Please stop this. If you read the post that started it all, I was a hardcore fan of the oilers to the point of nearly driving myself crazy in the process. I sat in a section of fans that was devoted to Eugene Seale, and brought inflatable plastic seals to the games. I'm a total purist in every sense of the word. I once spent a weekend on the road and in cheap motels in South Bend and Canton in the middle of the summer visiting the college and pro football halls of fame, respectively. I once jogged six miles in Albany just to watch Giants training camp for an hour, and then jogged six miles back. I used to keep stats with pen and paper while playing full seasons of 4th and Inches on my Commodore 64. I turn the tv down when jill arrrington or lisa guerrero starts yapping their stupid traps on the sideline. Don't call me a casual fan.
sam - pretty superficial response. I don't know what holding seal dolls has to do with what he is saying which is - you guys are clearly focusing on the wrong things. sport is about playing hard and winning (not just aesthetics) to most of us.
Superficial? Not to the baseless accusation which was leveled. Look, I expressed my opinion that I can't really get excited about the Texans -- not because I'm not a real football fan. Rather, the reason why it's perplexing to me, and becuase I started this thread, is because I'm a real football fan. So for somebody say "Well, you just must not be a real football fan!" is annoying to me.
SF, I think it's because you're not here. I think if you were, you'd feel different. Now for these other wackos who can't get into them and live her...I'm speechless.
That's actually not what the guy said. He probably questions why you are downing a great franchise like the Texans just because you are bored with the coach. I imagine that everyone who is a Texans fan probably went through some period of transition. But to just pick some relatively minor detail (like how the coach talks to the media) as an example of a boring team. Seriously, I don't think you've watched many of their games. They are not a boring team to watch, even if you aren't crazy about Capers or the color scheme.
I consider myself to be a diehard sports fan but the Texans just haven't captured my imagination the way the Oilers had. Maybe they never will. I grew up with Luv Ya Blue and was in high school/college during the Run-N-Shoot era. Those teams seemed to be larger than just a football team. They overachieved (Blue) and underachieved (Shoot). We were lovable, we choked, we were cursed, and had people that also symbolized the Houston area in Earl, Bum, Moon, Childress, Lathon, etc. Even the Run-n-shoot offense was a Houston thing with UoH using it also. Plus as I mentioned earlier the Oilers had rivals. The Texans will given time but Texans/Cowboys is lame in comparison to Oilers/Steelers, Oilers/Browns, and Oilers/Bengals of the late 80s-early 90s. The Titans, Colts, Jags, or even the 'Boys coming to town just don't do it for me yet. Hopefully someday it will. I'm holding out hope. BTW, I've never been a fan of them but.......have the Cowboys ever considered Houston a rival? I always thought that we made a helluva lot more out of our meetings than they did. They always seemed to get up more for the NFC East and Niners than they did for the little team down the road with the inferiority complex (us).
how much of all of this is attributable to age, i wonder. doesn't it take far more to capture your imagination today than it did when you were 10 years old?
Well, I picked out Capers because it sort of symbolized what I get to see and hear of the Texans from here. I see the occasional highlight and such but otherwise, it's hard, not living in houston, to pick them out from the mass of NFL teams by virtue of anything they have done in the last few years. Maybe it's just cause they're still too new, I don't know. But I know for a fact that it's not because I care more about halftime shows. Give me a freaking break.
I loved the Oilers as much as anybody. But, lets face it, the franchise was a failure because of its owner. There can be no doubt about that. I would have stayed loyal to them and sat through it all. I think I actually went to almost every game. I really am annoyed with people who are so mired in nostalgia they feel they need to whine about the present. Why not watch and follow the team? It really helps. Don't just look to one superstar or hope the coach to inspire you or make you laugh. Follow what they are doing. Learn a bit about how they are building the team. You have to love players like Dom Davis and Andre (both phenoms in the making). I heard alot of the same moaning and groaning about the Oilers after the Bum Phillips era ('no character' - 'who cares'). Then they had a good year or two and the waggoneers jumped back on. You guys reflect much of the attitude of a bandwaggon fan. You approach a new relationship with the Texans expecting what - a history? a coach that tells good jokes? a tacky 80s style uni? They don't have any of that. This is a serious franchise that wants to win a Super Bowl and is committed to doing what it takes to get there. In ten or less years when they are in the SB, you'll start to claim them I guess. Until then, enjoy your Sunday's. More power to the Texans (and the fans that are willing to join on) and F the Oilers!
