Death to Google Ads! Texans Talk Tip Jar! 🍺😎👍
Thanks for your support!

Houston '93: A Football Life

Vance87

Vance87

All Pro
I'm definitely tuning in to this.

I was merely a kid back then and watched them almost every week but my dad was very much more into the Oilers than I was, obviously. I'm sure he'll be watching it as well.

Can any of you older gents that experienced it weigh in on that team and that season?
 
That 93 and 94 team were superbowl bound. I feel they were the type of team thst couldve beaten dallas. They had the qb,run game,and d line. No way they shoildve lost to buffalo nor kc the next season.
 
Thanks for posting this, Vance! I have been meaning to do it, but kept forgetting.

I DVR all of the Football Life episodes. Excellent show by NFL Films, and they cover everything from coaches and players to concepts (i.e. forward pass) and seasons like the '93 Oilers.

I look forward to this one. Should be very cool to relive that season, especially when it came off the 35-3 debacle. I still have a Houston Chronicle (or maybe Post) headline that reads "From Choke to Joke" when the Oilers started the season at 1-4. Nobody expected them to win 11 in a row to finish that season 12-4.

Side note: I was at the last game vs. the Jets when Gilbride got sucker punched by Buddy Ryan. We did not know it happened until listening to the radio on the way home. That was friggin' nuts!
 
leebigeztx said:
That 93 and 94 team were superbowl bound. I feel they were the type of team thst couldve beaten dallas. They had the qb,run game,and d line. No way they shoildve lost to buffalo nor kc the next season.
Click to expand...

I think you mean 92 and 93. The 94 team went 2-14.

Not sure how you can say they would or could have beaten Dallas other than any given Sunday. Dallas had a QB, run game and dline also. In fact Dallas was substantially better both at rushing and rush D plus they weren't handing out INTs like candy.

1992 Dallas didn't just beat the team that beat Houston, they destroyed them.
1993 Dallas handily beat the Bills who handily beat the Chiefs who beat Houston.

Not seeing it.
 
1993 Dallas handily beat the Bills who handily beat the Chiefs who beat Houston............
Click to expand...

..........who handily beat the Chiefs (reg season). I need a ruling here. :D

RULING SAYS: Playoff wins trump reg season wins. :(
 
Not to get too negative here, but; I remember being ticked off at the Kansas City Chiefs later in the year (before the playoffs). They got blown out by the Vikings something like 30-10. IIRC, had they won, the Oilers would have finished first on tie-breakers. Kind of made the Oilers win in San Francisco meaningless IMO. On top of that the Chiefs didn't look so good in the wildcard game. I expected a fairly easy playoff win at home & when that didn't happen, I was fuming :pissed:
 
That 93 team had it all, great defense, top notched passing game, and something that previous Oiler teams lacked to this extent: An awesome running game! They were balanced!

When they beat the 49ers at Candlestick I thought that they would not be denied the SB. When it was determined that KC would play the Oilers in the Divisional game I marked that as a win right away, even if they had Montana. The pain of losing like they did to the Bills and Broncos I felt surely would compel the Oilers to finally rid themselves of their past demons and get the job done this time! 11 game winning streak, they were on FIRE!!!
 
infantrycak said:
I was at the KC playoff game. Did anyone else here go?
Click to expand...

I was there with a SRO ticket. Really thought that was our Super Bowl year. I was going to do whatever I could to buy a ticket. Wasn't necessary after Montana took control.
 
infantrycak said:
I think you mean 92 and 93. The 94 team went 2-14.

Not sure how you can say they would or could have beaten Dallas other than any given Sunday. Dallas had a QB, run game and dline also. In fact Dallas was substantially better both at rushing and rush D plus they weren't handing out INTs like candy.

1992 Dallas didn't just beat the team that beat Houston, they destroyed them.
1993 Dallas handily beat the Bills who handily beat the Chiefs who beat Houston.

Not seeing it.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. That Dallas team was one of the best ever.

Would have been great to have an all Texas Super Bowl though.
 
infantrycak said:
I was at the KC playoff game. Did anyone else here go?
Click to expand...

