With No End in Sight For Titans’ Woes, Is It Time For VY To Step Up?

Three down and 13 to go, and oh, how the mighty have fallen.

The Tennessee Titans, the same team who opened the 2008 season 10-0 on the way to a league-best 13-3 regular season record, currently share an 0-3 record with the likes of the St. Louis Rams, the Cleveland Browns, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Miami Dolphins.

Even last years’ winless Detroit Lions are one better than the Titans this year. How bad is that?

Yes, we all know the season is still just beginning. Every other team in the history of the NFL who has started 0-3 has said that.

Only five of them have ever made the playoffs. Not good odds, even for the most clueless of gamblers.

The long and short of it is, the Titans have big problems. And if they don’t find some answers to their questions soon, they can kiss any postseason hopes goodbye.

But what, exactly, are the questions?

Offensively, the Titans don’t appear to be having any success. Passes are being dropped, and the tag-team attack of LenDale White and Chris Johnson has, for the most part, been all dash, very little smash.

They have been close to winning, to be sure; two of their three losses were by three points, and one of those was in overtime. Still, close doesn’t cut it: all three Titans games have gone into the “L” column.

Kerry Collins at times looks like he is unravelling, throwing balls low or behind his receivers, sometimes missing them entirely.

And there is no doubt that Vince Young is chomping at the bit to get his starting position back.

But not so fast, folks: is VY really the answer? Are the Titans really that bad offensively?

The fact that the Houston game was a bit over the top not withstanding, the Titans are managing 210 yards passing/game, and thanks to Chris Johnson’s highlight reel performance against Texas, they are sitting at 151 yards rushing/game.

Subtract the Texas game, and the numbers are still over 100 yards/game on the ground. Not bad production for this offesnive unit.

In three games last year, the Titans scored 72 points. This year, 58. Hey, maybe we’re on to something.

Again, not so fast: Last year they outscored their opponents 72-29. This year, they have been outscored 71-58.

This is not, contrary to what it may look like, an offensive problem.

Consider these numbers: 179 yards/game passing, 85.67 yards/game rushing, seven interceptions, two fumbles recovered, TO differential of +4.

Like those numbers? These are the Titans numbers on defense…from last year.

This year’s numbers aren’t quite so cuddly: 297 yards/game passing, 60.67 yards/game rushing, three interceptions, two fumbles recovered, TO differential of -3.

Does anyone else see it?

The Titans do not have an offensive production problem; sure they could use some work in getting Collins and his receivers a little more in synch, but Coach ‘Dinger has done this before, and he’ll get it straightened out.

Ryan Mouton might want to invest in a little stick ‘um spray, though, or his special teams position is likely to go away.

The Titans do not have a defensive line problem. Contrary to all the naysayers who claimed that the loss of Albert Haynesworth to the Redskins would spell doom for the Titans front four (Didn’t Washington just lose to the Lions? Thought so…), Tennessee has actually improved upon their run-stopping performance from last year.

Sorry, Mr. Young—and all the VY kool-aid drinkers out there—but a change under center is NOT what the Titans need; in fact, it is probably the LAST thing they need.

If Collins had gone from being a quarterback who threw for 300 yards and three to four touchdowns every week, to a quarterback who couldn’t complete a pass and wouldn’t know what the end zone looked like if you gave him a personal tour, then yeah, I might say that Vince Young’s time had come.

If Collins had digressed from Peyton Manning-like performance to looking like the guy who is so bad that he backs up Jake Delhomme, than I would be jumping up and down saying, “Give VY a shot!”

If Kerry Collins was not running the offense exactly the way it is designed to run, and running it pretty well, then I’d call for his head just like the rest of you kool-aid drinkers out there.

But he didn’t, he hasn’t and he is. 

Kerry Collins is getting along just fine. In fact, he’s doing more than fine: he is performing better than he did last year after three games, not counting week one when he came in to relieve an injured Vince Young.

210 yards/game with four passing touchdowns this year against 170.67 yards/game with only two touchdowns last year means Collins has his game well in hand.

