Last time the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans met, Ted Karras had what was probably his most viral moment as a pro.
Marching off the field in Tennessee, Karras went on an expletive-filled rant that had much to do with the emotions of the game and the actions of Titans defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons.
Buy Bengals TicketsA week later, Simmons was fined by the NFL for hitting Karras near the end of the game.
“No regrets,” Karras said, according to the Dayton Daily News’ Laurel Pfahler. “Justice was served. He (Simmons) got fined $11 grand. We’re gonna be back. It’s gonna be a grit-fest again. I’m sure they’ll have something for me. It wasn’t particularly at the Tennessee fans, but that’s what it was. I’m glad they didn’t get the stuff I was yelling at the Titans before that. It’s a game of a lot of emotion. It’s going to be another battle. This is a team built like an AFC North team, big, physical people and we need to go down there and even up our record.”
Karras kept his comments mundane, as expected, but it’s safe to presume the entire offensive line will keep in mind that it was Simmons on the ground and involved in multiple scuffles during victory formation last year.
If nothing else, it makes an already fantastic matchup all the more intriguing.