Steelers, Titans to Kick Off '09 Season

Last week, word leaked that the Ravens asked the league to not consider them for a prime-time game in Pittsburgh next season, presumably because they're 0-3 under such circumstances, and if pressed, would prefer to lose in front of a regional audience instead of national one. Fair enough.

Typically, the defending Super Bowl champions open the new season on a Thursday night on a national television. Which means that the Steelers will be the featured attraction on Sept. 10. And according to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, the Ravens are off the hook; the Titans, who won 13 games last year before losing in the AFC Divisional round, will travel to Heinz Field.

The NFL doesn't have great options for the Steelers for opening night, Sept. 10. San Diego, Green Bay and Tennessee are the best ones ... and I'm hearing the Titans are favorite sons here. Roethlisberger-Collins. Young stud versus old. ... Good matchup if it happens. Very good. The football world approves.

(The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review confirms Pittsburgh-Tennessee, by the way.)

Hmm. I wonder which story lines we'll be beaten about the head with in the the five months leading up to the game. The incident in question took place during Week 16, as the Steelers were getting steamrolled in Tennessee.

A few weeks later, after the Ravens knocked the Titans out of the playoffs, Pittsburgh linebacker Larry Foote pointed to the power of karma: "You see right now we got the last laugh ... That's what they get for trying to humiliate us and rub it in, for not showing any class. We wanted to play them again, but they couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. That's what they get for stomping on the towel. We're stepping on them right now.''

And nose tackle Casey Hampton added this: "When you are not used to winning, then you do stuff like that. We are kind of used to winning, so we win with class.''

I doubt this will be really be an issue between the teams come game time. Partly because the Steelers won the Super Bowl last February, but also due to the fact that we're talking about a towel. Okay, anybody who's vaguely familiar with Steelers' football knows that Myron Cope's invention is anything but just "a towel." As Adam Gretz, Steelers ticket-holder, predicted earlier today: "Over/under on number of times LenDale White stomping the towel is shown on the Jumbotron: 100."

Also, randomly: what does it say about Vince Young's career that the story line for this game isn't: "matchup of young franchise quarterbacks," but, in King's words, "young stud versus old"?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-23-2009 @ 4:14PM

A. J. said...

Steelers.com confirms this as well. Tennessee was the only team last year that manhandled the Steelers. Time for some payback. Go Steelers!

3-23-2009 @ 4:33PM

dave said...

As a Steelers fan , I did want to play them again and get revenge for the classless acts they did at thier stadium.The Terrible towel is not just a towel , it stands for a great team that us Steelers fans love .It would be just like stepping on another teams jersey on the field... it was funny as hell watchin the Titans lose @ home in their first playoff game .. boo hoo

3-23-2009 @ 6:48PM

lazyindiankid4 said...

agreed Dave. I am a redskins fan, and what the titans did to u guys is something which needs revenge. This is going to be as good as one of our Redskins vs. Cowgirl games.

3-23-2009 @ 5:18PM

paisano77 said...

It's going to be even funnier when the Titans beat the Steelers on their own turf and send the defending champs to an 0-1 start. The Steelers should thank the Ravens because the Titans would of handed them their a**es agian in the AFC CHAMPIONSHIP.

3-23-2009 @ 8:22PM

ustimberproducts said...

BUT YOU COULDNT GET PAST THE RAVENS!!! SHOULD HAVE COULD HAVE ETC. WE ARE THE CHAMPS...GOOD LUCK NEXT YEAR TITANS, YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN TORN APART FROM FREE AGENCY! THE STEELERS RETURN 21OUT OF 22 STARTERS....

3-25-2009 @ 1:11AM

gcn said...

Paisano77 is pathetic. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

3-24-2009 @ 5:39AM

Mario said...

Screw the Steelers! Titans did nothing wrong! What payback? Titans are looking forward to this game.

3-25-2009 @ 1:03AM

Well, at least these Titans homers like paisano77 and Mario aren't bitter.

3-25-2009 @ 1:07AM

Even though I've been a Steelers fan for twenty years, I still don't pay too much attention to this whole "disrespecting the towel" thing. I don't care much for LenDale White, but that's more because of what I've read about him being lazy and a poor teammate, not because he stepped on a terrible towel.

Believe it, you titans homers on this post, us Steelers fans are also looking forward to playing your team to open the season.

3-25-2009 @ 12:25PM

krdrums said...

Steelers 10, Titans 24 (0-1)!!

3-25-2009 @ 3:33PM

Jo ShAdY said...

it took the refs not doing their job for the ravens to earn the w best beleive it will take more than that for the steelers to start 1-0 against the titans

3-25-2009 @ 3:44PM

thehobo94 said...

As long as the Steelers can still play Steeler football, it will be no contest. I think that with the new rules though, the Steelers are going to be made an example and will get called on every hard hit they make no matter how legit it is.

4-13-2009 @ 8:51AM

myra said...

It will be good to see the steelers not being favored by the refs calls. even the celebration penalty was not called against them in the final game.

3-26-2009 @ 4:22PM

Sandy said...

If I were a Steeler, I'd be more afraid of getting sodomized again than I would be of the players stomping on the towel

4-01-2009 @ 5:09AM

premiertransvp said...

I am a Ravens season ticket holder in Florida. I respect both the Titans and the Steelers. The Steelers won the game they needed to win. Either the Ravens or the Titans were in the SUPERBOWL. The Steelers won geames they should not have won ie That supposed TD in Baltimore, But you need to hand it othem they came bak and won the SB they way the Steelers know how to. I am excited to be in the AFC NORTH. Even with the 2 minor league OHIO teams we are a feared division.