With Super Bowl matchup set and the countdown to the final
game till early August on it way, let’s take a look at what the two teams who won’t
be attending the Super Bowl can take from this post-season.
San Francisco 49ers
The biggest question surrounding the Niners going into this
post season was whether or not they could count on Alex Smith to be a reliable player
at quarterback. They certainly found out that they could. No, Alex
Smith will
never be Aaron Rodgers and he may never be Joe Montana, but he works for the
49ers. The entire team is well built, though more depth in the receiving corp.
could be added. I’m not as down on
Michael Crabtree as a lot of people, but he does need to be more effective
going forward. The injury problems that
have limited Ted Ginn Jr. and Josh Morgan compound the issue. If nothing else
they should dedicate two later round picks to getting more receivers on this
team. The defense could use some more depth, especially if they lose both
Dashon Goldson and Carlos Rogers to free agency.
Baltimore Ravens
Much like the Niners, the Ravens come out of this post
season with the utmost confidence in their quarterback. Joe Flacco was
excellent in the AFC championship game and very well could’ve sparked enough
momentum for him to push for the MVP award in 2012. The questions now revolved
around the age of certain part of the team and the long term viability of the
defense. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis aren’t getting any younger, and neither is
Bryant McKinnie or Andre Gurode. If the way the Ravens handed their defensive line
was any indication, then there is likely little concern in Ravens headquarters.
The Ravens successfully drafted the replacement for older contributors like
Kelly Gregg and Cory Redding a year before they were allowed to leave (assuming
Redding leaves this year). The same was true for replacing Todd Heap and, to a
degree, Derrick Mason. The Ravens know how to build their team and should have
little trouble replacing these veteran stars, as long as they have the chance
to. Something they may want to consider though is looking at the play calling
of Cam Cameron, though that is another article for another day.
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