Let’s put the blame, and the solution, where it belongs: squarely on the shoulders of a defensive coordinator who might be in over his head, and a defensive backfield that is making mistakes I would expect my 11-12 year old recreation league team to make.

Almost 300 yards/game passing? Are you kidding me? Just how exactly is Vince Young supposed to help that? He isn’t, unless you think he would make a better cornerback than Nick Harper—which is potentially worth considering, as an aside—or a better safety that Vincent Fuller.

Otherwise, he’s best left on the sidelines calling in the plays.

And can someone, ANYONE, please explain to me why coaches think that backing the defensive pressure off at the end of the game is going to result in a positive outcome? Why, when pressuring the quarterback all day resulted in putting you ahead?

The prevent defense might have worked back in Coach Cecil’s day, but quarterbacks are bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter these days. If you think that playing to protect a lead is a viable defensive strategy against the current crop of quarterbacks, then you have no business coaching professional football.

Defensively, this year’s Titans secondary does not resemble the one from last year. the names on the jerseys are the same, but the performance couldn;t be more different.

They are giving up too much yardage through the air, and way too many big plays. By allowing their opponents to put up big numbers, they are putting pressure on their offense to perform in a manner that it isn’t set up to.

Kerry Collins is not, and has never been, a quarterback capable of regularly putting a team on his shoulders and winning games with his arm.

He has the ability to do it on occassion, but that’s not his baliwick.

Kerry Collins beats you by not making mistakes, taking advantage of the occassional big play, and otherwise patiently marching his offense downfield to score on you after wearing you out for 80 yards and 10 minutes.

And let’s be honest, folks; given his history, do we REALLY want to put the burden of winning on VY’s shoulders? Are we really so ready to forget his meltdown last year? Or his petulant attitude from the pre-season?

What happens if the Titans put him in, and things don’t get better immediately? Who do we blame then?

Maybe that IS what it will take to call attention to the actual problem; there are already rumblings that maybe it’s time to see if VY can’t make a difference. Maybe, just maybe, he could be the sacrificial lamb so that the real issue of slipshod pass defense can be identified.

It was pretty easy for me to identify it, but what do I know? I’m just an average, everyday fan who doesn’t have any credentials to back up my assertions.

So ask for VY if you want, but he isn’t the answer.

Stopping oponents from passing at will is.

Anybody thirsty?  I just whipped up a big batch of cherry kool-aid.

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Albert Haynesworth Watch 2009: Week Three

Finally we get some action from the big guy.

Big Al appeared to have awakened, at least for a few plays, as he was able to wrangle a sack and two solo tackles against the hapless Detroit Lions.

Um, wait a minute….

Did I say “Hapless?” I meant to say HAPPY.

Yes, folks, despite the efforts of Big Al in the trenches this week, Detroit, led by rookie quarterback Matt Stafford, prevailed over the Washington Redskins, putting last year’s O-fer behind them.

If only…

Nah, won’t go there. Stafford and company played well, even though Haynesworth appeared ready to justify his bloated contract.

Maybe, JUST MAYBE, I’m being a little hard on the guy. After all, one man can’t singlehandedly win a football game, can he?

I will say this: one man can most assuredly influence whether or not his team wins. And in Big Al’s defense he is, after all….on defense, and not responsible for scoring points.

I’m sure that for ‘Skins fans, just keeping the other team from scoring would be enough.

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Albert Haynesworth Watch 2009: Week Three

Finally we get some action from the big guy.

Big Al appeared to have awakened, at least for a few plays, as he was able to wrangle a sack and two solo tackles against the hapless Detroit Lions.

Um, wait a minute….

Did I say “Hapless?” I meant to say HAPPY.

Yes, folks, despite the efforts of Big Al in the trenches this week, Detroit, led by rookie quarterback Matt Stafford, prevailed over the Washington Redskins, putting last year’s O-fer behind them.

If only…

Nah, won’t go there. Stafford and company played well, even though Haynesworth appeared ready to justify his bloated contract.

Maybe, JUST MAYBE, I’m being a little hard on the guy. After all, one man can’t singlehandedly win a football game, can he?

