The Beard Off Wager

Hello all. I’m John Wilkerson and this is my inaugural post as the newly appointed lead blogger on this site. I’m really happy to be offered the opportunity to contribute to such an up and coming network. This is my first blog and it’s a shame that it’s so late in the season because looking back on it there’s an amazing story that could have been chronicled, at least, from my perspective, but for my first installment I’ll tell you about how I came to grow the “rally beard” that has resurrected our season.

It all began one cold day in Foxborough as the Titans were being mercilessly beaten down in the snow. At the end of the game I decided that through the bye week I’d grow my beard out in an effort to generate wins and then, as if by magic, the wins just started coming… and kept coming. Week by week I realized that there was something going on. I couldn’t tell if it was superstition, mojo, luck or something else altogether… perhaps coincidence. But something about it was working so I drank the kool-aid and have kept believing, test by test, week, by week…

Then came the Colts game. The rally beard took on new purpose. It became emblematic of making the playoffs. Sure, we lost that game but it’s a playoff beard now. Hey, it worked for Jeff Fisher in 2002. His got us to the AFC Championship after a 1-4 start. Well, after losing to the Colts the second time, every game remaining became a playoff game. The stakes are as high as they get with the season on the line and loser go home. It was time to put my beard where my mouth is… err… something like that.

My friend Ryan came with me to the Miami/Tennessee game at LP Field. Ryan is a big boy with a big beard and a lukewarm fan of the Dolphins since he was born in Florida and has family there. He is really a Falcons fan.  Our wager was a one and done proposition. If the ‘fins win I shave it off. If the Titans win his weird beard is history. It was pretty funny when the Titans went up 18 points. It was even funnier when the game was tied late. When the Titans lost the toss… my, my, the drama was high… but in the end I have to give Ryan credit for being a big man and taking the beard off in the parking lot as mutually agreed.

Totally awesome!