I was there in the upper deck. All I can really remember now is what a disappointment it was that day. I also remember that season during the 1-4 start that if replay was around then they would have won when played SD. I think it was Haywood Jefferies had a touchdown with 2 feet in called out, which if the rest of the season played out the same, they would have been first seed. Oh well, ancient history now and the city is still no closer to a Super Bowl 20 years later.
 
Those two years' Oilers team played as well as any team I have ever seen play, but never put a full game together in the playoffs. The defense was legitimate, the receivers were uncoverable as a group, and Moon was deadly accurate. The '93 team started turning things around when they found a running game with Gary Brown. But true to form, they dialed up a choke job in the playoffs.

I've set it to record, but I'll probably curse as much as I smile. Seems the Texans are picking up on the same track. Just once in my life I want a freakin' Houston NFL team to dominate front to back and win a Super Bowl.
 
Lucky said:
I was there with a SRO ticket. Really thought that was our Super Bowl year. I was going to do whatever I could to buy a ticket. Wasn't necessary after Montana took control.
Click to expand...

sandmanx said:
I was there in the upper deck. All I can really remember now is what a disappointment it was that day. I also remember that season during the 1-4 start that if replay was around then they would have won when played SD. I think it was Haywood Jefferies had a touchdown with 2 feet in called out, which if the rest of the season played out the same, they would have been first seed. Oh well, ancient history now and the city is still no closer to a Super Bowl 20 years later.
Click to expand...

I was 4 rows back on the 50. Had just moved to Houston a few months earlier and a guy took me to the game. I was still a Cowboys fan but wanted the Oilers to win because I wanted to see an all Texas Super Bowl. Would have been cool, but alas.
 
Hmm, I saw this advertised tonight for the first time. I lived that and not sure I want to live it again. I was in my mid 20's back then and probably too emotionally invested in those teams. The Denver choke job, followed by the ultimate 35-3 Buffalo choke job, followed by that 93 season .. and then followed by the team leaving town for Nashville was too much.
 
infantrycak said:
I think you mean 92 and 93. The 94 team went 2-14.

Not sure how you can say they would or could have beaten Dallas other than any given Sunday. Dallas had a QB, run game and dline also. In fact Dallas was substantially better both at rushing and rush D plus they weren't handing out INTs like candy.

1992 Dallas didn't just beat the team that beat Houston, they destroyed them.
1993 Dallas handily beat the Bills who handily beat the Chiefs who beat Houston.

Not seeing it.
Click to expand...

Of course it's only human to play the what-if-game, so that same year, 1993 (before the playoffs), a buddy of mind wrote this program - some sort of algorithm, while we were both working at the same physics lab on the superconductor supercollider in Waxahachie (if anyone remembers, that project went tits up the same year).

Anyway, according to the results of his program, putting in all the numbers, teams, stats, defense, offense, you name it, any variable we could think of, we showed the Oilers beating the Cowboys in the Super Bowl 72% of the time. I still remember that number 72%. Well, I guess reality ended up on the wrong side of 72.

To top that off, we took all of the same variables and widened it considerably, for the 1960 and 1961 Oilers, crunching the numbers against both the AFL and the NFL - specifically the NFL - because we wanted to know the probability of the Oilers winning the Super Bowl if there had been one in '60 and '61.

The results? For 1960, out of all the teams in both conferences, 82% of the time the Oilers won the "NFL Championship" against Detroit, Philadelphia and Green Bay.

In 1961 - The same program spat out 90%!!! the Oilers beat Green Bay, Philadelphia, the Giants, and one time, the Browns by some crazy lopsided score that I can't remember.

I'm sure somebody could do the same thing today - maybe even on Madden...Haha...but always what if. I'm sure you can all picture it.
 
Vance87 said:
I'm definitely tuning in to this.

I was merely a kid back then and watched them almost every week but my dad was very much more into the Oilers than I was, obviously. I'm sure he'll be watching it as well.

Can any of you older gents that experienced it weigh in on that team and that season?
Click to expand...
I can't wait....that was one hell of a talented team...but a circus. Should be a great show. The NFLnetwork does a great job with this series.
 
