Thursday, August 07, 2003

The Oiler-Texan Connection



(David Washington and WR Jabar Gaffney)

Football time is here, and I’m READY!! The sport that initially drew me in by way of the huge heart of Earl Campbell and the whole Luv Ya Blue Crew, has strengthened its mesmerizing hold of my attention over the years. I liked the Oilers, I still root for Steve McNair and the Titans and I’m very excited to watch the development of the young gun QB David Carr and our 2nd year team, the Houston Texans. Bob McNair (owner), Charlie Casserly (general manager) and Dom Capers (head coach) need to be commended for the great job that they’ve done putting together a first class organization with an obvious commitment toward long term excellence. As I watched the players practice, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the aforementioned Oiler’s team of the late 70’s:

QB: David Carr is a bright young QB with a rifle for an arm and a thirst to learn. The Oilers had another QB with a canon for an arm by the name of Dante Pastorini. I just hope Carr doesn’t become as familiar with the number of lights on the ceiling of Reliant Stadium as Pastorini was with the Astrodome’s. If they don’t find a way to keep Carr on his feet and off his back, he will eventually surpass Pastorini’s record of most time spent looking up at the ceiling.

O-line: Carl Mauck anchored a line of bruising blockers that paved the way for big Earl to run. The Texans line is relatively young and inexperienced, coming off a dismal season of run & pass blocking that was magnified by the absence of their 1st round expansion draft selection, left tackle Tony Boselli. Boselli has since announced his retirement from the game due chronic shoulder problems, but somewhere, somehow the line is going to have to become a stronger cohesive unit for the offense to click and for Carr to survive.

Running Back: Its unfair to try and compare anybody to the Houston icon that we know as Big Earl. But the Texan’s off season signing of Stacey Mack from the Jacksonville Jaguars gives them an experienced physical ball carrier that doesn’t shy away from contact.

Receivers: The Oilers had a great speed-hands combo of Kenny Burrough and Mike Renfro. Most Houstonians still flinch and grit our teeth when we see highlights of Renfro’s TD catch in the AFC divisional playoff game against the Steelers that was whistled out of bounds. We should all look forward to a day of redemption for that call, but the trio of receivers that the Texans have assembled will make this one of their strongest positions. Corey Bradford, 2nd year player Jabar Gafney and rookie Andre Johnson possess a combination of speed, quickness and size never before seen on a Houston WR corps. They are sure to delight the fans for years to come.

Defense: The Oilers defense, headed by the likes of Hall of Famer Elvin Bethea and my favorite, linebacker Robert ‘Dr. Doom’ Brazile exemplified a never say die determination that showed every time they stepped on the field. The Texans have a nice group of defenders, led by lineman Gary Walker and All-Pro cornerback Aaron Glenn that are committed to the 3-4 scheme and poised for another strong season.

Coach: Dom Capers isn’t as folksy and endearing as Bum Phillips, but the respect he commands from his players and the level of commitment he demands of his team would definitely make Bum proud.


Being on the practice field on level ground with these modern day gladiators gave me a whole new respect for the sport. Its so easy for us as spectators to overlook all of the hard work and high risk involved with being an NFL player. Its not until you actually see with your bare eyes how fast these big, agile guys are flying around that field, that you realize that they’re definitely earning their money. Because every time they step on that field, they’re potentially one play away from a career ending injury. And the thing about football, unlike all the other professional sports, none of their contracts are guaranteed. So of course the media prints all the ’ridiculous’ amounts of money that players are demanding, but that’s just for the high draft picks and the star veteran players. The vast majority of football players, the backups and the backups to the backups, the practice players and the ones just trying to hang on are nowhere near that 7 figure range. Of all the professional sports, football players get paid the least, have the highest injury rate and the lowest expected career span. When you consider the high risk positions they suspect their bodies to everytime they step on the field , you can have a larger sense of appreciation for what football players actually DO for a living.

Bud Adams and the Houston Oilers left a sour taste on the mouths of many Houston football fans when they packed up and moved to Tennessee. We were fortunate to have a dedicated and relentless owner in Bob McNair to bring a franchise back to Houston. Now that the Texans are here, there’s a lot of betrayed fans that are still reluctant to jump on the bandwagon of another football franchise. The Texans are a new organization that have repeatedly shown a first class commitment toward excellence. From the coaching staff, to the players, to the practice facilities to the acclaimed Reliant Stadium, Houston is a place where NFL players WANT to play. Hopefully, the city and surrounding area will shed their past ‘issues’ with football and give full support to the new home team. GO TEXANS!




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