Super Bowl line is: Niners -3.5 vs Ravens (New Orleans)
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Overwhelming Niners love from Cheddars. Only one out of nine picking the Ravens. It’s simple now.
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RAVENS = HARBAUGH HANDSHAKES.
NINERS = CLEinMPLS.
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Nine picks are in. Chuck, Slick shoot us the essay or just the picks and we’ll post them here..
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Good luck!
kanick 
CHUCK KOZ — NINERS
no essay.
BOBBY SLICK — NINERS
Niners -3.5
I’m bound to get one of these correct…This pick comes down to my belief that Joe Flacco is not an elite quarterback. If I was running a team, Joe Flacco isn’t in the top 10 QBs I would want, and maybe outside of the top 15. (Manning x2, Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Newton, Ryan, RG3, Luck, Wilson, Stafford…IMO) Weeden? okay just kidding there…
Granted he wins on the road in the playoff, and obviously that says something…but the guy doesn’t scream clutch to me
This Balt D is being held together by super glue and Ray Lewis’ elbow looks hilarious…What should be talked about is the niners D. Justin Smith, Aldon Smith on the edge, and two of the best linebackers in the entire league on the inside…How excited would Browns fans be if Bowman and Willis were our linebackers?
The Niners offense is going to be well balanced with some read option in there, but they win this because of the power run game. Gore seems to be getting better with age, and James is as fun as any scat back to watch, but he runs well between the tackles as well
I was hoping the niners would have lost earlier so my boy Brad Seely could have had some head coaching interviews…guy does awesome work.
Overall, I like the niners and their balance on both sides of the ball…wish like hell neither of these teams was there, and i hate to say this, but I’m pulling for the whiny man himself Jim Harbaugh. Niners by a score
CLTIL — NINERS
I thought out means out, I didn’t even think about an essay or pick, guys.
Off the top of my head, I’ll say that the outcome is dependent on the HOF vote on Saturday. If he gets in they win, if he doesn’t get in they lose. Therefore it’s Niners -3.5 all day.
Ray Ray in that stupid shirt bawling at the post presser = joyful Maproom dancing and headstands.
Gotta love Jim Harbaugh’s guts, too.
NICK — NINERS
Hey guys, sorry for the delay, I’m about get on a flight to Denver and am only thinking of fresh pow right now. Steamboat and Vail got pummeled this week!
Yes, I will head straight to Map room for the after party Sunday night.
49ers -3.5 over Ravens
I believe San Francisco has a better coaching staff and will come into this game with a more successful game plan. Along the lines of Sean Payton going for an onside in 2010, I expect the 49ers to have some tricks up their sleeve. I have a friend who works for Google rooting hard for the Niners, I don’t have any friends in Baltimore, nor do I want any. I don’t like either quarterback, but I think Flacco comes down to Earth this game and his deep balls won’t be as successful as in previous playoff games. Frankly, that’s about all the analysis I have here.
CLEinMPLS — NINERS
San Fran -3.5
Not really feeling good about this one, but I am sticking with my gut. I think the Ravens luck runs out on Sunday. Kaepernick is just too much right now, and on that turf vs an old Ravens defense, I am convinced he is going to have a field day. The combination of a dynamic player on a roll like Kaep, plus a “meat and potatoes” SF offensive line is going to be a load to deal with. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman are going to bust it all out on Sunday. I believe this game may be pretty high scoring, and the 9ers are going to pull away late. The way that the 9ers bounced back on the road vs the Falcons was pretty special, so mentally, they won’t panic if they get down early again. I am convinced that San Fran will take away the deep ball from Flacco, and I don’t have confidence that he has the discipline to dink and dunk it down the field for 4 quarters. My guess is that Flacco forces a couple balls into traffic, and that San Fran secondary will get at least one of them. In the end, I think that San Fran can still cover this game without playing their “best.” I can’t say the same about the Ravens. They need to play a near perfect game to win, and in a Super Bowl, that is a lot to ask for.
DENNIS HEMINGWAY — NINERS
Dennis Hemingway is all in on the Niners. Thanks again for organizing a great contest all year, fellas. You guys deserve a lot of credit for this well run pool.
Niners -3.5 over Ravens
Just like the Giants last year and Packers the year before, this Ravens team is on a hot streak right now. But besides beating a good Pats team (much credit for dominating that 2nd half), they shouldn’t even have been there if the Broncos secondary doesn’t fall on its face. I’ll give credit to Baltimore as they have not been making mistakes and have been playing at a high level against supposed superior opponents. The Niners which seemed to be everyone’s darling after the beat-down of the over-rated Packers have now fallen under the radar after a close win at Atlanta. The line has reflected this as most of the early money came in on the Ravens which moved the line down from 5 to 3.5.
