By Mike Corasaniti

Game: Super Bowl XLVIII
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date: February 2, 2014
Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks

It is hard to tell which is better for the Baltimore Ravens: their Super Bowl XLVII victory or the fact that nobody expects them to repeat this season.

Between the ever-present debate around the stature of Joe Flaaco’s game and the loss of players like Anquan Boldin, there are a lot of teams ahead of Baltimore on people’s lists. That’s not to say though that there aren’t any expectations.

For starters, no quarterback is going to complain when he’s got Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones to throw to.

Second it’s highly doubtful Baltimore will see any trouble from Cleveland or even Pittsburgh this year. But, the Cincinnati Bengals could give Baltimore a run for their money in the AFC North. The Ravens are still seemingly a near lock to make the playoffs, but Andy Dalton and Co. has looked good enough to relegate Baltimore to a Wild Card spot as they push for their first division title since 2009.

A Baltimore team making it back to the Super Bowl won’t just be happy to be there. A team without sparks like Boldin or the retired Ray Lewis will be looking to prove they’re more than just a team who got a big play against Denver and a surprise win over the Patriots.

They’re not concerned with proving that their quarterback is an elite so much as they’re looking to prove their caliber as a team, which is also still in some question even as they enter 2013 as defending champs.

In a rather different light, the Seattle Seahawks have a load of expectations behind them as well. Not even considering the expected continuing blossoming of QB Russell Wilson, their defense should be near the top in almost every defensive category in 2013.

Their division should provide even bigger headaches than the Ravens will face however, as their reward for surviving the intriguing cases of both the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams will be the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. As the two best teams in possibly the best division of 2013, the matchups between Seattle and San Francisco will be must sees, seeing two young quarterbacks against two high-ranked defenses.

If Seattle can get past their main divisional rival though, setting their sights on their first Super Bowl trip since 2005 will not be out of their reach.

Highlighted by cornerback Richard Sherman looking to further assert his claim that he is the best at his position in the league, Seattle will have no shortage of explosive players leading them.

Players like Sherman will be especially key for a team looking for an extra spark to get over the next step that they were unable to conquer when they lost in last year’s divisional round. Add on the Percy Harvin situation, who return date is still unclear after requiring a recent injury led to hip surgery, and there will be a much heavier reliance on the players already there who can make the big plays.

But Seattle’s offensive game is not too heavily reliant on the pass game, as Wilson’s passing numbers were nothing too impressive, especially compared to the league’s elites.

The team relied a lot more on the run game and the running threat the Wilson provided, finishing in the Top 3 in rush yards per game last season.

The Ravens conversely had a mediocre-at-best rush defense, which showed through Kaepernick’s big Super Bowl plays against their defense.

How Baltimore gets there

A return trip to the Super Bowl will look similar to last year’s for the Ravens, most likely facing the Broncos as their biggest test. Even considering all of the injuries and drama surrounding the Patriots this offseason, it’s not unlikely to think that they may once again be standing in the way.

But what will be the most crucial for another deep playoff run is how well their secondary can perform. Especially against a Denver offense with so many weapon at Peyton Manning’s disposal, the pass defense will be the make or break for this team.

How Seattle gets there

It’s a coin flip as to who wins the NFC West, but it won’t really matter once Seattle gets to the playoffs.

No matter if the Seahawks enter the playoffs as a Wild Card or with a bye, they will have to get past the 49ers and Green Bay Packers in some way or another. And the defining factors for both matchups be: Can the Seahawks get to the quarterback? Though this team is much better than it was a year ago, the answer to those questions is again a coin flip.

Prediction

Comparing Baltimore’s defense to Seattle’s, which finished in The top 10 in rush and pass categories last season, and it’s a safe pick.

The Ravens will provide big plays and experience to keep the game close through halftime. But Seattle running it down Baltimore’s throat will take a toll on the Ravens defense, and two third quarter rushing touchdowns will put the game out of reach for the Seahawks.

Seattle 24-13

Season's Over Editor-In-Chief Mike Corasaniti discusses the upcoming seasons for the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins and what it would take for the two to meet in Super Bowl XLVIII with staff writer Michael Lepoutre.

