A free agent for the ages

Jacoby Jones outruns the world.

In the wake of the Baltimore Ravens' thrilling Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers, one name everyone's talking about (aside from Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, and the Harbaughs) is Jacoby Jones. He made the two biggest plays of the game: an NFL-record-tying 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 56-yard, falling, scrambling touchdown reception. Where did such an electric player come from? How did the Ravens have him, and why had no one else jumped on such a gamechanger?

Jones started his career with the Houston Texans as a third-round draft pick in 2007. He didn't do much in his rookie season, playing in 14 games and totaling 149 receiving yards, 78 kickoff return yards, and 286 punt return yards. He never expanded his role beyond special teams and an infrequently used third receiver. His best season with the Texans came in 2009 when he totaled 437 receiving yards with six scores, 638 kickoff return yards with one score, and 426 punt return yards. After the 2011 season, Houston decided he was expendable, letting him go in free agency.

Everything changed when the Ravens picked Jones up. While his role didn't change nominally - he was still the #3 receiver and return man - his impact skyrocketed. His 406 receiving yards and 341 punt return yards were pretty normal, but his 1167 kick return yards blew the league away, with only Joshua Cribbs getting (eleven) more yards. Field position and special teams often get ignored in place of other "big plays," but they are an integral part of any team's success, and Baltimore owes a lot of its success to Jones's abilities.

This impact lasted through the playoffs, making the biggest splash in the biggest game. His 147 receiving yards were only fourth on his team in the playoffs, but he had the longest reception: 70 yards. He gained 362 yards returning kicks, including his amazing Super Bowl touchdown, and 110 on punt returns. For comparison, the 49ers only got 193 kick return yards out of LaMichael James and Ted Ginn Jr. combined, with 52 from Ginn on punts.

Amazingly enough, Jacoby Jones's 108-yard return wasn't even unique to him; in week 6 against Dallas, Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a score. He tied the NFL record twice in the same season. He shares the title with only two other men: Ellis Hobbs of the New England Patriots and Randall Cobb of the Green Bay Packers. It was thought Jones broke the record in the Super Bowl, but the NFL changed the return from 109 to 108 yards upon review. Considering his stellar season, there's a good chance Jones will break his own record before long.

In the meantime, he'll surely be happy with his well-deserved Super Bowl ring.

Why the Ravens will win the Super Bowl

Will Flacco be this happy come Sunday night?

A tough defense rallying around its retiring general. A quarterback who appears to have made the leap into greatness. An offense flying high on its tough, quick receivers. These are what the Baltimoree Ravens can rely on on their way to a Super Bowl victory.

The obvious story is that of Ray Lewis. Long the fierce face of the Ravens' defense, he has declared this his last season in the NFL. When he tore his triceps early in the season, many thought he would go out without even getting to play again. But he's back, and his fellow players want the trophy for him as much, if not more, than for themselves. His injury hasn't slowed him down at all; in the playoffs, he leads his team with 44 tackles (25 solo). This defense shut down Andrew Luck and Tom Brady and withstood the brilliance of Peyton Manning. They're coming into Sunday as prepared and amped up as they could possibly be, and it's easy to see Lewis as the reason for that.

As important as Lewis and the defense are to Baltimore, its the offense that has brought them this far. Ray Rice had his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season along with nine ground scores. He's proven that he can be the mainstay of Baltimore's offense and is a huge reason for their recent success. He didn't quite have the same numbers as his previous seasons, however, and that's because of the improved passing game. Looking at sophomore speedster Torrey Smith and veteran Anquan Boldin's numbers, they're not much better than before. But consider that neither gained over 1,000 yards, and that tight end Dennis Pitta has emerged as another threat with 669 yards and seven scores, and that quarterback Joe Flacco achieved his career-highest passing yardage total with 3,817, and you'll see how this offense has blossomed. The real difference, however, has been in the playoffs. Last year, in which one field goal kept the Ravens out of the Super Bowl, Flacco averaged 241 passing yards (over two games), with four touchdowns and one interception. The offense gained 20 points in each game. In this season's playoffs, Flacco has 284.3 yards per game with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. The Ravens scored 24, 38, and 28 points. Boldin, Smith, and Pitta each have over 100 yards and two touchdowns (Boldin has 3). Ray Rice and rookie Bernard Pierce have combined for 416 rushing yards. This offense has exploded in the playoffs, and it should prove too much to handle even for San Francisco's staunch defense.

