NEW ORLEANS — You can dream big as a boy. You can grow up watching your father spend his life coaching football at different stops along the way. Maybe you can see yourself coaching a team in the NFL if you dare to dream big enough. And maybe, just maybe, you even can see yourself coaching in the Super Bowl one day.
That dream has come true at the same time for John and Jim Harbaugh, loving brothers always, except for those 60 minutes today on Super Sunday when hoisting the Lombardi Trophy becomes thicker than blood and transforms them into cutthroat adversaries with the whole world watching — their proud parents watching from the Commissioner’s box, uncertain how fast their hearts will be pounding, certain only that, for them, the agony of the defeated will temper the thrill of the victorious.
It’s an historic night for a dream American football family, suddenly The First Family of the NFL in a city where Archie and Olivia Manning raised their champion quarterback sons — historic HarBowl, historic night for the sport.
Two brothers, separated by just 15 months — Big Brother John driven to bring a championship back to Baltimore, Little Brother Jim driven to bring a sixth one back to San Francisco. While Little Brother’s son Jay finds himself working on this night for Big Brother.
Big Brother trying desperately to send Ray Lewis out the right way, Little Brother confident his freakish laboratory-experiment quarterback Colin Kaepernick will steal the night from Lewis and Joe Flacco and Big Brother’s Ravens. Both teams trying to make their Harbaugh a champion.
And Jack Harbaugh, the old football coach and proud father, stealing a glance down at each son’s facial expression at the end of each play, searching for any clues to what they might be feeling inside. And his wife Jackie, the former cheerleader he fell in love with at Bowling Green?
“I can’t tell you what I’ll do now,” she said Friday. “It’s not planned out in my head what I’m going to do. … I’m just gonna be in the moment.”
What a moment.
One last dance from Lewis before the game. One genuine handshake or hug between brothers after the game.
And what has a chance to be an epic, violent game between one team that is a mirror image of John Harbaugh, and one team that is a mirror image of Jim Harbaugh.
Which will mean two teams who will fight like brothers 15 months apart.
Oh, how Big Brother rooted for Little Brother to win a Super Bowl when he played quarterback for Mike Ditka and the Bears, then fell one miracle short of getting to one with the Colts. Oh, how Big Brother wishes he could root for Little Brother tonight. Oh, how Jim and Jackie wish this Super Bowl could end in a tie.
It will end with Little Brother’s Big Gamble — taking the ball from Alex Smith and handing it to Kaepernick — paying off.
“He takes command of the huddle, and that’s all you can ask from a quarterback,” 49ers center Jonathan Goodwin said Thursday. “It seems like every time he has a negative play, he comes back the next drive and does some great things. … You want to have a confident quarterback. You don’t want a quarterback that’s doubting himself, and Colin definitely doesn’t doubt himself. I’m still getting the same vibe from him.
“I don’t feel like this game’s too big for him, and I expect him to play well.”
I expect Flacco (eight TDs, zero INTs in the postseason) to play well as he tries to make his elite statement, but the Niners won’t let Torrey Smith beat them deep, and Flacco can’t beat defenses with his arm and his legs the way Kaepernick can.
I see Frank Gore outrushing Ray Rice.
“Baltimore got gashed this year by teams that just lined up and mauled them,” said Brian Billick, FOX analyst and coach of the 2000 Ravens championship team. “And San Francisco’s capable of saying, ‘forget that option [junk], let’s just line up and play smashball.’ ”
I see Patrick Willis outplaying Lewis.
I see Lewis in tears, and destiny denied.
I see two brothers so different, and yet much alike.
49ers defensive end Ray McDonald on Jim Harbaugh: “Funny … smart … competitive. He’s a great storyteller.”
Ravens safety James Ihedigbo said on John Harbaugh: “Intense … smart … motivating … a leader … honorable … selfless.”
I see Little Brother celebrating with his 49ers, and consoling Big Brother.
steve.serby@nypost.com