Though he’s not the first player to candidly voice his opinion on the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, Cliff Avril didn’t mince words discussing the irreversible damage created by the defeat.
Speaking with NFL Network’s Dave Dameshek, Avril predicted that if Seattle held on and won the game in the closing moments, the Seahawks would’ve been a dynasty.
“If we win that Super Bowl, I think we probably would’ve won another win within the two years that went by,” Avril said.
Unfortunately, Seattle didn’t win the game, as quarterback Russell Wilson’s throw from the two-yard intended for receiver Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler to seal New England’s then-fourth Super Bowl victory. Instead of winning back-to-back Lombardi trophies and potentially winning another one in future seasons, Avril believes the infamous play created an irreparable divide between coach Pete Carroll and the team.
“I think the team would’ve bought in more into what coach Carroll was saying instead of going the opposite way of ‘Hey, this is what we thought the foundation of the team was’ and that’s not what happened on that particular play.”
According to Avril, Carroll’s ill-fated decision to pass from the two-yard line instead of handing the ball off to running back Marshawn Lynch caused players to question their coach rather than follow his lead. Being so close to another championship and seeing it slip away in this fashion, he believes a “lot of guys were turned off by the message.”
