It's Super Bowl Sunday!
For me, this statement is more than just the declaration of a game or 24 hour period ... it's more like a religious experience. The Super Bowl is not just a championship matchup ... it is a holiday that celebrates the culmination of 5 months of sitting on my couch and logging countless hours of football watching. Today, the two best teams in football square off for immortality and a permanent place in NFL history.
Ok, so the "two best teams" piece can be debated, but the rest is pretty much spot on. Before this season started, the 49ers were my pick to win it all. They had the most impressive wide receiving and running back squad in the NFL, they returned a phenomenal defense, and Alex Smith was showing signs of becoming a franchise quarterback. Fast forward to today ... toss out the facts that Brandon Jacobs was a bust and Alex Smith took a back seat to a dynamic young hot shot, and I still think the 49ers are the best team in football.
That brings us to the Baltimore Ravens. I suppose they could be the second best team in football (especially since no other team was consistent enough all year to earn that title) but I still believe they'd be on the couch like me if Ray Lewis hadn't announced his retirement. But, Ray DID announce he was leaving and there is no doubt that Baltimore earned its trip to New Orleans. When you can go on the road in the playoffs to beat both Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady, you've already accomplished something special.
So that begs the question ... who wins today? So far this post season, the team with the most talent has had better luck than the team who wanted it more or who had the more prestigious coach. That hasn't held true for every game, but for the most part that's how we got here. Since the two coaches today are pretty much a wash (unless you root for the Niners or Ravens, you really couldn't tell the difference between the Harbaugh boys), I'm going with talent. And just like I said before the NFC Championship games, watch out for LaMichael James and Vernon Davis (who just happened to score the first 2 TD's for the Niners ...). Now, I don't think they will be quite as influential as they were against the Falcons, but both players have the potential to be difference makers. Today though, the hero is going to be Randy Moss ... just wait and see.
Official Prediction:
27-21 San Francisco 49ers over the Baltimore Ravens
MVP: Randy Moss
At the end of the day, I don't really care who wins. I want a good game, funny commercials, and lots of unhealthy food! Happy Super Bowl Sunday everybody!
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