BALTIMORE RAVENS HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH

Super Bowl XLVII News Conference

New Orleans, Louisiana – February 4, 2013

 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Opening Statement:

“Some of you know I had the pleasure of hosting John Harbaugh’s parents last night in our box. It was fantastic, no incidents occurred, but they were terrific. John has done a great job since he became the head coach of the Ravens, making the playoffs all five seasons as head coach. It’s only been done by two other head coaches and then to win a Super Bowl on top of it, it says a lot about his ability to coach. I also admire what he does off the field. He’s really a guy that loves the game of football with a passion, and he’s demonstrated that. So, Coach, congratulations on your Super Bowl victory.”

 

Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh Opening Statement:

“We hadn’t seen this (Vince Lombardi Trophy) since last night. We thought we lost it. Thank you very much. Thanks for coming out. It was quite a night last night, and I’m just proud of our team, proud of our coaches and our players, happy for our families, and most of all, happy for the people in Baltimore. We saw some amazing pictures last night of in Baltimore of everybody partying. That’s what makes it all great. Probably the best moment of the night was not the end of the game – maybe the most emotional part of the night – was when the National Anthem was being sung and they got to the ‘Oh’ part. It was when the crowd yelled out ‘Oh,’ and it was the loudest ‘Oh’ I’ve heard outside of M&T Bank Stadium. I got a little choked up by that. It just meant so much the fans were able to enjoy that. Congratulations to Joe. Thank you to the NFL and all the amazing things they did to make this week great for us and for us to get a chance to compete. We just appreciate all of that.”

 

(on losing a few games at the end of the regular season)

“I think our situation is kind of unique. We’ve been galvanized throughout. We won a lot of tough games, close games all the way throughout. We lost a couple tough ones. Philadelphia comes to mind. Seeing these guys sitting there. I don’t think it was so much that, that we needed to be reminded of anything, but it was lot of difficult things. We had a lot of injuries. We played some teams that were playing really well. If you look at our schedule, we didn’t play anybody that had nothing in place. We didn’t play anybody that was on the downside of their season. We played everybody at their best with the most at stake. If you look at the games we lost, we lost to Pittsburgh and they had everything at stake in terms of making the playoffs in overtime on a field goal. We lost to Washington on the road. They were making their playoff run and were their hottest and their best with everything at stake. They went down and scored 8 points in the last minute and kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime. Those were tough losses, Denver coming in and just rolling and the game kind of got away from us. They made some plays on us. That was probably our worst performance of the year. We bounced right back against the New York Giants and played our best game of the year in the regular season. The Cincinnati game was more of a game where we really were not playing anybody. I thought our young guys played really well. I was happy at that game and said so at the time. Through all that adversity, I think that adversity does help. It makes you tougher. It does callus you up. Through all that, we were improving. Even when we were losing, I felt we were improving the young guys were playing which helped drive the playoffs.”

 

(on how Jimmy Smith played and his future)

“I’m sure it will be a springboard for Jimmy, but how does it get any bigger than the Super Bowl on the last drive? I think he made the two plays at the end of the game to win the game. He played great. Jimmy has been practicing very well. He finally got healthy at the end the year there. He was at his best the last couple weeks. Jimmy is going to be, like we said all along, a great player in this league. I love him. He is really special.”

 

(on the difficulty of coaching against Jim  Harbaugh)

“That’s a great question. As you stood there on the field before the game, I kind of came to the conclusion that the only thing that would have been worse is if one of us wasn’t there. The only thing that would have been worse than that is if neither one of us weren’t there. It feels pretty rough. It’s really tough. The toughest moment of all was walking across the field. If you can imagine, you feel an incredible amount of elation with an incredible amount of devastation. Those two feelings went hand in hand in that moment. I’m still feeling it. That’s just reality. I’m proud of it. He’s the best coach in the National Football League. His record proves it over the last two seasons. What he’s done is just incredible. It hasn’t been done before that I know of. I’m just really proud of him.”

 

(on drafting Joe Flacco and his development into the quarterback he is now)

“It was a dinner that we had at a place called Tark’s in Baltimore. We sat down, and for a couple hours, sat and talked. Joe impressed me as a guy that was really determined to be really good. It felt he had a lot to prove. Joe came up the hard way. Joe is not a guy that had everything laid out there perfectly before him in college. He dealt with the adversity. I just felt like he was a guy that would do whatever it took to overcome whatever to be the best that he was going to be. That’s proven to be true. He’s a guy that no matter what happens, no matter what criticism he felt in front of him, no matter what disappointments he might have, he steps up and he bounces back and he comes back and goes to work. I think he’ll be the same with this success. I think he’ll be right back there in OTA’s and mini camps. He’ll be going to work just like, maybe, we had lost this game. He’ll be just as motivated and just as determined. That’s one of the things that makes him great”

 

(on his level of rest)

“You’re into the sleep thing. You’re kind of concerned with how much rest everybody got. (Reporter: ‘I saw pictures of you at 4:30 in the morning’). With my daughter Alison? We were dancing the night away to Mary J (Blige). It was great. We had a lot of fun last night and that was a great moment. It was just a fun time. Steve (Bisciotti) puts on a good party.”

              

(on whether he would ever re-watch the game with Jim Harbaugh)

“No, I don’t ever think we will ever watch that game together.  Absolutely not.”

 

(on how they recovered from the Denver loss)

“It’s funny; it looked the bleakest to everybody on the outside. If you guys go back and look at our quotes, and I know you do, all of our guys were holding firm, all of them understood that we were improving and what we were up against. I remember a team break after the Denver game. I think it was Sizzle (Terrell Suggs) who said ‘All of our goals are in front of us; we can accomplish everything that we need to accomplish, let’s just go to work.’ That’s what they did. Our guys never flinched. They never blinked thought that adversity. If that’s not a great lesson, if that’s not something we can draw on in the future as a team and as an organization, I don’t know what is. I’m proud of the guys for that. You at least saw in real time, when it was happening, I think we all believed, like Joe (Flacco) said, we all believed that we could do things.”

 

(on whether his parents would rather the brothers not coach against each other)

“Thanks to Roger Goodell for what he did for my parents. He had them in the box, along with tom and Joanie Crean. I didn’t know until Roger just told me, they didn’t say a word through the whole game. I think the week was great. They were under orders from Jim and I both to enjoy the week and have a great time. That was our instructions, and they did. They made they most of it and had a great time. I think it was great for them right up until kickoff, then it wasn’t so great. I think they are just happy that we are beyond it now, and they’re proud as can be. They are happy for both of us. There is not loser in the Super Bowl. We are kind of a ‘one-or-nothing society’ but that is so not right. Those are two great teams that just fought a heated battle, played a great football game, a historic football game, a really exciting game. We will be watching that on NFL Films for years to come. That’s what counts. That’s what is deserving of respect.”

 

(on the postgame and his interactions with his family)

“You can never anticipate it. I have not talked to Jim at all. You know we will talk at some point in time, there is no hurry. My parents I saw in the locker room, along with their kids and Tom and Joanie, after the game. They were elated for us, for the Ravens. They know all of our players and coaches. They were elated on the one hand, and they were just devastated on the other hand. I could see behind their eyes. It was both things. Emotions are incredible.”

 

(on if his parents attended the party)

“I just saw them at the stadium, and then they went back to the hotel.”

