Cliff Avril says Seahawks started doubting Pete Carroll, staff after Super Bowl XLIX loss

Casey L Moore USA TODAY Sports

Published 4:50 p.m. UTC May 26, 2018

In the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks were one yard from likely becoming back-to-back champions.

Instead, an interception sealed the victory for the New England Patriots and, in the process, might have sent the Seahawks on a franchise-changing downward spiral.

Cliff Avril, a defensive end with the Seahawks from 2013 until his release this offseason, confirmed as much during The Dave Dameshek Football Program podcast this week.

“If we win that Super Bowl I think we would have won another one,” Avril said. “I do think the team would have bought in more to what Coach (Pete) Carroll was saying, instead of going the opposite way.”

Avril, who remains a free agent after being released with a failed physical designation in May, said many players began doubting Carroll and his staff after the heartbreaking loss. The Seahawks lost in the NFC divisional round in 2015 and 2016 before missing the postseason altogether last year.

“Guys started kind of questioning (Carroll) more instead of following his lead if we had won the Super Bowl,” Avril said.

The Seahawks have seemingly decided to start over, cutting ties with key players from their "Legion of Boom" defense, including Avril, defensive end Michael Bennett and cornerback Richard Sherman.

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