As many of us found out yet again in Super Bowl XLVIII, defense wins championships. Far too often, fans and analysts of the NFL forget about the defensive side of the ball and solely put their focus on flashy offense. As a viewer I understand why, but let’s not forget about the old fashioned style of football that the great game once was known for. I’ve heard people call this past Super Bowl a “boring” one. Yes it was a blowout and wasn’t as intense as previous games but it was a complete and utter show of domination by the Seahawks. To me, dominating play is anything but boring.

Seattle and its Legion Of Boom are the Super Bowl Champions, and rightfully so after their domination of the Broncos. By Mike Morris, via Wikimedia Commons

Seattle showed why they were the best team all season long and they deserved their Super Bowl victory. People doubted them all year because of their “mediocre” offense and their supposed inability to win away from Seattle. They lost only two games away from Seattle this season, both being in the final seconds of the game (at Indianapolis and at San Francisco) so I don’t understand where this myth comes from about them not being able to win on the road.

Lets also not forget who they beat en route to the title — Drew Brees, Colin Kaepernick and Peyton Manning. They held all three teams under 20 points and I would say that is a pretty impressive feat to accomplish.

But until they pulled off what might go down as the most dominant performance in a Super Bowl in history, the numbers didn’t speak that loudly. People wondered what would happen against one of the best quarterbacks of our generation playing his best football.

What their defense was able to do against Denver is incredible. The Legion of Boom and the rest of the Seahawks are now the champions and will be until someone else dethrones them next season. That might be easier said than done though, as the Seahawks are a very young, talented and now experienced team that could be on the verge of a potential dynasty if they make all the right moves as they have done in the past. Defense, not offense wins championships, and the Seahawks reminded everyone of that once again.

Coming into the 2013-2014 NFL season, many people expected that at least some version of the last four teams standing would be the Broncos, Seahawks, Patriots and 49ers. Most years, it doesn’t happen where the projected final four actually make it due to a magical run from a dark horse or incredible unforeseen season. But this year it has happened and for the NFL that is a very good thing.

AFC Championship

Can Tom Brady lead the Patriots to another Super Bowl win? First he will have to go through Peyton Manning and Denver. By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (Tom Brady) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

For Brady and the Patriots a win could mean an incredible feat of reaching the Super Bowl for a sixth time despite all the injuries and poor play from Brady throughout the season. For Manning, this game could make or break his legacy based off his previous playoff struggles.

NFC Championship

On the NFC side of things, the championship showcases two of the most exciting and best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Colin Kaepernick has already made it to the Super Bowl in his short career and Russell Wilson is looking to add to his impressive resume. Over the last few seasons, Seattle vs. San Francisco has become arguably the most heated rivalry in the NFL so it is only fitting that they meet for the NFC crown. Kaepernick and the 49ers have had their recent struggles playing in Seattle so it will be interesting to see how they respond in the NFC Title game.

No matter which two teams win this weekend, Super Bowl XLVIII will be a battle of new vs old. Either way the NFL and its fans will benefit from the matchup.

Who do you think will be in the Super Bowl?

Alex Smith’s benching sealed San Francisco’s fate. By John Martinez Pavliga (originally posted to Flickr as IMG_7552), via Wikimedia Commons

As the 2011 San Francisco 49ers walked off the field of Candlestick Park after losing a close NFC championship game to the eventual champion New York Giants, you could tell that although they had lost, this team had a demeanor about it. It seemed clear that they would be contenders for a long time. They had something to prove and it prove it they did by going into Lambeau Field in week-one and beating the Packers. During their first eight games, the 49ers went 6-2 under quarterback Alex Smith, including Smith going 18-19 while throwing for 232 yards and three touchdowns on a Monday night game against the Arizona Cardinals. Everything seemed to be going well for the 49ers, until during their bye week when they got the news that Alex Smith had suffered a concussion.  They opted to sit Smith for the week 10 matchup against the St. Louis Rams and start second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers and the Rams tied the game and questions began to surface whether or not Smith would return as the starting quarterback.

