Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for the Aftermath

So, did anyone watch the game last night?

NFL Recap - Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks - Sep 24, 2012 - CBSSports.com Game Recap
Asked later if he got his hands on Wilson's pass first, Tate wasn't so sure. "I think so. ... Oh, well maybe he did. But I took it from him," Tate said.

Ending of Packers-Seahawks game should be tipping point for referee lockout - CBSSports.com
"I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football," McCarthy said of the final play, also emphasizing that he understood Jennings intercepted the ball.

A rough night for the NFL | National Football Post
Its unfortunate, because I wanted to talk about the Packers’ second half offensive adjustments, a Seahawks’ secondary that can press-man vs. any WR unit in the league, Chris Clemons, Bruce Irvin or Aaron Rodgers playing productive football after being thrown to the ground consistently in the first half. There was actual football to break down here. Instead, I’m up too late writing about replacement refs (again) about a missed call that is going to be discussed all season long—or until the regular crews show up on Sundays.

Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch stunned at replay of controversial final play Monday night - Yahoo! Sports
Of this much I am certain: As Lynch, his grandmother and several friends and business associates left that downtown Seattle steakhouse early Tuesday morning, they seemed a bit less exultant about the victory over the Packers than they had before that mirror became a TV screen, allowing them to see a sobering replay of the faux touchdown that rocked the football world. "It's not like we did anything wrong," Lynch said, shaking his head, as he stood on Second Ave. "We have nothing to apologize for."

NFL to address Packers-Seahawks Hail Mary call Tues. - NFL.com
That strongly indicates Jennings should have been awarded an interception. Tate never seemed to truly gain joint control. A little known part of the rule explains why it wasn't overturned. The rulebook also states when a simultaneous catch is ruled, you can't review who made the catch. You can only review if it was complete or incomplete.

Mike McCarthy slow to adjust Packers' offense - NFL.com
"The offense didn't do our part in the first half," McCarthy told reporters, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I should have adjusted plans earlier. I'll take responsibility for that. "The one regret I have is not going to that plan earlier. With that, I'll take responsibility. We were wearing that defense down."

Russell Wilson reportedly called wrong play on Hail Mary - NFL.com
Seattle quarterback called the wrong play in the huddle, according to Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports. "Instead of sending three receivers to the left corner of the end zone where Tate and Jennings ultimately fought for the ball, Wilson mistakenly called a 'Waggle' play which called for him to roll right while several receivers ran underneath routes," Silver writes.

Seahawks' defense sets up Monday night mayhem - NFL.com
We wondered what would happen when a error by replacement officials cost a team a game. We're about to find out. Golden Tate's controversial, 24-yard touchdown catch as time expired set off one of the strangest end-of-game sequences in NFL history. Here's what else we learned in the Seattle Seahawks' 14-12 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Packers vs. Seahawks: Seattle's DL Shines as Controversial Call Seals the Deal | Bleacher Report
Yet, Steve Young said it best during his postgame segment on ESPN: It's so sad that we're not talking about one of the great defensive efforts that have been seen in a long time."

Seahawks on Golden Tate catch: No apologies | Seahawks Insider
"I felt like I had total control of the ball," M.D. Jennings said. "I was very shocked. But, the refs got the last say, so it is what it is."

Seahawks, Tate emerge with a signature win | Jerry Brewer | The Seattle Times
Who knew The Formula, Carroll's old-fashioned, ground-and-pound winning equation, included pixie dust, the benefit of the doubt and one incredible effort on a desperate heave? "It was the most exciting ending I've ever had in a game," Seahawks tight end Zach Miller said. "This is the most memorable ending I've ever been a part of at any level."

Seahawks.com Blog | Game at a glance: Seahawks 14, Packers 12
"It’s interesting that Golden would have this game after this week, with people talking about him all week," coach Pete Carroll said. "As he emerges as a player in our program, how is he going to do it? How is he going to handle it? "He put his head down and played his tail off all night long, and he caught a great touchdown pass from Russell early on and he makes a spectacular winning catch at the end. He handled it, as I think he’s chosen to, with class and all that. Hopefully, this is a big step for him."

Carroll on rookie quarterback Russell Wilson: ‘He’s growing’ | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
"When it got down to it, he made stuff happen," Carroll said of Wilson. "He’s growing, he’s competitive, and he’s really cool." "The second half we definitely could have done a better job," Wilson said. "But we learned that you never give up … it was a pretty spectacular win."

Seahawks Report Card: Refs overshadow impressive performance by defense - CBSSports.com
"Immaculate Reception" meet the "Inaccurate Reception." Tuck rule, meet the "Fail Mary." Russell Wilson's 24-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate on the final play of the game Monday will be called a lot of things this week, but it mostly should just be called crazy. On a national stage, the replacement refs stole the show -- and not in a good way -- in the Seahawks' controversy-marred 14-12 win. Overshadowed by the the botched calls and bad officiating is how well the Seahawks actually played. The defense dominated, the offense did just enough to win and Jon Ryan proved why he's one of the best punters in the NFL

National columnist: NFL deserves Seahawks-Packers botched ending | Detroit Lions | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
The reaction was predictable, overwhelmingly negative, and swift. Anyone still have questions about the integrity of the game? Thought so. Let’s put it this way: If the NFL were a hamburger chain, Goodell would have been fired on the spot.

