by Angry Andy
The biggest sports night of the year is almost upon us.
On February 3rd, the San Francisco 49ers takes on the Baltimore Ravens in the Superbowl.
Aside from the obvious statement that both teams are lead by brothers Jim and John Harbaugh, these teams resemble each other a lot more than you may think.
Before we start with the game itself though, as always there are side stories to the Superbowl that always occur thanks to relentless coverage by the media on Superbowl week. For example:
- Chris Culliver's totally idiotic comments, which the player has already apologized for. Ridiculous stories like this come out every year when players, who don't usually deal with the media, are being grilled on every facet of the game. That doesn't excuse his comments in any way.
- Deer Antler?!? A banned substance that seemingly helped Ray Lewis return from his triceps injury much faster (Also contains side effects, including being over-emotional; see below). It’s Ray Lewis last hurrah! If all this substance does is make him return to the game and has no effect on how he plays, then I don’t think it should be too much of a problem. If we found out that this helped Adrian Peterson return, would we complain? Is it essentially a medicine? Most importantly, how the fuck did they come to the conclusion that a deer antler could help the healing process of the human body? (Rick edit: It doesn't. It just helps Ray Lewis because his body, much like his mind, is batshit insane)
- Randy Moss is not the best receiver of all time. It’s Jerry Rice and NOBODY is even close to dethroning him!
- Tim Brown came out the other week and said that the Raiders' Superbowl dreams were sabotaged by their own coach, Bill Callahan, when they were owned by the Bucs 10 years ago. Now Marshall Faulk has been quoted as saying that the Rams were cheated 11 years ago when the Rams lost to the Patriots as he reckons their walk through was being filmed. Really? Does this even matter anymore? Is it a coincidence that both teams have not even come close to returning to the big game? And thanks Tim Brown for having me mention the Raiders in a Superbowl blog!
What do all these stories have in common? They mean absolutely nothing when in comes down to the game on Sunday! It's all smoke and mirrors and it is up to the coaches to keep their players focused on the task in hand: capturing the Vince Lombardi trophy.
And when it comes to coaches, the Harbaugh brothers are prime examples of what it takes to be an NFL coach at an elite level. Both coaches have made incredibly tough decisions this year in improving their teams. Both teams made the Championship game last year and both teams lost on bad special teams plays. They could easily have rested on their laurels, put it down to bad luck and incorporated a similar game plan to try and get to the Superbowl this year.
I have spent many a column discussing the pros and cons of Colin Kaepernick taking the starting QB job from Alex Smith. Kaepernick has given the offense the ability to march down the field for quick scoring drives. With much harder opposition this season (they had the easiest schedule in football last year) the Niners are more equipped for the big games.
The last time the 49ers took on the Ravens, Alex Smith was sacked 9 times in a 16-6 loss on Thanksgiving last year. A short preparation week and Kaepernick at the helm of this offense changes the playing field drastically. Alex Smith had a 101.0 QB rating in last years playoffs. Colin Kaepernick, on top of his rushing ability, has 105.9 in this year's playoff run. The only quarterback to have a higher rating in the post season? Joe Flacco (114.7).
Joe Flacco has made that leap into one of the top QBs in the league. And a large part of that is down to a big coaching decision by John Harbaugh which just as bold as his brother’s decision. Even though the Ravens were looking likely to make the playoffs (ala the Niners probability with Smith), Harbaugh fired offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron. This essentially meant that entire offensive scheme would be changed. He did this in DECEMBER! This required a new scheme with only a few games to get it right before the playoffs began. And it has resulted in the emergence of Joe Flacco who has lead his team to victories over Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Not only did the Ravens win these games, he out performed all three quarterbacks and made the crucial plays when they counted most. Since 2008, Flacco has more playoff wins than any other quarterback and has the most road playoff victories of all time. When the playoffs started, it looked like Flacco’s last season with the Ravens as his contract was expiring. Flacco has just earned himself what must be a huge deal with Baltimore.
Sunday will also mark the battle of the beasts. In one corner is #52 Ray Lewis: representing the tough, smash mouth defense that has symbolized the Baltimore Ravens over the last 15 plus years, having won them a Superbowl. In the other, #52 Patrick Willis: the face of a 49ers defense that has the reputation of turning backups (e.g. Navarro Bowman) into dominating players. If anything, this game could represent the passing of the torch between Ravens' defense and the Niners'. Questions were raised about how much the Ravens defense had in the tank as the playoffs began, they have more than stepped up to the challenge in front of them. Ray Lewis actually has more tackles this post season (44) than the 31 he put up on their Superbowl winning season! They shut out Tom Brady for an entire half in a Championship game . . . right after the 49ers did the exact same thing to Matt Ryan.