Kaepernick gave the 49ers a dual threat and skill-set that Smith did not have. Coach Jim Harbaugh liked this option very much and named Kaepernick the starter for the remainder of the season. Kaepernick thrived as the starting quarterback and had the 49ers a favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

This decision must have left Smith wondering his value to the team and many wondered if he would accept his new role as a backup. Smith, being the team player that he is, took the new role with grace and watched Kaepernick take his team all the way to the Super Bowl. Under Kapernick, including the playoffs, the 49ers had a record of 7-3-1 and under Alex Smith the 49ers went 6-2.

I never agreed with coach Harbaugh’s decision to bench Smith for Kaepernick, but I guess that’s why I’m not coaching in the NFL. I always felt like it was completely unfair for Alex Smith. The guy led the team to the NFC championship game and if not for a few dumb fumbles, the 49ers would have made the Super Bowl. With Alex Smith. Not to mention, he was 6-2 in the first eight games with 13 touchdowns and only five interceptions. It was a risky move by Harbaugh, one that did pan out as the 49ers did reach the Super Bowl only to come up short.

How ironic is it that the drive that could have sealed the 49ers Super Bowl dreams, came down to a few red-zone plays where Kaepernick just needed to make a good throw? The whole game he was missing key throws that could have changed the game, for instance, his interception. He could have easily dumped it off to his running back who was wide open rather than throw the ball down the field, very high over Randy Moss’s head into the arms of Ed Reed. The 49ers’ performance was lackluster in the first half and I believe without the very odd power outage, the Ravens would have destroyed them at the end of the game just like they did in the first half, but props to the 49ers for making a comeback and the game interesting. Kaepernick and the 49ers had an incredible year and will probably win a Super Bowl in the next few years. But I think the 49ers were destined to lose this season from the moment Alex Smith was replaced as the starter. Karma bites, and the 49ers found that out the hard way.

Deer antler spray and gay-bashing are unfortunately the driving headlines leading into Super Bowl XLVII. This is the circus that the Super Bowl “media” ring has become.

Real reporters and analysts asking real questions have been pushed aside in favor of paparazzi and comedians – but I guess this is what Super Bowl media week has always been about – sideshow over substance.

Hearsay about what is realistically the equivalent of popping a few extra vitamins and opinions on social issues have officially engulfed the anticipation of the game itself.  The insignificant and unbelonging are being overvalued.  The news shouldn’t be what football players think about swirling gossip and civil rights.

The “media” sideshow around the Super Bowl has unfortunately taken center stage once again. By National Football League [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Maybe its just me. I suppose I’m only interested in the X’s and O’s, but I assume there are actually people out there that care about all the undercard nonsense? It wouldn’t be driving the media if that weren’t the case? I guess I’ll never come around to the TMZ factor – but then again, I never hope to.

Move to the matchup on the field. What immediately comes to mind when breaking it down?

The difference-maker is undoubtedly Colin Kaepernick.  What he has the ability to do is something no one else that will be taking the field is capable of:  turning something into nothing the majority of his team’s offensive snaps.

And why do I dance around the “something into nothing” factor with the caveat of “the majority of offensive snaps?”  Ray Rice doesn’t take the snap from Matt Birk.  Rice can absolutely put the same type of pressure on a defense that Kaepernick can, but the ball just has to travel further to find him.

Touches, touches, touches.  Rice needs more than 25 throughout the course of the game for the Ravens to be on schedule. Throughout the end of the regular season and into the playoffs, newly-appointed offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell, formerly the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has kept Baltimore on-time.

49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a creative mind that will be more than ready for what Baltimore has already shown they are capable of doing.  The key for Caldwell will be comprising twists and tweaks that haven’t been documented on tape.

Look for the Ravens to have gadgets ready on 1st-and-10 to 2nd-and-ahead situations in the middle of the field.  Don’t rule out a Rice-Flacco-Smith flea-flicker if the opportunity presents itself in an advantageous down and distance with room to work.

