NFL Football Column: Scott's NFL Shots

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Scott Taylor

Senior Writer, Fantrax

All week, we’ve been hearing that Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who turned the San Francisco 49ers into an offensive juggernaut, just wasn’t that good in college. And that came from his old coach.

We’ve also been hearing that no matter what happens in Super Bowl LXXXVIIIXXLVIII, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco will get “franchise money” before he becomes a free agent next month.

And, of course, we’ve heard that Randy Moss is the greatest receiver of all time and not surprisingly, we heard those words from Randy Moss himself.

There is always a lot to talk about at a Super Bowl but, of course, the only thing that really matters is the outcome of Sunday’s big game.

The major American media stars are calling the 2013 Super Bowl, the “Har-Bowl” or the “Super ‘Baugh” and why not, as Jim Harbaugh brings the favored NFC champion San Francisco 49ers to New Orleans to face the underdog AFC champion Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother John Harbaugh. The comedians have already proclaimed that Jackie Harbaugh, Jim and John’s mom, is the game’s MVP.

Regardless, this should be a good one on Sunday (6:30 p.m. CST on CBS), as the Niners try to take that last big step toward a tremendously successful season and the Ravens try to prove to the world that nobody can make them and underdog and then watch them roll over.

This will be Ray Lewis’s final game. Obviously headed to the Hall of Fame, Lewis is a guy who can stab the life out of any offense.

It could also be Moss’s last game and his hilarious assertion that he was the greatest receiver of all time only resulted in listening to sad, old Jerry Rice try to justify to the world why he should be the greatest receiver of all time. Rice, who has bent over backwards this week to lay claim to this mythical title, would have looked a lot more Hall of Fame-like if he’d just laughed and said, “That’s Randy being Randy.” Instead, he’s tried to convince people (who don’t need convincing, by the way) that he was better than Moss. Of course, he was. Why would a player of Rice’s stature even respond to such silliness?

Oh well, that’s what happens during Super Bowl week. Especially in a place like New Orleans where rivers of booze make football fans even crazier than they already were to begin with.

Oh yeah, and it’s really only Super Bowl XLVII. But really, is there anything in the world more pretentious than Roman numerals?

SUNDAY: SUPER BOWL XLVII

NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) vs. AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens (13-6) at New Orleans

Line: 49ers by 3.5 points

One of the greatest eating events of the year is upon us. Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans is not only a football game, but also an event that rivals only US Thanksgiving in food consumed. For example, the National Football League reported the following:

(1) A 36 per cent increase in sales of frozen breaded mushrooms prior to the Super Bowl .

(2) A 29 per cent Percentage increase in sales of frozen shrimp .

(3) A total of $237.2 million spent on soft drinks at grocery stores during Super Bowl week

(4)  A 30 per cent increase in sales of processed-cheese loaves the week before last year's Super Bowl .

(5) A 68 per cent Increase in sales of flavored snack crackers

And of course, after all of that 7-Eleven claims a whopping 20 percent in sales of antacid the day after the Super Bowl. Some of that will probably be purchased by the family of the Harbaugh brothers that, no doubt, will have no idea how to respond on Sunday. I have gas too thinking about this game as well. The Ravens are a punishing squad that seems to be dying to win for their embattled leader Ray Lewis. The 49ers have huge momentum with Colin Kaepernick shuffling down the field. San Fran’s underrated defense held their opponents to just 17 points per game this season. That’s all you need to know.

The last 49ers quarterback to win the Super Bowl was Steve Young. He thinks Kaepernick is the real deal. Who can argue with that?

TAKE THE 49ers TO WIN AND COVER.

Scott is an author, broadcaster and journalist who travels extensively for Fantrax.

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