Seahawks stun Packers on final play 14-12 - Seahawks News - MyNorthwest.com
Golden Tate shoved a Green Bay defender out of the way, wrestled another for the ball and was awarded a disputed touchdown on the final play. But it was another 10 minutes before the game actually ended, when the Seattle Seahawks and the stunned Packers were called back on the field for the extra point.

Pete Carroll on officiating impasse: 'It's time for it to be over' | Seahawks Blog | The Seattle Times
"It's time for it to be over. It's time for this to be over. My hats off to these officials. They're doing everything they can to do it as well as they can. They have great pride. They're working their tails off. It demonstrates how difficult it is. It's a very, very complex process to handle these games and makes these decisions. There's nothing easy about it, and it takes years and years of experience to pull off properly and in a timely fashion and keep the flow of the game alive and all that. It's time for it to be over. The league deserves it. Everybody deserves it."

Rapid Reaction: Seahawks 14, Packers 12 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
What it means: The Seahawks improved to 2-1 and claimed a share of second place in the NFC West with a shocking, disputed touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate on the final play. Replays appeared to show Green Bay intercepting the pass after Tate committed apparent pass interference, but the evidence didn't convince the referee to overturn the call upon review. And so it was that Seattle escaped with one of the more improbable victories in team history. More broadly, the Seahawks showed they can play defense as well as anyone in the NFL, but they'll also have a tough time taking the next step as a team without accelerated development from the offense. Disputed Hail Mary passes will be the exception, not the rule.

Chaos, confusion and a 14-12 Seahawks win - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Officiating left the Packers furious while threatening to cheapen what should have been an all-time great finish. "I think that hurts the game," Seahawks tight end Zach Miller said. "The sooner we can have back our real officials, I think the integrity of the game is too important not to get them back."

Instant reaction: Seahawks need to find balance on offense " Seahawks Draft Blog
This is a Seahawks blog though and not an officiating blog, so let’s look at the team. The ending kind of masks a big issue facing the Seahawks. They clearly possess one of the league’s best defense – it could even be #1 in the entire league. But they also possess one of the worst offenses in the NFL and that has to be a big concern. It’s not about individuals either, it’s about imbalance.

Tune out the noise and celebrate a win - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
I don't care what the rest of the country thinks. Neither should you.

Officially lost: Packers fall to 1-2 after controversial TD
"It's a combination of things," Thompson said. "They're a really good defense. Because of the crowd, it's difficult for our guys to hear. We got beat on a few things. "Maybe we didn't get open when we were supposed to get open. Maybe we held the ball. There has to be a lot of things to have eight sacks."

Seahawks win the strangest game in their history on the call that will define replacement refs | Shutdown Corner
"The ruling on the final play was a simultaneous catch," he told the game's pool reporters. "Reviewed by replay. Play stands. [A catch by] both players goes to the offense."

Thiel: Seahawks on right end of wrong deed | Seattle Seahawks
The guy who was fighting me (Jennings) for it, he’s strong," said Tate. "I was just trying to hold on to it until they pulled guys off me. I had a lot of Green Bay Packers scratching, clawing and pulling at me. "I didn’t know if it was a touchdown, interception, completion. I didn’t know what was going on. Couldn’t hear anything."

Week 3 - Carroll Postgame Lockerroom Speech
Pete Carroll addresses the Seahawks following their dramatic 14-12 victory over the Packers on Monday Night Football at CenturyLink Field.

Replacement Refs Strike Again, And It All Comes To A Head - SBNation.com
The replacement refs probably cost the Packers the game. Here's the visual evidence.

Presenting The World's Saddest Aaron Rodgers Fan - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Aaron Rodgers has plenty of fans. Some are just sadder-than others.

A 'Wilson' Meme Has Begun In Seattle - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
At the beginning of the Monday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, a shot of the crowd revealed a new meme that we're really, really, REALLY hoping doesn't catch on. You see, the quarterback for the Seahawks is named Russell Wilson and ... well ...

Brand New: It’s a Sports Nation, we are only Living in it
Brand New: Opinions on corporate and brand identity work. A division of UnderConsideration.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Insider: Hard-nosed Schiano does things his way
"New Orleans is atrocious — just look at the defensive line. I didn’t like Cam Jordan coming out and (Will) Smith is old. What do they have on the inside? (Brodrick) Bunkley is a pretender. They overpaid the two free-agent linebackers they brought in (Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne). There’s a reason they’ve been getting gashed and it’s not just about the coaches — I don’t think the talent is there (defensively)."