Retweet of the Day - February 27, 2013

Alex Smith, the first pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, lost his job as the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback to Colin Kaepernick due to a mid-season concussion. Kaepernick shined in relief and Smith never saw the field again. This morning, the 49ers reportedly agreed to a trade for Smith with the Kansas City Chiefs.

This all but certainly spells the end of Matt Cassel's mediocre reign at the Chiefs' signal caller. This leads us to today's retweet from the parody account Thomas F. Brady (@DouchyTomBrady). The irony is that the real Tom Brady made his rise to stardom 12 seasons ago when established Patriots starter and Pro Bowler (and Hall of Fame nominee) Drew Bledsoe was injured and replaced by Brady, then an unknown 6th round draft pick from the 2000 NFL draft. Cassel made a name for himself in 2008 when he replaced an injured Tom Brady. The Pats, wisely, stuck with their man that go-round.

"I hope Matt Cassel comes back to NE, nobody could hold a clipboard like him"

♫ "Back to liiiife! Back to re-al-i-ty!" ♪♪

Image from www.insideplays.com

A Champion Off The Field

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick may have come up just five yards short of being the winning quarterback in Super Bowl XLVII. While he will have to wait until next year to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, he had a nice consolation prize waiting for him at home. Today's Chick Pic subject is Kaepernick's girlfriend, model J. Marie Maestre.

Christina Aguilera showed us that "dirty" isn't always a bad thing. 1

So I assume she was rooting for Frisco? 2

3

You've gotta be kidding me. 4

Raise your hand (just your hand) if you'd trade places with that chair. 5

She really gets along well with others! 6

Who says the spoils only go to the victors? 7

1, 2) Images from www.totalsportsblog.com
3, 7) Image from www.slimcelebrity.com
4, 6) Images from www.myspace.com
5) Image from www.modelmayhem.com

LIGHTS OUT!

Another NFL season is in the books and for the second time in NFL history, the Baltimore Ravens are Super Bowl champions. This game offered a little of everything: big offensive plays, huge defensive efforts, game breaking special teams, a big comeback and a game-deciding fourth down and goal play. As has been the case in recent years, the Super Bowl was super. 

2

DICTATING THE TEMPO

The team scoring first in the Super Bowl has won the Super Bowl most of the time. When a team jumps up by 22 points or more, as the Ravens did, they’ve never lost. The Ravens hit the 49ers with deep passes, stingy red zone defense and forced turnovers in the first half. The 49ers were unable to convert either of their drives deep into Ravens territory and were stonewalled before halftime.

In the pass-friendly NFL, with an explosive and dynamic quarterback like Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers, a 21-6 halftime deficit is not necessarily the kiss of death. The 108 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones to start the second half could have been. With the momentum completely shifted to Baltimore in the third quarter and the Niners on their way out of the game in spirit, though not in body, Colin Kapernick played lights out. But before he played lights out, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome went lights out…literally.

Beyonce' and her halftime performance were hot! The second half could have used some of her illumination. 1

LIGHTING UP THE STADIUM

A problem involving a breaker caused the electricity in the Superdome to fail, causing half of the lights in the stadium to shut off. The power outage caused a delay of roughly 30 minutes in the Super Bowl. To say the stoppage in play could have decided the outcome of the game would be hyperbole. To say that it had no impact would be naïve.

The Ravens had the 49ers on football-life-support. Down 22 points in the second half and having never scored a touchdown in the game, I am not unconvinced that a sense of panic set in among some of the 49ers. The momentum was completely on the side of the Ravens. The half-hour stoppage in play gave the 49ers an unexpected opportunity to settle down, shake off the panic, go back to the drawing board, and restart their second half game plan. It may have helped the Niners; it did not help the Ravens.

The 49ers got into the end zone on their next full possession following the blackout on a 31 yard bomb from Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree. Then, capitalizing on a big punt return by Ted Ginn, Jr., the 49ers quickly got back into the end zone on a run by Frank Gore. Score: 28-20. Ballgame: up for grabs.