I will say this: one man can most assuredly influence whether or not his team wins. And in Big Al’s defense he is, after all….on defense, and not responsible for scoring points.

I’m sure that for ‘Skins fans, just keeping the other team from scoring would be enough.

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Tennessee Titans Woes Continue As They Fall To The Jets, 24-17

At least they didn’t give up 300 passing yards.

That’s a small consolation for the Tennessee Titans, who fell to 0-3 after losing to the New York Jets 24-17 in a contest that started off badly and ended even worse.

Now in sole possession of last place in the AFC South- Tennessee faces the near impossible task of even making the playoffs- much less making a run at the Super Bowl.

Not at all what was expected from the Titans, who had pre-season aspirations of redeeming their truncated playoff run from the 2008 season.

Instead, the Titans are looking at a defensive backfield that is in disarray, a passing game that is falling off, and a supposed 1-2 punch in the running game that is turning out to be little more than a jab.

As good as Chris Johnson is, he can’t win games all by himself. Ask Barry Sanders, who he is beginning to resemble. As for LenDale, he looks like a one year wonder who should have just stayed on the Tequila.

Ryan Mouton had a horrible game, fumbling not one, but two kicks which resulted in Jets points.

As if the Titans aren’t already having trouble keeping opponents out of the end zone.

Even holding Mark Sanchez to less than 200 yards passing isn’t much to crow about; he still had two touchdown passes, and ran one in when the coverage was better than expected. His 171 yards eclipsed Collins’ output by one yard and a touchdown.

Even the Lions won this week, a situation I believe was called by yours truly in the weekly wrap up last week.

Tennessee’s next contest is against inter-division rival Jacksonville, who they trail by one game. There is absolutely no love lost between these two clubs, so the Titans need to expect that the Jaguars will come out swinging for the fences.

An 0-3 start makes their chances of reaching the playoffs nearly impossible. If they fall to 0-4, there will be no justification for post season talk in the Tennessee locker room. There will just be talk about next season.

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Tennessee Titans: At 0-2, Can They Turn The Tide Against High-Flying Jets?

Backed up by a solid running game and rock-solid defense in Week One, he earned his first NFL win against the Houston Texans.

Again bolstered by a highly efficient defense in Week Two, he outdueled a still recovering Tom Brady to triumph over the New England Patriots.

Folks, know one thing: Mark Sanchez is gonna be good—real good.

In interviews, he is unflappable. He is also confident, happy to be where he is, aware of the magnitude of the opportunity, and determined to make the most of it.

And he is bringing that attitude, that will to succeed, into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee sit at 0-2 coming into the game, and they don’t appear to have gotten a grasp on just what their problem is.

Identified before the season by pundits across the nation as a team likely to continue its run near the top of the defensive standings, the Titans have at times looked confused, overwhelmed, and out-gunned.

The safeties and cornerbacks aren’t communicating, which means big plays are on the verge of becoming an issue. Up front they aren’t too bad off, holding opponents to under 50 yards per game rushing in their first two contests. But their pass defense is atrocious, and Mark Sanchez is likely chomping at the bit to exploit that.

Considering that Texans’ quarterback Matt Schaub went for 367 yards against the Titans, this isn’t too far-fetched.

And rookie quarterbacks don’t carry quite the stigma they have had in past years. Remember, it was rookie quarterback Joe Flacco who overcame a stalwart Titans defense to win in Nashville in the 2008 Divisional Playoff game.

It’s difficult to identify just what the problem is. Defensive Coordinator Chuck Cecil is new to the position this year, but he can’t really be called a rookie coach. He was the defensive backs coach last year, so it’s not as if these guys aren’t used to his style.

And Head Coach Jeff Fisher has long been known as a defensive kind of guy, so it isn’t as if the team’s philosophy has drastically changed.

It can’t even be blamed on new personnel; there isn’t any. Nick Harper, Cortland Finnegan, Chris Hope, Michael Griffin: All these guys were there last year when the Titans were at the top.

And all four of them are responsible for the Titans being near the bottom.

Whatever the problem, they need to figure it out by gametime on Sunday. The Jets have owned the Titans lately, winning four of their last five meetings, including the Titans first loss last year after a 10-0 start to an eventual 13-3 record.

