Worst. Playcall. Ever.

It started slowly but turned into a good game.  It ended stupidly.

New England staged a late rally and took a 28-24 lead late in last night's Super Bowl.  Seattle came right back with a couple long pass completions, including a miraculous, flat-on-his-back circus catch at the 5 yard line by Jermaine Kearse.  (The apparent incompletion bounced into the air off the prone Kearse, who touched the ball with both arms and both legs before corralling it for the reception.)

It looked like another improbable comeback for the Seahawks.  First and goal with under a minute.  Hand-off to the "Beast," Marshawn Lynch.  Boom, he's down to the one.Seattle's a seeming lock for consecutive championships.  Twenty seconds left, with one timeout.  Just give the ball to Lynch again, win the game, and go to Disney Land as a history-making team.

But instead, the coaches call for a pass -- a quick slant -- on second down.  Official Seattle explanation:  the Patriots had a goal line package on defense and Seattle coach Pete Carrol didn't want to call the timeout for substitutions.  So the pass play was to be a "throw-away" -- take a shot if it's there.  If not, it's an incompletion, the clock stops, bring in the beef, give it to Lynch and win.

It might have worked.  Russell Wilson's pass was good, but the Pats' DB Malcolm Butler was better.  He jumped the route, made a great pick and saved the day for New England.

Note to Pete -- the pass call was way too risky for the circumstances.  This was not middle of the 2nd quarter in October against Tampa Bay.  This was for all the marbles.  You don't get cute.  You give the damn ball to Lynch again on 2nd down.  And on 3rd and 4th if necessary.

But you went with a throw-away pass play.  #Worst.  Call.  Ever.  Epic in its failure.  As the intercepting DB Butler put it, correctly if ungrammatically, "They shoulda ran it again."