Super Bowl Preview
It’s 3rd and 10, late in the 4th
quarter. Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe rolls out to the right, in search of
an open receiver, but decides to turn up the field and run. What looks to be a
first down run ends with Jets linebacker Mo Lewis flattening Bledsoe on the
sideline. Bledsoe lies motionless on the sideline with a sheared blood vessel,
and out trots 2nd year no name Tom Brady. Brady would eventually
lead his team to a Super Bowl victory that year, and later cement himself as
one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, as we all know.
Fast-forward 11 years to Week 11 of the 2012 season. 49ers
quarterback Alex Smith leaves the game with a concussion after a collision with
Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Into the game comes wildcat specialist Colin
Kaepernick. 7 wins and an NFL QB rushing record later, Kaepernick finds himself
carrying his team to Super Bowl XXXVII.
This would have been a great opening to my Patriots vs.
49ers Super Bowl Preview. However, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the Patriots
had other plans, generally involving turnovers of all kinds (interceptions,
fumbles, questionable 4th down calls). Instead, we find ourselves
watching the Harbaugh-Bowl, HarBowl for short, this year. Every Super Bowl has
its storylines, and 49ers vs. Ravens does not fall short in this regard. On one
side there is Ray Lewis’ last game of his Hall of Fame career and a chance for
Flacco to silence his critics (me). On the other hand, a 49ers victory would
not only validate Jim Harbaugh’s QB decision as the coaching decision of the
century, but also introduce the read option as a true pro offensive system.
Let’s not forget that there is still a game to be played.
Game Time!
Keys to Victory:
Ravens –
Give Ray Rice the ball! This year, including playoffs, the Ravens are 11-2 when
Rice gets more than 15 touches. Given that every team runs about 60-70
offensive plays in a game, it would be smart of Jim Harbaugh to give the ball
to his best player at least a third of the time. Many may question who would
ever try to run against the 49ers vaunted run defense. Hell, I couldn’t even
imagine trying to run past Justin Smith, only to face Navarro Bowman and
Patrick Willis at the next level. But lets look at San Francisco’s two worse
losses this season. In a 26-3 Week 6 loss to the Giants, the 49ers D was
dominated on the ground, with the Giants running for 149 yards on 37 carries.
Likewise in a Week 16, 42-13 loss to the Seahawks, the 49ers gave up 176 yards
on 39 carries. In both losses, the 49ers gave up less than 200 yards of
passing. Clearly, the 49ers true kryptonite is a relentless run game, and
behind the Ravens massive O-Line led by Yanda and Oher, Ray Rice can lead his
team to victory.
Defensively for the Ravens, I honestly have no idea how this
will turn out. The utter shutdown of the Patriots offense is extremely
impressive, but Kaepernick’s read option is a completely different style. Not
to mention a style that neutralizes the Ravens best quality, their ability to
rush the quarterback. When playing the read option, Terrell Suggs cannot just
pin his ears back and rush the quarterback every play. The read option requires
patience and discipline of defensive ends and linebackers, just ask the Packers
D. Despite everything Kaepernick has shown us in the playoffs, I believe the
Ravens best bet is to force Kaepernick to beat them with his arm. All know is
that if you can stop Tom Brady’s arm, stopping Kaepernick can never be out of
the question.
49ers - No
team has the big play ability and the ability to control the ball like the San
Francisco 49ers. In the past two games, the 49ers have gained over a thousand
yards, and in their first playoff game against the Packers, they possessed the
ball for 38 minutes compared to the Packers 22 minutes. This offense is rolling
on all cylinders, with a balanced attack. This team lives and dies by
Kaepernick offensively. His speed and athletic ability freezes edge defenders,
opening jump cuts for Frank Gore and the play action pass as well. If
Kaepernick is able to hit his passes early, I don’t see how the Ravens will be
able to stop any part of this offense.
Defensively,
the 49ers main priority is to take Ray Rice out of the game, both rushing and
receiving wise. I know Flacco has been playing out of his mind, but when he
passes the ball more than 40 times a game, the Ravens are just 2-3. The 49ers
have the best starting group of linebackers in the league, and they can both
stop the run and rush the passer. If they can stop Rice early, they will be
able to rush Flacco and force either a fumble or interception. It’s hard to be
physical at the line with a freak like Anquan Boldin, and I see the 49ers
playing him with bracket coverage, not allowing Flacco to hit the big play.
-Will Noglows
Follow Will @WilliamNoglows
Follow the IceBath Team @IceBathReport
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