In their first two contests, the Jets were able to harangue the opposing quarterback at will, resulting in limited production in both meetings.

The Titans, by contrast, allowed both Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Schaub to eclipse 300 yards passing, with Schaub racking up four touchdown passes. In Week One, the Jets held Schaub to just 166 yards and no touchdowns.

What started out for the Titans as a promising season where they could make a run at the title has rapidly degenerated into a season where if they fall any further behind, they’ll be watching the playoffs from their living rooms.

At 0-2, they are stretching their fortune to the limit in making a playoff appearance.

At 0-3, they may as well buy their Super Bowl tickets.

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Albert Haynesworth Watch 2009: Week Two

Well, folks, here we are in Week Two. After a four-game preseason and Week One out of the way, all the rust should now be knocked off and we should be seeing some real action from the big names around the league.

And we are seeing a lot of action, although sometimes it isn’t coming from who we thought it would.

Rookie sensation Mark Sanchise..I mean, Sanchez, out-dueled Tom Brady and the Patriots to lead his Jets to victory and a 2-0 record.

Bengals (yes, Bengals) quarterback Carson Palmer overcame two interceptions to toss three TD’s in Cincinatti’s defeat of the Green Bay Packers.

Much-maligned Kyle Orton tossed the ball around for 263 yards and a touchdown to lead the Broncos over the Browns (okay, not much of a challenge, I’ll grant you) and to a 2-0 record.

And down in Nashville, Matt Schaub threw four touchdowns against the Titans Sunday, fueling speculation that they might be missing “Big Al” Haynesworth more than they would like to admit.

So just how did the Redskins fare this week?

At first glance, it looks like they played a baseball game.

While the ‘Skins did happen to prevail over the hapless St. Louis Rams, Haynesworth’s contributions weren’t enough to merit much highlight film attention.

He did throw his sasquatch-sized mitts up in time to deflect one pass at the end of the game, but other than that, he wasn’t much help…again.

He did spend a lot of time getting acquainted with the turf, and he was in perfect position to watch Steven Jackson fly past him on his way to reeling off a 61-yard run from scrimmage.

But other than that,  it appears that the Redskins’ star defensive tackle has reverted to pre-free agent period form.

As I note here, the Titans don’t seem to miss Haynesworth up front. But I’m betting that the ‘Skins are starting to wish they were.

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NFL Weekly Whip-Around: Lessons From Week Two

Well football fans, another week is in the books. We only had one game on Monday night, but it was enough to satisfy everyone except Miami Dolphins fans.

And yet again, there was plenty to be learned from this week’s games.

To wit: 

Titans running back Chris Johnson is fast. No, make that STUPID fast. In fact, if Chris Johnson had decided to make track and field a career instead of football, Usain Bolt would only be the fastest man in Jamaica.

On his two long runs from scrimmage Sunday, he wasn’t even trying hard and he made the Texans secondary look like they were walking. I’m surprised he wasn’t leaving contrails behind.

Peyton Manning might just be a cyborg. Kind of like Data from Star Trek:TNG. The more games he plays, the more he can look back into his data banks to find the particular defense he is facing, and tear it apart.

It’s almost like he has a spy in the opposing team’s camp who scans all the defensive plays and emails them to him a day or two prior to the game.

While we are on the Miami—Indy game, two lessons were learned Monday night; first, Miami learned that football games last 60 minutes, and it doesn’t matter that you control the game for the first 55 minutes.

If you let the last five minutes go, guys like Peyton Manning will score on you before you can get to the line of scrimmage.

Second, we all learned that Miami stinks at the two-minute offense.

It is becoming apparent that lucky bounces aren’t quite the anomaly that we once thought they were.

After watching Andre Johnson make not one, but two “tip the ball in the air and catch it” receptions, a redirected pass caught for a first down, a muffed punt bounce into a pursuer’s arms (yes, it was called back, but still, the way it bounced is the issue here), and a dropped pass bounce off of a player’s heel DIRECTLY into a defender’s gut, which was run back for a TD that should have stood, the term “lucky bounce” needs to be replaced with “heads up play.”

