Super Bowl XLVII Preview: Coaching

            Super Bowl XLVII will be the first matchup in the history of the Super Bowl that will feature opposing head coaches that are brothers. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is one year older than his younger brother, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. This game has already been nicknamed, “ HarBowl,” and it will be very fun to watch this game with the coaches being so close to each other.

            John, is in his 5^th year as head coach of the Ravens, has compiled a 54-26 record. His Ravens have made the playoffs all five years that he has been coach but this is their first Super Bowl appearance under John, also their first Super Bowl appearance since their Super Bowl XXV victory over the New York Giants. John has made some gutsy moves as a head coach including firing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron after week 14 and replacing him with Jim Caldwell. Caldwell has done a great job since taking over for Cameron as the Ravens have scored over 26 points per game since week 15. John has also done a phenomenal job drafting players in the NFL Draft including QB Joe Flacco, RB Ray Rice, WR Torrey Smith, and OT Michael Oher.

            After a successful stint at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach for the 49ers last year. In his first year as coach, the 49ers went to the NFC Championship game where they lost 20-17 in overtime to the New York Giants. Jim was named AP NFL Coach of the Year. Like his brother, Jim has always been gutsy and never afraid of starting a controversy. If you recall, Jim had issues with Pete Carroll when Carroll was head coach at USC and had an emotional handshake with Lions coach Jim Schwartz last year that led to some unkind words on both sides. So it was no surprise when Jim announced that QB Colin Kaepernick would take over as starting quarterback in week 11 over QB Alex Smith. Jim faced criticism but has shown that he made the right decision as Kaepernick has flourished since being named the starter. Besides drafting Kaepernick in 2011, Jim has also drafted LB Aldon Smith and T Anthony Davis, whom were pro bowlers this year.

            Sunday’s matchup will be fun to watch. I am just glad I am not John and Jim’s parents. Who do they root for?

image was used from baltimoresportsreport.com

                                          

                                           

Nash gets ready for his return to Phoenix

            Tonight’s Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix Suns game will be more than just two struggling teams trying to get back on the right track, it will be the return of Suns legend and now Lakers starting point guard Steve Nash.

            Nash has spent 10 of his 17 seasons in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and was a two-time MVP and was a seven time all-star with the Suns. The numbers that he had with the Suns proves that he was one of the greatest players to ever put on a Suns uniform. He has the most three point field goals makes and attempts in team history, third most games played, most assists, highest three point and free throw percentages, and sixth in minutes played. Nash also took the Suns to the Western Conference Finals three times but a huge reason why he left is that he never won a ring with the team and felt like the organization didn’t have the right pieces to help him reach that goal.

            On July 5^th of last year, the Phoenix Suns agreed to a sign and trade with the Lakers to send Nash to the Lakers in exchange for four draft picks. Nash said that it was an emotional decision and he thanked everyone in the organization for his time there.

            Nash has most likely had this game circled on his calendar and I expect his emotions to be high in the beginning of the game, as fans will most likely to give Nash a standing ovation when the starting lineups are introduced. To Suns fans it will be weird seeing Nash in a different uniform but they will grateful for all that he did for the organization.

            The game starts at 8:30 MT and will be nationally televised on ESPN.

image was used from latimes.com

Super Bowl XLVII Preview: Special Teams

           With this Super Bowl most likely being a defensive battle, field position is going to be a huge key to the game and the team that controls the field position would most likely win, meaning both teams’ special teams will have to play a huge role.

            Ravens K Justin Tucker has already made some big field goals in his rookie season as everyone remembers his game winning field goal in double overtime that sent the Ravens to the AFC title game. During the regular season, Tucker made 30 of 33 field goals or 90.9% of his field goals, which ranked 6^th in the league. Tucker has only attempted two field goals this postseason but has made both and if the game comes down to a field goal, I am sure that the Ravens will be confident in their stud rookie. Ravens KR/PR Jacoby Jones is one of the most dangerous returners in the league as he was 4^th kick return yards this season and lead the league with 30.7 yards per return. He also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns and a punt returned for a touchdown.

            49ers K David Akers set the NFL record last year for most field goals made in a season with 44 but this year has struggled throughout the season making only 29 of 42 or 62%. In the NFC Championship game, Akers missed a 38 yarder that went off the right post but head coach Jim Harbaugh has said this week that he believes in Akers. P Andy Lee was 5^th in the league with 48.1 yards per punt but most importantly was 3^rd in the league with 36 punts inside the opposing 20 and will be crucial to the game if he can control the field possession by his punts. The 49ers kickoff returns are mainly received by LaMichael James who averages 29.8 yards per kick return. PR Ted Ginn Jr. doesn’t have a punt returned for a touchdown this year but he does have three in his career and Ravens P Sam Koch will have to keep the punts away from him.

