While the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rivalry with the Cincinnati Bengals has cooled considerably from its simmering peak, some old feuds never die.
Former longtime Bengals receiver T.J Houshmandzadeh revealed — from his perspective, at least — some lingering sour grapes about the Steelers’ 2005 wild-card round victory in Cincinnati. Bengals franchise quarterback Carson Palmer was limited to two offensive snaps in the game after being hit in the left knee by Kimo von Oelhoffen after he released what was a 66-yard pass to Chris Henry.
The Steelers beat the Bengals, 31-17, en route to winning Super Bowl XL four weeks later.
The von Oelhoffen hit indirectly led to an NFL rule change that banned defenders from lunging at a passer below the knee. It was admonished in Cincinnati — and, apparently, still is a point of contention.
TJ Houshmandzadeh talks about why he’s a Joe Burrow believer, why Burrow will bring playoff wins/championships to Cincinnati. Bengals-Steelers rivalry and why he doesn’t regret using a terrible towel as a clear cleaner. https://t.co/onhJwUiRju pic.twitter.com/HIlOUkkuTi
— Lindsay Patterson (@LndsPatterson) November 14, 2020
During an interview with Lindsay Patterson of the Cincinnati Enquirer this week, Houshmandzadeh referenced the hit by saying of the Steelers, “If they didn’t purposely hurt Carson, in my opinion, they wouldn’t have beat us in the playoffs.”
Houshmandzadeh was speaking in the context of being asked about what has become an infamous aspect of the Steelers-Bengals rivalry from the Pittsburgh perspective. A month before the Palmer-von Oelhoffen playoff game, the Bengals beat the Steelers at Heinz Field to take a commanding lead in the AFC North. They’d clinch their first division title in 19 years the following week.
After the win in Pittsburgh, though, Houshmandzadeh celebrated in part by taking a Terrible Towel and playfully wiping his shoes with it.
The incident drew attention in Pittsburgh, and it’s been said the wipe cursed Houshmandzadeh and the Bengals because they lost to the Steelers in the playoffs and Palmer was injured.
Houshmandzadeh told Patterson he “(doesn’t) regret that at all.”
“For me, it was fun,” he said. “(The Steelers) all looked at it as disrespect, but it was fun.”
T.J.’s masterful trolling of the Terrible Towel #LemonPepperParlay pic.twitter.com/SPQPCW3KpB
— Extra Points (@ExtraPointsPod) November 14, 2020
During another interview Houshmandzadeh did this week, he acknowledged that the Steelers weren’t the only ones who saw use of the Towel by Bengals players as disrespectful. Houshmandzadeh told the Extra Points Pod that Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis told Houshmandzadeh that it was disrespectful for a Bengals player to even have one on their person.
Houshmandzadeh said he paid a Steelers fan $100 for his Terrible Towel while they rode in the elevator of the team hotel together on his way to the game. Houshmandzadeh tucked it into the back of his pants during warm-ups, but after Lewis told him not to, Houshmandzadeh said he put it into the back pocket of then-Bengals wide receivers coach Hue Jackson.
Houshmandzadeh had two touchdowns during the Bengals’ 38-31 win against the Steelers that day. After the game ended, he grabbed the Towel back from Jackson and ran off the field waving it.
Steelers Week 😤 pic.twitter.com/IKWEMIdump
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 10, 2020
“And just before I got to the tunnel — it was not planned; it was impromptu — I just sat down and (began wiping his shoes with the Terrible Towel),” Houshmandzadeh said.
“It was a good game for me!”
With the Steelers scheduled to face the Bengals for the first time this season at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, the incident has been re-lived this week after the Bengals’ official Twitter account posted a short video clip of the Towel wipe under the caption “Steelers Week” with an angry emoji face.
Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL
"behind" - Google News
November 15, 2020 at 10:22AM
https://ift.tt/2UxbHAM
T.J. Houshmandzadeh's story behind Terrible Towel wipe; says Steelers 'purposely hurt' Carson Palmer - TribLIVE
"behind" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YqUhZP
https://ift.tt/2yko4c8
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "T.J. Houshmandzadeh's story behind Terrible Towel wipe; says Steelers 'purposely hurt' Carson Palmer - TribLIVE"
Post a Comment