There are two robot Jay Cutlers, or at least a real Jay Cutler and an evil robot Jay Cutler (ala Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey). The question is, who is holding the remote controls?

Jerome Bettis may have retired too early. Rashard Mendenhall is an okay runner, but he isn’t the line buster that Pittsburgh needs. And Willie Parker seems to be running with his shoes tied together.

We won’t even discuss Mewelde Moore.

Mike Singletary is going to be just as good a coach as he was a middle linebacker. What he has done with the 49ers organization is nothing short of amazing.

Michael Crabtree needs to fire his stupid agent and accept a contract with this team, because they just might be going places.

With the way things are going right now, Matthew Stafford and the Lions are liable to win a game this year before the Titans do.

At least Detroit has a ready excuse for losing—they are the Lions, for crying out loud—but the Titans don’t seem to be able to get all their considerable cylinders firing.

The number of fumbles throughout the league is getting out of hand. Hold on to the rock, people…turnovers are game killers!!

Finally, Jerry Jones knew what he was doing when he put the gigantic TV where he did, and punters are smarter than we think they are.

There were a few close calls, but no rebounds off of the TV yet. We KNOW the Cowboys aren’t going to hit it, and I would hasten to say that no one will.

And that’s it for this week, folks. I only got to watch a handful of games, so if there was something to be learned in a market outside of Nashville, please feel free to leave it here so we can all share.

Otherwise, see you next week!!

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Bears-Steelers: Good Jay Cutler Shows Up, Chicago Shuts Down Pittsburgh 17-14

Two things we can be sure of after watching the Bears-Steelers game.

Coach Tomlin knows his team, and Troy Polamalu really is that damned important to the Steelers defense.

All week long, Coach Tomlin made sure that the Steelers saw game film of not only last week’s performance by Jay Cutler against the Packers, but last year’s performance by Jay Cutler against the Steelers in Denver.

He knew how dangerous Cutler can be when he gets going, and he wanted to make sure his team didn’t forget it.

One of two things happened: either they felt supremely confident in their ability to limit Cutler’s production and didn’t take him seriously, or Coach Tomlin talked too much over the ensuing week that they acted like my children do when I try to get a point across, and totally ignored the message.

Turns out Coach was right.

Jay Cutler came out looking like a Pro Bowl quarterback, and he made the Steelers secondary look like an average unit.

Which, it appears, they are without Troy Polamalu.

The Steelers need to hope that he is ready to go closer to the three-week mark rather than the six weeks it could take for his knee to heal.

Can anyone say platelet-plasma therapy and a hyperbaric chamber?

Without Polamalu in the lineup, the Steelers were forced into a zone defense, having to play things closer to the vest than they normally do with Troy running around in the backfield like a madman.

The Bears, on the other hand, joined the Titans in exposing the Steelers offensive front as the weak run-blocking unit that they are. Without Brian Urlacher in the lineup for Chicago, Pittsburgh should have had a huge day running.

Without Ben Roethlisberger’s six yards, they failed to gain 100 yards for the second straight week.

When the Steelers don’t gain 100 yards rushing, and Big Ben doesn’t gain over 300 yards passing in the same game, their win-loss record is far from desirable.

On the other side of the ball, the Bears showed that even without their defensive leader, they have got a little moxie.

I don’t care what you think about Cutler: he is a talented quarterback, and if you give him a zone to play against all day, he is going to pick it apart. It’s when you throw different coverages at him that he gets excited and starts forcing things.

But today, he had all the time in the world to throw the ball.  

Which he did, all day long. With near pinpoint accuracy, time and again Cutler laid off the deep pass and beat the Steelers underneath with short- to medium-range passes.

He completed one deep pass for 29 yards; the rest were slants, screen, out routes, with the receivers doing the bulk of the work after the catch to gain the big yards.

If Polamalu is in the game, those passes aren’t there.

It wasn’t a high scoring contest. Steelers games rarely are, even when they are gaining over 100 yards on the ground and Big Ben is throwing the ball all over the place.

