The Har-Bowl, The Bro Bowl, The Super Baugh, or just The Super Bowl. Whatever you want to call it this year, it's time for America's biggest sporting event. This year we have the Baltimore Ravens taking on the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans and the first ever meeting between head coaching brothers. Now throw in this being the last game of Ray Lewis' illustrious career and his name being in another scandal, this time for performance enhancing drug use. Also, backup quarterback turned starter, Colin Kaepernick is leading the 49ers and could possibly revolutionize the position. The Super Bowl is never short of story lines and this year is no exception.
These two teams are almost complete mirror images of each other. Both have strong defenses, rely on the run and when the season started, both had quarterbacks that were asked to control the game and limit turnovers. Alex Smith started the year at QB for the Niners until he suffered a concussion Week 9 against St. Louis. At that time Smith was leading the league in completion percentage and San Francisco was 6-2. In came Colin Kaepernick and the emergence of a young, agile quarterback made this team more potent offensively. Both QB's started nine games and with Smith the 49ers offense averaged 23.6 points a game, with Kaepernick they improved to 28.5 per game. Kaepernick provides a run element that every defense must prepare for. With him at the helm, we've seen San Francisco run a lot of QB options out of the pistol formation. This is the same offense Kaepernick ran at Nevada and could possibly change the perception of the QB position. Back in the 90s the Niners won two Super Bowls with Steve Young who could gain yards with his legs but he was known as a scrambler. We were amazed by Robert Griffin III's running ability in the regular season and now we are seeing it with Kaepernick as he rushed for 181 yards against Green Bay in the Divisional Round. If he is able to pull off a Super Bowl victory it will get rid of any doubt there might be of a option quarterback making it in the NFL.
In Ray Lewis' last playoff run he's leading the NFL in postseason tackles with 44. However, his final curtain call is in the midst of PED allegations. Lewis suffered a torn triceps Week 6 and is under suspicion of taking Deer Antler Spray, a banned substance in the NFL, to help with his recovery. Lewis has adamantly denied using the spray since the story broke. I have a feeling this story will die quickly before the actual game. The media is so enamored with Ray Lewis (he's been their golden child throughout the playoffs) and don't want too much negative light being shined on him right now. He has had a great career and is a sure fire hall of famer there's no question about it but he has had a checkered past. Let's not forget he was on trial for an accessory to murder, however he did beat the case. I know Wes Welker's wife hasn't forgotten. The thing that helped Lewis regain popularity was his admittance to being wrong in the situation right away. If after the Super Bowl it comes out that the report of his PED use is true I honestly wouldn't be surprised. No athletes in any other sport as a whole have the size and speed of football players. It's actually amazing to me that more stories of steroid use haven't came out in the NFL. With how much scrutiny baseball gets, a sport where PED's wouldn't help as much as in football, it makes me wonder if the NFL is keeping certain things under wraps. But, maybe that's just my conspiracy theory. Regardless of the truth to the story, no matter what this is Ray Lewis' last game in the NFL and whatever his off the field issues were it's been a pleasure to watch him play and he will go down as one of the best defensive players ever.
Back to the actual Super Bowl, I think it's all going to come down to which quarterback will be able to control the game against these tough defenses. Colin Kaepernick has been playing extremely well, but he's about to face a Ravens defense that is finally healthy and playing how we are used to seeing them. As I mentioned in a previous posting, multiple Ravens have missed time on the defensive side of the ball including Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata. So their numbers aren't as good as past years but they have been playing like it lately. Other than given up a kick and punt return for TD against Denver, this defense has been tough to score on. They have forced eight turnovers in three games and held a potent Patriots offense scoreless in the second half of the AFC Conference Championship. If they are able to stop Kaepernick's mobility it will give them a great chance of winning. Baltimore's QB Joe Flacco has also been playing well in the playoffs but hasn't been matched up with a defense like the 49ers. Flacco has been solid, throwing for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Now he must face Patrick Willis and the best defense in the league. Like the Ravens, the Niners defense has pro-bowlers at every level with Justin Smith on the D-line, Willis, Navarro Bowman and Aldon Smith at linebacker, and Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner at DB. So far Flacco's decision making has been stellar and he's been connecting with his all his receivers for big plays each game. I think this will be a close one all the way til the end each team holding a lead in the 4th quarter. But, ultimately the Baltimore Ravens will stop Kaepernick and the 49ers offense enough times to pull off the Super Bowl upset 24-21 and send Ray Lewis out like John Elway with his second championship.
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