Super Bowl XLIX - Belichick's Bluff

A very exciting game and interesting way to end the 2014-2015 football season. Two thoughts on the game (and the Patriots somewhat surprising victory, even though following the championship games, I immediately thought they were the better team. However, as the game grew closer, I think the Deflategate stuff certainly distracted the Pats and really brought the Seahawks back into the picture. But, it was not to be.)

• I thought Julian Edelman should have been MVP. He had a great game, including 100 yards receiving, a number of solid punt returns, and a great tackle on one of Brady's interceptions. Speaking of which, Brady played a great game, but I thought his pick on the goal line in the first half was enough of a negative that Edelman could have won MVP. Not that it really matters.
  
• I think Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick had a figurative staredown at the end of the game and Carroll.blinked. Here's how I see it:
  
  
  1. First, I that ridiculous catch by Jermaine Kearse caught everyone off guard. Seattle immediately called a timeout, but I think that catch kind of threw everything out of kilter. Shit like that just ain't supposed to happen. It was almost like aliens intervened and it threw the game into another dimension. 
  2. Seattle than slammed the ball ahead easily for four yards with Beastmode Lynch to get the ball to the one. But then things got really weird. We were all kind of waiting for New England to call time out, but Belichick doesn't. Which to me is kind of a show of support for his defense - like saying you guys got this, even though the Seahawks have Lynch, the momentum, and the ball on the one. All of a sudden, Carrol has to be thinking, wait, does he know something I don't? And instead of taking his time - maybe he too was expecting a Pats timeout and when he didn't get it, it threw him off - he rushes to make a play call (well, his offensive coordinator does, but Carroll approves), and they end up with the fucked up pass that gets intercepted. Belichick, in my opinion though, was probably bluffing and Carroll bit. - Anyhow, that's how I saw it - in retrospect of course, because I certainly, like Carroll, was having a hard time processing what was going on in real time.