 

(on Eddie Robinson being a good role model and now his role as a great coach and role model)

“Eddie Robinson is a great role model. Not just for kids but for coaches everywhere. He treated players with respect. He treated the game with respect. He was all about competing. For kids I would say is faith. Believe in one another. Always dream big, and never limit your dreams. Just always know that whatever path you lay our out for yourself, God’s plans could be so much greater and so beyond what you could even imagine or plan for yourself. Trust that. Trust your own abilities. Trust your imagination. Trust our parents. Go to work and see what you make of yourself.”

 

 

(on his exchange with the officials after the blackout)

“The whole blackout thing, I way overreacted. It wasn’t anything to do with the blackout. The blackout had nothing to do with the game. The 49ers just outplayed us for a stretch. They played great. We did not, for a stretch of the game, but I was proud that our guys bounced back and finished. I was just concerned about some things that had to do with the headsets and coaches in the press box and if you have to bring guys down. It was really stuff that was never going to be an issue because they handled it so well. A total overreaction on my part and I feel bad about it. It was the one thing I look back on the game and I am disappointed in myself about, because I didn’t have very much poise in that moment.”

 

(on Ed Reed returning)

“We had that conversation yesterday on the bus ride away from the stadium actually. He and I both agreed that we want him back. I want him back, and Ed wants to come back. Like Joe says, you never know how these things are going to work out, but we are going to work like crazy to work it out because Ed’s a Baltimore Raven, and hopefully we can make that happen.”

 

(on the advantage the blackout created for the 49ers)

“It probably gave them an opportunity to get their balance. I’m not surprised. I don’t know that it would have taken that. I know the guy coaching them. I know how he competes. I know what he’s made of and therefore what their team is made of. There was really no doubt in my mind that they were going to do that at some point, and they were going to start throwing counter punches. They’ve got talent. They’ve got a great scheme and that’s what they did. It was really on us to stem the tide, which obviously we were eventually able to do, but man, they were throwing some haymakers at us, and they did a great job of that.”

 

(on what Jim is going through)

“Jim is a great competitor. Jim will do what he has always done. He will come out swinging. He will go back to work and work on the draft. Everybody in this room that has ever competed understands what we all go through when you lose a tough game or a big game. It’s tough because you put so much in to it, your heart and your soul. You feel for everybody. No one will handle it better than Jim Harbaugh. He is the best coach in football, and he will have that team roaring back again very soon.”

 

(on the fans that traveled and the parade waiting for them in Baltimore)

“Cannot wait. Cannot wait. I can’t imagine. With the sendoff we had when we went out there – I’ve never heard of a sendoff for the Super Bowl, maybe some other cities have had it, but we had thousands and thousands of people there for that. I can’t imagine what this parade is going to be like. The stadium, it really seemed like it was almost full after the game with the Purple Wall all around us when we were doing the trophy celebration. We have the best fans in football, we really do. I might be biased, but that’s OK. Our fans are incredible. We saw the pictures of everybody celebrating in the street. To Baltimore, congratulations, and to all of our fans everywhere, we are proud of you. Thanks for all you do.”

 

Courtesy of Bovada, (www.Bovada.lv,  Twitter: @BovadaLV).

 

“It is not a secret that we did not have an ideal result last night, the Ravens winning outright really cost us on the money line and futures and it made two years in a row the book did not have a winning Super Bowl.  One saving grace was the safety at the end of the game did not allow Baltimore to cover the alternate spread of them winning by 3.5 paying out at 5/2 odds, which was our heaviest bet prop, so at least that went in our favor.  The National Anthem as unpredictable as it was this year, our number was pretty dead on with it just going over the total of 2:15 while we were a bit low on the number of times they would say “Harbaugh” during the game, we had posted a total of 20.5 and I stopped counting once it hit 30, the power outage was no help on that one.”

 

-Kevin Bradley, Sports Book Manager, Bovada.lv

 

 

Super Bowl XLVIII Odds (2014)

Odds to win the 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII  

Denver Broncos                                     7/1

New England Patriots                             15/2

San Francisco 49ers                              15/2

Green Bay Packers                                10/1

Baltimore Ravens                                   12/1

Seattle Seahawks                                  12/1

Houston Texans                                     14/1

Atlanta Falcons                                     18/1

New Orleans Saints                               18/1

Pittsburgh Steelers                                18/1

Chicago Bears                                       20/1

New York Giants                                    20/1

Dallas Cowboys                                     25/1

Washington Redskins                            30/1

Indianapolis Colts                                   33/1

Cincinnati Bengals                                 35/1

Detroit Lions                                          35/1

Minnesota Vikings                                 35/1

Philadelphia Eagles                                35/1

San Diego Chargers                               35/1

New York Jets                                       40/1

Carolina Panthers                                  50/1

Kansas City Chiefs                                50/1

Miami Dolphins                                      50/1

St. Louis Rams                                      50/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers                         50/1

Arizona Cardinals                                   66/1

Cleveland Browns                                   66/1

Tennessee Titans                                   66/1

Buffalo Bills                                           100/1

Oakland Raiders                                    100/1

Jacksonville Jaguars                               150/1

 

Exotics Results

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – How long will it take Alicia Keys to sing the US National Anthem?

Over/Under                    2 minutes 15seconds

2:20

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will Alicia Keys be booed during or after her rendition of the US National Anthem?           

Yes                  5/1

No

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will Alicia Keys forget or omit at least 1 word of the official US National Anthem?           

Yes                  +150     (3/2)

No                     -200     (1/2)

No

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will Alicia Keys add at least 1 word of the official US National Anthem?   

Yes                  +200     (2/1)

No                     -300     (1/3)

Yes

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will Beyonce be joined by Jay Z on Stage during the Super Bowl Half Time Show?           

Yes                  +110     (11/10)

No                     -150     (2/3)

No

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will Beyonce’s hair be Curly/Crimped OR Straight at the beginning of the Super Bowl Halftime show?           

Straight             -140      (5/7)

Curly/Crimped    EVEN   (1/1)

Curly/Crimped

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – What predominant color will Beyonce’s top be at the beginning of the Super Bowl Halftime show?           

Black                            9/4

Gold (Yellow)                 11/4

Silver (Grey)                  7/2

White                            5/1

Red                              13/2

Pink                              15/2

Orange                          12/1

Blue                              15/1

Green                           15/1

Black

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will either Jack or Jackie Harbaugh be shown on TV wearing any clothing that has either a SF or BAL logo on it during the game?         

Yes                  +200     (2/1)

No                     -300     (1/3)

No

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – How many times will Jack Harbaugh be shown on TV during the game?  

Over                              1.5  (-140)          (5/7)

Under                            1.5 (EVEN)        (1/1)

1

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – How many times will the game be referred to as the Harbaugh Bowl or Har Bowl or Super Baugh during the game?         

Over/Under                    2 ½

0

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Who will be shown first during the game? 

Jim Harbaugh                            1/1

John Harbaugh                           1/1

Split screen shot of both             4/1

Jim Harbaugh

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – How long will the post game handshake/hug last between Jim & John Harbaugh?           

Over/Under                    7.5 seconds

4 seconds

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Who will be mentioned more by full name during the game?       

Jim Harbaugh                 -120

John Harbaugh               -120

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – How many times will Harbaugh be said during the game?

20.5

Over 30 times

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will any Baltimore of San Francisco Player on active roster be arrested before Super Bowl XLVII?    

Yes                  5/1

No

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Who will Barack Obama pick to win the game?     

Baltimore Ravens                        -200     (1/2)

San Francisco 49ers                  +150     (3/2)

No Action, did not make pick

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – What Color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team?  