I don’t necessarily expect the young kid Kaepernick to win this game for the Niners but I don’t expect him to lose it either. He has shown the maturity and talent of a veteran most weeks down the stretch and in the playoffs. The Niners have one of the best offensive lines and running games in the league and that will also open up the passing game. I’ll find it laughable trying to watch an over-rated and old Ray Lewis trying to keep up with Vernon Davis in the middle of the field. The Ravens have only faced older, pure drop back QB’s in Manning and Brady. They won’t fully be prepared for the read option and speed of a running QB like Kaepernick. I expect the Niners to get 20+ points and then I think the game will be won by the Niners defense which has really been under the radar. I expect this group to show up big time. They have two of the best linebackers in the game, Bowman & Willis, who are both fast and smart and a physical secondary. And their defensive line is only going to get stronger with Justin Smith having two more weeks to get healthy. This in turn will open up Aldon Smith and the rest of the line to get a serious pass rush on Flacco.
The Niners are a younger, more athletic, and overall better team. I’ll take younger brother, Jim, the most competitive person ever, and his squad to win this game by more than 4.
GRANDRAPIDSRUSTERS — NINERS
I already can’t wait for August. I miss #MACtion already AND the fact that ULL is coming to Akron this September. Already shaking with joy.
Missing the Map Room on Sunday makes me sad but it also makes me wonder if I should become a Professor Chaos and simply slip into the shadows of the Internet as a shadow of a man who can find no companion…ship. No love from others…or I can just admit that I am Lennay Kekua.
There is a general theme for this game that I want to try and describe and how the 49ers will take advantage of it.
I’ll start with just talking about the Ravens.
Colts (I’ll call them the Colts here since you finally acted like adults and put Colts on your scoreboard Baltimore…and you tell Cleveland to get over it!)
The Colts had 419 yards and 9 points. They moved up and down the field at will and made a few key mistakes all while being unable to take advantage of any of the Ravens mistakes. Luck had a rough day and any rookie QB with a pretty shaky surrounding crew gets a free pass as the Colts might be one of the worst playoff teams of the last decade. Great story and happy for the coach and the kid QB but let’s not kid ourselves. The Ravens should have won that game and did. Congrats.
Broncos
The Broncos had 398 yards and 35 points in a double OT loss. There are a couple of amazing things from this game. The Broncos had 2 special teams touchdowns. Peyton Manning looked like a broken man all afternoon and was unable to do anything down the field. Peyton is a genius but when the conditions turn ugly and the temperature drops the arm is gone and the Ravens did not have to worry about anything beyond 15 yards all day. The Broncos DBs spent the afternoon like it was a defensive drill walk through in a hotel ballroom coached by Byron Scott. Ugly. Are we allowed to wonder why Byron Scott continues to get a free pass in this town? Anyways the Ravens won a game they had no business winning. Congrats.
Patriots
The Patriots had 428 yards and 13 points. It has been a week and half since that game and I am amazed that the news is just completely ignoring the fact that Bill Belichick is missing. Is the guy that hated that it’s not even a story? The one thing that bothered me about the Patriots going into that game was how much they talked about the respect that they had for the Ravens defense. Apparently they had so much respect that some guy in a hoodie impersonating Bill PUNTED TWICE INSIDE THE RAVENS 40 YARD LINE. I’d also like to take a minute to give the wife of Wes Welker a pass because when they got married Wes dropped her on her head crossing the threshold. Sad. The other thing that struck me was the amount of times that Brady got out of the pocket and could not do anything since he is agonizingly slow. Congrats again Ravens but I’ve got bad news for you.
49ers
The 49ers are led by a man who may respect the game and probably loves his brother until the coin toss. He cares nothing about the Ray Lewis dance off and or respecting the Ravens defense. We start with the QB. It’s clear that no one has any issues going up and down the field vs the Ravens but if you let Colin get outside the pocket indoors on a perfect surface he is going to be handing the ball to the ref and kissing his bicep. Gore is the best RB that the Ravens will face this postseason…by a country mile. Crabtree and Moss only have to make a play or two to make an impact. The good news is that if the Ravens account for all of that Vernon Davis still exists. Did I mention the Ravens special teams suck and there is a guy named Ginn on the 49ers? Harbaugh will not punt from inside the 40. Mainly because Akers scares the crap out of him. No need to worry about Akers on Sunday though because he is going 6 for 6. The line means nothing.