The Superdome had some Ravens fans and some 49ers fans, but the power outage in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII give a new maning to "a house divided". 3

FURIOUS FOURTH QUARTER

What transpired in the fourth quarter was a back-and-forth chess match that demonstrated why both of these teams were in Super Bowl XLVII in the first place. The Ravens could have melted under the warm glow of the red hot 49ers, as the Ravens were forced back on their heels almost immediately following Gore’s touchdown as Ray Rice lost a fumble just two plays into their ensuing possession. The Ravens stopped the Niners cold, only surrendering a field goal and holding on to a five point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Ravens answered the 49ers field goal. The 49ers rebutted with a swift 5 play, 76 yard touchdown drive capped with a 15 yard scoring run by Kaepernick. A failed two point conversion following the Kaepernick touchdown left the Ravens with a two point lead. After another clutch Justin Tucker field goal by Baltimore, Super Bowl XLVII was set for as exciting a final four minutes as any fan could ask for.

CHESS MATCH

Buoyed by a 33 yard gallop by 49ers running back Frank Gore, the 49ers were seven yards away from pulling off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. With two 49ers timeouts remaining, it will remain a mystery to me why a star running back like Gore never touched the ball again. The Niners attempted three rushed passes into the end zone for Michael Crabtree, the last of which was on fourth and goal with 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh lobbying for a defensive penalty that would never be called. The Ravens managed the clock so that the 49ers would not run another offensive play and the Ravens became champions.   

  Jim Harbaugh wanted a flag on the incomplete fourth and goal pass. Wish in one hand; crap in the other and see which one fills up first, Jim. 4

FINAL STORYLINES

Bro Bowl I – Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh versus younger brother Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach of the 49ers, went to big brother. Future Hall of Fame Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis joined a very small fraternity of superstar American athletes like John Elway and Michael Jordan who retired after winning a championship. Joe Flacco’s stock rose closer to the top among NFL quarterbacks with his MVP performance. Future Hall of Famer Ed Reed, who will be a free agent in the coming offseason, punctuated his tenure in Baltimore with a championship.

The 49ers came up short but with their roster and their youth, I expect this team to be a perpetual contender for years to come. I expect Kapernick to become exponentially better in the coming years. I expect the 49ers, who have more than ten picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, to acquire even better player personnel next year. This team is going to be a force in the NFC for quite some time.

Brothers Jim and John Harbaugh, opposing coaches in Super Bowl XLVII, embrace at the end. 5

NEXT YEAR

Football fans have four seasons: preseason, regular season, postseason, and next season (or the offseason). Next year is here. More than any other American team sport, football is the closest to a true year round sport. There will be free agent acquisitions, the scouting combine, and the draft to occupy football fans until late April. This will lead into volunteer organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps followed by training camp. And the cycle begins anew.

Until “next year”, the last live bullets we will have to remember were in yesterday’s dramatic Super Bowl. That final image is of a championship being won. Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens.

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from www.ibtimes.com
2) Image from www.upi.com
3) Image from www.foxnews.com
4) Image from www.denverpost.com
5) Image from the Associated Press via www.huffingtonpost.com

Bro Bowl I

The dust has settled. The final guns have sounded. The scores and stats are in the books. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are going to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in two weeks.

BEST SCREENPLAY

There are multiple compelling story lines in this big game. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis of the Ravens is playing in his final game, hoping to ride off into the sunset with a second Super Bowl championship. Second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers, one of the youngest quarterbacks ever to start a Super Bowl, will complete one of the most interesting and unexpected tales of the 2012 NFL season.

Forty-Niners future Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss gets one more, and possibly his final, chance to win a Super Bowl ring after losing in the final minute with the Patriots against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and losing the 1998 NFC Championship Game in overtime (ironically to the Falcons franchise that the 49ers vanquished on Sunday) as a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings.

