Super Bowl XLVII
Sunday 5:30 CT
Line: San Francisco by 4
Bar none the greatest sporting event year in and year out, the Super Bowl is the TV event everyone watches(at least in the US). For good reason. Even the commercials are must see TV, meaning you have a solid 4 hours of can't miss TV. Lest we forget amidst all the hype surrounding the event, the Super Bowl is about FOOTBALL. Whomever wins this game gets bragging rights in the most popular sport in America for the next 8-9 months. This cannot be understated. Truthfully, looking at the two teams that are playing, the game is underwhelming. When one of the biggest story line's heading into the game is the fact that the two coaches are brothers(An astonishing fact) be prepared for mediocrity.
I'm not taking anything away from Baltimore or San Fran. They earned the right to be called champions. Let's break down some of the key points in my mind that will determine the winner.
*The final chapter of the Ray Lewis Saga: What a strange roller coaster ride we've watched in the last month thanks to Ray "I'm a religious man now" Lewis. First, he announces his retirement, riding a wave of good will throughout the playoffs as a large portion of the public seemingly forgets he was one piece of evidence away from being incarcerated for LIFE only 12 years ago. Next, he helps take down the top two seeds and arguably 2 of the top 4-5 QB's in the league when his Ravens beat Tom Brady(New England) and Peyton Manning(Denver). Now, just this week no less, we find out he's been accused of taking deer antler spray* by a noted PED lab in Miami. Oops!
Lewis, as we all should have guessed, has become a circus sideshow act onto himself. If we've learned anything from the Super Bowl, it's the teams that stand shoulder to shoulder with one another that always triumph(See New England vs. St. Louis in 2002, both NY Giants vs. New England Super Bowls)
*My verdict on this? GUILTY! This apparent spray helps accelerate the healing process and Lewis, with a torn triceps which normally takes MONTHS to heal, misses virtually no time and see's no discernible drop off in play. It's pretty obvious.
The Evolution of Colin Kaepernick: If you're like me, you can still close your eyes and visualize Kaep decimating the Packers with his legs and arm. He was, in a word, unstoppable. The notion of a running QB is nothing new. We've seen the hype come and go for illustrious players like Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb. Some of the hype was warranted. See below.
Vick was a Madden video game character come to life. The first player able to outrun 95% of the league while also having the ability to toss up 70 yard lasers off his back foot(Check video below), he should have been one of the greatest NFL players of all-time. For us Packer fans, he was the reason we lost the first ever playoff game at Lambeau Field in 2003. Unfortunately for Vick and dogs everywhere, he got a little too big headed and decided to commit some of the most vile crimes in athletic history, winding up in jail for approximately 23 months, tainting his legacy and eroding his skills to irreparable levels. Next!
He made this play AFTER he was in prison for 23 months.
Donovan McNabb is an entirely different story. He kept his nose clean throughout his career. He weathered playing in front of some of the angriest, temper-mental fans in Philadelphia for the vast majority of his career. He put up relatively decent numbers throughout his playing time, evident by the fact that he ranks in the Top 25 of all time in every relevant QB category: Yards: 37,276(17th), TDs: 234(22nd), Completions: 3,170(14th), QB rating: 85.6(24th). He was also the maestro of the dreaded "4th and 26 game" which was such a mind-blowing play to not only Packers fans but to football fans that it has its own Wikipedia page. McNabb also led the Eagles to 4 STRAIGHT NFC CHAMPIONSHIPS! So why isn't he regarded more highly? He wasn't a winner. Sure this flys in the face of the last fact, but here is the second part to it. He was only 1-3 in those NFC championships. The only time he made the Super Bowl, he had a chance a drive the Eagles to a win in the closing minute of the game, but he bungled the clock so badly, while vomiting on the field no less, he single-handily blew the Eagles one opportunity at Super Bowl glory.If there is one fan-base you do not want to disappoint its Philly. Next!
So which path is Kaepernick on right now? Apparently he's riding right down the middle, which couldn't make San Fran fans any happier. He's got the clean cut, boy next door image of McNabb, combined with the otherworldly skill set of Vick(to a lesser degree, but we may never see a player like early Vick again. He was absolutely amazing. Even I can admit that.) We can not forget though, that Kaep has yet to play a full season of football. Without a large enough test sample to scrutinize, we're all in the dark as to what type of player he really is. So far he's made Jim Harbaugh look like a genius for his promotion, and his ascension to the elite really shows no sign of stopping. Against the vaunted Baltimore defense, who knows how well he'll do especially considering the stage upon which it is set, but as it stands Kaep looks for real.
The Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh angle: One brother is the only coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first 5 seasons(Jon), while the other pulled the trigger on benching a former #1 overall draft pick in favor of a 2nd round no name from a perennial second tier college football school who ended up becoming a superstar/unstoppable force of nature in a matter of months(Jim). Umm...yeah, lets just move on.
Joe Flacco 2.0: As I've written in past posts, Flacco is the new Eli Manning. He is now the player who bumbles around the regular season, costing his teams wins, while throwing ill-advised passes into triple coverage, all the while infuriating his team's fan-base. Then the playoff's start and he turn's into Joe fucking Montana; slicing and dicing secondaries, throwing pinpoint passes, and transforming into a field general that would make Douglas MacArthur weep with envy. He's got enough weapons around him, with Ray Rice at RB and Anquan Boldin at WR that he doesn't have to put the whole team on his back. He also has Ray Lewis' dog and pony show taking all the media attention away, allowing him to focus entirely on the game. Not good news for San Fran.
