Feb 1, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; A general view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the helmets for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers at the commissioner

Well it seems as if everybody else has made a prediction for Super Bowl XLVII, so why not me? So for the sake of this article, call me “The Swami”. No, really! Seriously. STOP LAUGHING!!!!

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that the winning coach’s last name will be Harbaugh. OK so it’s more like a popsicle stick than a limb.

In all seriousness, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are almost mirror images of each other. So much so that this sets up to be one of the most physical Super Bowls ever played. Both teams get after the QB and are very opportunistic when it comes to creating turnovers (and there is no way I’m going to give you the cliche’ line about winning the turnover battle…DUH!). Both defenses have the ability to get to the QB with just their front four; leaving more helmets underneath for pass coverage. Lastly, neither are particularly consistent in stopping the run but get stingy when it matters most. Both offenses have a big, athletic, physical front which are able to protect the QBs and open up holes in the running game. That said, both teams have been able to run the ball with a measure of success.

“What is going to be the difference in this game?” you ask. Good question! Aside from the aforementioned turnover battle, I think this game is going to be decided by the “French” Quarterbacks (see what I did there?) and special teams.

Quarterbacks: The styles of the two signal callers, Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick are stark. Flacco is a big, strong, upright pocket passer with a big arm who is able to keep plays alive by shrugging off would-be tacklers. Kaepernick, also pretty big and strong can beat you from the pocket or pulling the ball down and taking off with it. Flacco has not thrown an interception since Week 15 against the Denver Broncos. New offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell has taken the chains off and has allowed him to use that big arm to unleash a dangerous vertical passing game. In three playoff games, Flacco has 8 TD passes and no INTs. That kind of ball protection will force the 49ers to make the most of their offensive possessions. Kaepernick led the Niners to wins in their two playoff games in two different fashions. Against the Green Bay Packers, he rushed for a QB playoff record 181 yards and 2 TDs. The following week agains the Atlanta Falcons, he stayed in the pocket and threw for 233 yds with 1 TD. I think both have the physical traits to lead their respective teams to the championship. Thus, whichever QB handles the big moment with more poise probably wins this thing.

Special Teams: This is where Harbaugh paved his path to a head coaching job…oh yeah, John Harbaugh that is. Despite giving up a record 256 return yards and 2 TDs to Denver’s Trindan Holliday in the divisional round, the Ravens’ special teams are usually very reliable. There are many times when they are down-right explosive. Jacoby Jones is arguably the best KR/PR in the NFL and is always a threat to break one for a quick score. If this game comes down to a field goal, Justin Tucker has shown that he is one of the most accurate kickers in this, his rookie season. As for the Niners, they have a game-breaking return man of their own in Ted Ginn, Jr. As you may recall it was a serious case of Fumblitis by the PRs in the 2011 NFC title game that kept San Fran out of Super Bowl XLVI. One would think that this will not enter the minds of Ginn and/or Delanie Walker, but the mind can reek havoc. As for the kicking game, the once reliable David Akers has mysteriously come down with a case of Cundiff-itis.

So in my final analysis I think the 49ers are a more attractive pick on paper; an opinion which is supported by the Las Vegas oddsmakers. However as we painfully found out on January 12th, this game is not played on paper. As the Maryland locals and media like to proclaim, the Ravens do seem like they are a “Team of Destiny”. That said: Baltimore 27, San Francisco 24

Bonus prediction: MVP – Joe Flacco

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Jan 29, 2013, New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints saintsations cheerleaders pose on a float with a replica Vince Lombardi trophy at the Super Bowl XLVII media party at Mardi Gras World. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The woman on the other side of the cage has just handed me a couple of grand in large bills and, free Jack Daniels on the rocks in hand, I decide it’s high time to check out the sports book at the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas, where I’ve been holed up for a couple of days.

I don’t frequent the Luxor, normally opting for the Hard Rock because I’m a fan of the ‘60s and ‘70s when all good music was created, and I love to hang out with the Van Halen brothers, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill.  But, in this case, the Luxor was free, courtesy of a couple of hot rolls at the craps table earlier in the week inside the huge pyramid on The Strip.

