Tennessee Titans legend Robert Brazile finalist for Hall of Fame

Tennessee Titans fans need to learn the name Robert Brazile.

The Tennessee Titans may have another player in the Hall of Fame next year, though you may never heard of him.

Robert Brazile (pronounced Brah-zeal) was one of the few linebackers from the NFL in the early-mid 70s that could play today if he came out.

If you doubt me, watch this short video about just how good and well respected he was.

Apparently the man they called Dr. Doom was nothing to mess with in his time with the Houston Oilers.

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In fact, Bum Phillips says that it was Brazile that should be credited with revolution at the 3-4 OLB position. While most say that it was Lawrence Taylor, apparently he was the first man to popularize that style.

Now how much of that is hyperbole and how much isn’t is a different story.

Honestly other than clips here and there and some old games, there isn’t a lot you can find now on Brazile. However, those that were around to watch or coach him raved about him and he was just elected a Senior Finalist in his campaign to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

While I can’t tell you exactly how great he was, I can tell you how the Oilers landed him.

The 1973 NFL Draft came around and the Houston Oilers had the first pick. They drafted a man whose name you don’t know, but nearly all of you have seen: John Matuszak.

The defensive lineman from Tampa College was 6’8 and was one of the strongest men alive, which he would later go on to prove in 1978 when he participated in the world’s strongest man competition and placed 9th.

Apparently even after he was drafted by the Oilers he attempted to play a game with a team called the Houston Texans for another football league in addition to the Oilers who were in the NFL.

He was later told that he couldn’t do that but his response was something along the lines of: some of the guys on the other sideline were giving me the stink eye so I decided to play. That is pretty crazy.

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Anyway, the Oilers got really mad and decided to trade him. They found a willing partner in the Kansas City Chiefs. In that trade this is what the Oilers received:

-Curly Culp who went on to play with the Oilers for 6 years on his way to the Hall of Fame.

-The 6th pick in the 1975 NFL Draft.

That pick later became Robert Brazile who played his entire, trailblazing career with the Houston Oilers.

By the way, the reason you have no idea who John Matuszak is, but you have seen him is because while he never turned out to be what people wanted at football he became an actor. The role you best know him for is Sloth from The Goonies!

So the Oilers ended Sloth for two (potentially) Hall of Fame players! That is a story that no one talks about and it should be talked about all the time.

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