Ravens vs 49ers GDT - Bow Down To Big Brother

RavensTillIDie

VS

The Harbaugh Bowl - Week Twelve
Baltimore Ravens (7-3) VS San Francisco 49ers (9-1)
Date: Thursday, November 24th, 2011, 8:20pm EST
Location: M&T Bank Stadium
Channel: NFL Network

HERE is a link to a very interesting article from the Baltimore Ravens website. However, we know some facts were omitted for editorial purposes. So today we are going to have the story told like only an unbiased observer can tell it: A Tale of Two Harbaughs

The last time John and Jim Harbaugh competed against each other in a head-to-head game was in American Legion baseball.

John was a junior in high school and Jim was a freshman in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

John was on a team called Baskin Robbins, made up of the best players sporting the best jerseys. Jim was on the Sherriff’s All-Stars, a team he pulled together mostly of those kids who didn’t make team Baskin Robins, in other words, composed of other underachieving sissy-faced little brothers.

John won, 1-0. And more than 30 years later, both men still remember it well.

When asked about the event, John smiled and responded, "It feels like just yesterday I was owning my younger brother."

When Jim was asked about the event, "No comment."

Being the sons of a coach, the Harbaughs did a lot of traveling in their youth. Thus they were forced to be around each other a whole lot more than other brothers, and as such they forged a great bond. However, as we all know, living in close quarters around any one person, let alone family, for an extended period of time can drive anyone crazy. Needless to say the Harbaughs were prone to many scuffles back in the day.

When asked to speak on their bouts as youngsters, John responded, "Oh, it feels just like it was yesterday that I was putting Jim in a headlock."

When we questioned Jim, all he would say was, "No comment."

As the boys got older, John would grind his way through 6 different coaching positions over the course of 23 years before getting a head coaching job in Baltimore.

Jim on the other hand almost had everything handed to him, he was a superstar quarterback at Michigan, he got drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, and he was automatically given a NFL coaching position upon retiring as a player. And a mere nine years later, Jim got offered a coaching Job by the 49ers, due in large to the reputation his older brother had established.

When asked to expand upon how he felt his success was directly correlated to the opportunity that was presented to his younger brother, John replied, "Oh I don't think I had much to do with it. He's a great coach and I just think my success here in Baltimore gave him the push he needed to get through the door."

When asked how he felt about his older brother being a significant factor in helping him acquire his job, Jim merely stated with a blank expression, "No comment."

Now, we rest on the eve of a historic game between the two brothers. One looking to avenge that loss 30 some odd years ago, and the other trying to keep his winning streak alive. As shown, whether it's been sports, fighting, or becoming a NFL head coach first...John has always come out on top.

When asked if there was any evidence to suggest a different outcome this Thanksgiving, John simply laughed and said, "What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't help humble my little brother? Sooner or later everyone has to respect their elders."

When asked to respond to John's comments, Jim simply blinked and said, "No comment."

It's been a long time coming, but only one Harbaugh is going to walk out of tomorrows game with a smile on his face. The other, well let's just hope he remembers, we're not dealing with Jim Schwartz anymore...

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draftguru1234 · Joined: 09 Feb 2011 Posts: 546

Hopefully this doesn't come down to coaching...

SnA ExclusiVe · Joined: 01 Jun 2011 Posts: 10592 Location: Spokane, WA

It's hard to feel good about this matchup if you're a Ravens fan...

49ers are a run-oriented team and we may be without Ray Lewis, and if this game comes down to our offense vs. their offense, I feel more confident that San Fran's offense can put up more points against our defense than our offense can against theirs.

I really hope Cam Cameron shows up for this game, because if he doesn't we MIGHT get blown out and maybe shut out.
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nevermore · Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 5610 Location: Austria

diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10017 Location: Baltimore, MD

It's obviously not encouraging the Ray Lewis will be out and we have to face a stout defense. But San Fran has shown they can be susceptible to the passing game on occasion. My biggest concern is how our OL holds up, if we can hold up for some long developing plays, I like Torrey Smith or Lee Evans to be able to make some plays. Either way, I think this will be a game where our TEs will have to come to play and run crisp routes.

I think we do have an advantage however. San Fran will be travelling to the east coast and losing 3 hours on an already short week. Our coaches have the benefit of preparing in the comforts of the Castle and our players have the benefit of using vital time to either rest or practice scenarios as opposed to travelling. With the 9ers coming off such a big win along with the short week and travel variables, it's also very plausible that they come out a little lethargic and that can be our opportunity to pounce.

Conversely with the Ravens being home there's the possibility that they're relaxing and wanting to spend thanksgiving with their families and have fun. the 9ers are already screwed, they know that, that could help them come out with more energy early and the Ravens starting lethargic.

Either way, I'm not sure I see this as a close 3 point win for anybody. I think it's a 10-13 point victory. I think something's got to give in this matchup.
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Blind arrogance sows the field of it's own destruction. - Commander Greil, Fire Emblem

diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10017 Location: Baltimore, MD

It's obviously not encouraging the Ray Lewis will be out and we have to face a stout defense. But San Fran has shown they can be susceptible to the passing game on occasion. My biggest concern is how our OL holds up, if we can hold up for some long developing plays, I like Torrey Smith or Lee Evans to be able to make some plays. Either way, I think this will be a game where our TEs will have to come to play and run crisp routes.

I think we do have an advantage however. San Fran will be travelling to the east coast and losing 3 hours on an already short week. Our coaches have the benefit of preparing in the comforts of the Castle and our players have the benefit of using vital time to either rest or practice scenarios as opposed to travelling. With the 9ers coming off such a big win along with the short week and travel variables, it's also very plausible that they come out a little lethargic and that can be our opportunity to pounce.