But without their star safety, the Steelers kept giving inch after inch after inch, which was just enough to give the Bears a couple of touchdowns and a late field goal.

Of course, normally solid Jeff Reed shanked two critical field goals that would have forced Chicago to go for a touchdown in the fourth quarter instead of having the luxury of a field goal to win the game.

And of course, Steelers rookie Stefan Logan fumbling the ensuing kickoff didn’t help much either, but the likelihood of the Steelers completing a Hail Mary pass to win are as likely as Brendan Stokely catching a tipped pass and running it in for the winning touchdown.

Wait a minute…

Well, whatever the bounce, the Steelers didn’t get it this week. Chicago recovered the fumble, and sent the Steelers to the locker room with a record of 1-1.

Jay Cutler took a step towards redeeming last week’s performance, although in his case the jury will likely stay out for most of the season.

Pittsburgh continues to showcase their weakness—i.e. they can’t seem to run block against a decent defensive front—to the rest of the league.

And Jeff Reed may have had to take a separate plane home.

At 1-1, the Steelers have now had two games decided by fewer than a touchdown.

Close games are the Steelers’ forte, but come on, guys, can we have at LEAST one or two blowouts this year? At the very least, can we take a lead and hold it instead of having to come from behind?

Is that too much to ask?

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Albert Haynesworth Watch 2009: Week One

With all the hubbub surrounding the departure of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to the Washington Redskins, I thought it might be fun to follow his performance this year, just to see what we might be missing here in good ol’ Nashville, Tenn.

From the look on his face above, I’d say we dodged a bullet.

I truly didn’t watch football much at all in the pre-season; I don’t put much stock in it because the level of competition just isn’t there. It serves a purpose, but for the most part it is all one big dress rehearsal for the big show.

Just for fun, I decided to check out Haynesworth’s stats from those four games to see if there was anything there. And as I suspected, there wasn’t much to go on: three games, one tackle, no sacks. 

As luck would have it, I found myself free to watch everyone else play this Sunday, since the Titans had already made their 2009 debut on Thursday. Also as luck would have it, the Redskins-Giants game was on in my market.

Now I would have a chance to see what kind of deal Washington REALLY got; it is widely suspected that free agents typically turn the wick up in the last year of their contracts to garner higher money offers for their next term of service.

Looks like Washington might have gotten taken in by this very bait-and-switch scheme.

While Haynesworth managed to haul in four solo tackles (how could he not? He’s frigging huge, for crying out loud), his influence on the game looked suspect to me.

Quite often, I saw Haynesworth being taken completely out of the play, often ending up on his back(side).

No huge push to collapse the passing pocket.

No real disruptions of the running lanes in the backfield.

Eli Manning (yes, I know, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning) was able to get 256 yards through the air, a respectable, if not stellar, performance.

Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were able to combine for 106 yards, with Bradshaw managing a tidy five yards per carry.

Manning only hit the turf once, which means if any of you want to argue that Haynesworth was double-teamed all night, thus negatively affecting his stats, I’m not buying it: if that were the case, at least ONE of his teammates should have been able to get free and into the backfield.

And they didn’t, so the double-team argument doesn’t wash.

Oh, and the Giants won 23-17.

From the looks of things, it sound plausible that the ‘Skins might want to start thinking about the seven-year, $100 million contract they tendered him this past off-season. His performance so far leaves a lot to be desired.

He’s already had to have an injection in his knee, the same one he injured last year near the end of the regular season.

Not to mention that in his career, the most games he has been able to start in a season was 14, two shy of a full season.

What happens if the last two games of the season will determine whether the Redskins make it to the playoffs, and his presence is critical in the middle?

What happens if he can’t go?

How good is that $100 million looking now, Washington?

I could be a bit premature. It is, after all, only week one, and he may be a bit rusty from the lack of action in the preseason. So he may just be getting his considerable legs under him, and next week could be a whole different story.

But I don’t buy it. The performance I saw today was the same type of performance he displayed in his first four years in Tennessee.

Only in the last two did he display the type of performance that made him both a Pro Bowler and an attractive free agent acquisition.

