Why the Titans are right to wear the Oilers jerseys, not Houston

NASHVILLE — With a stadium full of fans and over 170 franchise alumni set to be on site for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Tennessee Titans will be debuting the throwback Tennessee Oilers uniforms for the first time. The light blue jerseys from the 'Luv Ya' Blue' era that Tennessee will be wearing is […]

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NASHVILLE — With a stadium full of fans and over 170 franchise alumni set to be on site for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Tennessee Titans will be debuting the throwback Tennessee Oilers uniforms for the first time.

The light blue jerseys from the 'Luv Ya' Blue' era that Tennessee will be wearing is an obvious point of contention for football fans in Houston. But it has always been the Titans' right (not the Texans) to bring these classic threads back.

Kevin Byard, Derrick Henry, and Jeffery Simmons tease Oilers throwback uniforms in social media hype video.via Tennessee Titans

Former Texan J.J. Watt disagrees on Oilers jerseys

Take legendary Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, for example. Watt had a Hall of Fame, 10-year career with the Texans and knows the city of Houston as good as anyone. 

Watt has been on record in the past of loving the Oilers throwback uniforms and wanting to wear them as a member of the Texans. He is now on record of advocating for the city of Houston to get those jerseys instead of the Titans.

“I lived and played in Houston,” Watt said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I wanted to wear those uniforms very badly. They have such a massive history and tradition of “Luv Ya Blue” with Bum Phillips and everything that went on there. I understand the end with Bud Adams and everything that happened. I don’t even want to get into all of that. I also love Amy Adams Strunk. She’s incredible. She donated to the Hurricane Harvey fundraiser. Nothing against her. Nothing against that organization. I loved playing in Tennessee every time I played there.”

Watt acknowledged Amy Adams Strunk and Titans ownership having a claim to the uniforms. But the five-time All-Pro was still caught up on the connection Houston football fans have to Oilers legends.

"I just know, having lived and played there for ten years, and the people there and the connection they have to Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, to Billy White Shoes, to the guys that wore those uniforms and what that meant when they played in that Astrodome," said Watt. "It hurts to not be able to wear those in Houston and it hurts to see them being worn somewhere else."

Now Watt would have a point here, but he's missing one critical thing. The city of Houston may have a connection to Warren Moon, Earl Campbell, Billy White Shoes, and other Oilers legends. But those legends have a connection to the organization, not to the city.

Warren Moon is serving as the Honorary 12th Titans for Sunday's game and Billy "White Shoes" Johnson will be the Legend of the Game. These players come to Nashville every year and celebrate Titans football because their identity and legacy lies within the organization's history. The city of Houston may look back on the 'Luv Ya' Blue' era fondly, but the players who wore the 'Luv Ya' Blue' jerseys consider themselves to be Titans.

"I am going to make this as plain and simple as I can for anyone who has any doubts about this: The Oilers are Titans history, not Texans history," said Hall of Famer Robert Brazile to Jim Wyatt back in July. "Look at the Titans' Ring of Honor, and how many Oilers are in there? It's a good number. How many Oilers are in the Texans' Ring of Honor? The answer is zero. I was born an Oiler and I'm going to die a Titan."

Titans are Adams family owned, not Houston owned

Just as Brazile said, it's important to remember that the Houston Oilers franchise is the Tennessee Titans, and nobody has a more rightful claim to the history and tradition of that organization than the Titans. It doesn’t matter that they played in Houston. Nobody cares, and frankly, nobody cared back in 1996 either, hence why they lost the team in the first place.

The legacy of these players is in the franchise that Bud Adams founded back in 1960, not the least winning franchise in the NFL with the most unremarkable branding in professional sports.

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed to retire the Oilers nickname for any future franchise in Houston and awarded Bud Adams the IP. When Bud moved the team to Tennessee, everything Oilers came with it.

The city of Houston didn't support a new stadium for the team back in the 1990s despite constant lobbying from Adams, who needed to generate more revenue. The Oilers were at the bottom of the league in home attendance from 1994-1997 before moving.

Of course the city of Houston is still holding onto the days of the early 90’s Oilers. Their new franchise chased away the man responsible for their only period of sustained relevancy and has since been in a downward spiral. An all-time record of 145-198-1 with four playoff wins in 22 seasons is…rough.

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