San Francisco 42 Baltimore 17
HARBAUGH HANDSHAKES — RAVENS
Ravens +3.5 vs Niners: I’ve been riding the ravens like a pony to the top of the leaderboard and I’m not about to jump off with the championship on the line. I think Flacco has proven he is great playoff QB this year with plus 100 ratings in each of his playoff appearances this year (125.6, 116.2, 106.2). This is a trend; he dominated the playoffs last year and if not for a dropped pass this would be his second straight super bowl appearance. I think the Ravens offense is one of the most underrated in the league with weapons everywhere you look (Rice, Boldin, Smith, Pitta and Flacco). I have little doubt that the niners will score some points against the Ravens defense but I think the Ravens will be able to control the ball with a balanced attack and the Ravens defense will create at least one turnover and that will be the difference in the game.
I’ve also been saying throughout the playoffs that this defense is being overlooked and dismissed as old and slow. Well they’ve effectively kept Luck, Manning and Brady out of the endzone, even beat the Broncos when they gave up two special teams TD’s. This just seems to be a team of destiny with the miraculous recoveries (cough cough) of Terrell Suggs and Ray Ray. I really see the Ravens winning this game, but I’m more than happy to take the points. Ravens win 31-28
PETEFRANKLIN — NINERS
Well here I am, still alive on The Big Game Day, as the NFL forces us to call it in Vegas. I am really quite thrilled. So much so that I am deciding to document my thoughts about my final selection in many parts. Here is how I was seeing it in the first 24 hours.
Damn, I didn’t quite get to third like I wanted. I still managed to move up to fourth even though I was pretty sure the Niners were the solid pick and I gambled and won with Atlanta. I tried to play poker this week and managed to bluff my way through it to win some ammo for the final hand. All I have to do now is hope that two of you misread Sundays game. Either that or the crappy NFL refs screw you out of a well deserved cover, call it my Vegas “due factor”.
Hopefully the line holds steady for a week and half after the plummet from the opening 5.5 that I saw. The higher the line the better my chances, the way I figure. 5.5 seems kind of high when you read this right? I thought it was kind of high after it fell to 4.5 in about an hour while watching my NBA bet on OKC at Denver go down in OT. I really want to bet it at 4.5 but I dont want or need too much action on 1 game that is the most scrutinized game of the year by linesmakers. I’ll have plenty going by game time.
I see the line is down to 3.5. Just my luck, No way I can get the bottle of whiskey if this doesn’t stop. I absolutely think the Ravens win this game, the points have to stay high though.High enough to keep everyone off of the Niners.My only hope. I am freakin pumped when I look at the standings though,PUMPED! Just two weeks ago Pigskin Pete was in last place, with TEN knowledgible contestants ahead in the standings.Now though, it looks like my dreams are pretty much shot if the line keeps crashing.
I at least know why the line has moved two points in an hour or so. England. Yes the same england where they don’t even know how to play the pig bladder gridiron type of football. British bookmaker had odds set on the game before the teams were decided and the Ravens were a 5.5 point underdog to the Niners. Some of the excess was the Niners handling of the Packers and none of it was anticipating the Ravens castration of the Bellichecks. Last game means everything to the public. When will Niners dough show?
Finally, a bump the other way.Niners now four and I exhale a deep breath out of my lungs. I can sleep easier tonight if I could just get that grin off my face. I’m alive! I’m pumped! I wish we could pick tomorrow! I search the rules email and find out its not a bottle of M.M. but a commerative flask, even better! Bottles come and bottles go but a commerative Tim Couch flask is forever, unless, you know, you are attending a Browns game where the referees change the rules or something just to screw us over. WMD’s on their way! I guarantee mine would be empty by then anyway. Man, have I said that I’M FREAKIN PUMPED!? Let’s get it on already. I am living in a hot cheddar world and plan to belly flop you all out of my cheese bowl.
Just my luck, another bad line for me. I would much rather it be 4 but I guess a tie would suck for me. Here’s the deal…. I need everyone ahead of me to pick the same side. Im pretty sure Harbaugh is on the Ravens which is the right choice in my opinion. I dont think the line matters that much to him. Heres where it gets a little tricky…. if Im in second I pick the ravens to win me the cash while hoping Harbaugh picks SF(wont happen) to win. The thing is that MPLS has shown some love for the Niners this postseason. I hope it is gone and he takes the obvious play the Ravens. Which leaves it to my cheddar mirror Dennis.Dennis seems to think the same way I do hence us being the only Bengal players in the contest. With that in mind I have to think he thinks the Ravens are the play. If I was in third I would just pick the winner and hope for the best. Since I’m in fourth I can manuever slightly and hope I play my hand the right way.
San Francisco for the top prize for Pigskin Pete! I dont like the play at all but if Im the top player with SF I’ll win some $$$$. We could actually have 3 or 4 $$$ winners in the contest. I know if I’m the top play on SF Im going to get my buddy in Reno to bet most of the prize $$$ on Baltimore. The line up there is much more influenced by the bay area tourists and I might get 6.
