1975 Houston Oilers: The Start Of A New Era

The AFL’s merger with the NFL in 1970 had not been kind to the Houston Oilers. A franchise that had won the first two AFL titles in 1960-61, and contended consistently throughout the decade, fell on hard times after the merger. In the first five seasons of the 1970s, the Oilers went 16-52-2. But a 7-7 season in 1974 gave them some hope. In 1975, Houston brought in a new head coach in Bum Phillips and finally started playing winning football again.

BUM’S NEW 3-4 DEFENSE

Phillips was an innovative defensive thinker, and one of the first coaches to use a base 3-4 defense in the NFL. He immediately drafted an outside linebacker who proved to be a perfect fit. Robert Brazile recorded seven sacks and won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

The system was a boon to the men up front as well. Nose tackle Curley Culp made All-Pro, finishing 11 ½ sacks. And defensive end Elvin Bethea’s 10 sacks got him a Pro Bowl ticket. The secondary was led by corner Zeke Moore, who intercepted five passes. Houston’s stingy defense ranked fifth in the NFL for points allowed.

BIG PLAYS IN THE PASSING GAME

Dan Pastorini had his share of inconsistencies at quarterback. His 48% completion rate, while not as unthinkable as it would be today, was still near the bottom of the league. His 6.0 yards-per-attempt was subpar. And while a 4.7% interception rate was actually a bit above the league average for starting QBs, it was a marginal strength. What can be said is this—Pastorini hit a lot of timely long touchdown passes. That, combined with the team’s success, got him to the Pro Bowl.

Ken Burrough was the big deep threat. In what was then a 14-game schedule in a run-heavy era, he still finished with over 1,000 receiving yards. Even more impressive, his 20.1 yards-per-catch was the best in the NFL. He was augmented by Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, a decent secondary receiver, but an electric return man, whose end zone dances started a new trend in the NFL. White Shoes made the Pro Bowl as a returner.

A pedestrian offensive line limited Houston’s ability to dominate on the ground, but they still had a nice two-pronged attack in the backfield. Ronnie Coleman, Don Hardeman, and Fred Willis all combined to produce over 1,800 yards. It was enough for the Oilers to be above average offensively, 12^th in a 26-team league for points scored.

A STRONG START BUILDS MOMENTUM

Perhaps it was ironic that Phillips’ tenure in Houston began with a road trip to New England. Patriot head coach Chuck Fairbanks is someone else commonly credited with bringing the 3-4 defensive scheme into vogue. On a rainy day in Foxboro, it was all about the defense. While Hardeman rushed for 96 yards, the only scoring of the day came when Oiler defensive back Willie Germany took a fumble 48 yards to the house. Houston won 7-0.

The Patriots were a bad team, and so were the San Diego Chargers, whom the Oilers hosted in Week 2. Houston abused San Diego up front, with both Coleman and Hardeman having 100-yard afternoons. Culp returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown and Houston coasted to a 33-17 win.

A good Cincinnati Bengals team came in next. This was a divisional game. Houston shared the old AFC Central with the Bengals, the Cleveland Browns and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston played well against Cincinnati for three quarters, leading 17-7. But they turned the ball over five times, Pastorini couldn’t generate a passing attack and the Oilers ultimately lost 21-19.

Houston went on to face lowly Cleveland. The fourth quarter meltdown lingered into the second quarter, as the Oilers trailed 10-3. Then Pastorini hooked up with tight end Mack Alston for three touchdown passes. Coleman ran for 110 yards. White Shoes brought the opening kick of the second half back for a touchdown. Houston routed Cleveland 40-10.

The Washington Redskins of George Allen had become a playoff perennial. The ‘Skins would fall short of the postseason this year and one reason is what took place in the Houston Astrodome. The Oilers trailed 10-6 after three quarters. But they were shutting down the Redskin ground game, they forced three turnovers and Houston ultimately pulled out a 13-10 win. They were 4-1 and were feeling good.

