So I’m not sure if anyone is aware of this, but the SuperBowl is this weekend. I know, I know, there hasn’t been any discussion of this
insignificant event transpiring this upcoming Sunday, but just in case anyone
in the US actually cares, I have decided to provide the final Lock-Street of
the 2012-2013 season. Apparently some famous guy is retiring and the coaches
are related or something. Sounds like a whole lot of hoopla to me…
We started the season off poorly with Bountygate; then we
saw the integrity of the game diminish with each poorly blown whistle by a
rag-tag group of men in costume wearing refs jerseys. Don’t get me wrong, I
feel terrible for the replacements refs and in no way should they be looked at
to blame, but it was pretty brutal to witness. This was Goodell and NFL’s
mistake, not those men (and 1 woman) who took a shot at their dream job. We witnessed Drew Brees break Johnny Unitas’s
invincible record of consecutive games with a touchdown as he ended the streak
at 54 games (JU had 47). We followed probably the tightest comeback player of
the year/MVP race between Peyton Manning returning from neck surgery that
sidelined him for the entire season last year and Adrian Peterson breaking the
2000 yard (Ended 2nd all-time and 8 yards short of the record) mark
after suffering a season ending knee injury in week 12 of last season. We saw
what might be the best rookie class in NFL history between Wilson, RGIII, Luck,
Martin, Morris, Ballard proving how far player development has progressed. Calvin Johnson broke the single season receiving record and even had an opportunity to
eclipse the 2000 receiving mark.
Like usual, the NFL Playoffs provided another level of
suspense as RGIII blew out his knee in what appeared to be a real life
reenactment of Varsity Blues. Colin Kaepernick solidifies his stardom with an
epic record breaking rushing game against the Packers, sending Aaron Rodgers
and crew packing early. Matt Ryan narrowly escaped a surge by the resilient
gnome like QB, Russell Wilson. The Ravens sent the Broncos into overtime with
what has to be one of the most epic plays in NFL playoff history with the
Mile-High One-Gun Salute and eventually won. Atlanta after pulling ahead with a
17-0 lead, lost steam to the 49’s and the Ravens get redemption for last year’s
playoff flubs while manhandling the Brady Bunch. Finally, we have arrived at
the apex of the NFL, and the last two teams vying to supplant their flag at the
top are the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49s.
Baltimore Ravens (+3.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers
It’s been an underdog story for this Baltimore Ravens team.
While they were favorites against the Colts, they were a combined 18 point
underdogs between their games against Denver and New England. The 49ers are
younger and faster, but the Ravens are more knowledgeable, more dynamic, and a
lot of tougher. This season, Baltimore had 21 different starters on defense
throughout the year. The Ravens have had to put 11 players on IR throughout the
season. Several family members and friends of the Ravens passed away. They have
spent the last year stewing over the last 3 AFC championships, especially last
year, where they could almost feel the Lamar Trophy. They are hardened from the
adversity and thus will prevail in the most difficult venue to play in.
That is not to say the 49s are soft. Their defense is
reminiscent of the Ravens of old. They play hardcore, smash mouth football with
6 Pro Bowlers on the defensive side. Goldson, Willis, Smith, and Bowman are
beasts, but this defense has been slipping in these playoffs. They gave up 31
points to the Packers and 24 points to the Falcons (Julio Jones had 100 yards
rushing and they basically had 17 points in the first quarter). Now, both of
those teams have extremely dynamic offenses so it is understandable they would give
up points, but the Ravens offense is catching fire and their defense might
bend, but rarely does it break.
The Ravens’ defense had a terrible
year by their standards (17th overall), but they also overcame a lot
of injuries. It’s a completely different team now that everyone is back and
healthy. In the playoffs, they held a rookie phenom to 0 touchdowns, a Peyton
Manning ran offense to 21 points, and the most dynamic offense in the NFL to 1
touchdown and 0 POINTS in the second half of the AFC Championship. Both
teams are similar as both defenses tend to break the opponents will to a small
pile of rubbish, they both have great running backs (Frank Gore is a better
straight up rusher while Ray Rice is more versatile), and they have similarly
solid offensive lines, but the biggest
difference will be the QB’s and right now Flacco holds the advantage without a
doubt.
Offensively, the Ravens have also caught fire.
The 49’s offense can be stopped as long as you contain the pistol formation on
the outside of the tackles and push everything inside while continuing to put
pressure on Kaepernick. Make the rookie think and don’t over analyze your role on
defense will cause Kaepernick to rattle. The Ravens offense is not based on a
gimmick formation. Teams see the Ravens offense most weeks throughout the NFL,
but right now they are executing smoothly and thus will be hard to stop. They
are also dominating the turnover game in the post season as their 8 turnovers
is double the TD’s their defense had allowed (4 TD).
.
Flacco in the last two games of the playoffs ( If you
Include all three games he has a total of 869 yards from scrimmage and 8 TD to
0 interceptions)-
590 yards 6 TDS, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles
Kaepernick in his 2 playoff games-
698 5 TD and 1 interception, 1 Fumble.
While Kaepernick had an explosive rushing game against the
Packers which lead to his excessive yardage, what wins games is points and in a
hard fought game with two defenses, the field position will be important.
Flacco has more TD while also having less turnovers. He is also a seasoned
veteran compared to the youngling Kaepernick, who while being one of the most
athletic players on the field doesn’t have the veteran football acumen such as
a Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Brees. The Ravens defense is fast and
unpredictable. I foresee at least 1 interception by Ed Reed. Flacco has seen
every trick/match-up/defense in the league as he has played in slightly more
than 6 times the amount of games as Kaepernick, including 12 playoff/high
stress games compared to Kaepernick’s 2. Oh yea, the 49ers kicker David Akers, is
playing so poorly that they brought in Billy “Laces out” Cundiff to compete for
the starting role. Think about that. The Ravens, as mentioned previously, also
have the Power of Ray on their side.
The Ravens are a lock
-Kyle
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