So what should we expect from the Super Bowl? Two QB's that will either establish their legacy or destroy it playing against two highly touted defenses looking to make a name for themselves. In the end, I think SF has decent defensive advantage, while Baltimore holds a minuscule advantage on the offensive side. Now that I think about it, this may actually be a pretty good game.
San Francisco 31, Baltimore 27
*Anytime they mention Ray Lewis' retirement, take a shot
You will be legally dead by: 3rd Quarter
*Anytime they show a split screen of the Harbaugh brothers, take a shot
You will be legally dead by: 2nd Quarter
*Anytime someone you're watching the game with curses the crappiness of CBS' HD cameras, take a shot
You will be legally dead by: the pregame show
*Anytime they show a dejected shot of Alex Smith on the sidelines, take a shot
You will be legally dead by: 3rd quarter
*Anytime they show a celebrity who has no reason for attending the game except to promote their latest box office bomb, depriving a real fan of seeing their team on the biggest stage possible, take a shot
You will be legally dead by: 4th quarter
If playing any of these games, do yourself a favor and line up a designated driver or start checking out a comfortable spot in the bushes in front of your friend's house now.
Onto a much more serious and more heartfelt topic.
A Tribute to Donald
It is with heavy hearts that we here in Packerland bid adieu to one of the classiest, hardest working, friendliest players to ever strap on the Green and Gold. On Thursday, Donald Driver announced his retirement after 14 years with the Packers. We all knew this day was coming and most of us had the feeling he had played his last game during the "Collapse at Candlestick", but it doesn't make it any easier to digest.
Driver was the last connection to the days of Ron Wolf and in a roundabout way, the glory days of Brett Favre. He was a tireless worker whose accomplishments on and off the field are legendary. His charity work was second to no one and none of it seemed forced or used in away that seemed phony or contrived. He just wanted to help out the less fortunate, due in no small part to the hardscrabble life he led early on. He was Robin Hood with a Cheshire grin.
He turned his 7th round draft spot into a career without a single blemish. He never led the league in receiving or garnered MVP votes, but he will go down as possibly the most beloved Packer of all-time. He proved this point by retiring as a Packer instead of selling his services like a certain mercenary from Mississippi, who spit in the faces of those loyal to him, when several teams were clamoring to sign Driver. He gave that to us fans, when he'd already given us more than we probably deserved.
He will finish his career as the leader of virtually every major receiving category in packers' history. No small feat considering how many years the franchise has been around. He was a consummate professional who was respected by friend and foe alike. In the past 24 hours, the stories from across the league about the character he ALWAYS showed bears this out. His million dollar smile is emblazoned on the memory of every football fan who had the pleasure to watch him. He was one of the greats here in Wisconsin and will sorely be missed.
This is not a eulogy. This is a career eulogy per-say. With his playing days behind him, he still has his whole life to live. I know a few things for certain though;
*He has one of the brightest futures ever for sports broadcasting. He's engaging, energetic, intelligent, charismatic, and eminently likable. I wouldn't be surprised if he has already gotten job offers.
*He will be in the Packers Hall of Fame AND the Ring of Honor. The first one is a no brainer, the second would be historic. Consider this; every player in the Ring of Honor is a Hall of Famer. Donald will not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and rightfully so, his career numbers are very good but "HoF" great, but if there was ever a player that fits the mold of what a football player, especially a Packer, should be it's Driver.
*This last one's a little tough to admit, but I can guarantee you I'll get a little teary when they finally put his name up in the Ring of Honor. I'll see him standing there with his family on that historic game day as they tug away they giant tarp over his name revealing "Donald Driver 1999-2013".
I'll see all the players he shared a field with coming up and hugging him, congratulating him as they start getting a little emotional themselves. I'll watch as his fellow Packer's legends welcome him into their exclusive fraternity with open arms, knowing he was the flag bearer for all the good they stood for during their time. He'll look up towards the stands that one final time as 80,000+ football fans cheer him on for everything he did for them, every sacrifice his body made for them as we for the last time celebrate what he meant to us. When that happens, I'll feel my chin start to shake uncontrollably and finally lose it, letting those emotions release.
To a non-sports fan, these emotions may seem ridiculous but they don't know. They'll never know, and I feel sorry for them. I really do. When you can have an emotional attachment to a select few strangers that is so strong that it can elicit that kind of feeling inside; that's special. It's priceless. It's the core of what makes sports worth following. When you cross paths with a person that exemplary, even through a TV screen or the blaring of a radio broadcast, you cherish it. You hold onto it. You want more and more. We're greedy for players who put fans and the team it self ahead of themselves.
Sadly, but probably most importantly, players with the impact of Donald Driver only come along a few times in an entire sport's fans life. This is a good thing though. It helps us savor the times when a player like that appears in our life. Driver gave us 14 years of his life, and they are 14 years I will NEVER forget and I am not alone.
Donald Driver wasn't a great person for a football player. He was a great person period. He was the Yin to the self absorbed millionaire thug Yang that is all too prevalent in sports. He is the model all young athletes should strive to be. He is a model for who we all should want to be, and he will be missed more than he may ever know.
To Donald...one of the best...
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