Forty-Niners linebacker Patrick Willis, win or lose, is set to have the torch passed down to him from Ray Lewis, as the NFL's premiere linebacker. And Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, advancing to his first ever Super Bowl after two prior failed attempts in the AFC Championship Game, has an opportunity to rise to the ranks of the best of the best NFL quarterbacks after a career of being overshadowed by an offense built on the running game and a defense that received first billing in Baltimore.

What a story.... 1

A FAMILY AFFAIR

The most unique and interesting story line, however is on the sideline. If you haven't heard (or guessed) Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh is the older brother, by 15 months, of 49ers Head Coach and former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh. It is the first time, ever, though possibly not the last (older brother John is only 50 years old) that two brothers face each other as opposing head coaches in the Super Bowl.

They are close in age. They look alike. But they are very different coaches. John Harbaugh fits the city of Baltimore like a glove. In a way, John was in the shadow of his sibling, Jim, until recently like Baltimore is in the shadow of sibling city (and our nation's capital) Washington, D.C.. Jim Harbaugh was a star quarterback at the University of Michigan, arguably the best passing QB in that school's history (yes, better than Tom Brady). He had success with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL, just one play away against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1995 AFC Championship Game from reaching Super Bowl XXX. Ironically, Harbaugh was the Ravens' starting quarterback in 1998.

Speaking for myself, I didn't even know that Jim had a brother until his name entered circulation among possible new head coaches in the late 2000s. It did not take long for John Harbaugh to make his mark on the Ravens, getting them to the AFC Championship Game in his rookie season of 2008. If you don't know, now you know!

Jim Harbaugh was a star on the field and did not take long to achieve rapid success as a head coach in the college ranks with the University of San Diego and Stanford University. Last season, Harbaugh was the hot college coaching prospect sought for an NFL coaching gig. The 49ers paid a king's ransom for a rookie head coach, paying Harbaugh $25 million over 5 years. Jim Harbaugh, like brother John, reached the conference championship round in his first season, losing to last year's Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants, in overtime.

John Harbaugh, by and large, is cool and composed, Jim Harbaugh, is like an exploding firecracker. John Harbaugh keeps a low profile. Jim Harbaugh is a little crazy, well known for refusing to grant post game interviews with sideline reporters and taking no guff from opposing coaches (like Lions coach Jim Schwartz, with whom Harbaugh appeared to nearly come to blows in 2011 in a testy post game exchange). A Hollywood screen writer couldn't conjure up a better script.

John Harbaugh (right) and Jim Harbaugh (left) on Thanksgiving Night, 2011. 2

THE BIRDESMAIDS

What of the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, the two teams that came so close but so far away? Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the Patriots are the sexy story. Beyond name recognition, they aren't that interesting. They'll be back. Brady is healthy and the offense is loaded with talented support players. New England will not go from "contender" to "front runner" until they do something about their pass defense.

The irony is that the three Belichick-era championship teams were anchored by the defense. Now, the offense is among the most lethal in the league but the Patriots have hit a glass ceiling every year because they cannot stop a runny nose, let alone another offense. They will fend off the Jets and squash peasant revolts from the Dolphins and Bills, but as long as Brady is in good health and continues to play at his current high level, the Patriots will have a seat at the AFC's table every year.

The Falcons are loaded with talent and will be very competitive in the regular season for the foreseeable future. However, they are a playoff-challenged team and I think they need to examine themselves from coaching to quarterback play to the running game to their defense. This team cracks, too often, when the spotlight is on. They blew a 20 point lead to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round and lost after blowing a 17 point lead to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. They have a big problem with finishing games and extinguishing opponents. They had better solve it quickly if they expect to contend in 2013.

New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton returns to the sidelines next season and the NFC South goes back from a three team a four team division next season. The Carolina Panthers with Cam Newton at QB and the Greg Schiano coach Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be tough outs, too. The Falcons will be a hard team to beat between September and December, but I was never a buyer on their January prospects and need to see some significant changes before I am.

I don't feel sorry for him. 

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from http://news.yahoo.com
2) Image from www.zimbio.com