Road to the Super Bowl: AFC South

Welcome Real Bookie, I’m so glad that you are here. On this episode you’ll learn interesting facts about the teams in the AFC South.

Founded in 1999, and their own Bob McNair had the team until he passed away in 2018. The team from Houston came into existence as an expansion team in 2002. Houston had a team known as the Houston Oilers until 1996 before moving to Nashville and becoming the Titans.

Deep in the heart of Texas, NRG Stadium has been home to the Houston Texans since they started playing in 2002. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, along with the Texas Bowl and Texas Kickoff game, are annual traditions at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Houston, obviously, is located in the state of Texas. There were several names that were discussed for the name of the franchise. A few of them include the Apollos, Bobcats, Stallions, and Wildcatters. That, of course, goes along with the Texans.

Heading into the 2023 season, Houston has won 145 games, and 4 of them in the postseason. The Texans have had some really solid players, including Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, and J.J. Watt.

The Houston Texans have not only never won a Super Bowl title but also have never even played in the Super Bowl.

When the Texans were announced as the 32nd team, the league gave Los Angeles six months to figure out their situation. The NFL then moved the organization to St. Louis, but that came after the NFL owners voted 29-0 to give a new franchise to Houston.

Charley Casserly was the first-ever General Manager for the Houston Texans. The first head coach of the franchise was Dom Capers. He was hired on January 21st, 2001. Capers came to Houston with experience with expansion teams, as he was in Carolina during their first four seasons.

Houston has had 8 head coaches in their franchise history. Two of them have been interim head coaches. Only one head coach has finished over .500 with the Texans. That was Bill O’Brien from 2014-2020. He finished 52-48 with 4 divisional titles.

The Indianapolis Colts are a member of the AFC South, and the team furthest north of any of the four teams. The Colts have been a member of the National Football League since 1953, playing in the Western Conference until 1969, then moving to the American Football Conference in 1970. The franchise started in Baltimore, before moving to Indianapolis after the 1983 season.

The Indianapolis Colts started playing games at the old Memorial Stadium, and did that until 1983. Then, the RCA Dame came into play, and was around until 2007. 2008 was the start of Lucas Oil Stadium, and that’s where the Colts currently play.

When the Colts were founded in 1953, they played their first 30 seasons in Baltimore. The name “Colts” was for a Baltimore history of horse breeding and racing. Like many teams in the league, the team had a fan contest for the naming of the team. This was one by Charles Evans. When they started, the Colts wore green and silver uniforms.

The Colts actually have a long history of winning. In fact, heading into the 2023 season, the Colts have nearly 550 wins as a franchise. They also have won 23 playoff games, and of course, 2 Super Bowl wins since the merger, and 2 losses.

Peyton Manning is in the record book for many achievements, and certainly dominates the Colts record book. He finished with nearly 55,000 passing yards and 399 touchdowns. His favorite target Marvin Harrison caught 1,102 passes for 128 yards, and Edgerrin James, the talented running back, finished with 800 yards shy of 10,000 and 64 touchdowns.

The Colts have three pre-NFL merger championships. Those came back to back in 1958 and 1959 and then again in 1968. Since the merger, the Colts have had two Super Bowl titles. The first game in Super Bowl V in 1970.

The Hall of Famers from both Baltimore and Indianapolis are included. The Colts have 15 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They also have five coaches and executives in as well.

Many do not realize the Indianapolis Colts have a mascot. Blue is the official mascot of the Indianapolis Colts. He is a blue horse that always wears a white Colts jersey with the horseshoe on the front.

Many talk about Tony Dungy and his success as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. While Dungy was very successful in winning a Super Bowl, the Colts have seen three head coaches since him, and they all went above .500. The last head coach in Colts history to finish under .500 in his career was Lindy Infante, who won just 12 of 32 games.

Lastly, Keith Molesworth was the first head coach of the Colts, but lasted just 12 games. That paved a path for Weeb Ewbank, who was successful in his tenure, including winning the AP a NFL Coach of the Year. Don Shula was next, and won at a 72% clip in just shy of 100 games.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of Florida’s three National Football League teams. The Jaguars, along with the Buccaneers and Dolphins, enjoy the sunshine nearly year-round. Jacksonville has had a professional football franchise since 1993.