Clear/Water                   7/4

Orange                          5/2

Yellow                           5/2

Green                           13/2

Red                              13/2

Blue                              13/2

No Action, no Gatorade dumped

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Who will the Super Bowl MVP of the Game thank first?     

Teammates                                          5/4       

God                                                      5/2       

Coach                                                   12/1     

Family                                                  12/1     

Owner                                                   15/1     

Does Not Thank Anyone                         9/4

Does Not Thank Anyone

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – If Ray Lewis is interviewed on TV after the game on the field or in the locker room how many times will he mention “God/Lord” 

Over/Under                    3

1

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – What will the TV Rating be for the Super Bowl?    

Over/Under                    46

No results yet

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – How many average viewers will the game have?  

Over/Under                    111 million viewers

No results yet

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Which region will have the higher local TV Rating?          

Baltimore                          -150     (2/3)

San Francisco               +110     (11/10)

No results yet

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – What will happen with the Dow Jones the day after the Super Bowl?       

Market Up                     -140      (5/7)

Market Down                 EVEN   (1/1)

No results yet

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – What will be the highest tweet per second during the Super Bowl?          

Over/Under                    15,000

No results yet

 

SUPER BOWL XLVII SPECIALS – Will any player get a penalty for excessive celebration in the game?       

Yes                  +225     (9/4)

No                     -350     (2/7)

No

NEW ORLEANS — Even after witnessing the most incredible month in the history of the Baltimore Ravens, it’s still difficult to believe it all happened in the hours following their 34-31 win in Super Bowl XLVII.

The Ravens have had better and more talented teams than this group that finished the regular season with a 10-6 record, good enough to win the AFC North but hardly anything to write home about. The offense and Super Bowl most valuable player Joe Flacco were exceptional at times this season but were maddeningly inconsistent as well. A defense regarded as one of the NFL’s finest for more than a decade was far from dominating due to age and a plethora of injuries, taking a significant step back as stars such as Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis missed significant time.

A three-game losing streak in the month of December that included the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron left the Ravens looking anything but “super” as they desperately searched for answers. Frankly, it was difficult to decide just how good they were — or even if they were at all.

Yet, there they stood on the on-field stage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome after winning the second NFL title in the 17-year history of the franchise. It wasn’t pretty as the Ravens nearly squandered a 22-point second-half lead, but they prevailed, earning the right to call themselves champions.

“It couldn’t end in a better way,” safety Ed Reed said. “The game was a display of the whole year. Started good, got ugly, ended great. Ended great.”

Perhaps the 35-minute power outage was the appropriate symbol of where the Ravens had been over the last six weeks. Just as a 28-6 lead evaporated as the San Francisco 49ers pulled to within two points with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Ravens appeared to be knocked out in December after suffering their third consecutive loss in a humiliating 34-17 final at home against the Denver Broncos in mid-December. At that point, the Ravens looked more like a team that might not win another game before regrouping to make the incredible run to New Orleans.

A 9-2 record that stood among the best in the NFL — even if many questioned the validity of that mark after several underwhelming wins — had fallen to 9-5, with many wondering if the Ravens were bursting at the seams with dissension. However, they stuck together, insisting all their goals still stood in front of them while fans and media alike wondered if they were finished. They were the truest form of a family, at least as close to one as a professional football team could be as players shared their faith and love for one another openly down the final stretch of the season.

“We had a lot of guys injured,” safety Bernard Pollard said. “But at the same time, the camaraderie within that the locker room — this is the closest team I’ve ever been on in my life. Like I said, we came together and fought the good fight.”

Yes, these Ravens were inspired by a returning Lewis in the postseason, but it was the play of Flacco that took them to new heights as the fifth-year quarterback was the best player in the NFL during the playoffs. His play and the improved offensive line after the reinsertion of Bryant McKinnie at the left tackle position were all new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell needed to propel the Ravens to new heights on that side of the football.

That offense looked as elite as ever in the first half on Sunday night, but the 49ers regrouped in slowing the Ravens’ passing attack while the running game remained a non-factor. Meanwhile, the Baltimore defense wilted, looking tired and lacking answers for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he led San Francisco to three second-half touchdowns and a field goal.

As they had countless times throughout the season, the Ravens appeared on the ropes with the offense sputtering and Lewis’ once-mighty defense completely exhausted. But as savvy veteran teams often do, the Ravens had enough in them to make a few more plays to finish the job.

With the 49ers having three shots at the end zone from the 5-yard line and trailing 34-29 at the two-minute warning, the old Ravens defense made its final great stand with Lewis at the helm. The unit forced three incompletions to hand the ball back to the Baltimore offense. It was vintage Baltimore defense, even if that idea will take on new meaning beginning next years as the Ravens face life without Lewis leading the way.

The final stand was the end of an era with Lewis retiring and Reed potentially playing his final game with the Ravens. And in the context of this 2012 season, it was the last example of one unit — offense, defense, or special teams — picking up the others in crunch time.

“It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect, but it was us,” coach John Harbaugh said. “The final series of Ray Lewis’ career was a goal-line stand to win the Lombardi Trophy. As Ray said on the podium, how could it be any better than that?”

Harbaugh’s right. It was the only fitting way to end the perfectly imperfect season that included ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations. Of course, the Ravens ended the year on the highest note of all in winning their first Super Bowl title since Jan. 28, 2001.

In a season in which we constantly asked the real Baltimore Ravens to stand up, we finally learned who they really were over the course of the last six week as Harbaugh and his team dusted themselves off from a miserable stretch in early December to start anew. They knew something the rest of us didn’t as the Ravens pulled off the unlikeliest of wins in Denver, exorcised the demons from a year ago in New England, and polished off their final act as a postseason underdog by turning the lights out — literally and figuratively — on the 49ers.

On Feb. 3, 2013, we finally figured out the only appropriate way to describe this unique football team after a season of struggling to find the proper words.

They were champions.

 

Our WNST.net staff took some video of Baltimore Ravens players offering their reactions to the team’s 34-31 over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday for their second Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Head Coach John Harbaugh…

Super Bowl XLVII MVP QB Joe Flacco…

Retiring future Hall of Fame LB Ray Lewis…

New Orleans native and future Hall of Fame S Ed Reed (Part 1)…

Ed Reed Part 2…

WR Torrey Smith…

DL Haloti Ngata…

(We apologize for the quality of the video at times. As you can imagine, the postgame scene was mobbed and our crew was multitasking to say the least.)

NEW ORLEANS — After two weeks of preparation and buildup, the time has finally arrived for Super Bowl XLVII.

Trying to win the second Super Bowl championship in the 17-year history of the franchise, the Baltimore Ravens meet the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans in the culmination of a 20-game marathon that included tragedy, trials, and tribulations. Led by quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens have rolled off playoff wins over Indianapolis, Denver, and New England to wind up in the Super Bowl only a month after most left them for dead in the final month of the regular season.

Both teams are in excellent shape — or as well as can be expected at the end of a long season — from a health standpoint as no players were listed worse than probable on the final injury report of the week.

Six of the seven inactives for the Ravens are a repeat of the AFC Championship game, with only defensive lineman DeAngelo Tyson replacing veteran cornerback Chris Johnson among the 46 active players for the Super Bowl. This isn’t surprising given the 49ers’ propensity for running the football in comparison to the pass-happy Patriots.

Baltimore owns the 3-1 edge in the all-time series as these teams meet in the postseason for the first time ever. The Ravens are looking to win their first championship since the 2000 season while San Francisco eyes its sixth Super Bowl championship and first since the 1994 season.

