New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell was expecting, and hoping, that Bill Belichick would let the Seattle Seahawks score late in Super Bowl XLIX.
Let them score was what Brandon LaFell was thinking when Jermaine Kearse made a circus catch to give the Seattle Seahawks the ball at the 5-yard line of the New England Patriots late in Super Bowl XLIX.
“Once he caught the ball, I was just like, ‘I hope the coaches let ‘em score,’” LaFell said on NFL Network’s NFL AM Wednesday. “Let ‘em score so we can get the ball back, leaves 50, 40 seconds, they haven’t been able to stop us the whole fourth quarter.”
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That, of course, is not how it played out. On second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Seattle attempted a pass and Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson to seal the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl title since the 2001 season, but their first since the 2004 campaign.
Unlike many who have been critical of Seattle’s play selection, LaFell liked it … a lot.
“It was the best play call in history,” LaFell said. “On my side of the field, I liked it. The play before, man, (Marshawn) Lynch almost scored! I’m like, ‘Ain’t no doubt in my mind he’s going to get the ball again.’ The way they handled the ball, man, I was like, ‘Yes, man.’”
Being a receiver, he knows the potential scenarios in that situation.
“When you throw the ball on the end line, you gotta throw it low,” LaFell said. “When you throw it high, it’s gonna get tipped. … Nine times out of 10, it’s gonna get tipped and when it’s tipped on the goal line, that’s a team meeting. Somebody’s gonna get it.”
LaFell made four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl and had 13 receptions for 119 yards and two scores in the postseason to close out his first year in New England.
After spending the first four years of his career with the Carolina Panthers, LaFell signed with the Patriots in March as a free agent.
He responded to the move with his most consistent and productive season as a pro, with 74 receptions for 953 yards and seven touchdowns—all career highs.
That came after 167 receptions and 2,385 yards with 13 touchdowns in four seasons combined in Carolina. LaFell was a third-round pick out of LSU in the 2010 NFL Draft.
LaFell is under contract for the next two seasons after inking a three-year, $9 million deal, with $3 million guaranteed, last year.
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