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By Mike Corasaniti

Game: Super Bowl XLVIII
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date: February 2, 2014
Teams: New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers

After nearly staging an impressive comeback after the Ravens cramped up during the Superdome blackout (or something like that), the San Francisco 49ers are looking to be the favorite to once again emerge from the NFC. And this offseason has only been making them look better.

They traded Alex Smith (hopefully stifling anymore quarterback drama), traded for receiver Anquan Boldin (from the team that beat them in the Super Bowl no less), and extended contracts for such key core players like Justin Smith Anthony Davis.

Across the country, another team is looking fine enough to continue its boring, decade-long string of dominance with their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years.

Though they are experiencing some strange offseason drama with Tebow, Hernandez, and some other injuries, New England is the master at handling ridiculous situations (Tebow in New England coverage is nothing compared to Tebow in New York, and Hernandez was cut basically seconds after his arrest on June 26).

So is this the year Tom Brady finally reclaims the glory of his young dynasty days? (Remember, it will soon be ten years since Brady has won anything.) Or does a fully-loaded San Fran squad have something else in mind?

How San Francisco gets there

The 49ers could win 13 games in 2013, so long as they don’t get stuck in another tie, but they could also win 9 and make it into the playoffs as a Wild Card. That’s how good the Seahawks will be and how unpredictable the Rams are.

Either way, there are no signs showing that Kaepernick isn’t only going to improve on the force that he proved he could be last season when games were on the line. Just like last season, Kaepernick will get the team to the playoffs, and the depth of the offense (pending they find another receiver or that whole Vernon Davis idea works out) and defense gets them back to the Super Bowl.

How New England gets there

Nobody doubts that the Patriots will win the AFC East again this year.

Nobody doubts that the Patriots will return to at least the AFC Championship game again this year.

The doubt comes with whether they will show up for the deciding game against the Broncos, Ravens, or even Texans when another shot at the title is on the line. It’s a coin flip at this point, but they have certainly showed year in and year out that they have the tools (and Tom Brady) to do so.

The Matchup

I’m going to write Tom Brady’s name again here and say that Tom Brady is going to outplay Colin Kaepernick, to the surprise of nobody. Kaepernick will be much better, or at least much more consistent, than last year. But not even a more developed Kap will be able to take on New England successfully in just his second full-year of play.

But I do think that the 49ers are going to be a very different team than they were in last year’s Super Bowl.

They are going to be more experienced, more poised, and more retooled to the point where even if Kaepernick succumbs to the voodoo doll Alex Smith has already built for him out in Kansas City, it is extremely hard to see such a team losing the big one two years in a row.

Prediction

San Francisco 30-21

An NFC Championship matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers is in line if both teams win out, setting up a rematch of one of the most infamous endings in NFL history.

By Mike Corasaniti

If you’re sick of seeing the picture to your left, then you’re human. Or, you might just be a Packer.

The Sept. 24 ending to the Monday Night Football thriller is not only a shrill reminder of one of the most embarrassing lockouts in all of sports, but also the play that sent Green Bay to their first regular season second loss since 2010. A little long winded, but they don’t like losing.

About 14 weeks later, both teams are two wins away (easier said than done) from a late season matchup with a championship berth on the line. And for the Packers especially, there’s probably nobody else outside of Chicago they’d like to pound than the team that crushed their hearts by the hands of some replacement referees.

How the Packers get there

Green Bay handles the Vikings with ease later today and then beats San Francisco in overtime next weekend. Aaron Rodgers has been playing too well and the Packers are too motivated to bow out early this season, especially after their 2012 early exit.

They gave up way too many yards against Adrian Peterson last week, and between San Francisco and Minnesota, stopping Adrian Peterson could be their toughest challenge in getting to the conference championship. But as long as they keep Purple Jesus to around 100 yards, Green Bay has more than the right stuff to cruise by the Vikings at home and then upset the 49ers.

How the Seahawks get there

The Russell Wilson-Robert Griffin III matchup may be the most exciting one on this seasons slate of divisional matchups, as both players have the opportunity to put up equally as exciting games. Seattle is simply just the better team though, and emotion on the side of the Redskins won’t be enough to get past the Seattle defense.