There are only two things in my favor with SF. First the ravens haven’t had to play D against a QB that is more mobile than a JUGS machine in the playoffs. Second, strange things happen when the books stand to lose a chunk of $$$. Im sure everyone can remmember the Seattle superbowl. The talk around here is that the wiseguys will be on SF. That may be true but the SB is one game where public $$$ far outweighs sharp $$$. Ill side with the books in the contest and hope for the best.
Since I cant make it to the Map Room, Petefranklin is announcing that he will buy a keg or two and plenty of eats for the next Frowns tailgate if he sneaks his way into the top spot. So for those of you who don’t have a rooting interest, I just gave you one. Cheers and good luck. franklin. And my top SB prop is that the 2nd half is higher scoring than the first half….get it while the getting’s good.
JEFF RICH — NINERS
***Niners (-3.5) vs Ravens***
(with all respect due Crosby, Stills, Nash and even Young)
Tin arm casts and Lewis is top billing,
We wonder how antler spray smells.
This winter we remember the killing,
Two dead in the A-T-L.
Gotta get down to it,
These Ravens keep bruising our pride.
We should have already let it go.
If you knew Baker and Lollar,
Would you really enjoy his last ride?
Though it was before my Cheddar Bay time, we all know of the epic blunder from two years ago in these parts. And look, I know we don’t, and never will, have the angst for this group that we have for those who wave the yellow towels. However, if Saturday’s meetings go south, and Sunday’s result is an unfavorable one, this could shape up to be the worst weekend Browns fans have seen in 18 years, and that’s before we get into the feelings of those who survive Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker. But, there’s more…
How about this epic run from “Patient Zero” of the pistol on Sundays? Baalke put the pieces in place for the better Harbaugh to win. When I saw this team play the Browns in 2011, I still felt they were a quarterback away, and they may have found their man in Kaepernick. With Crab and Moss being in place, mostly as a method to keep the Ravens honest to the perimeter threat, I think we see a lot of the Niners attack down the middle of the field. Vernon Davis, and the ensemble of running backs that spell Frank Gore will be a factor. Greg Roman knows how to use the pieces he has.
On the other side, the weapons are there. I like the San Fran approach, to play left and right in the secondary, as opposed to strong and weak. Look for the Ravens to exploit the Tarrell Brown matchup, and to avoid Rogers. I know Flacco has looked good, but I’m still forcing him to beat us, if I’m drawing up the defensive game plan. Ray Rice is a talent, but they’re going to have a hard time getting him the ball in space.
I’m hoping for karma not to let the obstructer of justice ride into the sunset. I’m hoping for some anti-epic-blunder momentum. I’m hoping this crazy antler spray thing is a distraction, and I’m hoping everyone still in the hunt reluctantly takes the purple and the points.
It’s been a great ride; see you again in September.
MO_BY DICK — NINERS
So here I sit in 5th place, needing quite a bit of help to land in the money. Still, I’m proud to remain relevant until the last week, and (disir)regardless of what happens, it’s been a fun and successful rookie year. Instead of trying to game the four folks ahead of me and outfox myself, I’m picking this straight up and letting the game theory fall as it may; I do this knowing full well I might be eliminated as soon as the picks are in.
The weeks leading up to this game have been fraught with media-day mayhem, all of which has been better documented than I could hope to do here. There is a temptation to make this essay about Modell, or Lewis, or Culliver, or Crabtree, or, to a lesser extent, the Harbaughs – we are, after all, The Society of the Spectacle. It’s important to examine the characters and motivations involved in our society’s greatest spectacle; we should know whether our heroes (or anti-heroes) can endure the intense scrutiny concomitant with this secular high holy day. Some have shown that they can exist intact in this metaphorical panopticon, and some have shown that they very clearly cannot. This applies roughly equally on both sides, and its not necessarily so that media idiocy equates to on-field performance issues. Such is the beauty of the day, though: eventually all of the quotes and cross-examinations and headlines devolve/evolve into pure physicality. The grandest of human traditions: primitive martial entertainment.
So, if i can, I’ll discard my biases coming in: the move and rivalry, the Youngstown 49ers, the deer antler spray, the fact that I’ve picked against the Ravens every week of the playoffs so far. Fresh looks and top-level terms. The pick is 49ers -3.5, based on 49ers stopping the run, Kaepernick and Gore running wild on the turf behind that line, and Ray Lewis covering Vernon Davis. It’s impossible to eschew all of the external factors that have dominated the discussion thus far, but here’s to trying. Find me at the Map Room to celebrate or commiserate.