NFL Futures: Two of the best head coaches in the NFL, if not pro sports itself, also happen to be brothers as John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens bested his brother Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers a year and a half ago for a Super Bowl win and to keep the bragging rights within the family. But John and the Ravens had a step back season last year as they missed the playoffs and are trying to set a positive preseason tone for what they hope will be a bounce back season. Jim and the 49ers lost the NFC title game to the hated arch rival Seattle Seahawks last year and had a lot of tension within their ranks in the offseason with a reputed divide between management and coaches. The Baltimore Ravens will host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night with kickoff time on NFL Network set for 7:30 PM ET. BetDSI opened with the game as a pick with the total at 35.
Raven for More Offense in Preseason
Under John Harbaugh the Ravens have gone a solid 15-9 straight up in exhibition action overall although that has tailed off to back to back records of 2-2 in the last two exhibition seasons. The Ravens will want to use the preseason to address their rather offensive offense that ranked 29th overall in the NFL last year. There is plenty of excitement about top draft pick CJ Mosely, a linebacker from Alabama. QB Joe Flacco is coming off his worst year and would no doubt like a confidence boost.
49ers Exhibition Gold Rush
Jim Harbaugh is simply an uber competitor and wants to win at anything and anytime including the NFL preseason. The 49ers are 8-4 straight up in preseason games under Harbaugh including a most recent run of 3-1 in each of the past two exhibition seasons. QB Blaine Gabbert was acquired in the offseason after bombing out at Jacksonville and top draft pick Jimmie Ward, a safety from Northern Illinois, will get plenty of attention as he joins the NFL’s fifth ranked defense from last year. RB Carlos Hyde, a second round pick from Ohio State, should also see action.
Our Pick
We’ll go with Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers in this one!
