Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Oilers Breakdown

As you all know by now, I am an avid sports fan, especially football. There are 32 teams in the league right now, but they have used 33 regular franchises in rotation throughout the NFL’s history. There have been other numerous teams, but from 1920 to 2021 those aforementioned 33 teams are the ones that stuck around in some form or fashion to help build the NFL.

Out of the 33 franchises that have stuck around in the NFL’s history and had the most influence on its history, you can’t write the history of football without the Houston Oilers. Bud Adams removed the Oilers from Houston to Tennessee in ‘97 and then changed the name to Tennessee Titans, along with the color scheme in 1999. He was also 1 of the original 8 owners who created the AFL, in opposition to the NFL. The 2 leagues merged in 1970.

I feel like Houston Texans should be the team name considered the odd man out, thrown out, and when the Tennessee Titans got a franchise they should have been forced to come up with their own color scheme. I like the name Tennessee Titans. I also like the name Titans in general. The Jets were the New York Titans from 1960 to ‘62 before changing their name to New York Jets in 1963. I even like the Titans logos. I just want Texans gone, and the Oilers to return.

I realize part of it is a legal situation. As vilified as Art Modell is by Cleveland for moving the Browns to Baltimore and calling them the Ravens starting in 1996. He did leave the team colors, records, and name to the city of Cleveland, so when they brought the Browns back in ’99, there wouldn’t be any red tape legally. But apparently, Bud Adams made it legally impossible for anyone to use Oilers and the color scheme ever again. I feel like calling someone the Dallas Texans, or Houston Texans throughout the NFL’s history is like calling someone from my hometown a Kansas City Missourian. I feel like it’s boring and unimaginative to my creative side. In no way am I trying to demean anyone, or anything, in this day and age where things are micromanaged, but it got me to thinking. I wonder if the team name is a reference to when the state of Texas was its own country from 1836 to 1845, when Sam Houston was their leader? Hence the foundation of where the city of Houston got its name. And, most team names tend to be synonymous with the area they represent.

I’ll say this, as someone born in July 1984, and growing up during the nineties, and 1^st decade of the 2000s, while the Houston Oilers were good from 1960 to 1962, then in the seventies under Bum Phillips. The decade of football played by the Houston Oilers from 1984 to 1993 was considered some of the best football in team history. I always said the run and shoot, and Warren Moon make those Columbia blue uniforms, with the white, and scarlet red look really good. And the ‘92, and ‘93 Oilers are 2 of the best teams to have the 2 biggest collapses of all time, and never win a Super Bowl. If you don’t believe me, being that you can find anything on YouTube, look it up. I was young, but I watched it live, and remember it well.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Lifetime Hockey Team

My all-time hockey team during my lifetime.

Starting Lineup:

C: Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers/Los Angeles Kings) *favorite position player growing up

LW: Brendan Shanahan (St. Louis Blues/Detroit Red Wings)

RW: Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues/Dallas Stars/Detroit Red Wings)

LD: Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins/Colorado Avalanche)

RD: Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers/Pittsburgh Penguins/Los Angeles Kings/Detroit Red Wings)

G: Patrick Roy (Montréal Canadians/Colorado Avalanche) *favorite Goalie growing up

Bench:

C Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings)

C Jeremy Roenick (Chicago Blackhawks)

C Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)

LW/C: Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers/New York Rangers)

LW: Vyacheslav Kozlov (Detroit Red Wings)

LW: Paul Kariya (Anaheim Ducks)

RW: Claude Lemieux (New Jersey Devils/Colorado Avalanche)

RW: Jaromír Jágr (Pittsburgh Penguins)

RW: Teemu Selanne (Anaheim Ducks)

LD: Nicklaus Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings)

LD: Scott Stevens (New Jersey Devils)

RD: Chris Chelios (Montréal Canadians/Chicago Blackhawks/Detroit Red Wings)

RD: Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey Devils/Anaheim Ducks)

G: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)

Non-Roster Players (in case someone gets injured since rosters have expanded from the traditional 20 players above to 23):

C Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche)

LD: Brian Leetch (New York Rangers)

RD: Al MacInnis (Calgary Flames/St. Louis Blues)

Honorable Mention:

C: Mike Modano (Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars)

LW/C: Peter Forsberg (Philadelphia Flyers/Colorado Avalanche)

G: Dominik Hasek (Buffalo Sabres)

G: Ed Belfour (Chicago Blackhawks/Dallas Stars)

G: Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers)

*Being born in July 1984, much like basketball, I didn’t have a home team that was tied to one city’s market being from Kansas City, MO. So I got games from all over the country. A lot of my favorite players were guys from the eighties, nineties, and 1^st decade of the 2000s. I adopted the NHL’s San Jose Sharks as my “home team” because at the time I was growing up, the minor league hockey team we did have in Kansas City was called the Blades, and they were the Sharks minor league affiliate. People have asked me since you’re a Kansas City Mavericks fan, which is the new minor league team since the Blades don’t exist anymore, are you a New York Islanders fan because the Mavericks are the Islanders minor league affiliate now? To be honest, no I’m not. But I’m always happy for the players who played for the Blades, and the Mavericks now, when they make it to the NHL because it’s hard to make it to any of the major sports leagues for all 5 sports in general. However, like most Missourians I rooted for the Blues when they finally made and won the Stanley Cup Finals 2018-19.