Getting by Atlanta will obviously be the bigger challenge, but it’s no secret that Atlanta may be the softest No. 1 seed of all time entering the playoffs. Behind Seattle’s stellar run game up against the Falcons mediocre run defense (No. 21 in the league against the run), it could easily be another disappointing exit for Matt Ryan and Atlanta.

Matchup

The toughest challenge for Seattle this postseason will be playing on the road. They’re potent at CenturyLink Field, winning all 8 games at home this season, but they haven’t won an away postseason game since the early 1980s.

This is huge for Green Bay who, historically, is one of the toughest teams in league to see at home in the playoffs. The matchup will lie between Aaron Rodgers and the Seattle pass defense, No. 6 in the league entering this weekends games.

Seattle has a solid opportunity in front of them entering the playoffs, but in this what if matchup, a Green Bay Packers team at home coming off a win over San Francisco would be too much for any team in this field to handle.

Green Bay 23-10

By Mike Corasaniti

The Replacement Referee Era officially ended with Thursday night's matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Ravens in Baltimore.

Gone are the days of criticism, skepticism, and questioning every call the referees make...sort of. Either way, fans are now able to watch games with a little less reason to get angry and players are able to do what they are paid to do without the worry of failing due to reasons that are out of their hands. And more importantly, exceptional performances will replace blown calls on headlines across America.

With that being said, and 14 beautiful weeks of regular season football left to enjoy with veteran referees, it's time to take a look back on five of the worst instances of this disgraceful period in NFL history.

5. Sept. 23: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings

Low point: Referees grant San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh two invalid video challenges after a fourth quarter timeout. 

It was hard to pick a No. 5 since there are a good number of other games where the refs didn't necessarily blow the game, but embarrassed themselves nonetheless (Redskins v. Rams just to name one). But more than some of the others, this officiating mess highlighted the lack of confidence these replacement referees had in themselves and the calls they were making.

In their defense, the refs did have to deal with one of the most excitable coaches in the league in Jim Harbaugh, but no self-respecting ref should ever be intimidated to the point where a coach convinces them to hand out extra challenges.

The referees didn't blow this game. The Vikings won this game, behind probably Christian Ponder's best NFL performance to date (a solid 198 yards, two touchdowns and no picks) and some handy David Akers field goals, but they didn't make it the easiest to watch.

4. Sept. 23: Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders

Low point: No flag is thrown on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Oakland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who was a defenseless receiver.

This game was a tough one to swallow for the Steelers. Take away the game-winning field goal as time expired for the Raiders, and there was still a lot to be upset about, especially with the referees.

A pick 6 being called back on a very questionable roughing the passer call on James Harrison, the lack of a call for the blatant face mask grabbing of Mike Wallace in the end zone, and an overall 14 flags against Pittsburgh held back a Steelers team that should have had a much easier time against the Raiders.

But still, the worst moment of the game came on the flagless hit against Heyward-Bey in the end zone that led to his carting off the field. Obviously, a latter penalty wouldn't have prevented the hit on Heyward-Bey, but simply allowing a dangerous hit like that to go unpunished is an embarrassment for a league so "dedicated" to player safety.

3. Sept. 17: Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons


Low point: Lack of control over the game leads to no control of sideline-clearing confrontations between players after a Knowshon Moreno fumble.

One of the worst aspects of games officiated by replacements was that they took forever. The Monday night Broncos-Falcons matchup was one of the most blatant examples of that with a first half that took a little over two hours, all because the officials had no control over the game.

The lack of control was evident throughout the game, which was filled with delayed and overturned calls and was ultimately represented by the on-field skirmish. It was a mess, took more than five minutes to clear up, and, when all was said and done, only one flag was thrown.

There were a few other instances comparable to the mess in Atlanta, but the disarray being on full display on a Monday night just made the situation that much worse.


2. Sept. 23: New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens

Low point: Questionable to ridiculous holding and interference calls extend Baltimore drives, assisting in their comeback; John Harbaugh is called with unsportsmanlike conduct for trying to call a timeout.

Joe Flacco engineered some terrific drives to lead the Ravens to their bizarre one-point win, but at times, the referees were the only reasons those drives were able to continue. It all culminated in one of the hardest field goal calls of all time that, to their defense, the refs probably got right.

