The rest of the NFL coaches might want to take note: If Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll sees a play you drew up and likes it, he will take it. When Seattle scores its first touchdown of the 2014 season on Thursday night, NBC commentator Chris Collinsworth immediately noticed who drew up the play. And it wasn't Carroll or Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Facing a 1st and 10 on Green Bay's 33-yard line, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson lined up in the shotgun and looked as if he was going to hand the ball off to running back Marshawn Lynch. Instead, as part of a designed read option, Wilson faked the handoff and completely fooled Packers cornerback Sam Shields who was covering Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. The fake handoff made Shields think Wilson was going to run it himself, causing Lockette to sneak behind him. Wilson then connected with Lockette for a 33-yard touchdown pass.
"Oh baby! They took a page out of Auburn's playbook," Collinsworth said.
Collinsworth was right. Carroll had watched the unbelievable Auburn-Alabama thriller of 2013, in which the Tigers scored on the same exact play to tie the game in the final minute.
"We’ll go anywhere to find a play. And that one -- uh, Muschamp at Florida, no … Auburn. They ran it. Give Gus Malzahn credit," Carroll told Peter King of Sports Illustrated after Seattle's blowout win. "That’s a great play. I kept telling [the offensive staff and players] this summer, ‘It’ll work, it’ll work.’ But it didn’t work all summer.”
Auburn certainly took notice.