Super Bowl XLIX: Is Tom Brady the best QB ever? Why did Pete Carroll make that call?

Neil Reynolds reports from Arizona after the incredible Super Bowl XLIX...

I’ve watched 30 Super Bowls and have covered seven of them on site in the United States, but I was still left wondering on Sunday night if that was the best I have ever seen.

For 58 minutes, this Super Bowl showdown, between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, was a fascinating tactical battle, with spectacular plays, big hits and plenty of momentum shifts. And then all hell broke loose down the stretch.

The end result was one of the most remarkable finishes in NFL history – in any game, let alone a Super Bowl – and it was the Patriots who emerged as champions by a 28-24 scoreline.

Let’s reflect on the biggest storylines in the biggest game of the year.

Tom Terrific

I know I should really be starting with Seattle’s decision to throw from the one-yard line inside the final minute, but I don’t want to deflect attention away from a man who – in my mind – is now at the top of the NFL tree alongside the great Joe Montana.

I am a huge Montana fan so am not about to knock him off top spot as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but I am willing to put Brady in that category after he secured a fourth Super Bowl win in his sixth appearance last night.

Brady was named the game’s Most Valuable Player in Phoenix and to watch him carve up the No 1 defense in the league from my position on the sidelines was an absolute privilege. With very little running game support, Brady threw 50 times for 328 yards and four scores.

And if big-time players are turned into legends based on how they perform with a game on the line, let’s dip Brady in bronze right now. On New England’s game-winning march, Brady completed all eight of his throws, including the decisive touchdown strike to Julian Edelman.

Brady has always been one of the best of his generation. On Sunday night in the Arizona desert, he cemented his status as a true NFL legend.

Carroll’s head-scratcher

I love Pete Carroll’s approach to coaching and I also think he handles himself with class in front of the media, but there is no getting away from the fact that he and his staff completely blew this game with just 26 seconds left on the clock.

Thanks to a ridiculously improbable catch from Jermaine Kearse, the Seahawks were camped at the New England one-yard line and mere inches away from Super Bowl glory. They had the best running back in the NFL in the backfield and a running magician of a quarterback in Russell Wilson.

So you run the football, right? Wrong. You throw a risky slant pass, Malcolm Butler jumps the route and makes the title-winning interception. That was a completely baffling decision, even if – as he tried to explain – Carroll saw a defensive formation that suggested pass.

You run the ball and even if New England let you score in order to get the ball back quicker, you’re still in the lead and then relying on the best defense in the game.

Carroll fronted up to the media after the loss but his players were clearly furious with the call and spoke out after the devastating defeat. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell did himself no favours when he suggested wide receiver Ricardo Lockette could have fought harder for the ball.

Given the shaky nature of the play selection, now is the time for Seattle’s coaches to be building bridges with their players, not throwing them under the bus.

Unsung heroes step forward

During a week of media build-up in Phoenix, we virtually named every player who we felt was going to have an impact in this game. But I have to admit I saw very few people talking about Seattle’s Chris Matthews or New England’s Butler.

Both chose the biggest stage of their young lives to make their mark. Matthews made his first career catch in the first half and went on to catch four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. And Butler’s first career interception was, of course, the Super Bowl-winner discussed above.

The performances of those two men showed that these Super Bowls will always produce an unsung hero or two each year.

Death by a thousand paper cuts

Brady had the third-lowest completion percentage of all quarterbacks in the NFL on throws covering 20 yards or more this season. In other words, the Patriots lack a true downfield threat in their offensive arsenal.

But that didn’t bother Brady and his Patriots team-mates on Sunday as they inflicted death by a thousand paper cuts on the best defense in the game.

The Patriots small-balled their way down the field time and time again. Brady was very good for much of the night, but was certainly helped by the scheme that put him in position to succeed. New England got some good match-ups, attacked the middle of the field and created problems for Seattle’s bigger defensive backs with the shifty trio of Edelman, Danny Amendola and Shane Vereen.

Wilson will be back

I noticed this morning that the odds-makers just up the road from here in Las Vegas have installed the Seattle Seahawks as favourites to win Super Bowl 50. They have much business to take care of between now and the start of the new season and they need to heal from this defeat, but they are led by a special young quarterback in Wilson.

That’s why Vegas likes the look of the Seahawks in 2015.

Wilson only completed 12 passes on Super Bowl Sunday, but I can tell you he is very exciting to watch in the flesh. He is a little magician who can create something out of nothing, and he was accurate on most of his throws on Sunday night.

His interception was costly, of course, but I would put that more on the coaches than Wilson. He is a winner who has unbelievable confidence. His attitude and desire to win makes me think that Wilson will be back in this big game sooner rather than later.

The Patriots Dynasty

It’s time to put the New England Patriots in the same bracket as the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s.

The New England Patriots are a true dynasty and one of the very best teams in NFL history after winning their fourth Super Bowl in 14 years.

What the Patriots have done in a supposed era of parity in the NFL (due to the Draft and the salary cap) is truly remarkable.

And what are the constants in all of those Super Bowl wins in the ever-changing world of the NFL? Owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. With that trio intact, would you really bet against New England making a return for Super Bowl 50 this time next year?