The Ravens are wearing white jerseys and black pants while the 49ers are donning their red tops with gold pants.

The referee for Super Bowl XLVII is Jerome Boger.

Here are Sunday night’s inactives …

BALTIMORE
CB Asa Jackson
S Omar Brown
CB Chris Johnson
LB Adrian Hamilton
OL Ramon Harewood
WR Deonte Thompson
DT Bryan Hall

SAN FRANCISCO
QB Scott Tolzien
S Trenton Robinson
RB Jewel Hampton
LB Cam Johnson
DT Tony Jerod-Eddie
G Joe Looney
DT Ian Williams

Follow WNST on Twitter throughout the night as Drew Forrester, Nestor Aparicio, Glenn Clark, and I bring live updates and analysis from New Orleans.

Sixty minutes remain in the 2012 season for the Baltimore Ravens.

Only sixty minutes are left in the Hall of Fame career of 37-year-old linebacker Ray Lewis.

Head coach John Harbaugh, quarterback Joe Flacco, and the Ravens might call themselves Super Bowl champions after 60 minutes of play in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday night. To do it, they must topple the San Francisco 49ers, a team with a loaded roster and more talent than Baltimore.

The 49ers are the better overall team — or at least looked like it all season — but the Ravens have heard that story before and are fine being underdogs as we learned against the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. Baltimore prevailed in the most-recent meeting with the 49ers last season and owns a 3-1 advantage in the all-time regular-season series.

But none of that matters now as the Ravens and 49ers play for the right to be called champions of Super Bowl XLVII.

Here’s what to expect as the 13-6 Ravens attempt to win their second NFL championship and first since Jan. 28, 2001 while San Francisco tries to win its sixth Super Bowl title and first since the 1994 season …

1. Ray Lewis will provide a solid but unspectacular effort in his final NFL game with nine tackles against the run-heavy San Francisco offense. The 49ers will have some success running the football with their read-option attack, but the presence of Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe at inside linebacker — both missed the Dec. 9 game against Washington’s similar running game — will make a major difference in preventing running back Frank Gore from having a big day. Lewis is a clear liability in pass coverage and the Ravens will be vulnerable should he need to match up with a tight end or running back at any point, but the veteran still plays the run solidly. It won’t be a performance reminiscent of Super Bowl XXXV, but Lewis’ cerebral presence will be a major asset in trying to deal with the 49ers’ pistol formation.

2. 49ers tight end Vernon Davis will be problematic over the middle of the field, catching a touchdown and 85 receiving yards to lead the 49ers. The Ravens have proven over and over they have few answers for the top tight ends in the NFL as Aaron Hernandez was the latest to have a strong game against them in the conference championship. Ellerbe and strong safety Bernard Pollard will be the ones to draw the assignment most often, but that becomes dangerous when you consider how critical each is to stopping the run against such a unique offense. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees will mix it up as much as he can, but Davis will be difficult to stop and the 49ers would be wise to go to him early and often.

3. As I predicted in the AFC Championship game, the team that wins the battle in the red zone will prevail in New Orleans. The Ravens were 4-for-4 in the red zone against New England and held the Patriots to one touchdown in four trips inside the 20. It’s a simple concept, but the team that can limit its opponents to field goals inside the red zone will have a great chance to win in what should be a very close game. The Baltimore defense has employed a “bend but don’t break” philosophy all season long and just finds the ability to tighten up when opponents see the end zone in clear focus. The Ravens ranked second in red-zone defense (43.4 percent) while the 49ers were 21st in red-zone offense (50.9 percent). Meanwhile, the Baltimore offense scored touchdowns on 57.1 percent of trips inside the 20 (11th in the NFL) while San Francisco allowed touchdowns in 61.1 percent of opponents’ red-zone opportunities. The team that wins this battle will raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

4. San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick will play admirably, but a critical turnover in the second half will cost the 49ers dearly. Making his 10th career start on Sunday, Kaepernick is already an incredible story as he’s found success so quickly after replacing former starter Alex Smith midway through the season. His ability to make huge plays as a runner kept Pees and the Baltimore defense awake at night over these last two weeks, and the Ravens will be careful to protect the edges and force the 49ers to count on inside runs with Gore. Kaepernick’s arm shouldn’t be slept on by the Baltimore defense, but you feel better about the thought of him dropping back to throw 35 or 40 times as opposed to letting him rush for 85 yards in open spaces continuously. As impressive as he’s been in the postseason, Kaepernick hasn’t faced a defense as hot as this one and he’ll throw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter to swing the momentum in the Ravens’ favor.

5. Continuing one of the best postseasons in NFL history, Joe Flacco shows the world it’s his time as he leads the Ravens to a 27-24 victory and is named Super XLVII Most Valuable Player. I picked against the Ravens in Denver and Foxborough, so fans may wish I were doing it again but I just can’t overlook what’s happened over the last month. The offensive line has been exceptional, the defense more dynamic, and the Ravens just have the feel of a champion at this point. This will be a close game, but I’m going to side with the team that has the better quarterback as I erroneously attempted to do in picking the Broncos and the Patriots. Flacco has been brilliant in the playoffs, throwing eight touchdown passes without an interception, and he has continued to remain even-keeled throughout this improbable run. He’ll throw for 250 yards and two touchdowns to put a bow on one of the greatest individual playoff runs in NFL history. Kaepernick might be the next big thing at the quarterback position, but Flacco and Harbaugh finally step into the limelight they deserve and Lewis rides off into the sunset with the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.

By Peter King
Pro Football Writers of America

NEW ORLEANS—Linebacker Ray Lewis, drafted in the first round in the history of the new Baltimore Ravens in 1996 and retiring after Sunday’s Super Bowl against San Francisco, walked off the practice field for the last time Friday as the Ravens concluded full-scale workouts at the New Orleans Saints’ practice facility.

The Ravens will have a short walk-through Saturday, but players don’t even break a sweat in those sessions. This was it after 17 seasons of practices for Lewis, who seemed somber and serious for much of the practice, as he has all week. There were little reminders of the last practice for Lewis. As he always does on Friday, running back Ray Rice, mentored by Lewis since being drafted by the Ravens in 2008, wore Lewis’ number 52 and at one pointed shouted to Lewis and pointed to the number on his jersey. The Ravens play music at most practice sessions, and the first two songs played at the practice session were Lewis favorites: “Spiritual,’’ a gospel number by Donald Lawrence and Company, and “Hot in Herre’’ by Nelly, the song the Ravens blared when Lewis was introduced at home games.

Lewis wore number 1 without a name on the back, a Friday game-week tradition dating back to 2001. When the 65-minute practice ended, Lewis walked off the Saints’ grass field onto a team bus, talking with tackle Bryant McKinnie all the way. Outward signs of emotion by Lewis if he was feeling any? None. The game could also be the last one for 36-year-old center Matt Birk, whose plans for 2013 are unclear, and the last one in Baltimore for free-agent-to-be Ed Reed, but many eyes on the sidelines were fixed on Lewis.

“I didn’t even think of it,’’ said coach John Harbaugh before boarding the bus for the 15-minute trip back to Baltimore’s team hotel in downtown New Orleans. “That’s not where Ray’s head is either, I’m sure. He’s thinking about the game. We all are.’’

