Tennessee Titans

I am by no means picking the Titans to win the 2013 Super Bowl, but if I were a betting man, I would think about putting some money on them at 40/1. There is a lot of work to be none between now and then, but that number seems pretty high. Can someone explain to me why the Dolphins and Cardinals have better odds that the Titans?

Click through the jump to see the full list of 2013 odds courtesy of Bovada.

2013 SUPER BOWL XLVII ODDS

Green Bay Packers 6/1

New England Patriots 7/1

New Orleans Saints 8/1

Philadelphia Eagles 12/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 12/1

Houston Texans 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

New York Giants 15/1

San Diego Chargers 16/1

New York Jets 16/1

San Francisco 49ers 18/1

Dallas Cowboys 18/1

Detroit Lions 18/1

Atlanta Falcons 22/1

Chicago Bears 30/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Cincinnati Bengals 40/1

Indianapolis Colts 50/1

Tennessee Titans 40/1

Oakland Raiders 50/1

Carolina Panthers 50/1

Denver Broncos 50/1

Kansas City Chiefs 50/1

Seattle Seahawks 60/1

Buffalo Bills 60/1

Washington Redskins 60/1

Minnesota Vikings 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75/1

Cleveland Browns 100/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 100/1

The Food Network show Heat Seekers that airs tonight will feature Jordan Babineaux. The show will be showcasing the Nashville delicacy 'hot chicken', though they shamefully decided to feature a sports bar over legendary places like Bolton's and Prince's. Sure, you're way more likely to get shivved in the parking lot of Prince's, but that's the birthplace of our style of 'hot chicken'... which is exactly what it sounds like, but so much more than you're imagining.

Weirdest Titans-related tidbit from the Super Bowl: former Titans linebacker Rocky Boiman called the game over he radio for the BBC. That's a hell of a leap for a guy who was still suiting up just two seasons ago.

Props to MIA for saluting Bud Adams during the halftime show last night!

Speaking of Bud Adams, congrats to the owner for winning the inaugural Salute to Service Award for his years of work supporting active duty and retired soldiers.

Paul K compares the teams of the AFC South to the Super Bowl winning Giants.

FO delivers their last Audibles at the Line of the 2011 season.

After failing to land Jeff Fisher, the Dolphins' new owner is now pining for Peyton Manning.

Email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com and Tweet me @AugustWest_MCM

Jimmy and I will record a special edition of MCM Radio tonight with special guest Wes Bunting. Wes is one of my favorite draft gurus, as you probably noticed by virtue of how often his work makes the links. We'll cover the 2012 draft in-depth. Jimmy and I will also probably discuss the Super Bowl a bit, and any Titans storylines that catch our fancy.

You can listen live by clicking the graphic above, and the show will be available later through iTunes or the BTR site.

Ryan Van Bibber of SB Nation has put out an updated 2012 NFL Mock Draft this morning, and he has the Titans taking Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin. It is interesting that this is one of the first mocks that I have seen with the Titans taking Konz. Here is what Van Bibber had to say about the pick:

Head coach Mike Munchak spoke pretty harshly about his offensive line, the unit he used to coach before his promotion. Konz is a big upgrade in the middle over Eugene Amano, who moved in from right guard last season*. Besides improving the center position, it gives Munchak some flexibility with his remaining linemen.

*Obviously that should read two seasons ago.

I like Konz, and I think he will make a very good NFL center, but the Titans should not spend this pick on an interior offensive lineman. They can find a guy who can step in and play right away in the second or third round.

The Dolphins are going to chase Peyton Manning if he becomes available in free agency.

Ryan Van Bibber of SB Nation has put out an updated 2012 NFL Mock Draft this morning, and he has the Titans taking Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin.

The Food Network show Heat Seekers that airs tonight will feature Jordan Babineaux.

This is the most out of left field mock draft I have seen so far this season outside of the one that had the Titans Juron Criner with the 20th pick. Evan Silva of Roto World and Josh Norris have put out a mock draft that has the Titans taking Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis. Here is what they had to say about the pick:

Poe's collegiate resume doesn't jump off the page, but the athletic, 6-foot-5, 350-pound behemoth will be coveted on draft day. Titans defensive line coach Tracy Rocker is still in search of wide bodies to execute his scheme. While returning rookies Karl Klug and Jurell Casey flashed promise as first-year pass rushers at 300 pounds or less, Poe would add a new dimension as an immovable nose tackle capable of attracting double teams and swallowing up enemy ball carriers.

We know that a lot has been made of the Titans wanting to get bigger on the defensive line, but this guy seems like an ideal nose tackle. That is something the Titans don't really use since they don't run a 3-4. I have seen a lot of mocks with Poe going in the first round, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for it to be to the Titans.

This is the most out of left field mock draft I have seen so far this season outside of the one that had the Titans Juron Criner with the 20th pick.

One of the more interesting parts of an Super Bowl is all of the bets you can make on the game.

