The Tennessee Titans will have a special guest for their game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. On Friday, the team announced county music legend Dolly Parton will be the honorary 12th Titan for the Week 13 contest. On Twitter, the team said Parton, 74, “will bless us.”
Along with Parton being the 12th Titan, Tennessee also announced there will be a “surprise special guest” to plunge the 12th Titans sword before the game. A spokesperson told the Tennesseean said that Parton will not be at the game but will have a pre-recorded message that will be played inside Nissan Stadium. Having Parton as the 12th Titan could give the team a boost as they are looking to finish the first half of the 2020 season strong. Currently, the Titans have an 8-3 record, which puts them in first place in the AFC North.
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The LEGEND @DollyParton will bless us on Sunday as our honorary 12th Titan. โ๏ธ #CLEvsTEN pic.twitter.com/SJ5hE1GS4I
โ Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 3, 2020
“At 6-3, I don’t think we were down and out,” Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro said to ESPN. “But at the same time, we knew we had to play better if we wanted to separate ourselves from the pack. If we wanted to be a contending team, we couldn’t play like we had played. Obviously now we have won two [in a row], two great wins. But we have to keep building and keep building. That way we improve into December and hopefully we’re in the playoffs.” One of the big reasons the Titans have been playing good football is running back Derrick Henry. The Alabama alum has rushed for 1,257 yards, which ranks first in the NFL. He has also scored 12 touchdowns, which ranks second in the league.
“Everybody understands his work ethic, the way he finishes runs,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said about Henry before the season as reported by ESPN. “Again, we’re not tackling anybody. It’s just that he’s working on conditioning while we play. Everybody’s working on their own football conditioning, allow us to finish longer. Our offensive lineman run downfield looking for extra blocks.”
Parton, a Tennessee native, is one of the most successful musicians of all time. She is one of few people in history to receive a nomination for a Grammy Award, Academy Award, Tony Award and Emmy Award. Parton has won 10 Grammys in her career and is a member of multiple Hall of Fames, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.