Dec 23, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) lines up under center during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

One team… one goal.

That’s still the message just four months after the Tennessee Titans finished a 2012-13 NFL season with glaring deficiencies on both sides of the football. Many new faces have been acquired through free agency and the 2013 NFL Draft. Titans head coach Mike Munchak won’t use that as an excuse or allow it to alter his expectations for the upcoming season. According to Jim Wyatt from The Tennessean:

New #Titans guard Andy Levitre said Mike Munchak told team today the goal is to win now. Super Bowl is the expectation in 2013, he said

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) April 22, 2013

What else can Munchak say? His job largely depends on whether this team takes a step forward in 2013. At age 90, owner Bud Adams will become increasingly impatient with a team that shows mediocre results. There’s no excuse for this team to not compete for a wild-card berth, even the AFC South title. And once a team reaches the playoffs, anything can happen.

Bovada.com has a Super Bowl XLVIII odds list for all 32 teams. The Titans were one of four teams who came in at 100-to-1 odds. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars had lower odds. They had 200-to-1 odds. The Indianapolis Colts had 35-to-1 odds. The Houston Texans had 18-to-1 odds.

Is it just me, or should the Colts and Texans flip-flop those odds? With Andrew Luck, the Colts are better-positioned to win a Super Bowl in the near future. Maybe they’re projecting that the Colts overachieved and that they’ll take a step back in 2013.

Back to the Titans. These odds are a testament to how the general public feels about Jake Locker and the lack of star power that has come out of L.P. Field the last few seasons. There’s no way that the Cleveland Browns (75-to-1), New York Jets (75-to-1) and Kansas City Chiefs (50-to-1) should have that much greater odds than the Titans.

I’m not guaranteeing Super Bowl. With that said, there’s no excuse—and I mean no excuse—for this team not to reach the postseason and play competitive football once they’re there. Give this roster to the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff—and this team would soar. It’s up to Munchak and his assembled staff to get the most out of this talent.

Munchak expects a Super Bowl. What about the fans? Don’t mix up “hoping” with “expecting.” After the 2013 NFL Draft, what are your post-draft expectations for the Tennessee Titans?

Feb 1, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of a Vince Lombardi Trophy at the commissioner

Super Bowl XLVII Predictions From The Titan Sized Staff

Here they are.  The final predictions of the year from the staff here at Titan Sized.  The season may be over, but keep checking back for our off season analysis articles and to keep up with all Titans news!

Justin Stewart, Editor:  This has to be the hardest game of the season to predict, and perhaps one of the toughest ones I’ve ever tried to predict. Both teams have stellar defenses and guys that are almost certainly going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame some day.

This is going to be a great Super Bowl. Defenses will be the deciding factor in this one, which is why it’s so hard to predict. But I’ll go with something close to the Madden prediction, because it just sounds right. 49ers 28 – Ravens 24

Josh Gunnels, Assistant Editor:  Let’s take a quick moment to take in how crazy it is that two brothers are coaching against each other in the freakin Super Bowl.  It must be mind blowing to the parents.  ”So what are Johnny and Jimmy up to?”  ” Not much,  just conquering the most popular American pastime.  How are  your kids?”  But I digress…

Both teams are hot right now so you can throw out going with the hot hand theory.  Both Harbaugh brothers made gutsy calls 3/4 of the way through their season.  The 49ers changed their starting quarterback midstream and the Ravens canned their offensive coordinator with only a  few games left in the season.  Both teams have outstanding opportunistic defenses, and their differences lie in the way they move the ball on offense.