You're right, I'm sure you're a die-hard and knowledgable fan of the game. I don't think anyone watches for William Hung, but you did seem to base part of your take on Caper's personality and the team colors. I could see how, if you don't live in Houston, it would be hard to get into the Texans. There's nothing wrong with that, not everyone has to like them. If you're a Titans fan, cool. But the Texans play tough, always as the underdog, and they still make things interesting. There is nothing uninteresting or boring about their play. (although Palmer is kind of conservative due to the lack of depth on offense). I was also a big Oilers fan, but they left. Bye. Most of the players that were on the Oliers are now gone -- save McNair (who I love but never actually played in the Dome) and George. We now have the Texans in town in the best football stadium in the world, and we see a young team ready to emerge as a true Super Bowl threat in a couple of years. If you're "not into them." That's cool, it doesn't really matter.
Right on, couldn't have said it better. Although I could see how some fans value tradition. The Texans can't instantly create that, it will take time, but it's good to be part of it from the start.
Those are great games, I got Jags and Vikes tickets. Do you think Woodsen still has the wheels to cover Johnson by himself? I not so sure, but the Raiders do have an improved D-line.
I can see what SamFisher is saying....our coaching staff just isnt exciting enough. If Dom Capers would change his name to Masta Dom C and carry an oversize mic instead of wearing headphones....that would get me even more excited about the Texans. Carr - Coach, I know that 1st and 10 running play was a loss, so I am thinking I should pass it to Andre!!!! Masta Dom C- WHAAAAAAT? Carr - Coach, on 2nd down, I would like to go deep to Andre. Masta Dom C - WHAAAAAT? Carr- Uh, Coach, uh....can I pass the pass to AJ? Masta Dom C - OOOOOKAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! Oh man, I am excited already!!!! And the colors...we need more shine. Silver, gold, and maybe some platinum. We should resign the unis completely. What we need is PINSTRIPES. Oh yeah, and RETRO. And maybe a new fuzzy mascot.
Pro sports has become so much more corporate in the past ten years, and I would venture to say that Houston has become more corporate since the "glory days" of the Oilers. Houston of the 1970s was a far different kind of place than it is today. There were a lot of bigger-than-life characters in all aspects of Houston society at that time. Those sorts of people are far less prevalent everywhere today. What does it mean for a team to be too corporate? I take it to mean a team that seems to be molded more by MBAs and marketing wizards than just the personalities of the owners, coaches and players. One example of this for me, was when, instead of just picking a name that meant something to him like Bud did back in the day, McNair went through focus groups and all of that to determine the name, and ended up with something that was fairly bland, unoriginal but the least objectionable of any choice. The fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants philosophy that seemed to be the way things were done for a large portion of the Oilers history was gone and replaced by MBAs doing marketing research. That sort of feeling pervades all of professional sports these days (and other industries, too). Where it becomes more about selling an entertainment brand than playing a game. I don't think the Texans are alone in this regard (and, as a matter of fact, I don't think it'd be all that different if we still had the Oilers. We just don't have the long-ago less-corporate time of the Texans to remember). The Texans are a product and a brand more than a football team, as are pretty much every other team in sports these days.
What crap. I was 10 years old in 1961. I was a rabid fan of the Oilers up until the point that they left Houston. I suffered through the bad times with them and the good times. Because you had to suffer through the good times as well, at least with the Oilers. I'm not a "bandwagon fan." I'm the opposite. And I'm not some kid, like a lot of you here. And I'm not obsessed with notalgia for the Oilers. What bothers me, and you obviously don't get it, is that I don't feel the passion for the Texans that I felt for the Columbia Blue. I'll repeat that... it bothers me. I'm also a rabid fan of the Rockets, which should be clear to the meanest understanding by the amount time I spend at this site. If they had left, which was very possible a few years ago, I suspect I would have the same problem with any team that eventually replaced them. If you people can't relate to any of that, tough. It's a pity.
I said you reflect the attitude of a bandwaggon fan. You might not like it, but to expect to feel the same about the Texans after two years as you did about the Oilers after 20 plus years is absurd. You're waiting for stuff to happen and will jump on the bandwaggon when it does. In this case, that would be how a bandwaggon fan acts. Personally, I love NFL football, I love that Houston has a team and I especially love that a class act like McNair is running the show. What's not to like about this? And don't act so sanctimonious when you and others come on here to throw negative vibes out there about a fantastic young team. You should expect to take crap for it. Give the Texans a chance and don't bemoan the little stuff. Your grieving about the Oilers should be over by now. If not, I suggest a therapist, not a sports fans board.
Bandwagon is spelled with one g, chump. You have reading comprehension somewhere below that of my 13 year old son. And I'm not going to repeat myself, because you're not worth it. "Negative vibes?" "Sanctimonious?" And, the kicker, "Your grieving about the Oilers should be over by now. If not, I suggest a therapist, not a sports fans board." What a laugh! You don't get it and you obviously never will. It's not about the Oilers.
