EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — While the NFL and officials in New York and New Jersey say they will do everything they can to prevent another power outage at the Super Bowl, energy experts warn it’s almost impossible to guarantee the lights will stay on at any event, let alone the cold-weather championship game at MetLife Stadium … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — OK, now we can officially flip the switch and turn the lights out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Super Bowl XLVII has come and gone, and we won’t forget it for many reasons, to be sure. Not for a long time. Not by a long shot. There were way too many … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — When Ed Reed finally took a break from trying to sing “Two Tickets to Paradise” more times in one night than Eddie Money has since he wrote the song 36 years ago, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh grabbed his potentially Hall of Fame bound safety for a short chat on the bus ride … Continue reading →

In this "Final Score" podcast, Advocate Online Sports Editor Pierce W. Huff and Advocate sportswriter Sheldon Mickles review the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Continue reading →

In this "Super Bowl Conversation" Advocate Online Sports Editor Pierce W. Huff talks with Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice in a one-on-one interview after the team's 34-31 victory in Super Bowl XLVII in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Editor's note: Rice has one uncontained burst of Super Bowl victory excitement. Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — For two long weeks, brothers John and Jim Harbaugh told anyone that would listen that Super Bowl XLVII was more than about them. They were right. The Harbowl, which was officially known as Super Bowl XLVII, was everything everyone hoped it would be — and a whole lot more Sunday night … Continue reading →

• NFL says it had backup power system for power outage
• RAVENS SEE THE LIGHT

NEW ORLEANS In a city that got a second life and a second chance to be a player on the world stage, where first helpings are good but second helpings are always so much better, we come to the end of Super Bowl XLVII and ask: Can we get a second, NFL? … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Did you change the channel? Make a beer run? Maybe finally relent and do that chore your better half has been pestering about since the season began? Hopefully you didn’t get so distracted that you forgot to check to see whether the game ever restarted. Because once it did, 34 minutes … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Emily Jones saw the seam, and her hallowed screams could not be stifled. Not after Baltimore returner Jacoby Jones evaded the waist-high tackle of San Francisco safety Darcel McBath at his 12-yard line. The wispy mother with the thick-rimmed glasses felt the welling in her lungs after her son broke into … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Ray Lewis says he’s leaving and Ed Reed says he’s staying. Both of the primary stalwarts of the Baltimore Ravens dominating defense of the past decade-plus left the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a victory in Super Bowl XLVII, Lewis’ second and Reed’s first. Baltimore’s down-to-the-wire 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The Baltimore Ravens had a powerful New Orleanian on their side for Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Ayman told the Clarion-Herald newspaper in New Orleans that he confirmed Ravens place-kicker Justin Tucker in St. John Neumann Parish in Austin, Texas, when he … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — They entered the biggest game of their lives on opposite ends of the quarterbacking spectrum. Baltimore Ravens veteran Joe Flacco, 6-foot-6, strong-armed and stationary in the pocket. San Francisco 49ers sensation Colin Kaepernick, explosive, versatile and only 10 games into his career as a starter. Flacco had … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Colin Kaepernick picked a bad time to end an amazing streak of accuracy by San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. The 49ers had never thrown an interception in five previous league championship games — all victories — until Sunday in Super Bowl XLVII at … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — An electrical outage nearly powered the San Francisco 49ers to an improbable comeback victory against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. But in the end, the Ravens saw the light and held on for a dramatic 34-31 victory Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Rallying from a 28-6 deficit early in … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The seven newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were introduced Sunday to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome crowd just before kickoff at Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. The seven-man class, which was elected Saturday, was on hand at midfield and introduced by PA announcer Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Super Bowl XLVII isn’t as intriguing as some recent games have been ... if you’re only talking about the most glamorous of all matchups at quarterback. Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers? Not here. Peyton Manning vs. Drew Brees? Not this time. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Eli Manning? … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — If you have a brother, you know. There is no one you’d rather beat. There is no one you feel for more when they have been beaten. Notorious is the best way to describe football coaches’ single-minded determination. No distraction is too important not to be forbidden. No sacrifice can … Continue reading →

Brian Billick, the ex-Ravens coach who prevailed in Super Bowl XXXV and is now a Fox Sports analyst, breaks down Sunday night’s matchup: The difficulty in attacking the 49ers’ running game is, which running game will it be? Is it … Continue reading →