Ray Rice will have to be an explosive factor for the Ravens to emerge victorious. By U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Hughes/Released [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Two brothers, two sons of a coach, going head to head for the game’s ultimate prize?  Some deeply conceived surprise is bound to unravel.

Now place your mind on the opening kick.

If San Francisco comes out and gets a lead with Kaepernick getting loose, the burden for Baltimore will quickly find its way to Joe Flacco.  Advantage: 49ers.

If Baltimore can control the clock in the 1st half, the groundwork will be laid and the rock will end up lying with Ray Rice in the end instead of Flacco.  Advantage: Ravens.

The other side of the coin?  “God is absolutely AMAZIN’!”

There isn’t a doubt Ray Lewis will have his defense pumped up for one last final pass through the gauntlet.  The motivating factor behind a single galvanizing player being able to inspire an entire team in the ultimate fashion can’t be understated.

That being said, what unfolds on the turf still ends up rising over words in the locker room.  Talent and opportunity fundamentally prevails more than motivational speeches – but I think it goes beyond that to a certain extent.

History and experience on big stages has a better shot of winning out in a game like this.  Top to bottom, the Ravens simply have been there more than the 49ers have.  And when you factor in a complete wildcard like Kaepernick, the potential for him to dominate doesn’t completely cancel out the potential for him to fold under the pressure.  His naivete could superceed his obliviousness in the end.

He might not have known where he was in all of his 10 NFL starts that fill his resume, but I think he will eventually find out where he actually is come crunchtime.  Asking what is essentially a rookie quarterback to finish on the grandest of main-event stages is as “all or nothing” of a bet as it gets.

I’m not really much for predictions.

Ravens 27 – 49ers 23.  Whoops.  Slip of the keyboard.

With the Super Bowl right around the corner, the time of year has returned once again. This particular pocket on the calendar serves as the preparation point that will give way to the onslaught of sport for the year to come.

As we speak, New Orleans is being blitzed and invaded by 49ers fans and Ravens fans alike, not to mention the straight-up football fans and “party fans” that are piling in. It is Bourbon Street, after all.

Even the First Super Bowl Party gets a little loose! By White House (Pete Souza) / Maison Blanche (Pete Souza) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We know the pageantry and performance of the big game won’t disappoint. The annual pinnacle of American sport never lets us down, and even if the scoreboard is lopsided, one of your friends at the party seems to always end up that way as well, making the whole Super Bowl party experience a let-down-free zone.

Pushing all the rif-raf to the peanut gallery, the 49ers open, and will most likely remain, favorites – and with good reason. Colin Kaepernick is a dynamic force that is currently surfing the wave that most young phenoms always seem to – “they don’t even know where they are right now.”

The combination of Colin Kaepernick riding the whitewash of momentum, coupled with his elite, dual-threat ability coming of age right before our eyes, makes the 49ers an extremely dangerous favorite. The 49ers could win by a slim margin or a big margin. This is something you can’t necessarily say about the Ravens.

If the Ravens get over, it will be a ‘Rice, Rice, Flacco to Boldin or Pitta 3rd down conversion’ type of game. The deep bomb to Torrey Smith is something I don’t really see the defense of the 49ers allowing, given the prowlace their two all-pro safeties.  At the same time, I would also be foolish if I didn’t consider the magic a retiring Ray Lewis and his defense seem to have going.  Underdogs can still overachieve.

Analysis of the game aside, the unbridled fun of the Super Bowl also serves as a recognizable signaling of the year to come in all other arenas of sport.

The NBA all-star game is on the horizon, and unfortunately for most fans, the taste of purple and gold is impossible to remove from the palate of NBA water-cooler talk everywhere.

Dwight Howard throw-downs have been few and far between so far this season. By Fido (Flickr: Bucks @ Lakers) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I know everyone is exhausted with the revolving Laker discussion, but the reason the Lakers continue to hoard the headlines is a reason you rarely equate with this franchise – their ineptitude.

