It's Super Bowl week and it's time for BreezyG to make his yearly pick of the winning team. I have picked the winning team the last two years and plan to keep it moving with this years pick.
While I do look at the stats somewhat, I place a lot of my attention on the intangibles. One of my personal favorites is my (almost) patented BreezyG's Mo Train. Last year's passengers, the Giants, rode that train to last years title.
I actually had a bandwagon of my own to ride this year with the Skins both making the playoffs as well as winning the NFC East title for the first time in more than a decade. That ride was cut short by the Seahawks again. The last three times we made the playoffs we were eliminated by the Hawks. Those guys are really starting to get on my nerves.
My pick for this year is (I know, I know -- no surprise) is the Ravens. They have the BreezyG's Mo Train mojo going, including defeating the Broncos in what I think will end up being one of the greatest playoffs games ever. They have a solid running game with their "Beast" Ray Rice and backup Bernard Pierce, who would be a solid starter for most teams. Let me also say that while I have beat up on QB Joe Flacco all year, he has shown up in this year's playoff, completing almost 55% of his passes with no interceptions. On the other side of the ball, while this is not the defense of their first Super Bowl title, they make up for it with their physicality. They have literally beat up their opponents leading to their second Bowl appearance. Having two future Hall-Of-Famers on your defense doesn't hurt.
On the other side are the 49ers, who are tough guys in their own right. While they haven't put any guys to "sleep" lately, they don't give up too many yards (92.3) on the ground. Their quarterback, Colin Kaepernick has completed more than 63% of his own passes while also running for more than 200 yards himself. The 49ers have a beast running back of their own in Frank Gore, who has averaged more than 104 yds a game, low socks and all. Don't sleep on tight end Vernon Davis.
This is one of the most evenly matched games (on paper) in recent history. Both teams hit hard and can manufacture enough points to win. The reason the Ravens will win can be summed up in one word: destiny. While I admit some bias by watching almost all of their games this year, the Birds have been around the world like Lisa Stansfield from their 9-4 start to stumbling into the playoffs to beating the favorite Broncos (in Denver) and taking care of old business from last year in Foxboro. This is their year.
Besides, I'll be in Baltimore this weekend.
Back by popular demand, the Friday Freeze Jukebox starts your weekend with some driving music. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R-EDWGpQJA&list=PLB6F58D714E0A7C4C
