Seattle O-boss: 'Conscious' of clock

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell says the play call that may have ultimately cost his team the Super Bowl was made with the game clock in mind.

The Seahawks had second-and-goal at the New England 1 with 26 seconds to go Sunday, but instead of giving the ball to running backMarshawn Lynch, Seattle ran a slant route intended for receiver Ricardo Lockette that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler inthe Seahawks' 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots.

"We were conscious of how much time was on the clock, and we wanted to use it all," Bevell said. "It didn't turn out the way I hoped it would.

"Of course I can say now I wish we had done something different. There are 20 different things going through my mind that we can do. If you run it, that doesn't mean you would score on that play."

Seattle coach Pete Carroll said the play call was ultimately his, and he made it based on New England's defensive formation.

"I made the decision," Carroll said. "I said, 'Throw the ball,' and we went with the play that we thought would give us a chance to get in the end zone."

Carroll defended the Seahawks' call as a logical choice with the Patriots stacking the box to stop Lynch.

"We were going to run the ball in to win the game, but not on that play," Carroll said. "I didn't want to waste a run play on their goal-line guys. It was a clear thought, but it didn't work out right. The guy [Butler] made a play that no one would have thought he could make."

Butler told reporters after the game that Wilson's pre-snap actions gave him an inkling that the Seahawks were going to throw on that play.

"I saw Wilson looking over there [toward the receivers]," Butler said. "He kept his head still and just looked over there, so that gave me a clue. And the stacked receivers, I just knew they were going to throw. My instincts, I just went with it, just went with my mind and made the play."

Butler said in an interview with ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" on Monday morning that his work in practice helped him to recognize the play.

"At practice, the scout team ran that same play and I got beat on it. [Coach] Bill [Belichick]told me, 'You've got to be on that.' At that time [of the play], memorization came through," he said. "I just jumped the route. I just made a play. Just do your job -- do it the best way you can. I just did my job."

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin said the game "shouldn't have come down to that one play."

"I think we all were surprised,'' Baldwin said when asked why they didn't give it to Lynch. "We still had a timeout and felt we should take a shot. I don't know, man. I'm just trying to make up an explanation. Everybody is going to want to blame something or somebody."

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilsonsaid they had succeeded in that position throughout the season.

"I wasn't surprised," Wilson said about the controversial call. "We've done a great job in those situations all year."

The interception came two weeks after Wilson threw four picks in the NFC title game only to rally Seattle to an overtime win over theGreen Bay Packers.

"It definitely hurts," Wilson said. "I hate the feeling that I'm the one who lost it. I keep my head up, though. I know that I prepare and I get ready. I know I play my heart out."

Wilson finished 12-of-21 for 247 yards and had two TD passes. He ran for 39 yards and was sacked three times. The third-year pro will hear criticism for his final pass throughout the offseason and longer.

"I hate losing," Wilson said. "It was one play that he made a great play on."

In a tweet Monday morning, Wilson was already plotting his redemption.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.