Pete Carroll feels bad about Seahawks faking a punt in a blowout

Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

Coaching in the NFL should mean never having to say you're sorry (for running up the score). Good thing Pete Carroll isn't one to apologize for doing such things.

The Seattle Seahawks coach said he felt bad about his team successfully executing a fake punt in the fourth quarter of a 50-17 blowout of the Buffalo Bills, but stopped short of apologizing for the play.

"I feel bad about this," Carroll said after the game, referring to the Michael Robinson first-down run with 12:11 remaining in the game and the Seahawks up by 30 points. "It was part of our game plan. It was something I could have called off and didn't."

As The Seattle Times explains, Seattle had seen potential holes in Buffalo's punt coverage leading up to Sunday's game. The coaching staff installed a fake punt option that could be audibled into by safety Chris Maragos. When Maragos saw Buffalo was in the vulnerable formation, he called for the fake and handed it off to the fullback, Robinson. It worked to perfection, except for the fact that it was completely unnecessary.

"I should have stopped it in the sense that it looked bad," Carroll said after the game.

Bills coach Chan Gailey wisely issued a "no comment" when asked about the fake punt. When your team loses by 33 and gives up 50 points to a rookie quarterback, there isn't much room for complaint.

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If there's a beef to be had with the Seahawks running the fake punt, it's from a strategical standpoint. The fake worked perfectly. Why not save it for a moment when it matters, like next week against the San Francisco 49ers or next month in the playoffs? Play the trump card when you need to.

Or maybe this was a chess move that's setting up something else down the road? Run a successful fake punt in Week 15, keep upcoming opponents worried about said fake punt in the near future?