Did you know the Harbaugh brothers are coaching against one another? Well they are and it's awesome because that never happens.
Did you know it's Ray Lewis's last game no matter what (hopefully)? It is. And few people are more divisive than Ray Lewis. The press corps will tell you.
Did you know when Colin Kaepernick was a ute, he wanted to play in the NFL for the 49ers?
Fine. You want hard-hitting? You want to know who I think is going to win and why?
::Scratches head, searches for fresh angle::
In Steamroller fashion I'm going scarlet/garnet/crimson colored glasses and rooting for the Niners. Here's why. Back in the Niner glory days my dad was a big fan. Admittedly, Montana, Rice, Craig, Young, Lott, Haley, Deion, etc. Those were heady days. This is also the franchise that gave us Merton Hanks's neck.
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| Merton "Giraffe" Hanks |
Also, whilst I was in middle school, I loved the Jim Harbaugh-led Indianapolis Colts. They played hard and wore black shoes. For the uninitiated, that last sentence is why you should never get sucked into that vortex that is college football recruiting. 17 year olds choose which institution of higher learning they'll play football for based on similar criteria and flimsier. Might I recommend the book Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting by Bruce Feldman for a "deeper dive" without having to lose your dignity by visiting recruiting message boards.
Finally, I like this Colin Kaepernick fella. He's a lithe bad boy (tattoos). Whoops, I've said too much. I mean he throws a nice spiral and he's part of the National Football League's new wave of young Quarterbacks who are going to shape offensive trends for the remainder of the decade.
OFFENSE
Here's the deal. Baltimore is here because the team is rallying around Ray Lewis and they want to carry him off the field on their shoulders. They do not want him to lose his last game. It's a more powerful rallying cry than the time honored but effective, "Nobody believed in us" routine. The Niners don't have that. That debnidly puts them behind the eight-ball.
They do have Kaepernick and Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree and, perhaps most important, Vernon Davis. There's also this; Everyone's favorite NFL writer, Peter King, says the Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman is the smartest football mind he spoke with on either team this week. It should be noted that Peter King picked the Chiefs to win the AFC West this season.
I'm going to pick Crabtree for my OPOG. I hated him because he was so damn good while he was at Texas Tech and he's finally looking like a man amongst boys in the NFL.
DEFENSE
Dare I call the Ravens offense dynamic? They have Joe Flacco who is solid and playing very well. Ray Rice is a beast. Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith make nice duo. I particularly like this Smith kid. He has "wheels".
The Niners defense is stingy. Patrick Willis is a bona-fide man amongst boys. Justin Smith has been a badass for forever. Aldon Smith has nearly 20 sacks. For shits and grins I like what this Dashon Goldson offers in the name department.
For my DPOG I'm going Aldon Smith. Why not?
THE SCORE
I really think this game could be one of the most vicious Super Bowls of all time. These two teams might be like Tommy and Brendan Conlon in Warrior. I'm hoping anyhow.
The Rally Around Ray factor is going to be massive but this is a man's game. It's Chess not Checkers like college. For that reason I can still talk myself into the Niners.
Niners 24 Ravens 17
I wonder what the commercials will be like?
