Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis (52) celebrates with strong safety Bernard Pollard (31) after the San Francisco 49ers failed to convert on fourth down in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

New Tennessee Titans safety Bernard Pollard spoke out last week, saying he will not accompany his former team, the reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, on their trip to the White House.

While in an interview with a Baltimore sports radio show, Pollard said the unreleased date of the Ravens’ trip to Washington, D.C. conflicts with a family vacation he has planned. Pollard added that, even if he did not have a timing conflict, he still had no plans of going to the White House with his former teammates.

The seven-year NFL veteran cited lasting grudges with “certain people” in the Ravens organization as his reason for not attending.

For Titans fans, this news should come as both a positive and a negative. Pollard’s words indicate that he does not take kindly to disrespect, an invaluable trait on the field. Furthermore, the new safety should not have a problem putting thoughts about his estranged former team’s Super Bowl run out of his mind and focusing on the task at hand.

However, Pollard’s actions also show that he has the kind of personality that is not conducive to a healthy locker room. He is outspoken, he can obviously hold a grudge and he is not afraid to question authority.

To be fair, that attitude is exactly what makes Pollard so attractive to the Titans: He has a chip on his shoulder the likes of which the Titans secondary has not seen since the team lost Cortland Finnegan to free agency. Additionally, Pollard made sure to say the bad blood he has with the Ravens has nothing to do with his former teammates or with general manager Ozzie Newsome.

From what I have seen, players with personalities like Pollard’s will often have extreme reactions at opposite ends of the spectrum. In instances like this, when they feel disrespected, players like Pollard will respond emotionally and unapologetically. Conversely, when treated correctly, these players can be fiercely loyal.

All things considered, I am alright with Pollard’s decision to not only skip the trip to the White House but also speak out about it. Although his move may have burned a few bridges for the former Raven, it showed everyone involved with the Titans, fans included, that Pollard is going all in with his new team.

Jan 31, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Recording artist Beyonce speaks during a press conference for the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show at the New Orleans Convention Center. Super Bowl XLVII will be played between the San Francisco 49ers on February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It’s finally arrived. The Super Bowl is here. There’s always a lot going on during Super Bowl Sunday, so here’s a little schedule to help you figure out when and where what is happening with who.

• At 2pm ET, the pregame show kicks off on CBS with Boomer Esiason, James Brown, Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher, with Bryant Gumble being the anchor. That runs until 6pm. Most likely that’ll be a long winded recap of everything that has been discussed the past few weeks, with a few interviews of the players sprinkled in there.
• At 6pm, CBS’s Kick-Off show starts up. During this time a group Sandy Hook Elementary School students will sing America the Beautiful, followed by Alicia Keys singing the national anthem.
• The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 pm ET. Crack open the beers and dive into the chips and dip and wings!!!
• For the halftime show, we’ll be seeing Beyonce and Destiny’s Child. Obviously, the NFL is trying to draw in more female viewership. I never watch halftime anymore. It hasn’t been good for years.

The past few years I’ve only been excited for the delicious food surrounding me, but this year I’m actually excited for the game. The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens should put on a show that won’t soon be forgotten.

I plan on destroying some wings, both to represent who I’m rooting for, and because I just can’t get enough of some buffalo wings.

Here’s a little recap of the past few Super Bowls in case you’ve forgotten, courtesty of ESPN.com:

And of course, the Madden Super Bowl prediction:

Enjoy the game!

*Cue offseason.

You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart

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