Seahawks' Fake Punt After Leading by 30 in Bills Game Questioned

There's one play from this Sunday's (Dec.16) NFL action that continues to receive harsh criticism from sports lovers.

As the Seahawks faced a fourth-and-4 at the Buffalo 43-yard line, leading on the scoreboard by 47-17 with 12:49 to play in the game, the team went for a fake punt. Many would call it a "cheap play" given the circumstances of the game and the team's substantial lead.

However, Coach Pete Carroll says he didn't call the play on purpose but that it was just a part of their plan before the game even started.

"I feel bad about this," Carroll said. "It was an automatic for us."

The Seattle Times Reports:
Safety Chris Maragos is the upback on that play, the one responsible for diagnosing the opponent's formation. He saw it, called for the fake punt, and took the snap directly. He handed it off to fullback Michael Robinson, who came from the right side of the formation. After handing the ball off, Maragos continued to run as if he had the ball.

The execution couldn't have been better. The timing, however, was a little off.

We looked for it every time we were going to punt, and it was just there,"Carroll said. "I should have stopped it in the sense that it looked bad."

PHOTO VIA ESPN