Super Bowl 2013: It’s Harbaugh, Harbaugh, Harbaugh
Everybody joked that Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday should be known as the Bros Bowl, the Harbowl, the Super Bros Bowl and the Super Baugh (yes, you have to think about the pronunciation a bit on the last one) in recognition of the San Francisco 49ers’ Jim Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh as the first brothers to meet as coaches in the NFL’s championship game.
They’re not twins. John is older by 15 months.
Aside from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis playing in the final game of his storied 17-year career and the debate over which quarterbacking style -- the dual-threat play of the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick or the pro-type pocket passing of the Ravens’ Joe Flacco -- will win the day, it’s been mostly about the Harbaugh family in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVII.
Well, that and 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver opening his mouth and swallowing his leg with his anti-gay remarks.
Here are some pearls of wisdom and wit from the Harbaugh family this week:
“They asked me to come on and deliver a positive message to the youth,†Jim said of his appearance many years ago on the TV show Saved by the Bell. “And for that I’ve been scorned and humiliated.â€
“I think even I liked Jim more than me growing up,†John said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if [our parents] did.â€
“If President Obama feels that way,†Jim said of the president doubting whether he’d let a son play football, “then there will be a little less competition for Jack Harbaugh when he gets older. That’s the first thing that jumps into my mind.â€
“I have to say that most of the time I won,†John said of competing against Jim. “I was older in all honesty. I won most of the battles early. He will probably refute that. We had a lot of arguments over itâ€
“I could make something up,†Jim said when addressing the media during a round of interviews, “But I’d be making it up. What do you want me to say and we can save you some time and put it right in your story.â€
On a more serious note, the Harbaugh patriarch was more reflective.
“The one thing that I do think about is after the game there’s going to be one winner and there’s going to be one that’s going to be totally disappointed,†said Jack Harbaugh. “And my thoughts go to that one [who] will not experience the thrill of victory.
Of course, it isn’t all about the Harbaughs. Flacco’s father, Steve, got off one of the best lines when describing his son: “Joe is dull. As dull as he is portrayed in the media, he’s that dull. He is dull.â€
Here are some other non-Harbaugh nuggets:
“If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium,†said Joe Flacco, who is not a fan of playing for the NFL title in a cold-weather city like New York in 2014.
“I may have been catfished once or twice,†Lewis said when discussing the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax.
“Now that I’m older, I do think I’m the greatest receiver to ever do it,†the 49ers’ Randy Moss said of his place in NFL history. “I don’t really live on numbers, I really live on impact and what you’re able to do out on the field. I really think I’m the greatest receiver to ever play this game.â€
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Bill Plaschke: No one should forget about Doug Williams
Bill Parcells, six others elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
49ers’ Chris Culliver to get sensitivity training after anti-gay remarks
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