A look at the Super Bowl

It is Super Bowl Weekend, which brings us to our annual Speedyleeway Super Bowl Blog, a few things to consider about the big game before it starts, based upon history and observations.

QUARTERBACKS: Gamblers and television pundits point to the quarterbacks to determine which team has the edge, but that is a major mistake. First, the quarterbacks never face each other on the field. Next, it is true that great quarterbacks have made their names here: Joe Namath, Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as examples. But one of the best passers who ever played in a Super Bowl, Kurt Warner, had his team ahead in the final two minutes of three Super Bowls. His defenses gave up two of those leads and came within a yard of coughing up the other one. Dan Marino played in one Super Bowl and lost. Phil Simms played in one and won it. Super Bowls can be won by game-managing quarterbacks whose team have strong defenses. A passer who simply does not make mistakes can win rings.

DEFENSES: The team with the best defense has won virtually every Super Bowl.

SCORING: You don’t have to score a lot of points to win, you only need to score enough. Last year, the Patriots beat the high-scoring Rams 13-3. The year before, the Patriots scored 33 points and lost to the Eagles. Another year earlier, the Patriots scored 34 points and won.

RUSHING: Timmy Smith rushed for a Super Bowl-record 204 yards for the Redskins in Super Bowl XXII and Washington beat Denver 42-10. Matt Snell gained 121 yards in Super Bowl III, when the Jets stunned the Colts, and Snell scored the Jets’ only touchdown that day. John Riggins gained 166 yards, 43 on one memorable scoring play, and led the ‘Skins past the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. The team that runs the ball best, or at least makes the most big plays on the ground, usually wins Super Bowls.

COACHING: The Super Bowl is a coach’s game. Not so much the preparation, although that is obviously very important. It is a coach’s game because of the leadership needed to get a team through all of the distractions and the very different atmosphere leading up to the game itself. Weeb Ewbank’s approach was different from Vince Lombardi’s, for example, but both men won. It is hard to tell who might have the edge this year.

THIS YEAR’S GAME: Kansas City has the hottest quarterback in the league, San Francisco has a good game-manager under center. The 49ers have the better defense and it seems likely that they will run the ball better as well. If you accept the idea that the quality of coaching is about equal, then tomorrow’s game looks like a good one.

PREDICTION: Your Loyal Blogger will be rooting for Kansas City to win for Andy Reid, but the prediction here is that San Francisco will get enough production out of their quarterback, run the ball well, play better defense and beat the Chiefs in a close game.

KEY TO WINNING: A low-scoring game favors San Francisco. If the game turns into a high-scoring tidal wave of points, that kind of thing favors Kansas City.

SCORE? It says here that San Francisco will win 24-17.