Give me an “A” or give me an “F,” right?  Unfortunately, “F” sells in a huge way, and sadly, sells even more than “A” does – but you can’t blame the Lakers for all the attention they are recieving.  Another main reason the Lakers are hogging print and air waves is because nothing around the rest of the NBA is making waves.

The Heat are dominating in their defense of the title. The Celtics, Knicks and Rose-less Bulls are still nipping at their heels in the East.  Great.

In the West, the Thunder are still running, the Spurs are still lurking, and the Clippers and Grizzlies are still up-and-coming. Great.

Yawn.  Alright!  I’m awake!

Moving on — what or who else looms near this time of year? You got it – everyone’s favorite worst guy ever, the infamous “bracket guy.”

Unrightfully so, no one pays an emphatic amount of attention to the national NCAA basketball scene until March rolls around, but when it does, get ready to throw down your bracket and your bucks.

Cinderellas will be the overlying theme as they always are, and golden chariots will turn back into pumpkins in the end like they always do – but the overall saga of March never comes up short.  One.  Shining.  Moment.  I’m welling up just thinking about it.  No I’m not.

Seamheads are beyond hyped this time of year as well. Everyone is a potential pennant winner in spring training, and pitchers and catchers report in less than a month.

With the Giants coming off another World Series Championship and the Dodgers having huge expectations, the rivalry only looks to get juicier. By andyrusch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/asrusch/5748267516/) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Money, money and more money has morphed a perpetual big-market underachiever into the new West coast version of the New York Yankees. Trading for the gigantic contracts of super stars has given way to monumental stadium renovations for the Dodgers, which will create more revenue, and eventually give way to taking on even more gigantic contracts of super stars.

Moneyball may get you to the dance, but big money allows you to go home with the prom queen in the end. The Dodgers have officially taken on the new face of baseball’s dark side, and will become even more of a polarizing team than they were before.

Spoiler alert: yes, the rebels eventually win in Star Wars, but in baseball the empire always eventually wins in bulk. Blue thinkers finally realizing gold once again could be right around the corner.

From progression to regression – congratulations on almost killing your sport one more time, Gary Bettman. Hockey is back, but now the few casual fans that existed before care even less.

Kings captain Dustin Brown hoists the cup, a trophy of a dying sport. By Eric Chan from Hollywood, United States (DSC00815 Uploaded by JoeJohnson2) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On a positive note, the Kings raising the banner was beyond due.  It was an awesome run last season and a championship that was well deserved for Kingdom loyalists — but the realistic future of hockey has essentially become a dimming light, one that now can barely even be seen by a telescope in the night sky of the American sporting realm.

It wouldn’t be an all discussion without mentioning eagles and earplugs, two associations about to start the longest campaigns of any professional leagues in the United States. 10 months?  Forget campaigns, try marathons.

There are niches in our sports melting pot that absolutely live for the PGA and Nascar circuits. And strangely enough, they couldn’t be more polar opposites.  Its the quietest sport and the loudest sport.  Its the high-class perception and the low-class perception.  And given the differences, it’s kind of ironic how the hardcore fans of both circuits would probably never get along, yet the 19th hole and the 5th wheel effectively serve the same purpose.  I guess that’s one thing everyone can agree on – booze.

So there it is and here it comes – the great American sporting landscape.  And with all of the anticipation and excitement on the horizon, there’s honestly nothing I can see that could put damper on the cornucopia of sport all of us fans are in line for, could there be?

April 15th. Yea, the smartass went and did it.

Dave Grant joined the Podcast to talk Cal Poly sports.

This week Owen and Luke talk NFL Conference Championship games, apologize to Jim Harbaugh and talk about how having both of our growing families might affect our Fansmanship. Then Dave Grant sits-in to discuss Cal Poly sports, including women’s basketball, which is off to a fast start once again in the Big West Conference.

