When Cary Williams picked off Tom Brady's desperation pass in the final minutes of yesterday's contest between the Ravens and Patriots in Foxboro, the stage was set for the NFL's most famous and extensive bloodline, next to the Mannings, to face off in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII. There cannot be a more storied matchup for the Super Bowl than brothers opposing each other. The only way people thought this could be possible was Peyton vs. Eli, but ever since the 49ers/Ravens Thanksgiving clash last November, I have been wondering about what would happen if these two brothers faced each other on the sport's greatest stage. As kickoff approaches, and the two week long festivities commence, the relationship between these two brothers will turn into somewhat of an urban legend to satisfy the population looking for any form of drama. Before you know it, the media will warp the story so much to the extent that instead of being 15 months apart, they were actually twins and fought to get out of the womb first. What most people don't realize is that the two coaches only control so much of the game. The players are actually the ones performing on the field, and there is much more to the game than two brothers, so from now on, I will give all fans a break from the hype around the Harbaughs that every sports show, site, and newspaper will cover for the next two weeks, and analyze the game by the ones who put the coaches' orders into action.
Unlike most Super Bowl bound teams, I find it hard and nearly impossible to not like the 49ers. Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again," and I think the current 49ers are the rebirth from the late '80s into the early '90s dating back to iconic era of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young. now with back to back conference championship game appearances, it seems like the days of the 49ers being a mediocre team are behind them and have returned to glory. Now instead of the legendary Montana, there is the exciting, electric Colin Kaepernick under center. And now replacing Jerry Rice as the primary catalyst of the San Francisco offense is running back, Frank Gore. The 49ers are a marriage of youth and experience. Youth providing the ability to create big plays, and experience providing the knowledge to get it done. San Fran has proven that even with a rookie quarterback, they can beat the NFL's elite, by beating Aaron Rodgers and his playoff ripened Packers, and even though they haven't proved themselves to be clutch playoff performers, top seeded Atlanta, at home. The game changer has been the elusive Kaepernick creating plays and changing momentum. Early on, yesterday, the 49ers were struggling and I think it was mainly because Kaepernick wasn't able to break open the running game, but once he did make a couple of plays in the second half, there was no looking back for the 'niners as both Kaepernick and Gore were able to play their individual games.
What may be harder to hate than the 49ers, may actually be there opponent, the Ravens. Despite all of the obstacles, somehow the Ravens are here. In fact, the obstacles just add to the entire Hollywood aspect of the Baltimore season. It seems like the entire season for the Ravens has been the script for an Oscar nominee in the best drama category. From the passing of owner Art Modell (the Art patch on Ravens uniforms) to Ray Lewis tearing his tricep, but pledging to be back for the playoffs to end his NFL career, and firing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron at 9-4, the fact that the Ravens are here seems just to good to be true. With the ever spiritual Ray Lewis inspiring more than just his team and fans, but the whole country and a mentally and physically strong core group of players, the Ravens meet Tom Coughlin's description of last year's Super Bowl champion Giants, "Humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform."
The outcome is unknown and nor have I decided whether to don my Ray Rice or Michael Crabtree jersey on the day of the Super Bowl. There is so much to like about each team, and I won't make any predictions for a while until I analyze the matchups. I wouldn't mind if either team won, and the teams seem to be so evenly matched that I won't take any chances with betting big in Vegas. Although one possibility that could sway me to the Ravens would be the unreliability of Colin Kaepernick's style of play, but his explosive running style could also bring the Lombardi Trophy back to San Francisco to join the Giants' World Series trophy.
Unlike most Super Bowl bound teams, I find it hard and nearly impossible to not like the 49ers. Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again," and I think the current 49ers are the rebirth from the late '80s into the early '90s dating back to iconic era of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young. now with back to back conference championship game appearances, it seems like the days of the 49ers being a mediocre team are behind them and have returned to glory. Now instead of the legendary Montana, there is the exciting, electric Colin Kaepernick under center. And now replacing Jerry Rice as the primary catalyst of the San Francisco offense is running back, Frank Gore. The 49ers are a marriage of youth and experience. Youth providing the ability to create big plays, and experience providing the knowledge to get it done. San Fran has proven that even with a rookie quarterback, they can beat the NFL's elite, by beating Aaron Rodgers and his playoff ripened Packers, and even though they haven't proved themselves to be clutch playoff performers, top seeded Atlanta, at home. The game changer has been the elusive Kaepernick creating plays and changing momentum. Early on, yesterday, the 49ers were struggling and I think it was mainly because Kaepernick wasn't able to break open the running game, but once he did make a couple of plays in the second half, there was no looking back for the 'niners as both Kaepernick and Gore were able to play their individual games.
What may be harder to hate than the 49ers, may actually be there opponent, the Ravens. Despite all of the obstacles, somehow the Ravens are here. In fact, the obstacles just add to the entire Hollywood aspect of the Baltimore season. It seems like the entire season for the Ravens has been the script for an Oscar nominee in the best drama category. From the passing of owner Art Modell (the Art patch on Ravens uniforms) to Ray Lewis tearing his tricep, but pledging to be back for the playoffs to end his NFL career, and firing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron at 9-4, the fact that the Ravens are here seems just to good to be true. With the ever spiritual Ray Lewis inspiring more than just his team and fans, but the whole country and a mentally and physically strong core group of players, the Ravens meet Tom Coughlin's description of last year's Super Bowl champion Giants, "Humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform."
The outcome is unknown and nor have I decided whether to don my Ray Rice or Michael Crabtree jersey on the day of the Super Bowl. There is so much to like about each team, and I won't make any predictions for a while until I analyze the matchups. I wouldn't mind if either team won, and the teams seem to be so evenly matched that I won't take any chances with betting big in Vegas. Although one possibility that could sway me to the Ravens would be the unreliability of Colin Kaepernick's style of play, but his explosive running style could also bring the Lombardi Trophy back to San Francisco to join the Giants' World Series trophy.
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