Oilers take 2nd place and find new turf with a .500 record
Being .500 should gain them a few badly needed points in the all-important respect category. Maybe local pee-wee football teams will finally stop trying to soften up their schedules by requesting games against the Oilers.
After going 1-3 in their first four games, the Oilers have taken advantage of a weak schedule to post a three-game winning streak.
I was happy to witness this turn of events because I felt that writing about their inexplicable and inexcusable losses had grown tedious.
Until their turnaround, I was actually beginning to think that the Oilers had decided to avoid repeating their heart-breaking, fourth-quarter defeats of previous seasons. They were beginning to employ a new strategy this year: getting completely blown off of the football field.
I was wrong (very deep sigh of relief), but Houston's climb out of the AFC Central Division's cellar was far from awe-inspiring.
Of course, that was to be expected. Even their first victory was nothing to write Momma about. The win came against a Kansas City club that had to start reserve Dave Krieg at quarterback in place of an injured Joe "future Hall of Fame" Montana.
That's a quality difference comparable to the discrepancy between a Cadillac and a Ford Pinto. Krieg couldn't run most intramural flag football offenses, much less a professional one.
Considering Houston's opponents the past few weeks, the Oiler's 4-4 record is no milestone of gridiron achievement. Of late, the Columbian blue juggernauts have bullied the bottom of the NFL's talent barrel.
The Oilers' last three opponents, New England, winless Cincinnati and Seattle, have a current combined record of 5-21. All three are in last place in their divisions.
The Florida State University Seminoles, the top-ranked college team in the country, could probably beat any of the three teams, or a combination of them, with a back-up quarterback on a bad day.
Despite their mediocre 4-4 record, the Oilers are only one win out of first place in their division. In most NFC divisions, Houston would find themselves in last place, hoping for a few teams' chartered flights to crash.
However, the Houston Oilers play in the AFC's Central Division, whose current leaders are only average at best.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns are tied for the divisional lead with 5-3 records. Few sports writers are predicting a Super Bowl appearance for either of these teams.
It seems as though Lady Luck has finally smiled on the perennially hapless Houston Oilers, though. I was ready to give up all hope of the Oilers even getting a wildcard playoff spot. Now, in second place in their division, they have the opportunity (and I stress this word) of climbing into their division's driver seat.
I'll spare you from Phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes analogies, since the comparison between a Greek bird and a football team would hint too much at academia for many pigskin faithful. But it is nice to see a resurgent Houston squad beat teams that they are supposed to beat.
However, as a true Oilers fan, I am still not ready to throw caution to the wind and predict that Houston will end the season on top of the AFC Central pile. The Oilers won't test their newly found mettle until Nov. 21, when they play the first-place Browns at Cleveland.
This game begins a series of critical divisional contests for Houston, as they will play the Steelers twice and the Browns one more time in a span of four weeks. Furthermore, the Oilers must face the San Francisco 49ers in Candlestick on Christmas day.
These three teams are an obvious cut above Houston's competition in recent weeks. The Browns are playing solid football when they can decide who's playing quarterback and keep him healthy, i.e. off of a stretcher and in the huddle.
The Steelers have running back Barry "I wish I could win a rushing title" Foster and a history of giving the Oilers major trouble. Moreover, the Steelers are just plain mean and ugly.
San Francisco is an NFC team and Houston is an AFC team. Thus, the Oilers are already at a disadvantage. Not to mention that the 49ers have talent equal to that of Houston and have a bad habit of using it to win -- four Super Bowls to be exact. Don't expect San Francisco to exude the Yuletide spirit in dealing with the Oilers next month.
At least the Oilers get a confidence- boosting game against the Bengals this Sunday before beginning the section from hell of their schedule.
We can assume without danger that the Oilers will easily win this one because the Bengals stink so damn bad.
It is certain that the Houston Oilers have turned a pivotal corner, but the verdict will still be out on their status as a playoff contenders until they play and beat some tougher opponents.
Right now, they are 4-4 and in second place. The Oilers have a chance to capture their division because they have won some "must-win" games against a couple of lesser opponents. Their backs are still against the wall, and it remains to be seen if Houston can come away with some victories in "must-win" games against a couple of better teams.
Hopefully, the 1994 version of the Houston Oilers will demonstrate enough grit to take advantage of opportunities on which they have choked in the past.
This item appeared in the Sports section of the November 12, 1993 issue.
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