NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Deep threat Torrey Smith overcame a family tragedy this season to help fuel the Baltimore Ravens offense in their run to the Super Bowl and he credits fellow receiver Anquan Boldin with helping him.

The 24-year-old Smith’s younger brother, Tevin, was killed in a motorcycle accident less than 24 hours before Baltimore’s game against the New England Patriots in Week Three.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – The boys who shared a bedroom until their college years, shared the Super Bowl stage as Ravens coach John Harbaugh and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh held a joint news conference in a friendly family affair on Friday.

The Harbaughs are the first brothers to coach against one another in a Super Bowl and the family theme extended to the first row of seats where their parents, long-time college coach Jack and Jackie, sat alongside 97-year-old Grandpa Joe.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Football was in his blood, and coaching was a natural career path for John Harbaugh, who paid his dues and learned his craft rung by rung on his way to taking the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl.

The son of a coach and brother of the man who will direct the San Francisco 49ers on Super Sunday, Harbaugh was not blessed with the athletic skills of younger brother Jim, an NFL quarterback for 14 seasons.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Built on the NFL draft and a vision of the type of player that can lead the way, the Baltimore Ravens have climbed once again to the pinnacle, with a shot on Sunday at claiming their second Super Bowl title.

The Ravens were born in 1996 when the late Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell moved his team to Baltimore to fill a void left by the Baltimore Colts after their move to Indianapolis, and fashioned by the deft hand of general manager Ozzie Newsome.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees gets a kick out of watching Colin Kaepernick play, but would most enjoy keeping the San Francisco quarterback in check in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The multi-threat Kaepernick, who gained a record 181 yards rushing in his first NFL playoff game this postseason against Green Bay, runs a read-option package that has kept defenses guessing on whether a run or a pass is coming.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Ray Lewis, the only charter member of the Baltimore Ravens and only remaining player from their 2001 Super Bowl triumph, is retiring after Sunday’s Super Bowl game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Here are some reflections on his impact from current and former members of the Ravens family.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Ray Lewis, the face of the Baltimore Ravens franchise, believes the time has come for another Super Bowl title for his team and a storybook ending to a brilliant, 17-year National Football League (NFL) career.

“I just think that if it is your time, it’s your time,” Lewis told reporters on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s NFL title game in New Orleans between Baltimore and San Francisco.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – With four of the last five Super Bowls decided by less than a touchdown, Sunday’s title clash could come down to a kicking contest between Baltimore’s red-hot Justin Tucker and San Francisco’s ice cold David Akers.

“I think special teams can have an impact on every NFL game because games are so close,” Baltimore Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg told Reuters on Wednesday.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Ray Lewis, dogged by various accusations over his brilliant NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, dismissed a report on Tuesday that said he had used a product containing a banned substance.

Holding court on a podium during Media Day for Sunday’s Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers, the soon-to-be retired Lewis was asked about a Sports Illustrated article published online that linked him to a substance banned by the National Football League.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – He is the “Cool Joe” that makes the Baltimore Ravens go, and in Sunday’s Super Bowl quarterback Joe Flacco could take a giant step toward assuming the team’s leadership role from retiring linebacker Ray Lewis.

The strong-armed quarterback, quiet but brimming with confidence, lifted his game in the postseason, throwing eight touchdowns without an interception and earning consideration as one of the game’s top quarterbacks.