When the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's Super Bowl, one of their biggest and most difficult tasks will be to keep Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick from shredding their defense as he did against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round, when he ran for 181 yards and two rushing scores.

However, it's not the only thing the Ravens will need to do. Kaepernick is but one component of how the Niners will be attacking the Ravens—there's also the rest of their offense to contend with, as well as their fierce, pass-rushing defense.

It won't mean much if Baltimore holds Kaepernick to 21 rushing yards (as the Falcons did in the NFC title game) if Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree cannot be stopped, or if San Francisco's defense keeps Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco from connecting with his passing targets.

This is 11-on-11, after all, regardless of how important the two quarterbacks are to their respective teams' chances of taking home the Lombardi trophy.

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Hot on the heels of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith—who is likely on the trade block this offseason—praising current Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has confirmed there will indeed be a quarterback competition in Cleveland this year.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer spoke with Haslam, who said that despite Turner and head coach Rob Chudzinski liking much of what they saw out of Brandon Weeden in reviewing his 2012 season, says that a competition for the starting job is coming. It also appears that Weeden's competition will come out of the free agency pool, though Haslam also didn't rule out potentially going to the draft again, either.

Baltimore Ravens

The staff of the Baltimore Sun provide their final Super Bowl predictions—and surprisingly, not all of them think the Baltimore Ravens can pull off the win.

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Of any position in the NFL, that of the safety is the most shrouded in mystery. To play it, one must act on instinct more than any of the other men on the field, reacting in a split second to what the opposing offense does.

Safeties need to prowl the middle of the field, taking on running backs, receivers and tight ends in space as well as working closer to the line of scrimmage to blow up running plays and even rush the passer.

Considering all of the complex duties required of a safety, it's a position best played by those with experience, and that's certainly the case for the Baltimore Ravens' Bernard Pollard, the seven-year veteran who is in his second season in Baltimore.

Pollard is an X-factor in this Sunday's Super Bowl matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, and his reputation as being one of the most dangerous men in the league provides his team with both a mental and physical edge. But where did this reputation come from, and is it warranted?

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Current San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback and soon-to-be trade bait Alex Smith said that he loved playing for Norv Turner's offense when Turner was his offensive coordinator in 2006, reports Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

This has fueled speculation that Smith could very well be headed to the Browns this year to compete with Brandon Weeden for the starting job. Turner is the team's current coordinator and it seems like the current leadership in place is interested in quarterback competition this year. Smith is almost certainly out of San Francisco sooner rather than later, and the Browns very well could make that move.

Baltimore Ravens

Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times looks at how the change from Cam Cameron to Jim Caldwell at offensive coordinator has helped the Baltimore Ravens make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

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There has been much talk in the run-up to the Super Bowl about how the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are vastly different teams. From the style of their quarterbacks to their effectiveness at stopping the run and everything in between, it's as though two polar opposites will be facing off on Sunday in New Orleans.

However, the Ravens and 49ers have a lot more in common than you'd think at first glance, something well illustrated by this particularly illuminating infographic by Ben Willers and Tom Wuckovich at thevisua.ly blog:

All of these numbers are interesting, particularly their points-per-game and touchdowns-per-game averages—similarities that seem to point to the Super Bowl being a close and potentially high-scoring affair, and therefore highly compelling.

The commonalities between their rushing yards per game by their running backs as well as their total catches and average first downs per game also speak to the Niners and Ravens being well-matched teams for one another. Though the offensive styles may be disparate, what each of their offenses accomplish on a per-game basis are quite similar.

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The pass rush isn't the only aspect of the San Francisco 49ers defense that the Baltimore Ravens will have to fight against in Sunday's Super Bowl—they'll also need to break through that front seven if they want to run the ball.

For the Ravens to be successful in the passing game, and for the offense to simply not become one-dimensional, running well will be key. Balance is what wins championships, but properly executing that balanced approach is necessary. And it's certainly going to be difficult on Sunday.

On the season, the Niners defense ranked third against the run, allowing an average of 94 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per rush. And rushing touchdowns? The Niners are near the top of the pack, just giving up a mere seven of them over the course of the regular season.

It's not as though the Ravens are any stranger to strong run defenses. In the divisional round of the playoffs, for example, they met the Denver Broncos and their fourth-overall ranked run defense and managed 155 yards on the ground on 39 total runs, with Ray Rice leading the way with 131 yards and a score on 30 carries. Clearly, running well against a top defense can be done, even in high-stakes games like the playoffs and Super Bowl.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Tuesday they hired Jack Bicknell, Jr., to take over the vacant offensive line coaching job, reports Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bicknell takes over for Sean Kugler, who left the team to become the head coach at UTEP.

In 2012, Bicknell was the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and spent 2009 through 2011 as an offensive line assistant for the New York Giants. As Dulac notes, Bicknell will be inheriting a young line, one that could have up to five starters under 25 years old in 2013.

Baltimore Ravens

Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun breaks down how the Baltimore Ravens secondary can shut down San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree on Sunday.

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One of the key tasks for the Baltimore Ravens in this Sunday's Super Bowl is to keep their quarterback, Joe Flacco, protected from the San Francisco 49ers' venerable pass rush. Flacco must stay upright and in the pocket in order to continue the passing magic that helped bring his team to the NFL's biggest stage, which means that his offensive linemen must also perform much as they did in their three previous playoff contests.

The reorganization of the Ravens' offensive line prior to the start of the postseason is a big reason why Flacco has been so successful in the weeks since. Michael Oher, who gave up 10 sacks as a left tackle, was shifted to the right, with McKinnie taking over at left. Rookie Kelechi Osemele, who saw most of his time in the regular season at right tackle, was moved to left guard. Only right guard Marshal Yanda and center Matt Birk retained their regular-season jobs.

The result was Flacco being sacked only four times during the Ravens' three playoff games, along with 23 total pressures—an average of seven pressures per game, as compared to 12 per game during the regular season. The offensive line held strong even against the Denver Broncos, whose 52 sacks in the regular season led the league. 

The 49ers' front seven pose a similar threat, even though they weren't as tough both in the final stretch of the season and in the playoffs. Outside linebacker Aldon Smith ended the season with 19.5 sacks, but had none in Weeks 15 through 17 nor in the postseason, thanks in part to defensive end Justin Smith (who generally clears the way for Aldon by taking up two offensive linemen) missing time with a triceps tear.

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