Did Julian Love know exactly what Drake Maye was doing and where he was throwing in Super Bowl LX, as his viral NFL Films mic'd up moment would lead you to believe?
It certainly appeared to be the case when Love, looking more like a center fielder catching a flyball, was perfectly placed and waiting for a Maye interception in the fourth quarter of the Seattle Seahawks' resounding 29-13 win over the New England Patriots.
So, did he know it was coming? Sort of, but it was more about being properly prepared than anything else.
"I could say that we had it all figured out, but we kinda didn't. I mean, you never know what's gonna come up. You have two weeks to prepare; they're a great team," Love told Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo on Thursday's The Insiders. "Early on, I feel like we just saw a certain style kinda component to it, and yeah, as we got more confident as the game went on, we were starting to feel looser, and just were playing faster."
Any grand designs of New England pulling off an improbable comeback were squashed by Love's interception with just under nine minutes to play in the game and Seattle leading, 19-7. The pick led to a Seahawks field goal and a 22-7 advantage with only 5:35 remaining.
As Love looked to be waiting in the right place and the right time to snatch Maye's wayward attempt, he had been similarly placed earlier in the game but came up just short of an INT.
After that, NFL Films captured Love on the sidelines, correctly prognosticating, "I'm gonna get me one." He was then recorded talking to fellow safety Coby Bryant, describing Maye as a, "classic young quarterback." He then explains Maye's tendencies, noting the second-year passer has a "hitch" that can be read for where he's going with the ball.
"I saw some things in prep for the game, but you never know until you get there and you're playing against them," Love said. "So, I picked up something kinda early that I felt off my prep. Basically on the sideline there, I tried to cover my mic just to not seem like I'm talking crap about him. But yeah, I'm just telling Coby Bryant, my other safety, just so he can make a play, 'Hey this is what I'm seeing, this is what I'm feeling.' Take this and hopefully you make a play and, if not, I'm going to."
And Love made a play, garnering one of the Seahawks' three takeaways on a sterling night for a dominant Seattle D that confounded Maye and Co.
Love, who also had three tackles and a pass breakup, was part of an effort that saw Seattle pile up six sacks, shut out the Patriots through three quarters and allow 331 yards of offense (with 253 coming in the final quarter when the game was all but decided).
Clearly, Love and the Seahawks defense weren't guessing on Super Bowl Sunday, they were prepared for what Maye and the Patriots were bringing to the biggest game of the season.
