The San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have settled down in New Orleans with mounting anticipation for Sunday’s championship game. The Niners are looking for a chance to repeat history — 23 years ago, the Niners won the 1990 Super Bowl on the same field. A lot has changed, but die-hard fans and a legacy of victory ground the 49ers as a force to contend with in the Su- per Bowl XLVII.
It has been almost two decades since the 49ers won their last Super Bowl in 1994. The history be- hind this powerhouse team includes five Super Bowl championships, and a sixth would tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for most wins in the 47 years of the Super Bowl.
The Niners reached the Conference and Divisional Championships for 17 out of 21 seasons between 1981 and 2002. Then 2003 to 2012 marked a dry spell for a team that couldn’t even manage to make a play- off game. Last year, under
quarterback and No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers made it to the Divi- sional Championships only to lose 20-17 to the future Super Bowl champions, the Giants.
Jim Harbaugh is a for- mer NFL quarterback who retired in 2000 and suc- cessfully began a coaching career. After coaching at Stanford for three years, he joined the 49ers in 2011.
Smith, however, will find himself on the bench come Sunday. Rookie Col- in Kaepernick will lead the team in the Super Bowl, based on his stellar perfor- mance during the second half of the regular season. Kaepernick got his first start filling in for the concussed Smith, and his exceptional performance over nine vic- tories was what cemented him in the starting spot. His elusiveness, running ability and strong arm have helped his team to flourish. In his first postseason game, Kaepernick set the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback during a first playoff game. Kaeper- nick will also be one of the youngest quarterbacks ever
to play in the Super Bowl, and his coach, team and fans have full faith in his capabilities.
In addition to a quar- terback with exceptional running ability, running back Frank Gore will lead a powerful rushing attack for the 49ers. The 49ers defense is also not to be forgotten. The Ravens have a strong tradition of good defense, but the No. 4 ranked rushing defense of the Niners will be an important piece of the puzzle for San Fran- cisco to secure victory.
Other than the all-star line up, the public’s atten- tion will be focused on the family rivalry between the 49ers and Ravens head coaches — Jim Harbaugh and John Harbaugh. The two brothers will face off in the Big Easy with par- ents and family present. No sides have been taken by the parents or family but the competitive natures of the brothers is sure to be present in the game. Jim Harbaugh has been known for fighting other coach- es — an altercation with Detroit’s coach in 2011 re- quired physical restraint.
VERSUS
The Baltimore Ravens
Edgar Allan Poe, American poet and author of “The Raven,” died more than 160 years ago; yet the football team named after his poem, the Baltimore Ravens, is very much alive.
On Sunday, the Bal- timore Ravens are going to walk into the Mer- cedes-Benz Superdome
in New Orleans and face the San Francisco 49ers — winners of five Super Bowls — for the Lombar- di trophy, one of the most coveted prizes in Ameri- can sports.
Coach John Harbaugh is leading the Ravens to their second Super Bowl. Their first was in 2000 when they beat the New York Giants.
Football fans and the media are excited to see him take on his brother and fellow coach Jim Harbaugh for a “Battle of the Brothers,” but John Harbaugh said in a press conference after last Sat- urday’s practice that he is ignoring the off-the-field factors.
For the Ravens, the important things include consistent passing, strong rushing, successful kicking and punting and third- down completions. On average, the team has per- formed worse than their regular season opponents in all five categories; only in defense and returning have they surpassed their opponents’ statistics.
The Ravens have the highest-ranked quar- terback in the NFL, Joe Flacco having a passer rating of 114.7 for the 2012 postseason. They also have the No. 1 rusher in the NFL, running back Ray Rice, and the league’s No. 1 wide receiver, An- quan Boldin. But in the Ravens true forte, defense, they possess the five best defenders in the NFL. Ranked number one is
the heart of Ravens fans everywhere: Ray Lewis.
Since Lewis was drafted from the Univer- sity of Miami-Florida, he has become renowned for his charisma on and off the field, but his defensive playing has made him an integral part of the team’s
success since they were founded in 1996.
Out of the 1996 draft, Lewis is the only player still in the NFL, and the fact that he’s an active player at the age of 37 is remarkable.
Lewis’ experience and motivation helped ignite the Ravens for their fifth-straight playoff year. Yet despite the Ravens success, it was not a fairy tale season for the AFC champions. The Ravens’ founder and former owner, Art Modell, passed away on September 6, 2012, less than a week before their season opener in Baltimore. The Ravens managed to have a 9-2 record in the middle of the season, until they lost three straight games, ending with the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. They finished the season with 10 wins and six losses, but still stunned the nation with how far they have come with such a young franchise and relatively new coach.
