly executed. The only reason anyone says they should have run Lynch is based solely on preceding plays and the benefit of hindsight. There isn't a single person I know of on this planet that has the ability to look into an alternate reality and guarantee that a Lynch run (which succeeded at a rate somewhere around 53% in short yardage that season, I believe vs. Wilson's 63% completion percentage and only 7 INTs all season) would have scored and not ended in some other result to benefit the Patriots.
Since Richard Sherman has taken center stage to all this controversy, I would think that as a CB, he could appreciate the preparation and anticipation and effort it took for Butler to make that play rather than having to assign blame. Also, while assigning blame, his Legion of Doom coughed up a ten point fourth quarter lead and 300+ passing yards, otherwise the Seahawks would have been taking a knee on their last possession instead of having to decide whether to run or pass trying to punch it in the end zone.

Come on Raven. I agree with you most of the time, but that was a horrible call at 2nd down and goal from the 1 and a half yard line. Come on now, your starting to sound like Ernie while at the same time sucking up to Jack.

I stand by every word of what I said. If Lynch had gotten stuffed in the backfield by, say, Wilfork and he and Wilson fumbled the exchange, they'd be crucifying the Seahawks for running such a predictable play, which, in that part of the field, is incredibly predictable. The reason running it up the middle is such an "obvious call" is because we will never have a chance to see it be run and fail. In everyone's mind, it's an automatic TD. As fans, we should know better than to think anything other than a Justin Tucker PAT or FG attempt is automatic.

Who the hell says you have to run the ball up the middle? there are tons of running play in the NFL that doesn't requiring you to run up the middle. Like you said, Wilson could have run a boot leg or some type of run/option. You could have used Lynch as a decoy and run someone else. You had 3 running plays to get a yard and a half.

[RavenMad31]

Come on Raven. I agree with you most of the time, but that was a horrible call at 2nd down and goal from the 1 and a half yard line. Come on now, your starting to sound like Ernie while at the same time sucking up to Jack.

I stand by every word of what I said. If Lynch had gotten stuffed in the backfield by, say, Wilfork and he and Wilson fumbled the exchange, they'd be crucifying the Seahawks for running such a predictable play, which, in that part of the field, is incredibly predictable. The reason running it up the middle is such an "obvious call" is because we will never have a chance to see it be run and fail. In everyone's mind, it's an automatic TD. As fans, we should know better than to think anything other than a Justin Tucker PAT or FG attempt is automatic.

Who the hell says you have to run the ball up the middle? there are tons of running play in the NFL that doesn't requiring you to run up the middle. Like you said, Wilson could have run a boot leg or some type of run/option. You could have used Lynch as a decoy and run someone else. You had 3 running plays to get a yard and a half.

As much as I've played devil's advocate for Carroll and the call and will do so until the end of time, if I were coach, I'd have lined it up and run it three times.

[bluejerseyjinx]

I can't wait to see Tyrek Hill hopefully blossom more this year. I think last year was just a tease.