DESTRUCTION CREWS: Not only will Sunday’s Super Bowl be a battle between the Harbaugh brothers, it will also be a brutal battle between the Patrick Willis-led 49ers’ defense and the tough Ravens’ defense led by Terrell Suggs (inset left) and Ray Lewis (inset right), Steve Serby writes. (AP; Reuters (Suggs), Getty Images (Lewis))
NEW ORLEANS — This isn’t only a Brother versus Brother Super Bowl.
It is also a Bully versus Bully Super Bowl.
This isn’t only John Harbaugh versus Jim Harbaugh, and it isn’t only Joe Flacco versus Colin Kaepernick when the Ravens and 49ers collide on Super Sunday.
It is Ali versus Frazier inside a 100-yard ring for the heavyweight championship of the NFL.
“I feel like this Super Bowl XLVII will be the most physical Super Bowl in history,” Arthur Jones said.
Why do you say that?
“We’re a bunch of bullies in Baltimore,” Jones said. “I think it’s going to be a clash of the titans.”
Do you feel like you can bully them?
“Absolutely,” Jones said. “I feel like we can bully any team in this league, and if you don’t have that mentality, you can’t be a Ravens football player.”
Super Brawl.
“I can’t relate it to war,” James Ihedigbo said, “because that’s something that’s so much on another level than this game, but it will be controlled violence, so to speak. It will be that physical, intimidating contest.”
Hagler-Hearns, especially down in the trenches, for 60 minutes.
“You’re going to hear a lot of whacking, and a lot of guys staying on the ground ’cause nobody aren’t going to want to get up after all this hitting. … Somebody’s going to stay on the ground after they get hit,” Terrence Cody said.
Sam Huff versus Jim Brown.
“Most physical game we played all year,” Cary Williams said. “We expect it to be an all-out slugfest.”
Williams was asked if the 49ers look like the most physical team the Ravens will have faced this year.
“No,” he said. “People try to compare ’em to us, but that’s why they’re the 49ers and we’re the Baltimore Ravens, period. I don’t like to do comparisons because we’re two different teams. And they’re not the most physical we seen all year, in my opinion. I think everyone in America should know that.”
Williams owns the minority opinion. When Haloti Ngata was asked what Play Like A Raven means, he said: “Be nasty … play rough, tough football, and play it with some kind of cruelty, but you’re not trying to … kill somebody. … But kind of a nastiness where you’re going to impose your will on some team, so that’s what we want to do.”
From watching the tape, Ngata can’t help but notice the 49ers can Play Like Ravens.
“I believe that we are mirrors of each other,” Donte Whitner said. “Our coaches look similar … we have the same type of physical players. … No. 52 is our linebacker on both sides. … It’s going to be an extremely physical game.”
The Giants went into the 2011 NFC Championship Game bracing for a bloodbath and Ravens center Matt Birk is expecting nothing less.
“They play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Birk said.
Clubber Lang versus Ivan Drago.
“I don’t think it will be nothing less than physical,” Ray Lewis said. “Both teams play a very physical football game. They like to run the ball, we like to run the ball. They have a physical defense, we have a physical defense. They have a physical offensive line, we have a physical offensive line. These teams match up very well, and you have to give credit to both teams that they prepared themselves very well. They’ve played at a high level pretty much the entire season. I think it will be a very, very physical game.”
Dick Butkus versus John Hannah.
“We’re the two most physical teams in the league,” Brendon Ayanbadejo said. “They like to put extra linemen in the game, and we run a 3-4 defense and we have huge outside backers, three huge interior linemen … from the first play of the game, which I get to be on the field on kickoff or kickoff return, we’re going to set the tone.”
Bill Parcells always subscribed to the theory that Bigger is Better. This is a Bigger is Better Super Bowl.
“Both sides want to run the ball. . .both defenses are known for stopping the run. … So it’s going to be one of those type of games,” Justin Smith said.
Super Brawl.