*My favorite teams in the Western Conference were the Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks. That Western Conference Final between the Avalanche and the Red Wings during the 95-96 season was rather epic. My team in the East was the New Jersey Devils by the way.

*I wrote down 5 Goaltenders because even though my favorite player was Wayne Gretzky, when I participated in hockey games during PE class, or recess, I always made a great Goalie sitting in my power chair. It was my way to participate. So most of the time, I analyzed the Goalkeeper because that was the position I usually played.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Legends Hockey Team

My all-time legends hockey team:

Starting Lineup:

C: Jean Beliveau (Montréal Canadians)         

LW: Bobby Hull (Chicago Blackhawks)

RW: Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings)

LD: Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins)

RD: Eddie Shore (Boston Bruins)

G: Georges Vezina (Montréal Canadians)

Bench:

C: Elmer Lach (Montréal Canadians)

C: Stan Mikita (Chicago Blackhawks)

C: Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins)

LW: Toe Blake (Montréal Canadians)

LW: Bernie Geoffrion (Montréal Canadians)                         

LW: Frank Mahovlich (Toronto Maple Leafs)

RW: Maurice Richard (Montréal Canadians)

RW: Guy Lafleur (Montréal Canadians)

RW: Andy Bathgate (New York Rangers)

LD: Doug Harvey (Montréal Canadians)

LD: King Clancy (Toronto Maple Leafs)

RD: Tim Horton (Toronto Maple Leafs)

RD: Larry Robinson (Montréal Canadians)

G: Terry Sawchuk (Detroit Red Wings)

Non-Roster Players (in case someone gets injured since rosters have expanded from the traditional 20 players above to 23):

C: Henri Richard (Montréal Canadians)

LD: Red Kelly (Detroit Red Wings)

RD: Brad Park (Boston Bruins)

Brad Freeman's All-Time Lifetime Basketball Team

My all-time basketball team during my lifetime.

Starting Lineup:
C: Shaquille O’Neil (Orlando Magic/Los Angeles Lakers)
PF: Karl Malone (Utah Jazz)
SF: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
SG: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) *favorite player and team growing up
PG: Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)

Bench:
6. SG Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
7. SF Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers/Miami Heat)
8. PG/SG Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)
9. PG Steve Nash (Dallas Mavericks/Phoenix Suns) *where I learned to pass from crazy angles
10. SG Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat)
11. C David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs)
12. PF Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)

Non-Roster Players (in case somebody gets injured)
13. SG Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks/Boston Celtics/Miami Heat)
14. SG Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers)

*The 92 Olympics in Barcelona Spain were the 1st time that NBA players were allowed to play in the Summer Olympics, instead of the mandatory college players. And yes, I owned and still own the “Dream Team” poster. I remember those players vividly, even though I was only 8.

*Being that the Kings had moved from Kansas City to Sacramento literally the year after I was born, I adopted the Bulls as my team.When leagues, have no teams tied to a certain city’s market, you get games from all around the country.

*While I appreciate Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James’s game, I’m not as awestruck because growing up I liked Michael Jordan, so I’ve seen it all before when it comes to what I like to call his 2 reincarnations. Plus, could Lebron or Kobe dunk the moon? I have the Michael Jordan: Space: The Final Frontier poster still. That’s the one where Jordan is dunking the moon over his head.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Legends Basketball Team

My all-time legends basketball team.

Starting Lineup:
C: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics)
PF: Wilt Chamberlain (Harlem Globetrotters/Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors/Philadelphia 76ers/LA Lakers)
SF: Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
SG: Pete Maravich (New Orleans/Utah Jazz)
PG: Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics)

Bench:
6. PG/SG Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
7. C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks/Los Angeles Lakers)
8. SF Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers)
9. PF Moses Malone (Philadelphia 76ers)
10. PG John Havlick (Boston Celtics) 
11. SG/SF George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs)
12. PG Oscar Robertson (Milwaukee Bucks)

Non-Roster Players (in case somebody gets injured)
13. PG Walt Frazier (New York Knicks)
14. C Willis Reed (New York Knicks)

Super Bowl LIV Reaction

Finally!!!!...Super Bowl Champs! Yes! I was born in July 1984, and as a student of history in general, I have an appreciation for that which came before me like I lived it. Followed football since I was 6. So being a sports fan, and growing up during the nineties and 1st decade of the 2000s. The Chiefs in the nineties were the winningest team of the decade under Marty Schottenheimer, but couldn’t do anything in the playoffs (all defense and no offense), after, Gunther Cunningham took over. That was abysmal, but I always liked him as the defensive coordinator. In the very early 2000s, Dick Vermeil took over (all offense, and seriously I think defense was outlawed). After that the Kansas City Chiefs were an insult to the sport of football as a whole. Oh my God! The Scott Pioli/Todd Haley/Matt Cassel years. I have no desire to drink, smoke, or do drugs of any kind, but those 3, had I been a lesser willed man, would’ve certainly drove me to it. Haha. Worst team in the league at one point. 1-15. Number 1 overall draft pick the next year (2012), which is our current left tackle’s draft year because we obtained Andy Reid as coach, and he drafted Eric Fisher as his 1st draft pick. 7 years later my rabid fandom, and watching football constantly because I treat it like a job, has finally paid off! #SBLIV