Every home game that the Jaguars have played has been at TIAA Bank Field. Now, the name has changed throughout the years. The venue started as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in 1995 before moving to Alltel Stadium from 1997-2006. There was no sponsorship name for the 2007-2010 seasons, but ever since then – EverBank Stadium has been the name of the stadium.

Like many teams in the National Football League – the Jacksonville Jaguars had a fan vote for the name of their team. There were many choices, such as Jaguars, Sharks, Stingrays, and Panthers, but the Jaguars were the ones selected. It’s recorded that December 6th, 1991, was the day they became the Jaguars.

One of the most popular and successful names in Jaguar’s history – Fred Taylor, is going to remain in the record book for a long time. Taylor finished his career with more than 11,200 rushing yards, a record most feel will not be touched. Another record that many feel will not be touched due to several reasons – is Jimmy Smith and his team-leading 12,287 receiving yards. Smith played with Jacksonville between 1995-2005.

It was not until 2022 that the Jacksonville Jaguars got their first player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Big #71 Tony Boselli, the big strong offensive tackle with the Jaguars from 1995-2001, was inducted.

The Jaguars have had 9 coaches in their team history. Tom Coughlin still remains the most successful, as he won nearly 53% of his games. Jack Del Rio was the longest-tenured coach from 2003-2011

During the 2012 season, the Jaguars won two games. In the next four seasons, they combined for just 15. The 17 wins in five seasons are among the worst of all time. But 2020 was an all-time low for the franchise, with just one win.

Initially founded in Houston as the Oilers, the Tennessee Titans have been around since 1959. The franchise left Houston and went to Nashville in 1997. Since then, the Titans have been building steam as members of the National Football League. As competitors of the AFC South, the Titans have seen a fair share of success over the seasons.

In Houston, the first place they played their home games was Jeppesen Stadium. They spent just a few seasons there before moving to Rice Stadium in 1965. This was another short stay before finally settling into the Houston Astrodome during the 1968 season. They stayed there until 1996, which was the end of the Houston time.

When they moved to Nashville, they spent one season in Memphis as a transition. The 1997 season was played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Then, Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville in 1998, to give time to build where they play now – Nissan Stadium.

Nissan Stadium broke ground in 1997 and was opened in 1999. The attendance record for the stadium is 71,000, which was recently at a Taylor Swift concert. For football games, they typically hold right over 69,000 fans.

Of course, the Oilers came from the long history of Oil Rigs in the city of Houston. Many do not realize that the team was actually the Nashville Oilers for the first two seasons. Once again, like many teams in the National Football League, they held a team name contest.

Many know Earl Campbell was great, but do they realize how great? In just 15 games during the 1980 season, Campbell rushed for 1,934 yards. The most impressive part was he had 200 yards in a game four times that season, including back-to-back in Weeks 7 and 8.

The Titans earned two AFL Championships prior to the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. Those came in 1960 and 1961. The Titans have been to the Super Bowl one time, and that was in 1999. This was one of the most memorable games in Super Bowl history.

The Titans/Oilers franchise has 16 guys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with 9 of them considered part of the franchise for more than just a season or two. They also have two coaches and executives, but only for a short period of time.

The Titans do have a mascot, and his name is T-Rac. He is a raccoon, which represents the state animal of Tennessee. He has been at every game since the 1999 season. T-Rac is most popularly known for its zip-line from the top of the stadium.

Bad news for the franchise, the Titans are one of the 12 NFL franchises to have never won a Super Bowl.

In the 1999 season, the Titans were the only team that could beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. These two teams are divisional rivals, and just could not get by them. The Titans beat them twice in the regular season and, in the AFC title game, beat them again.

The franchise has taken the top pick in the NFL Draft twice in their history. The first time they took John Matuszack, and the second time Earl Campbell. The franchise has not had the top pick since 1978.