The Ravens, practicing under blue skies with 8-mph winds and a temperature of 63, preceded the 49ers on the field late Friday morning. The two teams have been in a rare practice-sharing arrangement because Baltimore’s practice site eight miles away at Tulane had artificial turf, and the Ravens players preferred grass. That necessitated Baltimore following San Francisco on the Saints’ field late Thursday afternoon, and the two teams switched Friday: Ravens first, Niners second. As the Ravens finished their work and boarded five buses outside the fence next to the field, the 49ers players and coached disembarked in the parking lot next to the building. There was no contact between the two teams.

Baltimore couldn’t be healthier heading into the biggest game of its season. For the third straight day, all 53 players on the active roster were full participants in practice, a rarity for any Super Bowl team after four preseason games, 16 regular-season games and three playoff games.

Asked for his review of the practice week, Harbaugh said: “It was an A-plus. A-plus-plus. We’re at the stage where we’re clicking on all cylinders and practicing very, very well. We’ve had a few assignment errors, but they’ve been corrected right away. I’m very pleased with how the week has gone.’’

After practice, Harbaugh gathered the team at midfield and thanked them, he said, “for how hard they’ve worked both this week and this season, and for who they are.’’ He urged his players earlier in the day to get some time to themselves and rest. “Family, we love ‘em, but they’re not playing in the game. Only the players are, and they need to be at their best Sunday at 6:30,’’ Harbaugh said. He told them to stay well-hydrated in the next 48 hours before the game.

NEW ORLEANS — I’ll never forget my reaction upon learning the Ravens were interested in John Harbaugh as a candidate to replace the fired Brian Billick as head coach in 2008.

I wasn’t alone as many asked the same question about the Philadelphia Eagles assistant and longtime special teams coordinator of Andy Reid.

Don’t they mean Jim?

Of course, Ravens fans were familiar with former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh after his stop in Baltimore during the 1998 season, but only the savviest football fans knew anything about his older brother by 15 months. Even watching the brothers together in a press conference two days before the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers meet in Super Bowl XLVII, you get the sense the older brother is still trying to escape the younger one’s shadow.

John wore a sharp suit while the San Francisco coach wore a black sweatshirt, khakis, and a 49ers cap. It was a sharp contrast as John has embraced the media coverage of Super Bowl week — or at least tolerates it far better — while Jim has appeared disinterested in any and all questions except those about his parents and son Jay, who works as an assistant for John and the Ravens. The Baltimore head man buys into the corporate image while Jim, the accomplished former pro quarterback, looks the part of the old high school jock with nothing to prove.

It makes no difference in how either is truly evaluated as each Harbaugh brother is a terrific coach, with a combined five conference championship appearances in seven seasons between them. But John has always balanced celebrating his younger brother’s accomplishments with a tenacious desire to be as good as he possibly can despite lacking the physical tools Jim had growing up.

John played college football at Miami University of Ohio, but Jim starred for one of the biggest programs in the country at the University of Michigan. The older brother became a college coach while the younger one played quarterback in the NFL.

Even when it appeared John had finally found a way to outdo his brother by leading the Ravens to playoff victories in each of his first three seasons as head coach — including an AFC championship game appearance — Jim was hired by San Francisco and led the 49ers to the conference championship in each of his first two seasons, culminating with their teams meeting in New Orleans on Sunday.

“There are none better than Jim Harbaugh, and I mean that seriously,” John said on Friday. “There’s no better coach in the National Football League than this guy right here.”

The brothers said they would hire the other if and when the time comes that one loses his head coaching job, but the compliments flowed more freely from John’s mouth than they did from Jim, who replied to his other brother’s compliment by suggesting father Jack Harbaugh was the best coach of them all.

Being older and the more media-friendly brother, John took the lead on most questions and was asked if he still feels the need or desire to want to protect his younger brother. Even though Jim was the better athlete and became the starting quarterback on their high school team as a sophomore, it was John who smoothed things over with teammates taking issue with Jim’s cocky demeanor.

Now, however, the older brother competes directly against blood after so many battles growing up in the backyard. There’s no need to protect, even if their bond is still strong.

“No, not at all. I suspect he feels the same way,” John said. “It’s about the teams. We are fiercely loyal, there’s no doubt. We all say that. Not just of one another and we always have been. That’s definitely not ever going to change, we will continue to be fiercely loyal and protective of one another, but also of our teams.”

Perhaps the most memorable moment of Friday’s press conference was John’s description of following Jim’s 15-year playing career in the NFL while he plodded through the lesser-known collegiate coaching ranks before finally reaching Philadelphia and the NFL in 1998 — the only season his older brother played in Baltimore.

It was a glimpse into the human element of this remarkable meeting of brothers at the Super Bowl and shows how often John has been the one rooting on his younger brother, who always owned the spotlight.

“I can just remember living and dying, along with our parents and [sister] Joani, with every single snap that Jim ever took as an NFL football player, whether it was Chicago or Indianapolis, or all the other places he was at. That is how it is when you’re family.”

The time feels right for John to finally step away from his brother’s shadow and finally put to rest the notion of him being “Jim’s older brother.” We’ve known in Baltimore just how special the “other” Harbaugh is for quite some time, but Sunday will give him a chance to do what he really wants — even if he’d never admit it because of his love for his brother.

He wants to beat Jim, the man who was bigger, taller, faster, and better than him on the field despite his best efforts and many accomplishments on which he should be very proud. The sideline has become the great equalizer for the 50-year-old Ravens head coach, but one brother will leapfrog the other in that department after the Ravens or 49ers are crowned Super Bowl champions.

You can tell how badly John Harbaugh wants this based on everything he’s done throughout the week in New Orleans. He’s looked and talked the part of a champion as he has throughout his five seasons in Baltimore. He was born to be in a Super Bowl.

Both men are fantastic leaders worthy of a championship, but only one will prevail on Sunday.

“Great competitions have been won and adversity has been battled through by both teams,” John said. “For the side that comes up short, it’s going to be a bitter disappointment. That’s how football works. That’s how life is, and we understand that.”

Knowing from where they’ve come and their respective backgrounds, it’s tough not to root for John, the successful and loving older brother who never could quite do the same things his younger brother did on the field.

The timing feels right for that competition to finally swing in the opposite direction.

And maybe we’ll refer to Jim as “John’s younger brother” just this once.

Opening Statements:

John: “Welcome, thanks for coming. I just want to start by saying what an honor it is for both of us to be here with each other, no question about it. What a very exciting moment it is, but even more than that, for our families to be here. For our mom and dad, sitting right over there, Jack and Jackie and for Grandpa Joe – 97-years-old and going strong –

grandpa Joe Sepidi and Bob Sepidi, our uncle, and Chad, our cousin. Any other family members out there? Thanks for being here and just as far as our team goes, we will be doing a normal Friday practice. We’re going to head over to the Saints facility, which Jim has been great about and the Niners organization, giving us an opportunity to get over there and take advantage of that facility, which has been good for us. We’ll be early, a little earlier than normal, and we’ll be long gone before they get over there. It will be a normal Friday practice with things we do on Friday, and we’ll be moving on from there.”

Jim: “I concur.”

 

(on which brother took more risks growing up)

Jim: “My memories of this season right now and what got us here, and how hard it was to get here, tremendously excited to be here. Looking very much forward to the game, the competition, but as I look back on the season, the greatest share is how our players played. Going back to our very first game in Green Bay, Randy Moss catches a big touchdown, Alex Smith has a great game, David Akers kicks a 63-yard field goal. We were down here just a couple of months ago playing in New Orleans and Ahmad Brooks, huge interception in that game that really turned it. Donte Whitner had an interception for a touchdown. Colin (Kaepernick), the way he was prepared and ready to step in in the big Monday night game against Chicago, and has done such a terrific job. Really happy for his success. The way our players have played, that is why we’re here, not because of any coaching decisions or any way that we were when we were kids. Really a credit to those men, and looking forward to the game.”

