Will John always get the better of Jim?

**The Excellector** · 02-09-2013, 02:34 PM

The San Fransisco 49ers have been considered one of the favorites to return to the Super Bowl, but I'm not convinced that they have what it takes to win the Super Bowl.

The 49ers came into this game thinking that they could, or had to, win it by bullying the Ravens physically. The Ravens came into the game realizing that they had to execute better. The 49ers came into the game with a clear lack of control over their emotions, starting with the coach. The Ravens came into the game composed.

San Fransisco did not leave the game in a humble manner and I question whether or not they will figure out the problem, before they even get around to fixing it. Yes, they are a very talented team, but there is much that they need to work on. They can't just show up thinking that they are going to physically dominate everybody. They need to take more of an interest in the intricacies of execution.

I don't think their psyche' will change overnight. I expect them to have a more difficult time getting back to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens had a great strategy for the pistol formation. Suggs made sure that Kaepernick was forced to hand off to Gore. Then, they plugged the middle so that Gore wouldn't have anywhere to run. Atlanta couldn't plug the middle, but teams will catch on to this and adjust. It is only a matter of time.

**Charlestonraven** · 02-09-2013, 02:46 PM

A "great" strategy for the pistol? They had 180 yds on 6+ ypc. The 49ers came within a air of winning, I'm sure they'll be fine.

**The Excellector** · 02-09-2013, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by Charlestonraven

A "great" strategy for the pistol? They had 180 yds on 6+ ypc. The 49ers came within a hair of winning, I'm sure they'll be fine.

Much of that success came A.) after a blackout, when they were given extra time to clear their heads, and B.) After Haloti Ngata got hurt. Besides, the Ravens defense is slow up the middle and they will come across faster defenses.

**Hammerhead** · 02-09-2013, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

The San Fransisco 49ers have been considered one of the favorites to return to the Super Bowl, but I'm not convinced that they have what it takes to win the Super Bowl.

The 49ers came into this game thinking that they could, or had to, win it by bullying the Ravens physically. The Ravens came into the game realizing that they had to execute better. The 49ers came into the game with a clear lack of control over their emotions, starting with the coach. The Ravens came into the game composed.

San Fransisco did not leave the game in a humble manner and I question whether or not they will figure out the problem, before they even get around to fixing it. Yes, they are a very talented team, but there is much that they need to work on. They can't just show up thinking that they are going to physically dominate everybody. They need to take more of an interest in the intricacies of execution.

I don't think their psyche' will change overnight. I expect them to have a more difficult time getting back to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens had a great strategy for the pistol formation. Suggs made sure that Kaepernick was forced to hand off to Gore. Then, they plugged the middle so that Gore wouldn't have anywhere to run. Atlanta couldn't plug the middle, but teams will catch on to this and adjust. It is only a matter of time.

Very good assessment. Player by player, the Niners were better than us. But as a TEAM, playing together, making smart decisions and executing, they were absolutely not. And that was the difference in this Super Bowl. That is why we won. It was a great testament to teamwork, a unified culture, belief and good coaching.

If I were a Niner fan, I would begin to get very worried that Jim Harbaugh's antics, his constantly blaming someone else when he falls short, and his general poor sportsmanship will doom the Niners.

One example. I would argue that this Super Bowl was not won on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans. It was won in the losing locker room on January 22, 2012. If the team started blaming the refs (arguing that Webb didn't hold on a Pollard interception in the first quarter or that Pitta got mugged on third down in the waning seconds), if it turned on itself instead, we never would have had the run that we just had. John Harbaugh congratulated the Patriots and the team did its best to move on after probably the most painful loss in franchise history.

Last year, the Niners lost to the Giants in just as painful a loss. Jim Harbaugh blamed the refs, saying that Brandon Jacobs had fumbled and his forward progress was not stopped. In the Super Bowl, he had the gall to say that Culliver's mugging of Torrey in the fourth quarter was not PI, but that the game was lost because Jimmy Smith wasn't called for PI on a 50/50 play in which Crabtree initiated the contact. He can say what he will, but the refs didn't give up 3 TDs to Joe Flacco. The refs didn't let Jacoby Jones run 108 yards for a TD (and that block on Miller, given that it was a double team block was not holding unless Miller was brought to the ground, which he wasn't). The refs didn't call three straight passes with the most mobile quarterback in the NFL sitting in the pocket. The Niners did that. If they can look in the mirror and say, we are good but not quite there yet, they will grow. If they point fingers everywhere else, they won't.

The Niners will be back. Kaepernick will win a Super Bowl before he is done. If they treat this as a learning experience and a bump in the road, that day will come sooner rather than later.

**Ravenswintitle** · 02-09-2013, 02:51 PM

Attachment 1481

Perhaps the add in your OP is telling?

**leachisabeast** · 02-09-2013, 02:52 PM

I don't understand where this better team bullshit is coming from, if they were the better team, they would have beaten us.

**The Excellector** · 02-09-2013, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

Attachment 1481

Perhaps the add in your OP is telling?

Where did that come from?

**Ravenswintitle** · 02-09-2013, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

Where did that come from?

That's the ad that was there when I opened the thread....

John is a better coach and I'm convinced he knew before the game that the Ravens would win. He said something like 'No matter what happens, I love you' to his bro. He felt bad that his brother was going to suffer defeat. Jim on the other hand, strikes me as a guy who wouldn't have given John's feelings a second thought

**The Excellector** · 02-09-2013, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

I don't understand where this better team bullshit is coming from, if they were the better team, they would have beaten us.

You have a point. We had the better QB. The pair of RBs was about even. They had the better TE. The offensive lines were even. We had the better WRs. The defensive lines were also even, not that either played that well down the stretch. The OLBs were even and they had the better ILBs. We had better CBs, but you could argue they were even. We had better S, a better K.

**Charlestonraven** · 02-09-2013, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

Much of that success came A.) after a blackout, when they were given extra time to clear their heads, and B.) After Haloti Ngata got hurt. Besides, the Ravens defense is slow up the middle and they will come across faster defenses.

You mean that 30 minute break to clear their heads, that was directly after the other 30 minute break they had to clear their heads? They were running it down our throats before Ngata got hurt, and had been running all over the entire NFL all year long. They've been excellent for 2 years now coming up just short both times. The fact they came up 5 yards short of winning the Super Bowl doesn't mean they have some sort of character flaw dooming their chances, that's ridiculous.

**The Excellector** · 02-09-2013, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by Charlestonraven

You mean that 30 minute break to clear their heads, that was directly after the other 30 minute break they had to clear their heads? They were running it down our throats before Ngata got hurt, and had been running all over the entire NFL all year long. They've been excellent for 2 years now coming up just short both times. The fact they came up 5 yards short of winning the Super Bowl doesn't mean they have some sort of character flaw dooming their chances, that's ridiculous.

They had just given up a long kickoff return, before they even had a chance to make a stop on the drive they needed to make a stop on to keep the game close, before the power went out.

**rla20cpa** · 02-09-2013, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Charlestonraven

A "great" strategy for the pistol? They had 180 yds on 6+ ypc. The 49ers came within a cunt's hair of winning, I'm sure they'll be fine.

49ers will be fine. Their success came only after the blackout but, moreover, after Ngata left the game. Those 2 events ruined a perfectly good rout. From an injury standpoint, Ravens played the final 4 games "with one arm tied behind their back" so (logically) they were the best team in the playoffs.

P.S. Flacco made red zone offense look suprisingly easy.