Which Quarterback Will Have A Bigger Impact In The Super Bowl

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It doesn’t get much better than this.

Witnessing powerhouse offenses that were not only outplayed but were utterly dominated by two teams that made extravagant changes to their respective offensive schemes is nothing short of incredible. The fact that they were able to utilize these facets to go to the biggest stage in all of sports is an amazing feat unlike anything professional sports has ever bared witness to in recent memory.

Between the 49ers questionable quarterback change to the Ravens unexpectedly firing their offensive coordinator, it seemed highly probable that these risky calls would come back to haunt them both come post season play.

Instead what football fans witnessed was nothing short of an unbelievable success.  Joe Flacco proved that he is an unflinchingly consistent player and also a dominant leader who is capable of leading a now offensively competent team to The Big Easy.  At the same time, a young and untested quarterback proved to be not only efficient and instinctually effective, but also displayed his natural ability to make decisive plays that most veteran quarterbacks could never quickly conceive in the same circumstances.

Now that the Cinderella stories have been told and the ultimate stage has been set for these two teams to duke it out in what will be the most physical football game we’ve seen all post season, one looming question still remains: Which player has what it takes to lead their team to the ultimate destiny of being champions of the world? Kaepernick or Flacco?

Looking at the regular season numbers Kaepernick hands down wins the overall match up despite his late season debut.  While Kaepernick only sports a slightly higher completion percentage rating than Flacco (64.3 % as opposed to 63.6%) he takes the cake in both interceptions (2 Int as opposed to Flacco’s 4 overall in games won) and dominates in an overall quarterback rating (111.3 to 97.6 respectively). 

While these statistics would seem to convey Kaepernick’s ability at both consistency and overall efficiency, you really have to look at the post season numbers to fully gauge the all encompassing ability of both these players.

In the post season Flacco nearly doubles Kaepernick’s overall yardage (853 to 496) while also completely dominating in passing touchdowns (8 as opposed to just 3 for Kaepernick).  However the most telling number is the number if interceptions these two foes have thrown in the playoffs (1 Int for Kaepernick to Flacco’s 0) While this may not seem like a meaningful discrepancy consider the teams Flacco had to play deceive in order to be this flawless in the passing game.

First of all, Flacco and the Ravens had to play three playoff games as opposed to 49ers receiving a first round BYE week along with getting home field advantage in the divisional round.  Given this crucial intangible along with the fact that Flacco has proven time and time again to be utterly inconsistent at times on the road during the regular season, it would only seem obvious which quarterback would be more effective. 

However, between his dominant performance in the wild card game to his unwavering ability to not only effectively string multiple drives against the best defense in the AFC but he also able to effectively deceive one of the best veteran safeties in the league not once…but twice!!!  Everything that Flacco has done in the regular season in terms of consistency and overall prowess has been complete and definitively disproven by what he has been able to do time and time again in the playoffs throughout his five year career.

This in no way discredits Kaepernick’s ability to be nearly as effective in his own manner.  Despite throwing a early interception in the divisional round against the Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick didn’t flinch or even succumb to a seemingly demoralizing mistake.  Instead he came back out and not only went toe to toe with the 2011 Superbowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, but he also outplayed him in terms of confidence and overall dynamics.

After this surprisingly dominate win, Kaepernick and the 49ers went on the road to play the top seeded Atlanta Falcons who narrowly won their divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks.  Again Kaepernick showed his quarterback prowess by staying confident and composed despite the Falcons dominant 17-0 run at the beginning of the game.  Even at half time the 49ers were down 24-14 and the possibility of them making a glorious comeback seemed unlikely.  But this was not the case. Not only did the offense completely erase and overcome the imposing deficit, but also their defense likewise put on an impressive performance by shutting out the Falcons in the second half.

While this is a discussion about the effectiveness and solo efforts accomplished by these two sleeper quarterbacks, like with all team sports, the individual player is only as good as the team that surrounds him week in and week out.

Without Kaepernick’s dominant offensive line that gives him time and space to flawlessly pull off the read option, which is the crux of what separates him from the one-dimensional quarterbacks of the NFL, he would become less dynamic and much more predictable.  Similarly, Flacco’s deep ball success is built around the foundation of his talented receivers being able to deceive and make physically tasking maneuvers in order to gain the necessary momentum needed to progress.  Even the defenses have to be taken into account because they provide the passive rhythm that allows these iconic players to stay on the field and to create these memorable moments that have defined their impressive post season runs.

 

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 However, only one quarterback will truly be worthy of hoisting the Lombardi trophy in the air as the endless rain of confetti blankets their battle torn bodies in the most satisfying moment of their sports affiliated lives.

And that leader will ultimately be Joe Flacco.

While Kaepernick’s read option attack has been crucial in his recent victories, it can only be effective if he isn’t under pressure and is given time to make the proper decision of whether to throw or run.  Without this allotted time, Kaepernick will become exposed and like all quarterbacks who are put under pressure whether they’re a 16-year veteran of the league or a fresh rookie, they all will eventually make an uncalculated mistake.

All of them have succumbed to this, except for Joe Flacco.

Whether it’s dealing with the intangible pressure of being 10 and 9 point underdog or making a 70 yard precision play with less than a minute left in the game with the already condensed pocket closing around him, Cool Joe always finds a way to make the impossible possible.  And when you’re playing in the Superbowl against a relentless defense on the biggest and most prominent stage in the NFL you need that intangible ability to shake the emotional jitters and to be completely composed for the entire sixty minute duration of the winner take all sporting event of the year.  You have to no not only be driven and consistent, but supremely confident in not only your teams ability to complete this victory but also in your skill set to accomplish this Cinderella tale of destiny and unwavering determination.

In the end only one man can make this happen. Only one stand out underrated player can bring that glorious moment to fruition.  That man is Joe Flacco.