Lucky me.

Wandering the street-level expanse of the casino leads me past a couple more blackjack tables, where I pick up another couple thousand, hitting a couple of double-downs and winning one hand where I split aces and hit two blackjacks.

Bored of that, I spot a Pai Gow table, where I nail a royal flush on the second hand with a $25 bonus on the table:  another $3,750 in bonus money into the pocket, the rest going to the dealer as a tip.

Lucky me.

I finally arrive at the sports book, a busy spot indeed as the Super Bowl nears.

Walking in, I spot a Peyton Manning orange Denver Bronco jersey behind the merchandise counter.  Clearance sale, it says.  I have always resisted paying a hundred bucks for one of these things, but I pick this one up quite readily at $25 and, still feeling lucky but still feeling the pain of Joe Flacco putting a dagger in my heart, pull the jersey on over my faded, outdated gray Colorado State T-shirt.

Lucky me.

I enter the casino book joint, find a comfortable chair near a huge numbers-filled screen that engulfs one side of the room and order another Jack on the rocks (still free) from the gorgeous cocktail gal. Lucky her – and, no, I’m not that lucky.

First things first.

I make my prerequisite bet on which team will win the game, taking the underdog Baltimore Ravens, assuming they will still be the luckiest team on the face of the earth come Gatorade time Sunday night.  This is a sucker bet because it doesn’t even double your money if you win, but it’s almost required by law to make it.

Ditto with the over-under, which I also dutifully bet, this time counting on the score going over 47 points because, as I said, the Ravens are lucky (do you feel a theme here?).

Then I get to the fun stuff – the proposition bets, bets on specific, often goofy stuff that happens within or around the game.

The first prop bet, of course, is how many times will the name Harbaugh be mentioned during the game.  The over/under in this case is 21 ½.  Give me a break; that will happen by the end of the first half.

I decide I will also bet on how many times the Harbaugh parents will appear on the tube during the telecast (over/under 13 ½), how long the Harbaugh brothers will hug at midfield after the game, and which Harbaugh brother will get dunked with Gatorade.

Other prop bets to consider that are non-Harbaughish:

You can bet on the number of interceptions in the game (over/under 4 ½), number of fumbles (over/under 2 ½), number of fumbles lost (over/under 1 ½), number of punts (over/under 7 ½), and on and on.

As to the telecast, this is where it can get goofy.

The over/under on Alicia Keys National Anthem time is 2 minutes, 15 seconds.  There is also a great money-line bet on Keys being booed:  If you say yes and bet $100, you can win $500.  And another money-line bet on whether or not she will screw up the lyrics. Say yes for $100 and you win $170.

There are  “wardrobe malfunction bets” surrounding the halftime show and plenty of bets on the stars of that show.  Last Super Bowl it was all about Madonna and her hair and her nylons.  This time around, it’s Beyonce.

Will Beyonce’s hair be straight, not curly? Will Beyonce show more cleavage than Janet Jackson (just kidding)?

Yes, there are a plethora of ways to spend your money.

Still feeling lucky (it’s probably more because of my fifth Jack on the rocks and the great-looking waitress), I make my final decision:  Several grand goes down on the time on the game ending after 9:52 EST.

It’s a lock: Here’s to lots of long Budweiser commercials, Alicia Keys going far over on the anthem and several wardrobe malfunctions.

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Perrish Cox is ready to get back to the turf. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

A little more than a week after former Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox was acquitted of rape, he’s back in the NFL.

Cox signed with the San Francisco 49ers Tuesday afternoon after missing the entire 2011 season. He started in nine game for the Broncos his rookie year recording 59 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 14 pass deflections.  He was cut by the team at the end of training camp after hearing that he would have to stand trial in an alleged rape case.

The 5th round draft pick out of Oklahoma State was considered a first-round talent, but he slipped down the draft board when he was banned from his school’s Pro Day. Cox insists that the off-the-field issues have stopped.

The 49ers also signed Randy Moss to the team. If there’s a coach who knows how to take those red flags and snap them into line, it’s Jim Harbaugh. There’s no room for error for those guys, but lots of room for growth under a team that blossomed to a Championship team last season.

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