Hookem Horns said:
Hmm, I saw this advertised tonight for the first time. I lived that and not sure I want to live it again. I was in my mid 20's back then and probably too emotionally invested in those teams. The Denver choke job, followed by the ultimate 35-3 Buffalo choke job, followed by that 93 season .. and then followed by the team leaving town for Nashville was too much.
Click to expand...

The drafts that followed were also miserable. I absolutely hated watching Steve McNair and Eddie George get drafted knowing that Houston was just a layover for them.

As soon as I heard they were moving, then I started hating all things Oilers. I started burning my favorite Glanville-era black ballcap one night in a drunk rage and then my brother talked me out of it.

I switched allegiance to the Cowboys and then they got stomped on Thanksgiving 1997 by the Tennessee Oilers. It only got worse after until I heard we were getting another team.....and we all know how that's going.

It's been a hard road for Houston football fans that remember the Oilers. Most squads were bad and the good squads got sabotaged by an imbecilic owner. This show's gonna be painful.
 
I'm looking forward to this, being relatively new to football and Houston learning the history is important to me. I can relate though, back in '93 I endured similar sporting heartbreak following my soccer team come agonizingly close to winning the first ever Euro Champions League.
 
UKTexan said:
I'm looking forward to this, being relatively new to football and Houston learning the history is important to me. I can relate though, back in '93 I endured similar sporting heartbreak following my soccer team come agonizingly close to winning the first ever Euro Champions League.
Click to expand...
you ought to enjoy this then...heartbreak all over the place. One hell of a talented roster in 93 for sure. This current Texans team had nothing on that team even at it's peak potential.
 
infantrycak said:
I think you mean 92 and 93. The 94 team went 2-14.

Not sure how you can say they would or could have beaten Dallas other than any given Sunday. Dallas had a QB, run game and dline also. In fact Dallas was substantially better both at rushing and rush D plus they weren't handing out INTs like candy.

1992 Dallas didn't just beat the team that beat Houston, they destroyed them.
1993 Dallas handily beat the Bills who handily beat the Chiefs who beat Houston.

Not seeing it.
Click to expand...

No way in hell does the 90's Oilers beat the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys dynasty in a Super Bowl.

The Cowboys, as much as I loved to hate them, were so freakin' dominant. And beyond the obvious HoF talent at so many key positions, a great head coach who knew how to motivate and use his players, that team was clutch year after year. You don't win 3 Super Bowls in four seasons unless it is legendary greatness. I agree with Aikman that Jerry Jones screwed himself with ego. That team could have won at least one or two more championships if Jimmy Johnson had stayed around. I do not doubt that at all. (Matter of fact, did you see the recent "A Football Life" about the Cowboys o-line in the '90's? "The Great Wall Of Dallas" it was called, just aired this week.)

The Oilers, while my team, were never clutch. They could never get past the second round of the playoffs, even when spotted a first round bye. Warren Moon, for all his great stats, was not a 60 minute QB. He wilted where Aikman rose to the challenge.

The amazing thing about the '93 Oilers to me was that they still had a pulse. A team that just went through 35-3, historic embarrassment that still reverberates today, still had the heart to overcome a crappy 1-4 start to pull out one last hurrah for Houston fans. Sad ending, but helluva' fun season, and I look forward to seeing this documentary.
 
Link

On Tuesday night, "Houston '93: A Football Life" airs on the NFL Network at 8 p.m. CT.

The episode chronicles the tumultuous 1993 season and features interviews with former Oilers coaches, players and front office staff.

For those Houston football fans who might not remember the 1993 season, it was filled with football, drama and more drama. It's a very-well done special on one of the most interesting seasons in NFL history.

The 1993 Oilers were a Super Bowl favorite but started the year in miserable fashion. They recovered but ultimately the season ended in heartbreak. In between, there was plenty of dysfunction, most of which swirled around new defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

Ryan eventually took a swing at offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride in the season finale, an event that gets its fair share of time during the show. Other events covered include the benching of Warren Moon and David Williams' decision to miss a game for the birth of his son.