John: “I concur.”

 

(on whether they could work together as coaches)

Jim: “Definitely, I would work for him.”

John: “I concur. No question about it and we’ve had that conversation in the past. It just never really worked out timing-wise. I’d love to work for Jim, I’d love it. It would be the greatest thing in the world. We almost made it happen at Stanford at one time. It would be an honor to have him on the staff, he’s a great coach. You always try to get great coaches, and there are none better than Jim Harbaugh, and I mean that seriously. There’s no better coach in the National Football League than this guy right here.”

Jim: “Well, Jack Harbaugh.”

John: “True.”

Jim: “I got a chance to work for my dad at Western Kentucky. My dad worked with us at the University of San Diego as our running backs coach and also was our running back coach at Stanford when Willie Taggart took the head coaching job at Western Kentucky. He left before the bowl game, and my dad coached for us for three weeks at Stanford as well, so I definitely know we could do it.”

 

(on what it’s like sharing the Saints facility this week with the 49ers)

John: “It was just a plus going over there. Tulane had done a good job. They’re in the process of rebuilding their football stadium. They’re building a brand-new facility there for their football program. It’s under construction right now. They’re doing a great job preparing their facility as it stands, but we needed to be on the grass. We needed to have 100 yards, and we really wanted a field. It was a big plus for us over there. It’s good for player safety, it’s good for their health and to get in the game feeling like they need to feel.”

 

(on whether they’ve had a moment to think about the disappointment that would come on Sunday if they lost)

John: “Yes. You do think about that. Obviously, in any game that’s something you think about. It’s not really about, Jim was pointing this out before, but it’s not really about how we’re going to feel. Every coach, every player, everybody in the organization, when you win, it’s jubilation. And when you lose, it’s just bitter disappointment. So much goes into it, and it will be no different in this game, probably even on a greater scale because of the opportunity to win the championship. A lot of hard work has gone into this. A lot of plays have been made. A lot of sacrifices have been made. Great competitions have been won and adversity has been battled through by both teams. For the side that comes up short, it’s going to be a bitter disappointment. That’s how football works. That’s how life is, and we understand that.”

 

(on whether John wants to protect Jim as the older brother)

John: “No, not at all. I suspect he feels the same way. It’s about the teams. We are fiercely loyal, there’s no doubt. We all say that. Not just of one another and we always have been. That’s definitely not ever going to change, we will continue to be fiercely loyal and protective of one another, but also of our teams. Jim had mentioned earlier in the week, he talked about the band of brotherhood, the brothers that will take the field. St. Crispian’s Day speech, he’s got it memorized, it’s unbelievable. It’s brilliant. That’s true; the band of brothers will be the brothers on the sideline. It will be the Ravens sideline; it will be the 49ers sideline. That will be the band of brothers in this competition.”

 

(on being from Toledo)

Jim: “Were you born in Toledo, too? I was born in Toledo. We know the Maumee River. We know the Ohio Valley. That’s where we’re from. The week has not been any different from my standpoint or our standpoint than a normal week of football during the season. The players may have a different opinion on that but coaching-wise it’s been very much the same. You’re in a dark room; you’re watching tape, watching the Baltimore Ravens, studying them. Then get with the players, getting out on the practice field. That’s been wonderful. We’ve had great practices. Meetings have been really crisp. We’re getting a good understanding of what our plan is going into this game and all the while just thinking about the most exciting thing, when that ball is kicked off on Sunday for the game. We understand it’ll be a great challenge, it’ll be a great task. If we were to win this game it would be well earned. That’s really all we’re thinking about and focused about and can’t wait for. I’m really excited to be here.”

 

(on how the players will rise to the moment to win the game)

John: “Because they have to if you’re going to win the game. You made the point. If you look at the Niners games their whole season, look at the Ravens playoff games and the whole season it is about the players. It’s about the players playing well, playing their best, not just making big plays. Big plays are going to be a determinant of every single game, but who makes those plays those will be the memorable moments. But it will be all the little plays in between that make the difference. Guys that are in the right gap. Guys in the right place in coverage, spacing, assessing the route correctly, blocking, tackling, handoffs, quarterbacks center exchange, throwing. Every little thing kicking, covering kicks, every little thing that goes into football is going to determine the one true champion and who wins this game. It’s going to be 60 minutes of great football, because you’ve got two fundamentally very sound football teams playing whose total focus is on this one moment, this one game. Within that plays will come. Plays will come to guys and guys will make plays. The guys that make those plays will end up winning the game.”

 

(on their commonalities and differences in philosophies)

Jim: “Philosophical commonalities? I would be hard-pressed to spell philosophical right now.”

John: “I know he can’t spell commonalities. I would hope that you see it in the way our teams play. To me that would be the biggest compliment and the biggest return. Just watch the two teams play. Watch the way the players conduct themselves, the things they say. Watch the way they practice. Jim talked about their practices, ours have been the same. Meetings have been phenomenal. They’ve been that way all year, nothing has changed. We’ve come out here and had the same week we had every single week, hopefully just a little bit better.”

 

(on whether there will be a post-Super Bowl bear hug)

John: “I’ve given absolutely no consideration to the postgame hand shake or bear hug or anything else. I haven’t thought about that for one second. Have you, Jim?”

Jim: “I have not.”

 

(on Jim’s son, Jay Harbaugh, working for the Baltimore Ravens this season)

Jim: “I’m really really thankful and proud at the same time that Jay is doing what he loves to do. That is a real blessing and he’s doing it with the Baltimore Ravens with a tremendous organization, great coaches around to mentor him and to teach him, especially John being there and hiring him and I hear he’s doing a phenomenal job which again I’m really proud of. This week I haven’t been talking to him or calling him or anything. I’ve sent him a few texts just letting him know how I feel about him and I don’t want to give reason for people to think I’m talking to him. I’m really proud of what he’s doing, I’ve heard he’s done a great job and that means the world.”

John: “I’m appreciative that Jim allowed Jay to come out. I’ve obviously known Jay his whole life. He did a great job at Oregon State. He was trained by Mike Riley there as a student coach for all those years. He’s far better than we’ve anticipated and I knew he would be great at what he does. The way we looked at it, we talked about the philosophical difference or whatever; I think that may well tip the scale that might be our edge, Jay. He’s really good. He’s a hard working guy. I guarantee he’s excited about the game and competing and all those things just like he should be.”

 

(on whether the teams are gaining energy from New Orleans)

John: “I think our guys really understand the whole dynamic here, just like everybody does. Everybody in America understands (Hurricane) Katrina and New Orleans and the renaissance as you put it and all those things. We drive the buses to all those different places and we get a chance to look at some of the neighborhoods and things like that. You can tell guys are looking at it. It is important and I have a great respect for the people of New Orleans. More than that though is the people that we deal with in the hotel and things like that. The people who are working with us, the security and the people who work at our hotel, they’re just great people. They have smiles on their faces, they’re excited to be doing and really building relationships with these people because we’re with them all week. To me, that’s when we get a chance to talk to the people of New Orleans.”

Jim: “I would say the same thing. Just meeting people here with the hospitality has been tremendous. I like the way they talk. There have been a lot of great Super Bowls here – you look back at the highlights of the 10 Super Bowls that have been played here. Big, big games. We’re understanding it – players, coaches, and me personally. Just the enormity of it. The world’s biggest sporting event each year and what it has become – a vision of the fathers of this game and the vision they have for this spectacle. They have mastered that. We’re just proud for the awesomeness of every effect that everybody does such an amazing job. It’s great to be a part of. Now, we want to win.”

