As much as the media will tempt us to think the opposite, the result of Superbowl XLVII does not simply hinge on two quarterbacks and two coaches. They’re brothers apparently, did you hear?
I’m sure you did.
Contrary to what the coverage so far has focused on, Colin Kaepernick does not play all 22 positions on the 49ers team and there are some other key components that will decide the 49ers Superbowl fate.
Justin Smith’s health
Justin Smith is to the 49ers what Troy Polamalu is to the Steelers, Darrell Revis is to the Jets and what Ha loti Ngata is to the Ravens.
In layman’s terms, number 94 is good…scary good.
Unfortunately no matter how good a player may be they do at times succumb to injury and it does in turn affect their performance (Adrian Peterson excluded).
Justin Smith is no exception.
Playing with a partially torn left triceps which he has already conceded will require surgery merely days after the Superbowl, Smith is the cog that allows the 49ers D to operate in top gear.
Constantly taking up double-teams and allowing second-year player Aldon Smith to wreak the kind of havoc that led him to being named the 49ers MVP this season.
Aldon Smith however has remained sack-less since week 14 after many predicted him to break Michael Strahan’s single season sack record, and to think that the drop off coincided with Justin Smith’s injury as coincidence would be foolish.
If the 49ers are to dominate on defence like they are accustomed to, much of their success lies on Smith’s injury and at the very least, his pain tolerance to it.
Cleanliness of the ‘Read-Option’
Much of the 49ers offense is based on their ability to not only utilise quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s athletic prowess but to also capitalise on the D’s awareness of said prowess.
The Ravens will attempt to hit Kaepernick on every read-option play to the extent of hoping Jim Harbaugh will abandon the play call to keep his quarterback upright.
The importance of ball security, whether it be handing it off to the running back or keeping it himself, is of paramount importance to Kaepernick who would want no part of a costly fumble similar to that against the Rams earlier this season
Between you and me, I’m pretty sure the stakes are higher in this week’s game.
The Ravens are a savvy enough D that can capitalise on Kaepernick’s youth, especially in a formation that puts so much responsibility on the young quarterback to read the D so shortly after the snap.
In saying that, this applies to the next 49ers key to victory…
Kaepernick avoiding the big game jitters
He says he doesn’t get nervous.
He also hasn’t played in Superbowl yet.
The 49ers fans will be praying for honesty on behalf of Kaepernick as for any quarterback, yet alone a second-year quarterback, the first Superbowl start is reason enough to deal with the proverbial butterflies in the stomach.
Nerves can affect a quarterback in a multitude of ways, whether that be not progressing through reads, fumbling the ball, mixing up the playcall, rushing their mechanics.
This could be ever more so with a read-option quarterback who spends the vast majority of the game with the ball squarely within his grasp.
I personally don’t think Kaepernick will show any signs of nerves.
But then again, I didn’t think the Ravens would reach the Superbowl…so these days I just don’t know what to think.
David Akers kicking the habit
Akers, once considered the best kicker in the NFL, has come under fire to such an extent that the 49ers worked out Billy Cundiff…yes, Baltimore fans know all too well.
A year off breaking the record for most points scored in a season, Akers has missed 14 field goals in 2012/13, many of which have been in from an intermediate distance.
While it may not be overly glamorous to focus on the kicking game, it’s of particular importance in what will most likely be a defensive struggle of a Superbowl.
49ers fans cannot be overly comfortable with the idea of Akers being left with the responsibility of kicking the game winner and that’s why his return to form is a key component of a Niner’s victory.
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