Moon, Mike Munchak, Buddy Ryan, William Fuller and Gilbride are just a few of the people interviewed throughout the special.

Moon, Haywood Jeffires and Sean Jones will be in studio for "A Football Life: Backstory" after the hour-long special.
Click to expand...

This will probably get moved, but I thought I'd put it here to begin with, in case some are not aware, and would like to tune in.

Me personally, if I watch .... it will only be with an empty stomach. :(
 
Marcus said:
This will probably get moved, but I thought I'd put it here to begin with, in case some are not aware, and would like to tune in.
Click to expand...

If it does, it'll probably be just to merge it with the existing thread.

Ktexan68 said:
We should be so lucky to have teams as good as those 90's Oilers. We really did not realize how good we had it.
Click to expand...

Meh, not really. The damage those teams did to this city's psyche shows itself today in our discussions and buy-in of the Texans. The Oilers really damaged people's fandom. People are always waiting for the other show to drop. And the Texans have obliged, for the most part.
 
Personally I've always felt that it was silly to look at stuff that happened to the Oilers and hold onto that regarding the Texans. The Texans are a completely different franchise with different coaches and it's so far removed from that era of the NFL even. It isn't even the same style of football played. I do read people's thoughts on this board and I realize that it has effected people's psyche , but it doesn't and never will with me. Even if we still had the Oilers it wouldn't with me, because once you completely change regimes you really have an entirely different management philosophy. And hell, we don't even have the same owner as before who can effect things like Bud did. I don't like Mcnair personally, but for different reasons that I didn't like Adams. Th 93 Oilers have no effect at all on how I judge or feel about the Texans. I felt like the Oilers were more committed to winning then the Texans have ever been personally, but I hated Bud's ways. Two completely different companies all together.
 
Texecutioner said:
I felt like the Oilers were more committed to winning then the Texans have ever been personally, but I hated Bud's ways. Two completely different companies all together.
Click to expand...

Oilers committed to winning? HAHAHAHAHA!
 
I'm gonna pvr and watch, even if it will hurt as much as my current bout with kidney stones.

That team was the most talented in franchise, and Houston history. It's a crime they were saddled with such sub par coaching running that ship.
 
eriadoc said:
Meh, not really. The damage those teams did to this city's psyche shows itself today in our discussions and buy-in of the Texans. The Oilers really damaged people's fandom. People are always waiting for the other show to drop. And the Texans have obliged, for the most part.
Click to expand...

I am in that category. For me, going into the Buffalo game, I was just so fed up with the constant letdowns, so I was thinking there was really nothing the Oilers could do to disappoint me any further. But that 35-3 scarred me so bad, I really couldn't get into the 93 season. I remember telling my brother they could win the Super Bowl the next year and it still wouldn't remove that 35-3 stench.

I don't know how many times I've said this, but that 35-3 planted the seed that led to the Oilers leaving. The events of the 93 season greased the skids.

Did it damage me as a fan? You damn well be better believe it did.
 
Texecutioner said:
Personally I've always felt that it was silly to look at stuff that happened to the Oilers and hold onto that regarding the Texans. The Texans are a completely different franchise with different coaches and it's so far removed from that era of the NFL even. It isn't even the same style of football played. I do read people's thoughts on this board and I realize that it has effected people's psyche , but it doesn't and never will with me. Even if we still had the Oilers it wouldn't with me, because once you completely change regimes you really have an entirely different management philosophy. And hell, we don't even have the same owner as before who can effect things like Bud did. I don't like Mcnair personally, but for different reasons that I didn't like Adams. Th 93 Oilers have no effect at all on how I judge or feel about the Texans. I felt like the Oilers were more committed to winning then the Texans have ever been personally, but I hated Bud's ways. Two completely different companies all together.
Click to expand...

I agree with you in general about being two separate franchises.

However, it's the same fan base (with the exception of the young fans who do not remember the Oilers).

As far as fan perspectives, 'cak and I had an interesting revelation during a conversation about growing up an Oilers fan versus growing up a Cowboys fan.

