Well, the curse apparently has been broken.
Last week, Nashville radio host Thom Abraham arranged for Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck and running back LenDale White to sign a Terrible Towel and send it to the Pittsburgh-area school that benefits from the sale of the only towel that isn’t designed to absorb water.
The goal was to break the curse that many think arose when White stomped on a Terrible Towel last December 21. After that game, which moved the 2008 Titans to 13-2 and nailed down the top seed in the AFC playoffs, Tennessee hadn’t won again, losing the regular-season finale, a playoff game at home, and then six straight to start 2009.
Maybe it was a coincidence. But the reality remains that the Titans have reversed their fortunes via a 76-point swing, winning by 17 after losing by 59.
The first win of the year was sparked by 228 rushing yards from Chris Johnson, who now leads the NFL with 824 yards, in only seven games.
But quarterback Vince Young also played an important role, managing a passing attack consisting primarily of short throws, and completing 15 of 18 for 125 yards.
Not bad for a guy who was expected to call five to seven plays that made no sense.
Overshadowed in defeat was a 177-yard rushing performance (159 of them on two carries) from Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars, giving the game’s two top rushers more than 400 yards.
Jones-Drew’s 79-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half tied the game at 13. The Titans took the lead for good on a 52-yard run from Johnson on the next drive, and the home team delivered the knockout blow on the first snap of the fourth, with an 89-yard run from Johnson.
In Jacksonville, the calls for a new quarterback (and possibly a new coach) will return, given a subpar performance from David Garrard (14 for 27 with 139 yards and two picks) and, ultimately, an ugly loss to a winless team that dropped the Jags to 3-4.
For Tennessee, it’s a step in the right direction for a franchise that had been humiliated the last time it played. And while there’s a long way to go before Vince Young can be regarded as truly being back, his performance under tough circumstances means he’ll continue to receive opportunities to prove that the quarterback of the past can again be the quarterback of the future.
The Steelers fans find a way to inject themselves into every story, now what the hell are they going to do? I guess they need to find another way to put themselves into every Titans story…… Since they cant refer to the curse of the snot rag anymore….
Let this be a lesson.
It looks like the curse of the Terrible Towel is going easy on the Titans because they acknowledged their mistake.
The Bengals spent two whole seasons picking up the peices after T.J. Houshmanzadah wiped his shoes with the towel. Apparently the curse has followed Housh to Seattle where he has completely disappeared. That may also explain why the Bears “ain’t even holler at him”.
As a Patriots fan I love seeing these two teams beat each other up, as the Pats have both of their 2nd round picks next year. Now if both the Jags and the Titans loose out the rest of the way……
The Jaguars didn’t hand off to Jones-Drew until the middle of the second quarter. Might the most clueless coaching decision of the year.
Yeah, it was the towel thing that got them a win. Or maybe, it was because they played a crappy team for a change.
Funny how you didnt mention Florio that you had the Jags making a playoff run. So are Jags one of the “worst teams in the AFC” now Florio.