JOINING THE AFC CENTRAL RACE

Mediocre Detroit came in next. The Oilers trailed 6-3 in the second quarter. Then Pastorini started showing his big arm. He only completed nine passes on 16 attempts in this game. But those completions went for 212 yards. A 27-yard strike to White Shoes put Houston up top. Pastorini then hit Burrough on a 56-yard touchdown pass. Billy White Shoes added a punt return for a score. The winning continued with a 24-8 triumph.

The Oilers went on the road and struggled against a subpar Kansas City Chiefs team, trailing 13-7 at the half. Enter the big play Pastorini hit Burrough on a 57-yard touchdown strike, the Houston D intercepted three passes and they won 17-13.

Houston was 6-1. The problem is that so were Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Moreover, there was only a single wild-card spot available per conference. The Oilers had to at least finish ahead of one of their rivals and there would also be multiple contenders in the AFC East. They had a loss on their resume to Cincinnati. But three of the four head-to-head games against their AFC Central rivals were still ahead. And the second half of the season would start with a visit to Pittsburgh.

STEEL CURTAIN ROADBLOCK

Houston was overmatched physically by the great “Steel Curtain”, losing rush yardage 183-92 and falling behind 10-0 early. But Pastorini hung in there and made some throws. While he only went 15/33, he did generate 203 yards of passing offense. Burrough caught six balls for 99 yards. The Oilers pulled even 17-17. But the mighty Steelers got the last word and Houston took a 24-17 loss.

Another big game loomed, this one at home with Miami, who was leading the AFC East. Special teams made the difference. White Shoes returned a punt 83 yards to the house and we were tied 13-13 in the fourth quarter. When the Dolphins got a go-ahead touchdown, they missed the extra point. Houston wasn’t turning the ball over, Coleman answered with a touchdown of his own, and the Oilers hit their own PAT. A big 20-19 win kept them alive.

Nothing like having to face the Steel Curtain twice in three weeks. That’s what was up next, and this one on Monday Night Football. Houston was uncompetitive in front of the Astrodome crowd. They gave up 228 rushing yards, Pastorini was sacked four times, and the result was a 32-9 shellacking.

With four games to go, the Oilers were 7-3, one game back of the Bengals, and one game ahead of the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills, who were both chasing Miami in the AFC East. The tiebreaker situation within the AFC Central would not favor Houston, even if they managed to split with Cincinnati. That made a road trip to face the Bengals on the Sunday after Thanksgiving even more urgent.

The good news is that Cincinnati’s Pro Bowl quarterback Ken Anderson was out with an injury. The opportunity to pull even in the standings was right there. Coleman would run for 88 yards, while Willis added 86. But Pastorini had an awful game, going 10/34 for 107 yards. The Oilers turned it over three times, while the Bengals played clean football. Houston tried to rally after a 16-3 deficit but came up short in a 23-19 loss. While mathematically alive, the playoffs were a major longshot.

FINISHING STRONG

Houston kept competing. They went on the road to San Francisco, and their defensive front dominated a bad 49er team, holding them to five rushing yards. In the meantime, Hardeman, Coleman, and Willie Rodgers all ran for touchdowns in a 27-13 win.

A Cincinnati win that same day formally eliminated the Oilers, but a visit to Oakland was still an opportunity for an up-and-coming hopeful. The Raiders, coached by John Madden, were a major contender. Pastorini responded to the moment, hitting Burrough on touchdown passes from 68 yards and 13 yards. That kept Houston in the game, as they still trailed 26-17 in the third quarter. But they won turnover margin 6-3, and a short TD pass from Pastorini to Alston ultimately pulled out a gratifying 27-26 win.

The Oilers came home to close the season against Cleveland. Hardeman ran for an early score, Burrough hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Pastorini, and Houston won rush yardage 166-96. A 21-10 win closed out the season.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR EARL

Houston finished 10-4, one of two teams, along with Miami, to miss the playoffs with that record. The Oilers would have to wait until 1990, when the postseason expanded to six teams per conference, to qualify based on 1975 results.

But they had made substantial progress. While that progress was halted with a disappointing year in ’76, Houston started playing winning football again in 1977. Then, in 1978, a rookie named Earl Campbell arrived, and the Phillips-era Oilers started a string of three straight playoff trips.