Cowboys fans (talking my generation and older) grew up with a team that was clutch. Roger Staubach was consistently able to pull victories from the jaws of defeat. And they won championships that way. So Cowboys fans were conditioned to never give up, to never doubt their team, because more often than not, the Cowboys of the '70's did some great things. Then they had the '90's Cowboys dynasty with three championships in four seasons. It just cemented the solid belief of Cowboys fans.

Contrast that to the Oilers. I grew up during Luv Ya Blue. My teams always fell short. They never went to a Super Bowl, much less won a championship (AFL doesn't count, before my time). Then fast forward to the most talented team in Oilers history with Warren Moon and Jack Pardee. They never got past the second round of the playoffs, and the obvious extreme disappointment of 35-3 just continued to condition Houston football fans to chokes and failures.

So many of today's Texans fans (my generation and older) still have a bit of that cynicism to our mentalities. Yeah, obviously different franchise with the Texans, but they have not done anything to erase the conditioning we received as Oilers fans. However, folks like 'cak, who grew up Cowboys fans, always expect the Texans to have the potential to pull out wins at the end of games.

This is just my perspective and something that 'cak and I talked about, so it's not really an argument but rather just a perception of why a big percentage of the Texans fanbase still has a bit of that leftover psyche from the Oilers. Just general observations, fwiw.
 
Double Barrel said:
I agree with you in general about being two separate franchises.

However, it's the same fan base (with the exception of the young fans who do not remember the Oilers).

As far as fan perspectives, 'cak and I had an interesting revelation during a conversation about growing up an Oilers fan versus growing up a Cowboys fan.

Cowboys fans (talking my generation and older) grew up with a team that was clutch. Roger Staubach was consistently able to pull victories from the jaws of defeat. And they won championships that way. So Cowboys fans were conditioned to never give up, to never doubt their team, because more often than not, the Cowboys of the '70's did some great things. Then they had the '90's Cowboys dynasty with three championships in four seasons. It just cemented the solid belief of Cowboys fans.

Contrast that to the Oilers. I grew up during Luv Ya Blue. My teams always fell short. They never went to a Super Bowl, much less won a championship (AFL doesn't count, before my time). Then fast forward to the most talented team in Oilers history with Warren Moon and Jack Pardee. They never got past the second round of the playoffs, and the obvious extreme disappointment of 35-3 just continued to condition Houston football fans to chokes and failures.

So many of today's Texans fans (my generation and older) still have a bit of that cynicism to our mentalities. Yeah, obviously different franchise with the Texans, but they have not done anything to erase the conditioning we received as Oilers fans. However, folks like 'cak, who grew up Cowboys fans, always expect the Texans to have the potential to pull out wins at the end of games.

This is just my perspective and something that 'cak and I talked about, so it's not really an argument but rather just a perception of why a big percentage of the Texans fanbase still has a bit of that leftover psyche from the Oilers. Just general observations, fwiw.
Click to expand...

And it's easy to forget that during the Glanville/Pardee days, we went to the playoffs 7 straight years. Just to lose obviously.

It's easy to make fun of Glanville but he got to the playoffs 3 consecutive years and then Pardee went 4.

Just always coming up short. It hurts. It's painful.
 
Today - A Football Life Houston '93 (New, 12/10/2013)
8:00 PM NFLNET

Today
11:00 PM NFLNET

Tomorrow
3:00 PM NFLNET

Sat, Dec 14
3:00 PM NFLNET
 
I got my DVR set. No way am I going to sit through all those damn NFLN commercials playing over and over and over again.
 
I'll be watching. On the one hand it seems like yesterday. On the other it seems a lifetime ago.

There are certain things about the Oilers I wish the Texans had more of. The word "edginess" comes to mind.

The Oilers, good or bad, seemed to take it as the business of football, whereas the Texans are more worried about the business of image and entertainment and the almighty dollar trumping all else.

I don't know, passing thought as I posted, I guess.
 
Showtime100 said:
I'll be watching. On the one hand it seems like yesterday. On the other it seems a lifetime ago.

There are certain things about the Oilers I wish the Texans had more of. The word "edginess" comes to mind.

The Oilers, good or bad, seemed to take it as the business of football, whereas the Texans are more worried about the business of image and entertainment and the almighty dollar trumping all else.