The lightning rod of last week’s divisional playoff round was beyond confirmation, that the NFL is still the boss in the American sports arena. The excitement of the NFL continues the skyrocket, that preemptively pushes the bounds of the NFL brand frontier.

And it only gets better my friends.

A Super Bowl matchup of the Harbaugh brothers is still in the cards. By Ben Liebenberg / NFL (NFL.com) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Will the Baltimore Ravens be able to celebrate the soul of their leader Ray Lewis once again in the toughest possible confrontation they could draw?

Does Tommy Touchdown, eventually get over on his most glaring nemesis of a defensive opponent?

The answers I refuse to guarantee – but even after last week’s salvage of a 1-3 prediction, the questions I will never refuse to ask, and the potential answers to those questions I will never refuse to expound upon.

Of course, Kaepernick’s NFL record-breaking performance for most rushing yards by a quarterback in any game, ever (183), won’t be duplicated. Without a doubt, Atlanta’s defense won’t limp and chase with the same evident worthlessness Green Bay’s defense did last Saturday. However, that doesn’t mean Kaepernick won’t utilize his feet to their fullest extent once again.

San Francisco will only lose because of turnovers. If they value and secure the ball, it will be incredibly difficult for Atlanta to beat them, even in the Georgia Dome. And if the neck-bucking ostrich, converts 3rd downs at a rate of 61.5% for the second playoff week in a row, we might as well consider the filthy Niners will be headed to the Super Bowl.

With all the attention directed at Kaepernick’s record-breaking day, doesn’t Tom Brady still have a stake in all this? Captain America seems to be the forgotten man in this year’s NFL Playoffs.

The most decorated quarterback in the game is still in the mix and hungry for another ring. Photo By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (Tom Brady) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

And if it is, Solomon Wilcots‘ preemptive cut-away from Ray Lewis’ tearful post-game sermon better not be prioritized by network promos. The pimping of The Big Bang Theory or Two Broke Girls apparently took precedence over a first-ballot NFL hall-of-famer, possibly giving us our last positive memory of him in celebration.

Next time, CBS, stay with the reality nugget right in front of you! We have a living legend shedding tears on live camera! You might want to stick with that.  Dorks uncomfortable around women and two waitresses who don’t get tipped,  can wait!

In all seriousness, I know just as much as you do about all this NFL analysis stuff — and in all honestly, probably a whole lot less.

What I do know however is a menu. I’ll be the guy that brought the bacon-wrapped shrimp and won your Super Bowl Party.

Show me the barbeque.

You’re Welcome.

Alex Smith did the right thing by telling doctors he was concussed, but it could cost him a lot of money in the offseason. By BrokenSphere (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Then Alex Smith got hit. In the head. Again.

He “turned himself in” to team doctors as the NFL has been encouraging its players to do. He hasn’t seen the field since.

Instead, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh turned to second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick has a rifle arm — noticeably better (on TV even) than 90 percent of NFL starting quarterbacks. He’s also really fast. I’ll get to that in a minute.

Harbaugh keeping Kaepernick in the lineup instead of bringing back Smith (once he was cleared) was easy to criticize. The list of quarterbacks who win or even get to the Super Bowl in their first season as a starter is really short. No matter what Harbaugh thought, I didn’t think San Francisco stood a chance with a second-year player and first-time starter. I thought Harbaugh’s lack of patience with Alex Smith was going to hurt the team’s chances and maybe help to even prematurely close their championship window. After amazing improvement at Stanford and now with the 49ers, I thought Harbaugh had finally made a decision that was going to blow up in his face. Benching a guy who was playing like Smith couldn’t have been the right move, could it?

On Saturday, Kaepernick diced-up the Packers like a slap-chop. Green Bay had no answer for the read option or Kaepernick’s ability to find open receivers down field and get the ball to their hands on a rope. When the second-year player from Nevada ran for his second touchdown that put the 49ers up 31-24 in the third quarter, a lead they would not relinquish, I though, “My God! He’s Michael Vick with a bigger body and more accurate throwing arm.”

