STEELERS BLACK -N- GOLD POST A Pittsburgh Steelers Blog from the heart of Steelers Nation.

by Ramona Dye

Our Steelers open the 2009-10 season on Thursday, September 10th (8:30 P.M. NBC), against long-time rivals, the Tennessee Titans. You ask -- "Rivals?" 

Owned by "Foolish Club" member Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr., the Titans started as the Houston Oilers of the old AFL. When the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, the Oilers joined the old AFC Central. When Adams moved the franchise to Nashville, he renamed the team to the Tennessee Titans.

The Oilers / Titans played in the same division as our Steelers for 32 seasons from 1970 through 2001. Beginning 2002, the NFL moved the Titans into the AFC South.  

Maybe they took the Oilers out of Houston and renamed them the Titans, and maybe they took the Steelers out of Three Rivers and transplanted them into Heinz Field, but they didn't remove the characteristics and personalities that drove the rivalry for years.

Although the league re-alignment has cooled the rivalry somewhat, the teams have managed to face each other in every season except the '04, '06, and '07 seasons. In fact, the 2004 season was the first season in which the Oilers or Titans had not faced the Steelers since the 1970 merger. 

During Week 16 of the 2008-09 season, the Titans managed to drub us, 31-14, which locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the Titans. 

Little good that did for the Titans as our Steelers pushed through the playoffs as the two seed on our way to our six Super Bowl victory. Meanwhile, the Titans faded against our division rival the Ravens.

After our 2008 game against the Titans, Titans running back LenDale White publicly stomped on a Terrible Towel declaring "I'm a professional towel stomper. My nickname is LenDale 'The Towel Stomping' White."

Of course, all of us of the Black n Gold Nation and the larger Steeler Nation know that what LenDale White did was more than stomp on our battle banner. On that day, LenDale White stepped all over the faces of many disabled and mentally retarded children and adults of the Allegheny Valley School, which receives proceeds from the sale of Terrible Towels. 

Our Steelers have played the Titans 67 times since 1970, holding a 38 to 29 edge. The Steelers faced and beat division rivals Oilers three times in the playoffs including the two conference championship games of 1978 and 1979. The Titans beat our Steelers in the 2002 Division Round playoffs.

"It's a different week when you play Pittsburgh," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "It's one of the weeks when our trainers clean up the training room a little bit because they know it is going to be full of guys after the ball game. It is a physical, physical contest."

The opening weekend game should set the tone for the season showing the world that our Steelers seek to repeat as Super Bowl Champions for 2009-10. 

Also, we should enjoy as James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons and others get a pound of flesh from LenDale White. After all, "Lardale" has more than a pound to give up.

As always, here we go!