Super Bowl XLVII Thoughts

Ravens win 34-31.

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on Super Bowl #2.

My condolences to the San Francisco 49ers and their fans. It was an awesome comeback. It's tough to lose on a penalty that should have been called. I've lived with that sort of ending since 1975 but that's a whole other story. Jimmy Smith did indeed interfere with Michael Crabtree on that 4th down play. That's a terrible way to end a great Super Bowl.

The play of the game, beyond the interference no-call, may have been Ravens punter Sam Koch running precious seconds off the clock before he gave up the safety. This left the 49ers with no time to do anything.

I can't accept a punter having THE play of a great game. Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin probably had the most big plays. Jacoby Jones had the two biggest plays. I would have given the MVP award to one of those two players. Joe Flacco got it. He did play well but his receivers made a greater impact.

Hopefully the really good game that this was will be what we all remember but the power outage shortly after halftime was ridiculous. 34 minutes. There's no telling what the game would have been without that interruption but we shouldn't have to wonder. Something outside of the game changed the game. That shouldn't happen.

The worst part of the power outage delay was having to listen to the collective idiocy of the CBS crew. After weeks of praising Colin Kaepernick the idiots at the desks turned and ran the other way. Bill Cowher talked of putting Alex Smith in the game. Dan Marino said something about Kaepernick being a one-trick-pony throwing only to Crabtree. Some other dipshit talked of the read option not working for the 49ers. Really? I don't recall the 49ers running many read option plays in the first half. Just because the 49ers line up in the pistol doesn't mean the read option is the call. I'm so glad that the Vikings play most of their games on Fox. That CBS crew is ridiculous.

Frank Gore is such a slippery runner. I love the various style of the backs in the league. Gore is probably the best at slipping through the slightest of holes.

Speaking of slipping. There was far too much slipping for an indoor stadium and artificial turf field. The slippery Gore, in particular, slipped way too much. I don't trust the Saints. They probably greased the field.

I don't know much but it sure looks like the 49ers run the pistol full time.

The first turnover of the game shouldn't have been. LaMichael James losing the ball looked, to me, to be preceded by a facemask penalty. A facemask penalty that was effective enough to spin James around. The announcers never said a thing about it so I thought that I had imagined it. I rewind it and see the same thing that I thought I had seen. A facemask penalty that wasn't called. The 49ers were moving the ball. The Ravens turned the break into a touchdown. That's a potential 14-point swing.

It's simply amazing that the interception thrown by Colin Kaepernick in the first half was the first thrown by a 49ers quarterback in a Super Bowl. This is the sixth such game. Amazing.

That interception was the only bad throw that I recall Kaepernick throwing. He might not have played his best game but he certainly didn't play a bad game. Kaepernick played well enough to win and really should have won.

From the Ravens perspective, I thought that the fake field goal attempt was a mistake towards the end of the first half. It may have been a difference of only three points but that's a turnover for the 49ers. It ended up amounting to little but the 49ers took likely points off the Ravens board.

21-6 at the half. It was a strange first half in that it felt more like the 14-10 game that I thought that it should have been. I still think that James had his facemask yanked before he dropped the ball. That was a huge swing in opportunity and momentum.

And then the power went out.

The Super Bowl pregame hoopla is quite the marathon. It really starts after the conference championships and gradually ramps up to game time. It's two weeks that seems like months. When the Minnesota Vikings finally get back to this game I'm going to have some serious health issues.

NFL Network's Game Day crew seems to be a stepping stone to the Hall of Fame. Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, and Deion Sanders have taken that path. Warren Sapp just joined them. It's no surprise. All four were among the best football players of their era. All four have Super Bowl rings. Kurt Warner has the same qualifications, the same current Sunday job, and should join his coworkers in Canton.

"Joe Flacco out rushes Colin Kaepernick." -Marshall Faulk
That's a bold pregame prediction.

Some people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Some have been brilliant over the years. This year was lacking. Amy Poehler rocked a Best Buy commercial early. I didn't see anything redeeming until late in the game. The best looked to be a killer from none other than NFL Network advertising their coverage of the Scouting Combine. Deion Sanders as Leon Sandcastle was awesome. The Vikings could really use a corner like Sandcastle. The "Montana stain" commercial from Tide was another great one. The Budweiser Clydesdale commercial was a tearjerker. 

The Ravens have a bunch of players that I really like. Ed Reed and Ray Rice in particular. Beyond those players is Matt Birk. He was such a great player for the Vikings. As a football player, leader and person, few have been quite like Matt Birk. The best qualities that we all hope these players have can be found in him. I wished that he'd reached this level with the Vikings but it's difficult to not be happy for him hitting this peak with the Ravens. Congratulations Matt Birk.

The San Francisco 49ers have an incredible future. An offseason with Colin Kaepernick as the starter is scary. They'll be back. This is only the beginning for this team.