It was one of the American Football League’s eight original franchises in 1960. The Houston Oilers wasted little time making an impression when it came to professional football. They won the AFL’s first two titles in 1960 and ’61.
These days, the club resides in Nashville and goes under the nom de guerre of the Tennessee Titans. The club was known as the Tennessee Oilers for two seasons (1997 and ’98) before its current status. The name change appeared to have done some good. Aided by a “Music City Miracle,” the team would eventually wind up in Super Bowl XXIV.
As for this exercise, it’s worth noting that some of these 10 performers did not have long careers with the franchise, much less in the league. Each had at least one memorable moment when it comes to the team.
Obviously, there’s no mystery here in regards to the top choice. As for the other nine choices, let the debates begin.
The top 10 quarterbacks in Oilers/Titans history
10. Gifford Nielsen
He may not have started a lot of games for the Houston Oilers, but it’s pretty safe to say that quarterback Gifford Nielsen certainly holds some reference in the history of the franchise. The former BYU product was a third-round pick by the club in 1978. He started only 14 regular-season games in his seven seasons.
Nielsen’s career reads 3,255 yards and 20 scores (55 games). However, there was the legendary 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs at San Diego vs. the powerful Chargers. Bum Phillips would be without quarterback Dan Pastorini, running back Earl Campbell, and wide receiver Kenny Burrough. Nielsen and the club rose to the occasion, and his third-quarter 47-yard TD pass to Mike Renfro was the difference in a stunning 17-14 win.
9. Cody Carlson
Just like Gifford Nielsen, Cody Carlson was also a third-round draft choice of the organization. The former Baylor University product was the 64th overall selection in 1987. Like Nielsen, he spent seven years with the Oilers. He started 20 games, including a 1990 playoff contest at Cincinnati—a lopsided 41-14 setback.
Carlson’s final NFL season came in 1994, when the team finished a dismal 2-14 and replaced head coach Jack Pardee late in the season with Jeff Fisher. His finest relief job came in 1992, when he started the club’s final six regular-season contests in place of an injured Warren Moon. The Oilers won four of those games, including a victory over the Super Bowl-bound Bills, and reached the playoffs with a 10-6 record.
8. Kerry Collins
Only four players were drafted ahead of the former Penn State standout. Quarterback Kerry Collins was the first selection of the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995. The team was a surprising 7-9 in their debut campaign and stunned the NFL with a 12-4 mark and a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 1996.
Then came the rollercoaster ride. Tennessee signed Collins in 2006, his fifth stop in the NFL. He spent five seasons with the franchise and threw for a combined 8,306 yards and 47 touchdowns (54 picks). His big moment came in relief of Vince Young (more on him later). He started the final 15 games and Jeff Fisher’s club won 12 of them. The Titans would capture the AFC’s top seed, but were surprised by the Ravens.
7. Vince Young
He put on one of the great shows in college football history when he and the Texans Longhorns unseated the defending national champion USC Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Longhorn’s quarterback Vince Young threw for 267 yards, plus ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a scintillating 41-38 victory.
Then came the 2006 NFL Draft, and Young went third to the Titans. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, throwing for 2,199 yards and 12 scores, plus rushing for 552 yards and seven TDs. Tennessee was a playoff team in 2007, but fell short at San Diego. He bounced back in 2009 and was named to the Pro Bowl, but he never recaptured that early form. Still, he made his mark with the club.
6. Marcus Mariota
Back in 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans were both coming off dreadful in 2-14 campaigns. The Bucs owned the number-one overall pick and grabbed 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. The Titans drafted second and selected 2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota.
When available, Mariota rewarded his team with solid play, and was at the helm for two playoff games in 2017. The first was a stirring 22-21 win at Arrowhead Stadium when the Titans rallied from a 21-3 third-quarter deficit. The comeback started with a Mariota-to-Mariota TD pass. The former Oregon Duck put up solid numbers early in his career, but was injured midway through 2019 and never recaptured star form.
5. Ryan Tannehill
As of this writing, he remains on the open market. Once upon a time in 2012, former Texas A&M wide receiver/turned quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the eighth pick by the Dolphins. He was with a club that hovered around the .500 mark. The ‘Fins reached the playoffs in 2016, but he was injured late that year.
He was traded to the Titans in 2019 and wound up taking over for an injured Marcus Mariota. He led an offense reliant on running back Derrick Henry. Tennessee upset the Patriots and Ravens on the way to the AFC title game that year. The Titans would win the AFC South in 2020 and 2021. In 67 regular-season games with the club, he threw for 14,447 yards and more than twice as many scores (93) as picks (40).
4. Dan Pastorini
He was part of a draft in 1971 in which quarterbacks were selected with the first three picks. The Patriots opted for Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett from Stanford. The Saints were up next and chose Ole Miss signal-caller Archie Manning. The Oilers grabbed Dan Pastorini from Santa Clara University third overall.
The 12-year pro, who spent his first nine seasons with Houston, finished his NFL career with less-than-impressive numbers. He did start 107 regular-season games for the franchise, as well as five postseason contests. Pastorini was at the helm of head coach Bum Phillips’ team when “Luv Ya Blue” reached the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and ‘79. Both appearances resulted in losses to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
3. George Blanda
The Pro Football Hall of Famer played a record 26 seasons. George Blanda is perhaps best known for his latter stages of his career, the majority of that due to his kicking heroics for the Raiders. He played for the Oilers for seven seasons from 1960-66, leading them to the American Football League’s first two titles.
He was the team’s starting quarterback for the vast majority of his tenure with the Oilers, throwing for a combined 19,419 yards. That total still ranks third in franchise history behind Warren Moon and Steve McNair. His 165 aerial scores are second only to Moon (195) in team annals. Blanda warned All-Pro honors with Houston in 1961, and three of his four Pro Bowl invitations came as a member of the Oilers.
2. Steve McNair
He was a gifted athlete who patiently waited his turn on the bench after being the third overall selection in the 1995 NFL Draft. Alcorn State’s Steve McNair would get a few starts in this rookie season, made four more starts in 1996, and took over the job in his third year as the franchise made the move to Tennessee.
He spent 11 years with the organization and ranks second in team history with 27,141 aerial yards. McNair threw 156 TD passes, third in franchise annals, and ranks seventh with 3,439 rushing yards. The three-time Pro Bowler and 2003 co-NFL MVP was exceptional in the Super Bowl XXIV loss to the Rams.
1. Warren Moon
Due to unfortunate circumstances and a ridiculous stigma, former University of Washington standout Warren Moon actually began his professional football career in the Canadian Football League. He would lead the Edmonton Eskimos to five Grey Cup titles in six seasons, and join the Houston Oilers in 1984.
Moon made his mark as one of the most prolific passers in NFL annals. His 49,325 career yards through the air still ranks 14th in league history, and his 291 TD passes in 17 seasons is 16th all-time. As for his 10-year stint with the Oilers, he’s the franchise leader in aerial yards (33,685) and touchdown strikes (196). Moon was a six-time Pro Bowler with Houston and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.