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA

I stand by my assessment, and I want to say I’m sorry. Apologies, Jim Harbaugh. Apparently you saw him in practice for a year and a half and knew what you were doing. I shouldn’t have second-guessed you. The 49ers’ offense looked as dynamic and exciting as any I’ve seen recently. If the NFC Championship game was at Candlestick, I’d predict your team as the clear-cut favorites. As it stands I’ll probably pick them to win the game on the road anyway — unless I think too hard about Ben Roethlisberger.

In Roethlisberger’s first year as a starter (2004), the Steelers went 13-0 under Big Ben in the regular season. Roethlisberger was a revelation. His team earned a first-round bye and won their divisional playoff game before losing the AFC Championship to New England, who won the Super Bowl that year. Kaepernick has done a Roethlisberger-like job so far — a performance good enough to win me over on his coach’s decision no matter what happens next week.

Kaepernick’s divisional win was definitely one for the record-books, putting him up alongside rookies like Roethlisberger. To win a conference championship game on the road after only 9 NFL starts, though, would be nothing short of legendary.

There is a black line slicing right through the front of Jim Harbaugh’s cranium on my TV. What does it mean? What symbolic power does the black faded line possess?

Can Alex Smith still lead the 49ers to the promised land or is it time to move on? By John Martinez Pavliga (originally posted to Flickr as IMG_7505) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I’m ghetto like that.

But grills, plastic furniture and silver bullets aside, I’m possessed by the image of a focused, well-formed Jim Harbaugh split in two. It has to mean something.

The Niners are gelling. With a record of 7-2-1 they are dominating the NFC West. They are so good, their back up quarterback (blessed with so many outlandishly-gifted offensive weapons) sliced and diced Da Bears defense to the tune of 10.3 yards a play in the first half of a 32-7 Monday Night blowout. And their offense isn’t half as good as their league-leading defense, which allows a paltry 13.4 points.

But sometimes when things are going this well, there are issues on the horizon. Issues that might explain the humorous coach’s two-sided face. Like what to do with Alex Smith.

It’s not that Smith has been Pro-Bowl worthy, or that he is the clear-cut leader of a team which was 6-2-1 with him as the starter. It’s that Smith has been the cookie-cutter team quarterback, taking pay cuts, while playing fluidly efficient in Harbaugh’s system. Through nine games the eight year veteran is having the best season of his career, boasting a 104.1 quarterback rating to go along with thirteen touchdown to five interceptions. He may not be a game changer, but he’s a great game controller. And that should not be taken lightly.

This, after last year’s run to the NFC championship game, was finally Smith’s team. It was a year when Harbaugh would let-loose the reigns and allow the twenty-eight year old underachiever room to operate and grow into his own, outside the sterile conservatism of a run-first, Aker-legged offense.  But when Harbaugh has attempted to let him loose he’s failed, throwing 3 interceptions to 0 touchdowns in a blowout loss to the champion Giants on October 14th. So the word on the street is that a quarterback change is in the near future.

The athletic, fire-throwing, Colin Kaepernick was accurate, mobile, and brought a sense of passion to the position on Monday night. Not to mention, he got Vernon Davis involved to the tune of six receptions and a touchdown. The star tight end had caught just nine balls his previous four games.

Davis’s exuberant man crush after the win in favor of Kaepernick was clear.  A resonance I’m sure sent shock waves in and through the entire team.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf6lwqBwuSY

While a black line splits through Jim Harbaugh’s heart, so it does to mine. We all know the way to a man’s heart is through food, television and beer. And while I may have two of the three locked up, I’m certain to need the third in order to complete the holy triumphant. Olivier will definitely not be the answer this go around.  I’m thinking Westinghouse. I’m thinking Harbaugh is tempted to try out a new device, and if all things fail, he can always go back to the original.