 

(on how often they communicate during a season and any insight that they provided one another that they wished they had not)

John: “I know Jim hasn’t provided me with anything that I can remember (laughs). I don’t think it really applies. Whatever we talked about, he’s been very helpful. We’ve run into some things, whether it might be schematic or just being a head coach and being in position. Even beyond that, just the normal personal stuff that any two brothers would talk about in terms of life and family. Just all those kinds of things. That’s probably, by far, 95+ percent of our conversation. I think too much has been made of that – really nothing that would apply to the game. It just goes back to the players, Jim is exactly right. It’s going to be the guys out there on the field, whose faces are marred with blood, sweat, and dust. Those will be the guys who will determine the outcome of this game and nothing we talked about over the last couple of weeks will change anything.”

Jim: “I can’t think of anything that would give us an advantage that we had talked about over the past couple of years.”

 

(on what they have learned from their mother that they apply to their coaching career)

Jim: “There is no one in the family who has more competitive fire than my mother. She competes like a maniac. She has just always believed in us, and I think that is the most important thing to me. She believed in me, John, and Joanie, and took us to games and played catch with us, shot baskets with us, and just believed in us.”

John: “She was not happy with us when we made a goal out of chicken wire when we were about 13 years old, and we shot all of the windows out of the garage door. Remember that? They were glass. She called dad in on that one. All the things that Jim said are absolutely true. No one would fight harder for us than our mom, no matter what the situation was, or teach us how to have each other’s back and be there for one another, whether it was a little scrape in the neighborhood or something like that. She basically made it very clear that we were to have each other’s back no matter what, and that was our mom. She was with us every day. Dad worked a lot. When he was around we would hang out with dad, but mom took us to practices and all that. Mom was with us all the time. The other thing is that she is a highly intelligent, very thoughtful lady. We grew up with those kinds of conversations. We may have been talking football with dad in the basement, but mom was talking about other things. There were a lot of things going on in our world during the ‘70s, and mom was always tuned in on those kinds of things and brought up conversation that helped make us well-rounded people as we grew up.”

 

(on how Jim Harbaugh’s stint under Mike Ditka helped mold him into what he is today)

Jim: “Those were formidable years for me and signature years to be in Chicago. To be drafted in the NFL, and play for the legendary Mike Ditka, doesn’t get any better than that. I spent seven years – a lot of great years and a lot of great games. A lot of high highs and a lot of low lows. Doesn’t get any better than this kind of feeling. In some places, big disappointments. There were a couple that were top five in my life, but that’s football and that’s life. I look back on that, and what do they mean to me with shaping the rest of my life with the Chicago Bear organization and the people I met there and what the organization and Coach Ditka did for me? I don’t think there is a percentage to put on it. Those were signature years for me.”

John: “Just as far as my prospective on it, when you’re watching your brother compete at that level. I have a video that Morgan Cox has that one of his brother’s buddies took of his brother when he was snapping the ball for the winning field goal against Denver in ‘86 there in Mile High. He was a nervous wreck, contorting himself in every direction you can imagine until the ball went through the uprights and celebrating like crazy. It brought back memories for me, and I can just remember living and dying, along with our parents and Jonnie, with every single snap that Jim ever took as an NFL football player, whether it was Chicago or Indianapolis, or all the other places he was at. That is how it is when you’re family. To watch a family member play, I think you are far more nervous than they are by far. That’s how I always felt. I was just always completely and enormously proud of what he was doing as a player and how he was competing. Even in the moments you just mentioned. I think the greatest moment for me through that whole thing was, maybe a couple years later, gaining so much respect for Coach Ditka. Now, I don’t know him that well and I just know what Jim says about him. Now, we’re all a fan and when he came out and said it was the wrong thing and he said didn’t handle it the right way, it probably cost him his team a little bit there. As a coach, we all learn so much hearing another coach talk about something like that. And the way Jim handled that moment and he was just rock solid. He just came back and kept competing with the respect for all that, even in a situation that isn’t all that fair. I learned a lot at the time, and I think would think a lot of players would, too, if they understand handling that situation.”

Jim: “It was more than fair. I shouldn’t have thrown the interception. Still kicking myself for that.”

 

(on whether building relationships with their players is what got them this far)

John: “That’s part of it. What brought us here is guys playing really well and playing good football games. Just like they do, we have a rough, tough, hard-playing football team that made plays when they had to. That’s really what got us here. Good coaches coaching really well. We learned growing up that if you’re going to be a teacher, all great teachers make it about their students, right? Our dad told us that coaches are teachers first, which I know that they are. I know Jim has a great relationship with his players. You would always like to think, as a coach, that you’d strive for that and that’s really important. Any time a player knows that a coach is in his corner, has his back, and wants what is best for him and wants him to do well, you’re going to be more effective and players are appreciative of that.”

HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH

(opening statement) “Good to see everybody. Thanks for coming out. We have a tradition here in Baltimore, Joe Plantania always asks the first question and he made it so here we go.”

 

(on how his coaching style has changed since his first year as a head coach) ”I think the first time you’re new at everything so you kind of learn the job. We’ve done that over the course of five years. I really don’t think it’s changed that much in all honesty. I pretty much think it’s the same as it was early on when I was an assistant. You always put the players first. If you’re a teacher, you put the students first. But you also have a process for things that you believe in and ways of doing things that you stand by. So that’s what you try to do. Guys want to know the way. There’s a vision that you have for them. We painted that vision for them right out of the gate and you keep building on it. The key word, and I shared this word with you yesterday, the key word is build. You build that. You build trust, you build relationships, and it takes time to do that. We’ve been able to do that over the course of five years.”

 

(on how being a special teams coach in Philadelphia prepared him for his current role as head coach) “In the Philadelphia days, we were there together, I saw you in your fur coat before every game. Your legendary fur coat. Special teams is a great place to start as a coach. It’s a great place to be. I had an opportunity to work with every single player on the team. Players are different. Quarterbacks are different than defensive linemen. Defensive backs are different than offensive linemen. You do have an opportunity to work with all those different diverse groups every single day, working on football and meetings and all those different things, which is a great training ground for the job that I’m doing right now. So it’s been a big plus but Philadelphia was a tremendous organization, great people, great head coach, first class media without question, tough talk radio. That was good too. You get a little work with the media, it was a good training ground with the media too. That’s a pretty important part of this job too. It was just a great experience.”

 

(on the decision to change the offensive coordinator) “You’re always trying to build. It goes back to that word. You’re trying to become as good as you can be. We had built something over the course of a long period of time and we were where we were and I think it became kind of obvious and apparent that we needed to shake things up a little bit and head down a little bit of a different road to get where we need to go. It’s not reflective of a job that anyone was or was not doing. Everyone was doing their best. Everybody was doing a great job. We just needed to change the chemistry and the dynamic and we did that and it worked out for us.”

 

(on practicing outside on a baseball field in the elements) “You know I think Tulane has done a remarkable job. The people at Tulane – it has really been incredible what they’ve done there. They’re building a new stadium, and on campus 30,000 seat stadium. It’s going to be first class; it’s going to be beautiful. The people are so nice, so professional. Everything has been great at Tulane. The facility is under construction right now so that’s a little bit tough. It’s put us on the baseball field. We’re going to work some things out today to try to accomplish what we need to accomplish over the course of the week and we’re working that schedule out right now. We just have to see how that plays out. We’re working on that.”