           

images were used from dailyherald.com and toledoblade.com

                                  

Super Bowl XLVII preview: Defenses

            This year’s Super Bowl could be the lowest scoring Super Bowl that we have had in the last decade because the Ravens and 49ers defenses are just that good. Both teams feature various pro bowlers and future first ballot hall of famers.

            The Ravens defense ranked 12^th in scoring defense this season but that number should have an asterisk as they had various injuries to their defensive leaders: LB Ray Lewis, LB Terrell Suggs, and S Ed Reed. One place where the Ravens are good is their turnover margin where they were +9 during the regular season and had 25 takeaways during the season. Lewis has been the image of the Ravens defense since he entered the league in 1996 and when he announced that this would be his last year, I wondered how he would perform in the postseason after missing 10 games during the regular season. Lewis is playing amazingly this postseason with 44 tackles. Reed will have a tough task of trying to read 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s eyes but is very successful having had 61 career Ints. The Ravens struggled with stopping the run in the regular season ranking 20^th by allowing 122 rushing yards a game and it will have to start at the front line where DT Haloti Ngata and LB/DE Paul Kruger anchor this blitzing team. CB’s Cary Williams and Cory Graham have four of the five Ravens Ints this postseason and Williams will matchup with 49ers number one wide receiver Michael Crabtree and will need to shut him down if the Ravens want to win the game.

            The 49ers defense was consistently one of the best in the league in the 2012 regular season and their star power was a huge reason why. The 49ers had six defensive players chosen for the Pro Bowl… That’s right six defensive players.. That means that more than half of their defense starters were pro bowlers. The 49ers ranked 3^rd in total defense and 2^nd in scorning defense, allowing 17 points per game. They had five games during the season in which they allowed less than 10 points and five where they allowed fewer than twenty. Second year LB Aldon Smith out of Missouri was second in the NFL with sacks with 19.5 this season and LB Navorro Bowman finished second in total tackles with 149. The 49ers LB core is the best in the league with also Patrick Willis and Ahmad Brooks and they run a 3-4 scheme. DE Justin Smith had three sacks during the regular season and DE Ray McDonald had 2.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss. The front seven of the 49ers will need to control the line or Ravens RB Ray Rice will have a big game. Both safeties Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson were pro bowlers and will have to keep an eye on WR’s Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin and CB’s Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown, and Chris Culliver had 35 pass deflections in the regular season.

           

images were used from espn.com and baltimore.cbslocal.com

The return of Michigan basketball

            For the first time since the “Fab Five” era, the Michigan Wolverines Men’s Basketball team is ranked #1 in the AP Poll.  The Wolverines received 51 of 65 first place votes this morning and were helped out by Miami blowing out then #1 Duke 90-63 last Wednesday. The Wolverines are currently 19-1 and tied for first in the Big Ten at 6-1.

            The “Fab Five” were the five incoming freshman of the 1991 recruiting class that featured F Jalen Rose, F Chris Webber, F Juwan Howard, G Jimmy King, and G Ray Jackson. The “Fab Five” never won a championship but made it to back to back National Championship appearances in 1992 and 1993.

            This year’s Wolverine team is looking to become the first team since 1989 to bring a championship to Ann Arbor but should start by trying to get to the Sweet Sixteen, which they haven’t done since 1994.  Head Coach John Beilein, in his sixth year with the team, is very experienced having compiled over 400 wins in his coaching career.
            The Wolverines are led by sophomore sensation G Trey Burke who averages right around 18 points per game along with 7 assists. The Wolverines also have two familiar names to the game of basketball with Tim Hardaway Jr., son of five-time all-star Tim Hardaway and Glen Robinson III, son of the first pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and two-time all-star Glen Robinson Jr. Hardaway Jr. averages 16 points per game and 5.2 rebounds while the freshman phenom Robinson III averages 12 points and 6 boards.

            Michigan gets to prove that they are the best team this week as they host Northwestern on Wednesday before traveling to Bloomington where ESPN’s College Gameday will be for the matchup between the #1 ranked Wolverines and #3 Indiana Hoosiers.

            But for now, the Wolverines are back on top.

image was used from mlive.com