The Coach's Burden

Pete Carroll called a pass on second and goal from the one-yard line with 26 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX.

He had Marshawn Lynch. He had one of the greatest power backs in football. He called a slant.

Malcolm Butler intercepted it. The Patriots won.

Carroll has had to answer for that decision in every interview, every press conference, every public appearance since. For the rest of his career, that moment will be the first thing mentioned in his obituary.

Now understand this: Pete Carroll is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history. He won a national championship. He won a Super Bowl the year before. He built one of the most celebrated defenses of the modern era.

None of that leads. The pass leads.

That's the burden of a head coach. Every decision is yours. When it works, you share the credit with your players, your staff, your system. When it fails — on the biggest stage, in the most visible moment — you stand alone with it.

Forever.