Because Broadway Joe Is Too Mainstream

Perhaps it was Beyonce's overly elaborate halftime show, the energy flowing in the Ravens' direction, or just simply poor planning that was the reason for Sunday's blackout in the Super Bowl, the game will stand as one of the greatest modern NFL championship games and not because of it being the "Bro Bowl." The blackout completely disrupted the course of the game and the flow of the Ravens offense. Not to make excuses, but that time lapse may have cost Baltimore a ring, had it not been for the lovable Super Bowl MVP, Joe Flacco, and his late game heroics to keep the game at a stalemate. Yes, a stalemate. Most Super Bowl MVP's became known for record setting or clutch performances, but Flacco's main contribution was keeping the game as it was, never allowing the 49ers to take the lead, despite a dominant and frightening 2nd half. Flacco's game basically represented everything about him as a player and a person. Though it may sound cliché, Joe Flacco is what every parent wants their child to grow up to become, by playing in the NFL, but not losing touch with the intangibles that got him there. Flacco may not possess the alien talents of Peyton, the flashiness and conceit of Brady, or the dynamic ability to go from mediocre at best to future Canton inductee of Eli. Joe is just Joe. A good way to imagine Flacco is as gravity, he may not always be visible or receive credit for everything, but he is essential to the well being of the universe and everything that happens in it.

Flacco says that his personality complements his team's low key, blue collar city, in the aspect that he doesn't put up jaw dropping stats, expect to win, or change his whole profile as a quarterback in the 2 minute offense. The way Flacco won the MVP was him just being himself. Although you could argue Jacoby Jones and his 2 enthralling touchdowns, the blackout divided the game into 2 completely different contests. I initially thought Jones was a shoe in for the MVP of the game for putting up one of the most electrifying and memorable collection of plays, but when Roger Goodell announced Flacco the recipient of the brand new Corvette, I can honestly say I agreed with him 100%. It would have been nice to see Ray Lewis win the MVP had he had an iconic Ray Lewis performance for the last game of his career, but after all the speculation directed towards Flacco for being an illegitimate force in the NFL, him winning it all may have finally put away everyone who said he couldn't. Not to mention being the Super Bowl MVP, Flacco is also in the history books as the winningest road quarterback in NFL playoff history. If there needs to be anymore proof that Flacco is an NFL elite, this proves it, he was able to do arguably the hardest thing in sports more than Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, and Tom Brady ever did.

A Battle of Brothers: The HarBowl

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.