Socci: Patriots Receivers Came Up Big When It Mattered
BOSTON (CBS) - New England Patriots radio announcer Bob Socci joined Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub Monday morning to break down last night's unforgettable Super Bowl XLIX from start to finish. The roller coaster game was full of big hits, big plays, and a big chess match between legendary head coaches Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll.
Socci spoke about how Seattle defended New England's array of offensive weapons down the stretch ultimately cost them the game. New England moved the ball by consistently attacking the middle of the Seahawks defense with short passes.
"The Patriots had a lot of success especially with Shane Vereen, who had seven catches in the first half. I thought it was so critical when Vereen got back on the field in the fourth quarter to play an instrumental role," said Socci.
After being held scoreless in the third and trailing 24-14, the Patriots scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to end the game. With 7:55 left in the game, Brady connected with Danny Amendola on a 4-yard touchdown pass, and then to Julian Edelman with 2:02 left for the game-winner. The Patriots also received a large contribution from tight end Rob Gronkowski, who caught two passes on the game-winning drive to go along with a second quarter touchdown.
"I was pretty amazed listening to some of the commentators pregame talk about K.J. Wright as a linebacker being able to shut down Rob Gronkowski. They put K.J. Wright on the outside on Gronk one-on-one and as soon as Brady saw that he threw that lob to the end zone," said Socci.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski caught the 22-yard pass with 31 seconds left in the 2nd quarter to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead.
Listen below for Socci's full breakdown:
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