Now that he’s got a guaranteed paycheck, however, expect his performance to drop drastically. I would even expect him to miss at least four games for one reason or another.

So, well done, Washington. Here in Tennessee, we’re glad we got what we could out of him, but now he’s your problem.

And a very expensive problem indeed. 

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Titans Face Steelers in Season Opener; White Still Doesn’t Get It

Nashville, Tenn — look closely, folks. Because the face you see here will be watched—and hunted—closely once the Titans and Steelers hit the field.

You all remember the game AND the incident, I’m sure.

The Tennessee Titans faced off against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers last year at LP Field, in a game which ultimately decided who held the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.

Despite more than 300 yards passing from Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers only found the end zone twice. Jason Jones played like a man possessed, and the final-minute pickoff of a Roethlisberger pass ensured that the Titans would not have to travel in the postseason.

A 31-14 drubbing was bad enough. Knowing that they may have to come back to Nashville, known throughout the NFL as a tough ticket in the postseason, gave the Steelers enough pause.

What LenDale White did on the sidelines gave them fire.

Apparently they put it to good use, because they now have a sixth Lombardi trophy adorning their hallowed halls. Tennessee, on the other hand, squandered a good opportunity and exited the postseason after an embarrassing showing against Baltimore at LP Field.

Didn’t see LenDale stomping any stuffed Ravens that day.

Now, less than one week before arguably the biggest rematch in quite some time, the AFC Championship that never was, so to speak, LenDale White still refuses to acknowledge that his towel-stomping incident might have been in bad taste, at one point even asserting that he would do it again.

Come now, don’t get all upset; who among us can deny the “power” of the symbolic talisman or gesture?

How many pitchers refuse to step on the baseline lest they jinx their pitching effort?

How many players wear their hat a certain way, or have a pair of lucky socks, or even a lucky “athletic supporter”?

How many times have we heard of the guy who refuses to wash his (insert chosen lucky item here) until the wining streak is over, which can occasionally span two seasons?

Who would deny that players are superstitious, and understand the power behind a symbol?

The Terrible Towel is such a symbol for the Steelers. Forget that it is considered to be the first “rally towel”; never mind that it has had appearances in such places as Mount Everest and on Saturday Night Live; give no mind to the probability that, besides possibly the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the St. Louis Chicken, the Terrible Towel is arguably the most widely recognized fan symbol in professional sports.

And the $2 million in proceeds that have been donated to the Allegeheny Valley School for disabled children? Don’t give it a second thought.

No, what really matters is that in stomping on the towel and grinding it into the dirt, White was sending a message. The message was, “you guys are worthless. We can destroy you at will. You and your symbols mean nothing to me.”

Fair enough.

White cannot back away from the statement or the act. Ego will not allow for it. Sure, coach Fisher has tried to deflect attention from the incident, calling it on-field emotion, or some such thing.

Uh-huh.

White has been quoted as saying that if that’s what the Steelers need to get fired up, then he’s glad to give it to them.

My guess is, the video has been playing in the Steelers locker room all week.

Considering that the Steelers didn’t get a chance to avenge a rather embarrassing loss to the Titans last year, allowing, even encouraging, this to stay in the public eye may not be the wisest decision. Pittsburgh is coming to Nashville with a mission, and the mission is entitled, “Show LenDale White how bad an idea it was to stomp a Terrible Towel.”

No, really. It’s stamped on the front page of the Top Secret dossier Coach Tomlin has stuck in his desk drawer.

They won’t admit it, of course. They’ll talk about getting the season underway, making a good start at defending their title, blah blah blah.

It is, after all, a Top Secret mission.

“The Incident” is on every Steelers player’s mind whether they attest to it or not.

My advice? Shut up and play, LenDale. Enough with the silly antics. Strap on the pads, lower your shoulder, and play.

And if, by some chance, you and your teammates pull out a win against Pittsburgh, do us all a favor: don’t show your butt and stomp another towel.

It’s week one. Make it to the postseason, beat the Steelers in the AFC championship, go on to win the Super Bowl, and maybe, JUST MAYBE, some antics will be justified.

But you have to win first.

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