Conversely with the Ravens being home there's the possibility that they're relaxing and wanting to spend thanksgiving with their families and have fun. the 9ers are already screwed, they know that, that could help them come out with more energy early and the Ravens starting lethargic.

Either way, I'm not sure I see this as a close 3 point win for anybody. I think it's a 10-13 point victory. I think something's got to give in this matchup of circumstance.
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Blind arrogance sows the field of it's own destruction. - Commander Greil, Fire Emblem

diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10017 Location: Baltimore, MD

Also I just saw this video of Suggs' take on the Bengals game and at the end he mentions that Ray Lewis will be back "next week". I suppose that term can be slightly ambiguous and either it means against the 49ers or at the Browns, I'm not sure. Since Lewis was downgraded from doubtful to questionable for the Bengals game I'd have to imagine, he's probably for the 49ers and he plays.
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Blind arrogance sows the field of it's own destruction. - Commander Greil, Fire Emblem

drd23 · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 7:16 am Post subject:

Wow, RTID putting up the GDT early Shocked

This will be a tough game and we will obviously be at a disadvantage from a coaching standpoint but I'm confident that we have an offense good enough to put up plenty of points (its just a matter of them actually executing) and that our defense can get the job done. I just hope that we can generate pressure, something we havent done as much as I would like in the last months or so

DontTazeMeBro · Joined: 20 Jan 2008 Posts: 20504 Location: 321

I'm very confident about this one. We should be able to shut down their ground game. If anyone can do that, I don't like their chances with Smith airing it out. San Fran's D is tough. But we're at home and I think we should come up with a few explosive plays.

49ers 10, Ravens 20

NFL General will be hatin' hard.
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STrid · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 7:57 am Post subject:

I'm sort of split on this one. One one hand I'm not THAT high on 49'ers right now, even with their record, they don't really scare me as much as other teams. I think that has to do with the fact that IF you can shut down their running game you essentially force Smith to win them this one. Alex Smith has shown that he is prone to making mistakes, at least before this season, and IF we are able to get some consistent pressure on him we should be able to make him uncomfortable. Furthermore I think they played pretty lacklustre against a ARI team without Kolb only scoring 23 points, which has to give us at least some confidence.

On the other hand there is the inconsistency of the Ravens, which makes it so hard to predict games this year. So much is depending on if Cam comes to play, if Chuck comes to play and so forth. We've shown that we can stink it up pretty bad at times while at others we are nearly unstoppable. I don't like that Jim Harbaugh offence one bit in terms of us having to play against it. I think he plays very smart offensive football right now and that might be hard to stop, even though they in all honesty only have got two legit targets on offence in Davis and Crabtree.

I'm might be slightly optimistic, maybe too much based on our last performance, but I think we'll be able to somewhat hold their offence in check, while producing better than expected on such a high ranked defence. I'd say 24-21 Ravens.
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^Et billede siger mere end tusind ord!

Baltimore Pride · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 2317 Location: Florida

Should be a tougher game. Though their offense isn't that hard to figure out, if you can take Gore out of the equation and force Alex Smith to win the game, I love our odds. Their defense is obviously their most threatening side of the ball and hopefully our offense continues success against tougher defenses like we've done against Cinci, Texans and Pittsburgh.

The one aspect I'll be interested in is how they handle Torrey Smith. Torrey Smith and his play yesterday, combined with the short week could warrant them to take extra precaution covering him Thursday. Why wouldn't they, Smith easily has the speed to get open and if him and Flacco are in sync like they were yesterday it could spell trouble for any secondary. This would also help AQ and Lee Evans.

21-13 Ravens. Flacco has been good at home and our fanbase isn't gonna make it easy on Mr. Alex Smith Cool

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mddeckie · Joined: 07 Sep 2008 Posts: 328

After a good win against a division rival who I believe is still one of the most undderrated team right now, I feel pretty confident about this game. I think the ravens are a most tested team for these type of games and we all know this team shows up for big games. Ray Lewis should be back and with Lee Evans getting back up to speed I expect more 3WR sets. There is no way they underestimate Evans' speed and leave him with a nickel back or else he should have a good game. At the very least he will open it up for Q, Smith, and our TE'S.

I predict a 21-10 ravens win.

I do expect us to come out flat again, and have SF up 10-0 before we start to show up.

SnA ExclusiVe · Joined: 01 Jun 2011 Posts: 10592 Location: Spokane, WA

DanFS#7 · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:36 pm Post subject:

If you had to decide between "bow down to big brother" and "bend over for big brother" I think you chose the right one.
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Flaccomania · Joined: 12 Aug 2008 Posts: 16539 Location: Parkville, MD

I'm actually fairly confident about this game.

#1 - It's a good team, so the Ravens shouldn't be overlooking them like we seem to have done in our losses.

#2 - They play a 3-4; we are at our best against these defenses.

#3 - They are playing like an AFC North team -- stout defense, strong running game. We are built to stop these types of teams.

I think we need to go into this with a Steelers sort of game plan. On offense, lots of spread/shotgun formations and utilize the TEs. They are good at forcing turnovers and getting pressure, so we need to be methodical, control the clock, and not make mistakes. Secondly, despite their stout run defense, we need to ensure they respect it. Run some draws, misdirections, etc to keep them honest.

On defense, we need to focus on stopping the run and jamming their WRs at the line. They don't really have much of an explosive offense but rather a methodical one, so if we can get them off their timing, I think we can have success. The one person that scares me most is Vernon Davis up the seam.

I don't think it'll necessarily be pretty, but provided Flacco can be safe with the ball, I think we'll come out on top.

20-17 Ravens
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Why not Michael Jordan?