Both teams operate a two running pack system. Baltimore’s Ray Rice and the 49ers’ Frank Gore have been outstanding this season and are typical no nonsense running backs that let their play on the field do the talking. Bernard Pierce actually has more rushing yards than Ray Rice under the new offensive system while rookie LaMichael James has certainly stepped up to the plate after Kendall Hunter went down injured for the Niners earlier in the season. Flacco’s deep ball threat has the ability to open up the run game as does Kaepernick’s unpredictability in the pocket.
Sunday is going to be one tough, physical chess match between brothers as they lead their team towards the ultimate glory in the NFL. It is truly a pick ‘em game between two evenly-matched teams and two outstanding coaches.
So with all that said, and those that have followed me through out the season know how much of a die hard Niners fan I am, a pick must be made. Niners are favored by 3.5 points. But with these teams so evenly matched, this game could have the potential to be the first ever Superbowl to go to over time (which, judging by how I handled the Championship game, will see me hyper ventilate, keel over and die), I have decided to pick just an outright winner.
I called the handicaps on both Championship games two weeks ago (does that count for an accumulator week?) which means I’m on a roll. The bookies have got the best of me a few times this year but I’m making my money back on Sunday guaran-damn-teed!
So, my pick for Superbowl XLVII this Sunday night in New Orleans . . . In the Superdome where the Niners crushed the Broncos 55-10 back in 1990 . . .
. . . .Is . . .
Baltimore Ravens over San Francisco 49ers!
Huh? An avid 49ers fan going against his team in their biggest match in 18 years in a pure pick ‘em game?
Why? Oh the answer is simple my friends. I take you back to a podcast conversation between myself and @AMTRick last September . . .
@AMTRick: “But finally, I’m gonna ask you to stick your neck out on the line now. You have 5 euro to put down on any team to win the Superbowl. Who are you picking?”
Yo Boy: “Who do ya think.”
@AMTRick: “Awwwwwww, honestly?”
Yo Boy: “Honestly, San Francisco! I think we can do it this year”
@AMTRick: . . . .
“Favourite is Patriots and Packers but my money is on the 49ers.”
And that is exactly what I did. Putting 10e down on the Niners at 15/1 to win the Superbowl. Now, here is the fun part. If the Niners win, I get 160e. Obviously, if Baltimore win I get nothing. But! By sticking, lets say, 50e on the Baltimore Ravens at 6/4, I get back 125e if the Ravens win the Superbiwl. Which means I get a profit of 100e if the Niners win or 65e profit if the Ravens win.
Ladies and gentlemen, on the 20th week of the NFL Season, I have finally beaten the system. Profit either way in the biggest match of the year. So my job is complete, I can sit back and watch the game, right after I make this bet. Screw you Paddy Power!
Happy Football Peo. . . .
...
I don’t feel right. I feel like Robert DeNiro near the end of Heat (must-see movie if you haven’t watched it, by the way): everything is complete bar one minor little detail. Gambling knows no allies nor loyalty. However I do.
When the Niners beat the Falcons, it wasn’t until the Ravens-Patriots game was well under way when I realized that we had covered and that my accumulator was still on. By putting the 50e on the Ravens, the 65e profit if the Ravens were to win would not make it any better for me. I have repeatedly said it since the start of the season that this was the Niners year and I believe that in my heart of hearts. The only other time I was this confident was with the Miami Heat in last year's playoff run which ended in a Championship.
The Niners have a little more on offense, the defense is as tough and a little younger too. As the game wears on, I can see the Ravens D crumbling before San Fran’s. While Flacco has been tremendous this off season, I think this is the game where he is figured out. The Niners just have too many offensive weapons for the Ravens to handle as the game progresses. San Francisco have only lost once in 23 games when they have scored more than 20 points. Do you believe that they can not reach 20 points? The Niners have never lost in the Superbowl. And, on Sunday, that streak will continue.
In a season that will be known, among other things, as the year of the rookie quarterback, Colin Kaepernick (a second year pro but essentially a rookie) will stand tall with the Vince Lombardi trophy when it’s all said and done. And he will be joining Tom Brady and Kurt Warner as the only other QB to make his start on the year he won the Superbowl.
My final pick:
49ers (-3.5) over Ravens
Happy Football People!
Angry Andy is a former pro-wrestler, turned radio host/podcaster, turned sports gambling addict. He's a die-hard San Francisco 49ers and Miami Heat fan, is dying hard being a Villa fan this season and his favourite film is also, unsurprisingly, Die Hard.
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