I suppose "OK with" might be a little misleading. In the end, I'd rather the Colts just draft Jerry Hughes all over again, but that's probably not going to happen. In any case, it's old news (as if it wasn't obvious to begin with) that the Colts do plan on taking Andrew Luck with the first overall pick. While that isn't a fun concept to grasp, I think I might prefer it over the alternative.

Robert Griffin III is unreal. Calling him the consolation prize to whichever QB hungry team misses out on Luck is a travesty because he'd likely be the crown jewel of any other draft without hesitation. There will be doubters, and they'll say things like "Well he's only a prospect, you can't possibly know that his skill set will translate to the NFL well enough to make him worth the top pick." Same went for Manning, same goes for Luck. I don't care how many audibles Andrew Luck called in college, until he's established himself as an NFL quarterback, he's nothing more than a great college player. Right now, I view these two as equals. I'm not yet ready to proclaim Griffin III as "safe" of a pick as Luck is, because he looks a lot like a pretty surefire star, but let's be honest, RGIII was just as impressive this season as Luck was. It's also true that Griffin has only improved during his time at Baylor. As a freshman, he had very similar stats to our own Jake Locker with his low-ish completion percentage and relatively few touchdowns. After not getting much action during his sophomore year, Griffin exploded for 30 total touchdowns and raised his completion percentage to the high 60's as a junior. Of course, in 2011 he entered god-mode and increased his totals in just about every meaningful category en route to the Heisman Trophy.

If this says one thing it's that he's capable of raising his game and will continue to do so once he reaches the NFL, I have very few worries about him being able to harness his incredible amount of talent. To make another unfair comparison, his college numbers blow those of Offensive Rookie of the Year and single season record setter Cam Newton out of the water. He might not have the size of Newton, (only important because it should probably help his durability when he decides to leave the pocket) but his open field quickness and flat-line speed are unmatched at the quarterback position, or really at any other position for that matter. He possesses legitimate 4.3 speed and would have competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team as a hurdler had he chosen to pursue track and field over football. For all his smarts and undeniable talent, I don't think Luck has the ceiling of Griffin because of this speed and elusiveness.

For those who question Griffin's passing prowess, find me another quarterback who completed nearly 75% of his passes this season. Now find me a quarterback who can take off and make plays with his legs like Griffin can that still completes 75% of his passes. You can't. Naturally, his legs would help mask any deficiencies he has throwing the ball, which I don't expect him to have. Mind you, they wouldn't completely get rid of them, the quarterback's primary job is to complete passes after all, but assuming he's just an average passer, let's say on par with 2008 Matt Cassel who posted a 108 rate+ with 21 TDs and 11 INTs, you can basically take it to the bank that he'd be infinitely more valuable to a team because of his ability to scramble and get downfield in a hurry. That potential alone puts him up there as one of the best prospects in quite a few years in my mind. Now granted he is a spread offense QB, but others before him have had success and he really does look like he has great downfield accuracy you look for in a pro-style player. Plus, his pocket awareness is absolutely on point. He senses pressure, breaks out of it, and then becomes exceedingly more dangerous than he was just a couple of seconds ago. His accuracy on the run rivals Jake Locker's. He will absolutely pick defenses apart with this blend of skills. Finally, from what I've heard, it sounds like Griffin had a whole lot of control of Baylor's offense, meaning he was making pre-snap reads and adjusting his plays accordingly. That means he's at got an idea of what being a pro quarterback will be like at a young age. I'm not trying to stir anything up, but if Luck's a five-star general, Griffin's at least a three at this point with considerable room for improvement. I'm just spitballing here, but we're currently at a very innovative time in the NFL, I'd like to at least see the spread offense in action before we call it completely asinine. It's not hard to imagine a team building a new system around a talent like Griffin.

Finally, I'd like to put the Ryan Leaf/Peyton Manning comparison to rest right now. Leaf was nowhere near the prospect that Griffin is. He was inaccurate and kind of a whack job. In any case, I'm not sure I'd like to see either of these guys end up in Indianapolis, but I'll say this; Andrew Luck is unsettling, RGIII is downright terrifying.

The two weeks of hype is almost over. The Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days of the year. If you don't believe me, just ask the people that own Kroger. I was there earlier this afternoon and that place was an absolute mad house. The funny thing was pretty much everyone there was wearing some type of NFL paraphernalia, and a couple of people actually had a shirt or jersey on for the Giants or Patriots. I saw a couple of Eagles shirts and a couple of Bears shirts in addition to the normal amount of Titans stuff I would normally see around here.

As for the game, I said yesterday that my early inclination was to go with the Giants, but I have since changed my pick to the Patriots. JustinS suggested in the comments of that thread that you should probably pick opposite of me because of my playoff track record. It is hard to argue with that.

Discuss the game below.

Don't look for a beverage to cut the heat; these guys are drinking something called the Vodka of Doom.