Titans Marc Mariani's gruesome leg break brings back memories of Theismann and LT

Nobody likes to see an athlete's season— or even career— cut short but, if you are old enough to remember Lawrence Taylor's infamous hit on Joe Theismann on a Monday Night Football game in 1985, Tennessee Titans Marc Mariani's gruesome broken leg injury injury brought back those same nightmares.

Mariani broke his left leg while returning a punt against the Arizona Cardinals.  Replay showed he snapped his leg near the calf as he went to the ground at the end of a 14-yard return with 9:40 left in the first quarter Thursday night.

He remained on the ground for several minutes as a team doctor put an air cast around his broken leg.  He was carted off the field after a few teammates came over to comfort him.




Not surprisingly, he did not return to the sidelines.

Mariani, a seventh-round draft pick out of Montana, was a Pro-Bowl returner in 2010.

Best wishes for a speedy return— in more ways than one.