I don't know, passing thought as I posted, I guess.
Click to expand...

The Oilers played in a different era, football was different back then, so the Oilers were different as well. But I know what you're saying, because it did seem more like football then than it does today.
 
I enjoyed watching it even though it brought back some bad memories.

It was neat seeing all the old players again. Sean Jones, Haywood Jeffires, Ray Childress, Lamar Lathon. Lathon lived right across the walkway from me in an apartment complex on El Paseo across the street from the Dome. He was a helluva player.

To think, had the Oilers done what they were supposed to do that year, we would still have the Houston Oilers and the Houston Texans would have been the Los Angeles or Nashville team.
 
Good memories and Warren Moon will still always be my favorite QB.

Also, nothing against Vandermeer, but '93 was the first season I remember really getting into football and watching the Oilers on a regular basis, but re-listening to bits of play by play Tom Franklin and color from Russ Small (think Bum was there too), brought back great memories. Tom Franklin easily has to be one of the most underrated play by play guys there ever was. Great voice, wish he was involved with the Texans somehow.

At one point right after Houston got the expansion team, I remember Russ was going to be named the main play by play guy for radio and then a few months later he got dumped and Vandermeer was brought in. Don't think I ever heard what that was all about.

Man I hope Gilbride ended up replacing that white Mazda pickup. That thing looked rough.
 
Last edited:
Haywood has been at our tailgate several times over the last couple of years. He is an extremely nice guy.

I just kept thinking … twenty years later and we're still here.
 
Kimmy said:
Haywood has been at our tailgate several times over the last couple of years. He is an extremely nice guy.

I just kept thinking … twenty years later and we're still here.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear he still shows up around town. You could tell the Buffalo loss from the '92 season really affected him and still does. Jeffires, Duncan, Givins and Slaughter with a bit of Gary Wellman thrown in. What a receiving corp that '93 team had.
 
atomictelephone said:
Good memories and Warren Moon will still always be my favorite QB.

Also, nothing against Vandermeer, but '93 was the first season I remember really getting into football and watching the Oilers on a regular basis, but re-listening to bits of play by play Tom Franklin and color from Russ Small (think Bum was there too), brought back great memories. Tom Franklin easily has to be one of the most underrated play by play guys there ever was. Great voice, wish he was involved with the Texans somehow.

At one point right after Houston got the expansion team, I remember Russ was going to be named the main play by play guy for radio and then a few months later he got dumped and Vandermeer was brought in. Don't think I ever heard what that was all about it.

Man I hope Gilbride ended up replacing that white Mazda pickup. That thing looked rough.
Click to expand...



Tom did UH football and basketball the past 4-5 years until this season. He is a great broadcaster and UH fans were pissed when he was let go.
 
Thorn said:
The Oilers played in a different era, football was different back then, so the Oilers were different as well. But I know what you're saying, because it did seem more like football then than it does today.
Click to expand...

It's just that even in this day and age I see teams out there that are committed to win, reputation be damned. They know that winning will bring all the fans you could ever want regardless and all the money to boot (to say nothing of a city willing to fork over dollars for a new stadium). The Patriots come to mind.

I guess I don't buy the 'different era' argument entirely and I acknowledge it could be due to the team we have now. Winning is still the name of the game because if you win, no matter your reputation, all those things you ultimately want will come.

Maybe I'm just a pissed off Houston sports fan, I dunno. I still haven't come to terms with the Astros and MLB lining the Uncle D and The Grinch's pockets while destroying the Astros both on and off the field.

**************

The show was awesome, but I would like to have seen the show go two hours and cover a little more football and a little less of what floats the press's boat.

I'd forgotten some of what happened. Sitting through some of it was downright uncomfortable.

Like you all, it was great to see the players again. Lamar Lathon was a beast and since he was a Cougar was one of my favs that year. Mike Holovak looked like a beaten man through all of that.

Can't wait to watch it again. What a mess. :D
 
ahhh there is dat word again CHOKE CITY !!!! :koolaid:


this doc reminded me of da Texans Total MELTDOWN !!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top