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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - For the first time in National Football League history, two brothers will face off as head coaches for football's greatest prize - the Lombardi Trophy.
The San Francisco 49ers, led by little-brother Jim Harbaugh, will go head to head against the Baltimore Ravens and Jim Harbaugh's big-brother John during Super Bowl XLVII. Both teams are playing at a high level with amazing talent on both sides of the ball, but which brother will have bragging rights for potentially years to come? I will tell you who will win the big game - and by the end of the game, I will either look like a genius or a complete buffoon.
The 49ers have an incredibly scary offense led by their emerging quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. He provides a dynamic style of play I think most defenses have not yet grown accustom to. He has a rocket launcher for an arm and receivers who are talented enough to compensate for any inaccuracies he may have.
The Ravens have a talented secondary, but Kaepernick has learned quickly how to fool safeties and cornerbacks who like to take big risks. But who hasn't seen a quarterback with smarts and a great arm? There's nothing special or unique about that. It's the other dimension the 49ers offense and Kaepernick possess that make this team very tough to beat.
The ability to run the football is a necessity to establish the pass. The Ravens have a solid, yet old, front seven that have really stepped up their game in the previous few weeks. The issue is they haven't seen anything like Kaepernick in their impressive three-game run through the playoffs. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck aren't exactly what you would call scrambling quarterbacks. If the Ravens look to contain this quarterback, who runs like a deer, they must do it behind the intelligence of Ray Lewis.
Lewis, who says he is retiring after the season, has been the anchor, physically and intellectually, for this dominating defense for the last 17 years. He will have to play at an extraordinary level and put his teammates in the right spots to shut down one of the hottest offenses in the NFL. They will have some success, but San Fran will put up plenty of points.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens have been playing extremely consistent. But once again, like the offense, they also haven't faced a team in the playoffs that is as good or talented as the 49ers. If the Ravens want any success, they must get running back Ray Rice going early. He is the anchor of the offense. I know, I know, quarterback Joe Flacco has been playing great but I'm still not sold. I've seen him make too many dumb mistakes in critical spots to have that much confidence in him. The 49ers are going to bring so many different looks and blitz packages his way, it will make his head spin.
The Harbaugh brothers faced off once before during the 2011 season when the 49ers traveled to Baltimore. The Ravens were able to keep San Francisco out of the end zone and only allowed two field goals. They won the game 16-6, but there was one big component missing. Jim didn't have his secret weapon leading the offense. He was still grooming his rookie quarterback who is now behind the helm. Don't let last year's result influence your decision about which team will win this game. Sure it's going to be a dogfight and both teams will have momentum in their favor at some point during the game, but the deciding factor is very simple. This game will be won in the trenches.
The big men up front who create running lanes, protect the quarterback, pressure the quarterback and clog the running lanes will determine the outcome of the game. They never get the glory, but one team has superior linemen on both sides of the ball and that team will win the game.
Who is that team you ask? If you can't tell already, I'm going with the San Francisco 49ers to win their sixth Super Bowl for their franchise. The younger brother will outsmart the older brother for the family's first, of possibly many, Super Bowl titles. I just hope I don't have to eat crow after Sunday's big game.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2013 17:31 |
| Story ID: | 101301 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Hometown: | BALTIMORE, MD, US |
| Hometown: | SAN FRANCISCO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Which brother will have bragging rights after ‘HarBowl’ 2013?, by SrA Bryan Swink, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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