*FAN SUBMISSION by Drew Abbot of Palo Alto, CA. *
Let’s take a look at Pete Carroll’s decision-making for that ridiculous call on the 1-yard line (whether he was even aware of his own decision-making or not).
Rewind to the first half. The Seahawks were, what was it? On the 10-yard line with 6 seconds left? The safe call was to lock in a field goal. Was that the choice? No. Pete went for the touchdown, and wow, they got it, tieing the game going into the half. The risky choice paid off.
Now rewind further to the Packers game, where obviously, in the mind of Pete, miracles do happen.
Now, fast forward to that final call. We’re on the 1-yard line and the game is ours. “We can’t lose,” Pete Carroll says to himself. The game is over. Let’s just throw to waste time, or maybe to give my QB the credit he deserves, or hell, just to do the risky thing, simply because risk has paid off so far, and again, because we can’t lose.
Really, Pete Carroll wasn’t even thinking at that moment. That “final call” wasn’t even a “call” at all. There was nothing to call in his mind, as the game was over.
Courtesy: ESPN
His rational side should have taken over at that precise moment, and he should have made the safe choice. Interestingly, if he had made the safe choice at the end of both halves, then at the end of the 4th quarter, the game would have most likely ended tied, and would have gone into overtime.
So, why did Pete Carroll choose to throw? I blame the psychology of risk-taking, combined with confirmation bias, in the mind of Pete, his team, and/or his offensive coordinator.