Baltimore has long been known for its tough defense. But with a high-powered offense to match, the Ravens are a complete team. They're ready to take the Lombardi Trophy.

Why the 49ers will win the Super Bowl

This man's success will determine the outcome of Super Bowl XLVII

The San Francisco 49ers are the superior team in all areas of the game. They may have an inexperienced quarterback, but he's a dual threat who's been on fire. Their defense has been near or at the top of the league the entire season. They've bounced back from a crushing loss at the end of the regular season to crush their postseason opponents. These are all reasons that the 49ers will be 2013 Super Bowl Champions.

Let's break it down, starting with the offense. The big story, of course, is Colin Kaepernick. When starting quarterback Alex Smith suffered a concussion in week ten against the St. Louis Rams, Kaepernick took over and never relinquished the job. Previously featured only in a gimmick role, Kaepernick would end up leading his team with 1,814 passing yards, completing 62.4 percent of his passes, and throwing 10 touchdowns against three interceptions. He also finished with 415 rushing yards and five ground scores, showing the dual threat ability that has made quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and electric rookies Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson so effective. In the postseason, he out-dueled Rodgers and another more experienced quarterback, Matt Ryan. Of course, he didn't do it all by himself. Veteran running back Frank Gore compiled 1,214 rushing yards and eight touchdowns over the regular season and added 209 yards with three scores in the playoffs. Third-year receiver Michael Crabtree had a breakout season with his first 1000+ yard season and nine touchdowns and along with tight end Vernon Davis has been the focal point of San Francisco's aerial attack in the playoffs. This offense is playing out of its mind and looks unstoppable heading into the big game.

Then there's the defense. Over the regular season, San Francisco achieved 38 sacks, tied with Cleveland for 11th in the league. It allowed 259 points, good for third place. Baltimore's defense is no slouch either, amassing only one fewer sack, but it allowed 324 points (10th place). Led by linebacker Aldon Smith, who reached 19.5 sacks, the second-most in the league this season, this defense is ready to dominate the Ravens at the line and keep Joe Flacco running for his life the whole game.

An impressive offense and a smothering defense. These are what San Francisco will use on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Who Do I Cheer For?

A nation divided.

While the most publicized people in NFL culture are the players, the most important ones are the fans. They're the ones buying the tickets, merchandise, and overpriced stadium beer. Players get their fame and fortune from the adoration of the people who cheer them on. But what makes a football fan more than just a lover of the game in general? What makes him support one team above another? How does someone go from "I like football" to "I hate the Patriots"?


Probably the most common reason is geography. You root for the home team; that's standard fan etiquette. True-blooded Minnesotans are going to despise Cheeseheads, and vice versa. Fandom is often inherited or de facto, just a matter of circumstance. But that doesn't have to always determine what team you like. For example, I'm a Floridian, and I have three teams to choose from. I'm not a fan of any of them. But we'll get to my own preference in a moment.

Another reason can be the players. People who love Peyton Manning probably used to be Colts fans and are now Broncos fans. It's possible fans of the Greatest Show on Turf were rooting for Kurt Warner in his Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl appearance. And maybe if you're a huge Beast Mode supporter, you switched allegiance from the Bills to the Seahawks. That's a somewhat facetious example, but certain players do become bigger than the teams they play for, and fans will follow (coughTebowcough).

Those two are probably the biggest causes. From there, it can be almost anything. Maybe you love an underdog so much, you start rooting for a recently or historically unsuccessful team like the Chiefs, Lions, or Browns. Maybe you have familial ties to a team, despite living elsewhere, or maybe you married into it. For me, it was a combination of that player love I mentioned and fantasy football. I only really became a fan of the NFL once I started playing fantasy. In my rookie season, I got the number one draft pick. My franchise player: LaDainian Tomlinson, one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game. That got me following the San Diego Chargers, and I've been a fan ever since, despite living on the opposite coast.

I think the overall point to be made is that it doesn't matter too much how you become a fan of a team. If you enjoy it, who cares how arbitrary it is? It's kind of arbitrary that we enjoy the game at all, much less develop rooting interests. As long as you don't take it too far, as some are wont to do (stabbing opposing fans and whatnot), go right ahead and root for the Bills just because you want the Patriots to lose, or the Browns because it's your favorite color, or the Buccaneers because you like to dress as a pirate.