Jan 31, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) at a press conference at the Marriott New Orleans in advance of Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

At 6-10, there obviously wasn’t much good to talk about. But, there was one thing that, as I looked at the 2012 box scores and stats that I thought about, and found interesting. It has to do with the 49ers, and their run to the Super Bowl. If you think about it, you could say that in a way, the Jets started the Niners on their run to the Super Bowl.

Prior to the Jets matchup against the 49ers at MetLife stadium, Colin Kaepernick played a grand total of one snap to date. If you remember, we saw a pretty good dose of Kaepernick against the Jets, coming in to change the pace from Alex Smith. He ran the ball 5 times for 50 yards and 1 TD that day, showing us how the read option should look. In the next two games he played a bit more, and although he didn’t take a snap the two weeks after that, he played significant time the week after the bye, started the next week and hasn’t looked back.

One could wonder if Kaep had not played against the Jets, would Harbaugh have started to move in his direction when he did. Who knows? Maybe they stick with Alex Smith, and fall short of playing in yesterday’s game.

So, maybe the Jets did have a successful 2012. Not for THEM, but who’s counting?

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) walks off the field after the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens won 28-13. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during the third quarter of the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

We are still 2 weeks away from Super Bowl 47, but the storylines have begun. We have the obvious ones, such as the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other. You also have Ray Lewis, trying to end his Hall of Fame career with a second Super Bowl title. Today, I wanted to talk a bit about a story line that isn’t as major as those two, the quarterbacks. We certainly have two opposite type of guys, don’t we?

First, we have the unflappable Joe Flacco. In the league five seasons, he has led his team to the playoffs 5 times, and won a whopping 8 road playoff games. Since his rookie year, he has never thrown less than 20 touchdowns, and never more than 12 INTs. He has been remarkably consistent with his play, and is in the prime of his career at 28 years old. He is looking to cash in, finally, with that big contract, and be considered an elite quarterback. In 2012, especially since Jim Caldwell took over as offensive coordinator, Flacco is doing everything he can to earn that status. So far in the 2012 postseason, he has put up 8 TDs against 0 INTs, and a passer rating of 114.7. He probably has earned the status already, but if Flacco can win in two weeks, he has cemented himself in that status, and will make the money he is hoping for.

On the other side of the field, we have the young superstar, Colin Kaepernick. Watching him play, isn’t it shocking to realize that he is only making his 10th NFL start? In the Super Bowl? I don’t know if it is possible to have a more exciting stretch. He came on for Alex Smith after he was injured, and gave him the “Wally Pipp” treatment, never relinquishing his starting job, going 5-2 in his seven starts to end the year, throwing 10 TDs vs only 3 picks. Then, we have his eye opening play in the playoffs. First, his record setting performance against the Packers, throwing for 263 and rushing for 181. Then the Falcons game planned to contain the run game, so Colin was 16-21 through the air for 233 yards. Kaepernick is a little Steve Young, and some Randall Cunningham rolled up into one, and he is exciting to watch. Is he the new wave of QB that will take over the league?

It will be exciting to watch.