Chalk Talk: Seahawks get tricky on touchdown pass
Nov 13, 2013, 3:29 PM | Updated: 3:39 pm
By Brady Henderson
The Seahawks reached into their bag of tricks last week and pulled out a 43-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Jermaine Kearse. It was one of the defining plays of Seattle’s 33-10 win over Atlanta, and it’s the subject of this week’s edition of “Chalk Talk” with Brock Huard.
The situation: Atlanta had just kicked a field goal for its first points of the game when Marshawn Lynch began Seattle’s ensuing possession with a 37-yard run that gave the Seahawks a first-and-10 from the Falcons’ 43. Seattle led 6-3 with 5:44 remaining in the second quarter when they lined up for the play that resulted in their first touchdown of the game.
The play: Seattle sent backup tight end Kellen Davis in motion to the right, setting up an extra blocker on that side for what started as a Marshawn Lynch run. After pitching to Lynch, Wilson continued to retreat, ensuring that that the throw from Lynch would be a backward pass and not a lateral. It wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty, but Lynch’s pass to Wilson was plenty accurate. Wilson caught it, picked up a block from center Lemuel Jeanpierre and fired a throw about 55 yards downfield to Kearse. Fighting off contact from safety Thomas DeCoud, Kearse hauled in the pass in the end zone for the touchdown.
The statement: “That was not only a great throw, it was a phenomenal catch because the guy was all over him,” coach Pete Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Danny” on Monday. “He continues to make spectacular plays and that was a great one. It was a great conclusion to the play. It was well called, well designed. We’ve been running it for a long time in practice, waiting for the opportunity.
“If you remember, it was right after Marshawn’s long run and we had to keep him in there because he was the guy who was practicing it, to go ahead and throw that thing. (Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell) orchestrated it just right, so it was a great play in the game.”
How would Carroll grade that throw from Lynch?
“It was about a C-minus,” he said. “The result was good. The style points were poor.”
