Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This Super Bowl was just plain weird. I didn’t really care who won, but I’m glad San Francisco lost. I don’t like Jim Harbaugh and I don’t like San Francisco fans, at least not the ones I have had contact with. (You know who you are…)  Just kidding!  Seriously!  You’re great people, really…

First its time to talk some smack.  Since the Seahawks got totally screwed by the NFL with that early morning game in Atlanta I didn’t really have a dog in this fight (so much for journalistic impartiality). The way the 49ers fans thought they deserved to be in this game after the butt whoopin’ the Hawks dropped on them in Seattle was just ignoring the truth.  The Niners backed into this game by not having to face Seattle and they know it.  Sure they beat Atlanta…barely.  Try doing that at 0-dark thirty west coast time.  If not for San Francisco’s tie against the Rams the Hawks would have had your conference title and your home game and a bye week.  San Francisco is no longer the only elite team in the west.  They have company.  But I digress…

Did anyone else go get a pedicure during the national anthem? MAN that was long! Well done, but tooooo looooong.  And that whole halftime show was BOOOOORING. Sorry.  Beyonce is a lovely and talented singer/dancer but I think she sang the same word for something like 15 minutes! Besides that, it was like watching a 30 minute Bud Light commercial.  Where’s a good marching band when you need one?

The power outage was interesting. I’ve seen a quarterback change make a game turn. I’ve seen a snow storm make a game turn. But I’ve never seen a power outage totally turn a game around. The Seahawks should remember that trick next time they find themselves down by 20 at home. In the end, the 49ers got screwed by the refs on that last non-call for holding; so welcome to Seattle’s world San Francisco.  One wonders if they might have gotten “Bettised”; you remember the love-fest the league and network gave the retiring Jerome Bettis before the Seattle/Pittsburgh 2008 Super Bowl in which Seattle suffered a number of bad calls.  There is something especially heart warming to think the refs might have been “letting ‘em play” for Ray Lewis, a guy who plea bargained away a double homicide a few years back, getting 12 months probation instead of double life in prison.  (There I go digressing again!  Hmm, did I just stumble on another reason for not being excited for either team to win?).  Yes, getting hosed by the refs in the Big Game is great fun, and now the Niners know how it feels.  And so ends their 5-0 Superbowl streak.

But this Super Bowl week did have some redeeming value.  For instance, I didn’t know there was so much to know about deer antlers.  And the whole thing about too much power actually causing the lights to turn off???  Amazing stuff!  And what about the demonstration of injustice to women struggling with their weight everywhere when a Ravens cheerleader got canned for being 2 pounds overweight?  We haven’t heard the end of that one, hopefully!

Now it’s on to the NFL draft and next season.  I fully expect it will be the Seahawks and Russell Wilson who will get it done next year.  With his learning curve well in the past, Wilson will be unstoppable.  I wish I could have seen him in this game, but next year will be even more incredible.  Seattle was the team no one wanted to play the second half of the year.  Next year, it will be that way from  week one on because Russell is ready.  As for the rest of the NFC West, don’t get too excited.  You’re getting better, but as long as Wilson, Carroll, and Schneider are in the picture it’s going to be tough going to get past Seattle.

Dec 24, 2011, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) breaks a tackle by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith (94) to rush for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

All the writers have their stories/predictions out and there seems to be a consensus.  ”It’s going to be a low scoring game with the 49ers eeking out a 4 point victory”.  Sure, why not?  I could believe that!  After all, that’s what logic would dictate, right?

We have the two best defenses in the league and two so-so offenses all in the same game.  This combination doesn’t scream “high scoring bomb-a-thon”.  And Alex Smith is hitting a rough patch in the road after dropping two recent games in fairly close proximity.  Seattle, according to the sports elite, has a rookie QB the coaching staff doesn’t trust to throw down the field.  They say look for a Gore vs Lynch grind for 4 quarters.

Well I could just join the chorus and agree with them but that’s not my style. And besides that, I don’t believe that’s how Pete Carroll is going to attempt to win this game.  I just don’t see Carroll in his office up in Kirkland saying to is coaching staff “yeah, I think I’m going to game-plan according to all the sports writers and do the VERY predictable thing and run Lynch 35 times”.  So, understanding full well that I’m 100% wrong when I try to predict what Carroll is GOING TO DO based on what I would do, but totally get what he DID after the game, Im’ going to try this week to think like Pete and make a bold statement as to how I think this game will go.

The 49ers already know about Lynch.  They’re game planning to stop him.  They also have a really good pass defense but probably aren’t all that afraid that Russell Wilson can do to them what he did to a mediocre Patriots secondary.  They will stop Lynch if they can, and dare Wilson to beat them.  Now they have last weeks game film, and they know Wilson can throw a pretty good long ball.  So if I’m San Fran, I’m ready for that too.  What does that leave?  It leaves quick passes over the middle, in the flanks, and screens to backs.  If I’m Carroll I’m also working on ways to add some sprint outs and a possible option run/pass into that mix with one of the most mobile young QB’s in the league.  If Wilson can get the SF defense to quit worrying about the deep ball by mixing lots of short passes with Lynch runs, then eventually when he does go for the long ball, it will come as a little bit of a surprise to the SF secondary.  Maybe there’s a long TD to be had if the timing and match-up is right.  That should open up the running and short passing game even more.

And what about defensively?  Alex Smith is not Tom Brady.  He’s not even Russell Wilson.  He’s…pedestrian (I learned that word hearing sports writers talk about Matt Flynn, though I don’t necessarily agree with that).  There are already calls in San Francisco to bring in Colin Kaepernick. I haven’t seen the two games the 49ers lost, but I know Smith  had some INT’s and wasn’t sharp.  Smith’s confidence of last year might be starting to wane slightly with the two losses.  With players like Smith if they’re taken out of their comfort zone they don’t do well.  So pressure is critical.  Getting him running, firing passes on the run, forcing him to make throws to his second or third receiver should help limit the damage he can do.  So, stunts, blitzes, combined with getting really physical on SF’s older receivers should help make it a long day for Smith.

San Francisco is an old team.  Still good, but getting long in the tooth by NFL standards.  The young, tough new kids on the block should be able to keep up the punishment on the 49ers for 4 quarters.  The Seahawks are overdue to get all three elements of the game going at the same time, offense, defense, and special teams.  I expect the team to be focused and inspired by the challenge of playing a great team on the road.  If that happens, this game will not be as close as everyone thinks.  The 49ers are ripe for a blow-out just like the Texans were last week.  They should not take this game lightly.