CHARLES ALEXANDER Running back, LSU Bengals (XVI) “I remember just getting the opportunity to go and be exposed to the Super Bowl environment and all of the things that go along with it. It was a great opportunity for me. But as far as the … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Eleven years ago Sunday, Adam Vinatieri prevented the first overtime in Super Bowl history when his 48-yard field goal as time expired in the Superdome gave the New England Patriots a 20-17 victory against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. At the time, nobody would have predicted that it would … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Much water has traveled through the $14.6 billion, world-class flood-defense system built in and around New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast in August 2005. Many tears have flowed, as well, on what has been — and remains — a long, grueling and inspirational road to recovery for … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — When veteran defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois of the San Francisco 49ers looks around at his teammates who are playing in Super Bowl XLVII, he feels right at home on his side of the ball. Players from the Southeastern Conference are sprinkled throughout the NFL’s third-ranked defensive unit: ends Ray McDonald (Florida) … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Ever wonder what a player about to step on the biggest stage of his life goes through in the hours leading up to the Super Bowl? It often includes a wave of emotions — joy, anxiety, fear, anticipation — sometimes all wrapped into one neat package as players try to make sure … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — With all the heavy lifting complete for Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers scaled things back considerably Saturday for their final “practice” before Sunday’s game. The Ravens and 49ers held 15-minute sessions in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a little more than 24 hours remaining until game time, their … Continue reading →

In this "Super Bowl Conversation" Advocate Online Sports Editor Pierce W. Huff and a group of reporters interview NFL legend Kurt Warner on media day about a variety of subjects. Continue reading →

“You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.” — Psalms 18, Verse 39, tattooed on Colin Kaepernick’s throwing arm NEW ORLEANS — On his way home after the first day of the 2011 NFL draft, Jim Harbaugh rang his father, … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — If the world hasn’t flipped over Joe Flacco the way it has over Colin Kaepernick, perhaps the reason starts with Flacco himself. His body isn’t bedecked with tattoos. He doesn’t do anything that would make anyone coin the phrase “Flaccoing.” Aside from the slightly large size of his family by 21st-century standards … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — He could joke about the “Do Not Serve This Man” posters, the mocking float in the Krewe du Vieux parade and a voodoo doll he received, presumably well-lanced with pins. But then, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell grew serious about the issue that has made him a lightning rod for Saints fans. “There … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS A three-inch ring binder cradling the pitch to end this city’s 11-year Super Bowl drought rests neatly on a book shelf in Jay Cicero’s corner office along St. Charles Avenue. Not that its intended audience, NFL owners, share a desire to peruse the minutiae of game-day operations for … Continue reading →

The three-time Super Bowl champion (twice as a player) discusses Randy Moss, the president’s thoughts on football’s violent nature and his time as Saints coach: What’s happened this week to make you say, “C’mon, man?” Randy Moss saying he’s the best receiver to play the game. C’mon, … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin loved to dominate cornerbacks. He attacked their weakness to beat them, their strengths to break them. It worked all the time. Then he lined up opposite Aeneas Williams — the pride of Hollygrove, a rough neighborhood in New Orleans’ 17th Ward, … Continue reading →

1. The head coaches are both named Harbaugh, and they happen to be brothers. 2. Brothers do fight, even ones approaching middle age. According to Judy Battista of the New York Times, John Harbaugh told an associate that the brothers and their families recently vacationed together. They were “goofing off” in the water, … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Two brothers. One Vince Lombardi Trophy. May the best team — and coach — win. That’s how Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh left it Friday morning at the conclusion of their 45-minute joint press conference at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, two days before … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — A worldwide stage such as Super Bowl XLVII sometimes lends itself to catapulting a relatively obscure player into an overnight phenom. Undoubtedly, that thought has crossed the mind of San Francisco 49ers safety Darcel McBath, a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2009 who’s playing on his third team … Continue reading →

Widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time, Jerry Rice also found post-football fame on “Dancing with the Stars.” He shares thoughts of the Raiders’ ill-fated Super Bowl against Tampa Bay, playing the big game in New Orleans, and who wins Sunday: Does it matter to you if you’re ultimately … Continue reading →