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1984 Houston Oilers season

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1984 Houston Oilers season
OwnerBud Adams
General managerLadd Herzeg
Head coachHugh Campbell
Home fieldHouston Astrodome
Results
Record3–13
Division place4th AFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1984 Houston Oilers season was the 25th season overall and 15th with the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 2–14, winning three games,[1] but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. With hopes of improving the offense the Oilers won the bidding war to sign CFL star and future Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon. However, with Earl Campbell in full decline, the Oilers decided to trade him to the Saints after a 1–5 start. The move would leave a gaping hole at running back, but it was the defense that was a greater weak spot as the Oilers finished with a 3–13 record, allowing 457 points on the season.

Regular season

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Despite acquiring CFL star Warren Moon at quarterback, the Oilers stumbled out of the gate, falling to 0–10 before picking up a 17–16 win on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. The following week they beat the New York Jets 31–20. In that game Moon tossed two touchdown passes to Tim Smith and one to Herkie Walls. The Oilers defense intercepted a Ken O'Brien pass.[2] They picked up their third and final win of the season in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers 23–20. Moon connected with tight end Chris Dressell for a touchdown, while Steelersʼ quarterback Mark Malone tossed two interceptions – one to rookie Bo Eason and the other to Willie Tullis.[3] The Oilers finished the season in last place in the AFC Central with a 3–13 record.[4]

Offseason

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The 1984 draft would yield some solid players for Houston. They selected Dean Steinkuhler in round one. They used their second round choice to draft Doug Smith out of Auburn, but he spurred the Oilers to sign with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. The draft also saw Houston land Johnny Meads, Jeff Donaldson, John Grimsley and Patrick Allen.

Transactions

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  • October 10, 1984: The Houston Oilers traded running back Earl Campbell to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for their top choice in the 1985 NFL draft. [5]

NFL draft

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Main article: 1984 NFL draft

The following players were selected in the 1984 NFL draft.

1984 Houston Oilers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 2 Dean Steinkuhler  Offensive tackle Nebraska
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[6]

Supplemental draft

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Main article: 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players

The following players were selected in the 1984 NFL supplemental draft.

1984 Houston Oilers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 2 Mike Rozier *  Running back Nebraska
2 29 Don Maggs  Tackle Tulane
3 58 Lynn Madsen  Defensive Tackle Washington
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[6]

Personnel

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Staff

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1984 Houston Oilers staff

Front office

  • Owner/Chairman of the Board/President – Bud Adams
  • Executive Vice President/General Manager – Ladd Herzeg

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Bill Allerheiligen


Roster

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1984 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 2 Los Angeles Raiders L 14–24 0–1 Astrodome Recap
2 September 9 Indianapolis Colts L 21–35 0–2 Astrodome Recap
3 September 16 at San Diego Chargers L 14–31 0–3 Jack Murphy Stadium Recap
4 September 23 at Atlanta Falcons L 10–42 0–4 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Recap
5 September 30 New Orleans Saints L 10–27 0–5 Astrodome Recap
6 October 7 at Cincinnati Bengals L 3–13 0–6 Riverfront Stadium Recap
7 October 14 at Miami Dolphins L 10–28 0–7 Miami Orange Bowl Recap
8 October 21 San Francisco 49ers L 21–34 0–8 Astrodome Recap
9 October 28 Cincinnati Bengals L 13–31 0–9 Astrodome Recap
10 November 4 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–35 0–10 Three Rivers Stadium Recap
11 November 11 at Kansas City Chiefs W 17–16 1–10 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
12 November 18 New York Jets W 20–31 2–10 Astrodome Recap
13 November 25 at Cleveland Browns L 10–27 2–11 Cleveland Stadium Recap
14 December 2 Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–20 3–11 Astrodome Recap
15 December 9 at Los Angeles Rams L 16–27 3–12 Anaheim Stadium Recap
16 December 16 Cleveland Browns L 20–27 3–13 Astrodome Recap

Standings

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AFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Pittsburgh Steelers(3) 9 7 0 .563 3–3 6–6 387 310 W2
Cincinnati Bengals 8 8 0 .500 5–1 6–6 339 339 W4
Cleveland Browns 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 250 297 W1
Houston Oilers 3 13 0 .188 1–5 3–9 240 437 L2

Season summary

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Week 2: vs. Indianapolis Colts

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Week 2: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 21 7735
Oilers 7 7 0721

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information


Week 8 (Sunday, October 21, 1984): vs. San Francisco 49ers

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[7]

Week 8: San Francisco 49ers at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers (7–1) 10 7 31434
Oilers (0–8) 0 7 7721

at Houston Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Team Category Player Statistics
SF Passing Joe Montana 25/35, 353 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Wendell Tyler 23 CAR, 108 YDS
Receiving Dwight Clark 5 REC, 127 YDS, 1 TD
HOU Passing Warren Moon 25/33, 356 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing Larry Moriarty 9 CAR, 36 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving Tim Smith 6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD
  • Point spread: 49ers by 11
  • Over/Under: 42.0 (over)
  • Time of Game:
49ers Game Statistics Oilers
25 First downs 22
38–164 Rushes–yards 18–82
353 Passing yards 356
25–35–1 Passes 25–33–2
1–0 Sacked–yards 2–6
353 Net passing yards 350
517 Total yards 432
85 Return yards 105
3–49.3 Punts 3–46.3
2–0 Fumbles–lost 3–1
8–70 Penalties–yards 7–75
34:13 Time of Possession 25:47

Week 15

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See also: 1984 Los Angeles Rams season
Week Fifteen: Houston Oilers (3–11) at Los Angeles Rams (9–5)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 3 10 3016
Rams 17 3 0727

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

Game information

References

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  1. ^ 1984 Houston Oilers
  2. ^ "New York Jets at Houston Oilers - November 18th, 1984". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers - December 2nd, 1984". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  4. ^ "1984 Houston Oilers Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "Oilers Exchange Campbell For Saints' No. 1 Draft Pick". Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "1984 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  7. ^ The Football Database. Retrieved 2022-Jun-26.
  8. ^ Pro Football Reference; San Francisco Giants at Houston Oilers – October 21, 1984
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