But there are two main problems with the game besides this. One: If the game was called perfectly—which it wouldn't have been with the real referees either—it would not have even come down to the close field goal at the end of the game. Two: The referees were awful against Baltimore as well.

In total, 24 penalties were called throughout the game, for a total of 218 yards. Almost every single drive that had major penalties led to scoring, and almost every single call led to PG-13 jeers from the Baltimore faithful. 

After the game, many were questioning whether this would prove to be the "straw that would break the NFL's back." But, as we know now, that straw wouldn't come for about 24 more hours.


1. Sept. 24: Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks

Low point: Do I even have to say it?

To reiterate the point that everyone has been talking about this past week, the last call made by replacement referees was one of the worst calls in NFL history for three reasons: It was wrong; they reviewed the play and still didn't realize it was wrong; and they weren't technically allowed to review the play anyways.

The Era of the Replacement Referee is over. The old referees are back, and while they're far from perfect, it's nice to know that, moving forward, the game can get back to being the game. 

Players will be able to play with the knowledge that the game is back in their hands, coaches won't have to be so on edge to challenge the officials on every single player, and, miraculously, America won't be so quick to hate the referee. 

Well, at least for a while.


This article can be seen on Bleacher Report

By Mike Corasaniti

The melodrama surrounding handshakes has gotten a little ridiculous.

In my recent memory, all of this hullabaloo started six years ago yesterday, when Bill Belichick’s Patriots toppled Eric Mangini’s Jets at the Meadowlands in the first game of the rivalry under Mangini’s tenure. The fourth quarter ended and the two sidelines engaged in the dry tradition of hugging the men they just spent three hours trying to hurt when Mangini and Belichick made their way over to each other, climaxing with an eye-contactless deadfish grip that only succeeded in making everyone watching at home feel a little more awkward.

Since then, I’m sure you can remember the many more handshake headlines that unfolded around the league. The headline going into the Jets-Patriots 2007 playoff game was a handshake, Jim Harbaugh handed Jim Schwartz a strangely intense pat on the back leading to a strangely intense chasedown, and just this Sunday, Tom Coughlin ignored any sense of pleasantries and simply ripped Greg Schiano apart for his defensive line’s hit on Eli Manning during the final kneel-down of the game. It was after the latest chapter that I really started to think about the absurdity of the postgame handshake and why the mandatory nature of the tradition needs to die.

Let's look at how a few other sports do it.

First up is basketball. If coaches want to keep exchanging pleasantries after games, that's fine with me, mostly because it would be harder to ignore the other coach and walk away, then walk the seven feet down the line to shake his hand. It's like dealing with the ex-girlfriend you're forced to sit next to in class: it's best to just address the elephant in the room, say good game, and move on. But with the same analogy applied to football, if you're standing across a football field from someone you have ill will with (see Mangini and Belichick), it's probably best to just ride the elephant all the way home.

Next up is baseball, which in my opinion does it right. Not that I’m completely against manners, but if I were a manager, I wouldn’t want to have to climb out of the dugout and across the infield just to spank the man that just beat me. Baseball realized this is silly, and you know what the best part about all of it is? There are no subsequent baseball storylines about handshakes.

There is a lot of good to be said about the history of NFL coaches with good manners. Men have gotten their butts kicked and looked the opposing coach in the eyes and said, "nice job." Coaches destroyed opponents and respectfully wished their counterparts better luck next time. People enjoyed seeing it and it was good for the game, but pettiness isn't good for anyone. If Jim Schwartz is tired of getting beat by San Francisco, then he should just write Harbaugh an e-mail next week when he's cooled off. If Belichick wants to punch the nearest Jet in the face after a loss, then he should probably save it for his punching bag. Nobody should be forced to show good manners. And if a new tradition starts, where head coaches aren't shellacked for just walking off the field after a loss, then hopefully, people won't mind. Because I'd honestly rather watch someone ignore their ex-girlfriend, than awkwardly stand by to see them shake hands, ignore eye contact and walk away (see Mangini and Belichick).


This article can be seen in The Daily Campus