Super Bowl 2013: Unprecedented And Silliest Moments
Super Bowl 2013 delivered several x-factors that will leave many people talking about it for months to come, mainly for the San Francisco 49ers fans. For some, it was an unbelievable memory. Or, let’s put it this way, for Ray Lewis and only Ray Lewis, all the higher-power was with him and nobody else. That’s convenient given that the biggest non-call in NFL history, as many are saying, just happen to happen in his last super bowl game.
Feb 1, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of a Vince Lombardi Trophy at the commissioner
So here are the unprecedented moments that have left some people in shock.
- Power Outage
Who forgot to pay the electric bill? The power outage is one of most unique bizarre moment during a Super Bowl. The outage happened with 13 minutes and 22 seconds remaining on the third quarter when San Francisco 49ers was at third-and-13. Players were mingling with other players, stretching and running to keep loose, while Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh was yelling at a representative who appeared to have some kind of justification or report of the situation. The outage lasted for an incredible 34 minutes.
Some speculated that Beyonce’s half-time show took the entire dome’s power. However, that was not the case. Maybe it was pay-back time to Roger Goodell for penalizing the New Orleans Saints for the “bounty program”. Who knows?
2. Carry William’s Shoving
After Colin Kaepernick’s interception, a fight took place, of course! In the midst of the pushing, trash-talk, and shoving, Ravens cornerback Cary Williams got away with shoving an official in the confrontation.
How he could ever get away with it is beyond my comprehension. Whereas, Coach Bill Belichick gets a $50,000 fine, a Ravens player can get a free-pass.
3. An Intentional Safety
Instead of punting the ball out of their own end zone, the clever Baltimore Ravens directed punter Sam Koch to waste the 12 seconds left of the fourth quarter with a 5 points lead over the San Francisco 49ers. This was a very clever call which resulted in utilizing the remainder of the game-clock, leading to a free kick with 4 seconds remaining to end the game.
4. Jacoby Jones Touchdowns
This is a lesson that any football player should have learned in their 101 Football class in kindergarten: Touch the player, otherwise, he is an active player and the play is alive!
Well, cornerback Chris Culliver decided to just jump over Jones after Jones caught a pass deep down in the field, got up, and ran to the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown.
If that’s not enough, Jones was left “unsupervised” to score his second touchdown. A record-breaking 108-yard kickoff return touchdown to open the second half.
5. 17 Points in Just 4:10
What took the 49ers so long to start making this a game?
In my opinion, they played way too conservative in the first-half. This is the Super Bowl and this is your only chance! Let Kaepernick be Kaepernick and Gore be Gore.
However, in the third quarter the 49ers started to put points by moving the ball 49-yard in two plays for a 28-13 score. They stopped the Ravens in three plays to score on a two-play touchdown drive. Rice then fumbled and Akers kicked his second-chance field after being hit on the first attempt. That was the momentum for the 49ers, but they just could not capitalized and put this game in the bag.
Finally, the silliest moments I thought were quite silly:
1. Ravens Fake Field Goal Attempt
John Harbaugh’s shocking call for a fake field goal was the first call in NFL history. It would have been brilliant if it worked, but because it didn’t, it was quite silly. The call was in the second quarter when they tried to rush for a first down on fourth-and-9. In my opinion, it was a waste and unrealistic given that the line of scrimmage was at the 32-yard. A three-point gain in the score board would be more worthwhile.
2. The Biggest Non-Call
This non-call will be forever marked in the 49ers memory as it was the deciding factor on the outcome of this game. There was quite a bit of contact by cornerback Jimmy Smith grabbing Michael Crabtree on fourth down inside the end zone. Coach Jim Harbaugh figuratively cried on the field and begged for the officials to call for holding.
It’s a shame that it came down to a non-call, but he 49ers really shoot themselves in the foot for not even trying to run the ball at the Ravens own 5-yard-line.
I would be surprised if offensive coordinator Greg Roman didn’t have any nightmares last night.
Follow Celia Westbrook on Twitter @celiawestbrook