As much as I want them to lose, I see the Ravens pulling this one out.  Flacco has taken his team to the playoffs for five straight years and it’s time to seal the deal.  Kaepernick has been fun to watch and may be the quarterback of the future, but the mistakes are bound to arise on the big stage.  I do have a sneaky suspicion that Randy Moss is going to hit the fountain of youth at half time and make some crazy game winning 60 yard catch to steal victory from Ray Ray.  Outside of that freakish occurence, the Ravens continue to prove the masses wrong one last time.   In a close game, give me the experienced QB:  Ravens 27 – 49ers 24

Myles Macdonald, Contributor:  A long defensive struggle breaks open in the 4th quarter as both teams score two touchdowns.  Ray Lewis put an exclamation point at the end of his career by sacking the elusive Colin Kaepernick on the final drive of the game, slowing San Francisco just enough to keep them out of field goal range as time expires.  Joe Flacco is named Superbowl MVP while going 20/29 for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns, playing mistake free football against a ferocious 49ers defense.  Colin Kaepernick proves almost ready for the biggest stage in football, except for one thing- the Ravens sack him 4 times and keep him from making plays with his legs. Baltimore 27- San Francisco 24

 Phillip Lytle, Contributor:  Let’s do a quick side-by-side comparison of these two teams to determine who will emerge victorious on Sunday:

1. The Coaches:  Jim Harbaugh vs. John Harbaugh  : I think this one is pretty much dead even.  They have both done fantastic jobs as head coaches in the NFL.  You can’t go wrong with either of them.

2. The Cities:  Baltimore vs. San Francisco : I wouldn’t mind visiting San Fran, but I don’t want to live in either place.  I’m going to give the edge to Baltimore because it is the death place of Edgar Allen Poe and he is more interesting than anything San Francisco has to offer.

3. The Big Names:  Ray Lewis vs. Randy Moss:  Ray Lewis is a future Hall of Famer.  Randy Moss: Ditto.  Ray Lewis has won a Super Bowl.  Randy Moss has not.  Ray Lewis believes God is on his side.  I’m not convinced its God that is on his side.  Unless by God you mean Satan.  Randy Moss might actually believe he is God.  Even though I don’t like the man, can’t stand his team, and think he is a pretty awful human being, I’m going with Ray Lewis here simply because of his track record.

4. Uniforms:  How can you go wrong with the 49ers’ colors?  When I see that uniform I think of Montana, Rice, and Young.  When I see the Ravens uniforms I think of death, heartbreak, and the stomach flu.  (On a personal note, the last time the Titans played the Ravens in the playoffs – after the 13-3 Kerry Collins season – I watched that game after spending the previous hours puking my guts out with a stomach bug.  The game didn’t help matters at all.)

5.   The Verdict:  This is where all the previous things I wrote have absolutely no bearing on my pick. 49ers  28 –  Ravens  24

Matias Wodner, Contributor:   This is probably the hardest game to pick so far, so it’s fitting that it’s the finale to this incredible season. The 49ers are really good and have done an amazing job. The Ravens are feeding off their own energy, carrying momentum all the way to the Super Bowl. I’m sensing a feel-good ending to the career of one of the best linebackers of all-time, and the first triumph for perhaps the best safety ever.  Ravens 23- 49ers 20

Shawn Eagle, Lead Writer :  Its come to this…one final game..the Super Bowl! I like the 49ers and I’m buying the half point to take it down to 3 points. The Ravens don’t have as dynamic as an offense as the Falcons or Packers did and I think the 49ers will match up better with them because of that. I think the Ravens troubles of stopping the run during the season will rear its ugly head against the 49ers and the niners win.  49ers 24 – Ravens 20.

Who do you think comes out on top?

You can follow me on Twitter  @gunnelsj

Jan 27, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of the NFL experience at the convention center prior to Super Bowl XLVII. The Baltimore Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers on February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As always, the guys at Madden have simulated the Super Bowl matchup between this year’s two teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. I always take this with a grain of salt, but as Yahoo! points out, it has a decent record. Here’s the video simulation of the game (shortened, of course):

Baltimore by a field goal, aye? I can’t say it’s wrong, or right (obviously), but it’s certainly within the realm of possibility. The score sounds close to what I imagine it might be. This game is truly difficult to predict.

It’s also made awesome by the fact that Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Randy Moss will all be in it. All of those guys have had amazing careers and it’s almost impossible not to root for them, though they are on opposing teams.

Moss is still without a ring and you know he’s got to praying he finally gets it, as this will most likely be his last chance ever.

Madden says: Ravens 27 – 49ers 24

What do you say?