 

(on working with owner Steve Bisciotti) “When you’re with him one-on-one, he’s not such a quiet guy. He’s a great personality. He’s a very strong guy. He’s a very smart man. He’s involved in really almost everything we do. He’s not involved in the day-to-day football stuff, but he has his observations on football as well. Definitely involved in all the things we do with the cap. All the things we do throughout the draft. He’s got a hand in what we’re doing. He’s the guy that establishes the vision for the organization, and I think Steve deserves a lot of credit. He’s not a guy that wants the limelight is what you’re talking about. He’s not a guy that wants to be out front banging his chest. He’s a humble man too. So he’s just a great role model for all of us.”
(on his relationship with assistant special teams coach Chris Hewitt) “Chris Hewitt is working with our special teams now. We brought him in from Rutgers where he spent a lot of time over there as an assistant coach. He played at the University of Cincinnati, played in the National Football League. Tremendous family man. He’s a guy that I have always personally admired and respected even in his playing days as being a really mature guy. I was a 30 year old coach at Cincinnati and Chris came in as a 17 year old freshman and started for us right away. He ended up being second in the nation in kickoff returns right out of the gate, so that will bond a coach and a player really fast. We’ve just had a great friendship all these years and I think Chris is one of the great young coaches in this league. He has been a huge addition to our staff, he’s made us better. I think the sky is the limit for Chris’ career.”

 

(on Joe Flacco’s contract negotiations) “It really hasn’t been a challenge. It’s been amazingly non-challenging. I think that’s a credit to Joe (Flacco) first of all. Joe doesn’t worry about that stuff. It’s not something that matters to him. He’s not a guy that’s all wrapped up in that. I think he feels that it’s going to work out, you do all you’re talking on the field. It’s about football. He figured that he’ll go out there and take care of business this year, lead the team, play as well as he could play and see what happens. That’s kind of his approach to things. It’s also a credit to this organization. Steve (Bisciotti) and Ozzie (Newsome) didn’t get worked up about it either. You’d love to have your quarterback signed up. There were some great negotiations, some very generous offers back and forth and those kind of things. But when it got to that point in time where everybody kind of said, “You know what, it’s about football right now. Let’s have the best season we can have. We’ll revisit after the season.’ That, as a coach, I felt pretty good about it. We really haven’t talked about it since.”

 

(on the expression ‘grind the meat and rattle the mollers’) “That’s Bo. That’s straight Jerry Hanlon, Bo Schembechler, Michigan, Midwest, Big 10, grey skies football. That goes back to the roots. When Michigan would be ahead Bo would get on the headphones with Jerry and say, ‘It’s time to grind some meat’. That means it’s time to run the ball, four minute offense. They’d run an off tackle play. Rattle the molars, that’s coming off the ball. That’s trench warfare for football upfront. That’s football.”

 

(on kicker Justin Tucker) “Justin Tucker, Jerry Rosburg did a great job of finding Justin Tucker. I mean, you find the guy at the University of Texas but he wasn’t a highly ranked kicker. He wasn’t one of the top guys coming out on all the pre-rankings and those kind of things. Jerry did a tremendous job of evaluating Justin. He saw talent; he saw a gifted guy, went down there and worked him out, loved his personality. He felt like with a few adjustments technique wise he could become really consistent. The first time I liked him was the very first kick. Standing behind him, hearing the ball come off his foot, and seeing how straight it tracked. You could tell that he’s just a really talented guy. When we finally decided to make him the kicker, it was really right at the end. Billy Cundiff and he had a really great battle. Both those guys kicked incredibly well. We just felt like at the end, kind of a gut decision, that Tuck would be our guy.”

 

(on this being the final day of media availability for the players and whether there are any surprises planned for his press conference with Jim Harbaugh tomorrow) “You know they’ve done a great job with that. I think they’ve done a great job of compartmentalizing. I was worried I was going to mess that word up. They’ve done well with that. They’ve focused on the football. I’m proud of the way that they’ve handled the media as well.  As far as the joint press conference tomorrow, we thought that we would switch uniforms. I would come dressed as Jim, and Jim would come dressed as me. We’ll see if you guys can figure it out.”

 

(on his statement that the two best safety groups are playing in the Super Bowl) “I can’t say I’ve looked at all the safety groups and made a plot. But it would be hard for me to find two groups that are better than these two groups of guys playing together. To me the first and foremost thing is they’re very talented on both sides. I know Ed (Reed) gets some heat for tackling a little bit, but if you watch the way he’s tackling this year, you see the Ed Reed of old. He’s tackling very well. Bernard Pollard is obviously a very physical player. Both of their players are very physical players. They combine that with a great awareness of the backend. They play well together. How many teams do you see both safeties up or both safeties back, and they’re supposed to be working together? You really see that with these two groups.”

 

(on the benefit of having two running backs and whether he thinks that is a lasting trend in the NFL) “I would agree with that. We’re very blessed and we’re lucky to have these guys. Bernard Pierce has just been a guy that has lit it up for us this year. We liked him a lot, but I don’t think we thought he’d be this good of a player. The two styles contrast perfectly. They’re different kinds of running backs between Ray (Rice) and Bernard, so that helps us a lot too. I don’t know how one running back could do it, especially if you’re going to run the ball the way we’re going to run the ball. I don’t think one running back could carry the load or last very long in this league. It gives you a chance to have some longevity with those two guys.”

 

(on Art Modell and his potential Hall of Fame nomination) “The National Football League wouldn’t be the same. Isn’t that the measurement, how much better they made our game and the National Football League? By any measurement it wouldn’t be the same and it wouldn’t be as good as it is right now. He changed football. He changed the way that it was perceived. He helped make it the popular game that it is today. He had a vision that very few people had in his time. The minute you got to know Art, we really became such good friends because he wanted to be your friend. He wanted to get close to you and your family, my wife and my daughter. Pat Modell, Pat Modell drove Art. Pat was the driving force I think in that partnership. But they became great friends with Joe with Ray with all our players. And then Steve Bisciotti is that same type of person. And Rene Bisciotti, they have the same type of partnership that they had. I would hope at this point after what we’ve been through with Art and Pat in this last year. What it’s meant to our team, the focus that it’s put on our success and what they’ve done. I hope people would find it in their hearts to do the right thing and vote Art Modell into the hall of fame. There’s no question he belongs there, there’s no question he’s going to be in the hall of fame. Why wait? Let’s just do it right now. Let’s do the right thing.”

 

(on what advice he has taken from Steve Bisciotti) “Any advice, there’s so much advice, but the one thing that just always, I think about every single day, is the way he talks about how you approach a day. His thought on that, he received that from a mentor at some point down the road. He said basically, ‘approach every day at work like it’s your first day at work. With that same kind of enthusiasm. Approach every day with your family like it may be your last with your family. If you do that every single day, you’re going to do okay.’ That’s pretty good advice.”

 

(on his experience as a graduate assistant at Michigan) “Well like any young coach you think you know everything and you find out real quickly that you know nothing. As you grow as a coach and you kind of go down the road, you realize you know less than that. It was a great experience being with my dad every single day. Driving to work, driving home from work, kind of seeing the frustrations as a head coach.  I was in charge of the cards and the computers and kind of doing all the things that young coaches do, you learn from the bottom up, just like Jim did when he went to Oakland. Having a chance to see my dad as the head coach and wanting so badly for him to be successful in that role, I saw some of the things that he struggled with and I think having that now in the memory banks has been a positive thing.”