Tag: Bruce Matthews

Bruce Matthews doesn’t mince words about Titans letting Paul Noska go

Bruce Matthews wasn’t the only current or former Titan to be shocked by the decision to not renew the contract of longtime equipment manager Paul Noska.

The Tennessee Titans decided to part ways with longtime equipment manager Paul Noska last week, with the team not renewing his contract after being with the organization for 40 years.

It isn’t clear what spurred on the decision to let him go, but it was odd to see at the time because of how well-loved Hoska was by players, coaches and media, both past and present.

One former Titan/Oiler to voice their displeasure with the move was Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, whose first year with the franchise was in 1983, when Hoska became a full-time employee with the Oilers.

“The most loyal Oilers/Titans employee for over 40 years and they kick him to the curb,” Matthews tweeted. “Class move Titans!”

Matthews isn’t exactly the most active on Twitter, so to see him come out this spicy in response to Hoska not being brought back says a lot about what he meant to the franchise.

Matthews wasn’t the only current or former Titan/Oiler to be surprised by the move. Here’s a look at the rest of the reactions from current and former players we could find.

Titans great Bruce Matthews’ incredible longevity summed up in one stat

Bruce Matthews remains one of the greatest players in Titans/Oilers history.

When you think of the very best players in Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise history, Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews is right up there near the top of the list.

Matthews spent his entire career with the Oilers, and then the Titans, after being drafted in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, wearing many hats upfront for the franchise and excelling with all of them.

On top of that, Matthews displayed legendary longevity, as he lasted 19 seasons and played until the age of 40, which is almost unthinkable in this day and age, let alone for an offensive lineman.

Making his career even more impressive is the fact that Matthews was still near the top of his game at his advanced age, as he started all 16 games during his final campaign and made the Pro Bowl.

CBS Sports recently posted an interesting tidbit about Matthews. Despite not making his first Pro Bowl until the age of 27, Matthews still managed to finish tied for the most appearances in the game in NFL history, all of which came in his final 14 seasons.

At the time of Matthews’ retirement, only Los Angeles Rams great Merlin Olsen had achieved 14 Pro Bowl appearances.

Since then, tight end Tony Gonzalez and quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have joined this group. Brady, who is the only active player on this list, could break the record in 2021.

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Multiple Titans and Oilers make ‘Best player to wear each jersey number in NFL history’ list

The Titans’ franchise is represented in a list of the best players to wear each jersey number in NFL history.

The Tennessee Titans franchise has a long history of great players dating back to the days of the Houston Oilers, so it comes as no surprise to see players from those squads make a list of the “best players to wear each jersey number in NFL history.”

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards was responsible for compiling the list, and four players in Titans’ franchise history made the cut.

Here’s a look at all four.

1. Warren Moon (Oilers)

74. Bruce Matthews (Oilers/Titans)

79. Ray Childress (Oilers)

84. Randy Moss (Titans)

Of course, Randy Moss is more of a punchline than anything else after his short, messy stay in Tennessee, but he still counts as a Titan.

Of those four players, only Matthews played for both the Oilers and Titans, and he also played for the Tennessee Oilers during the team’s transition to a new home.

Moon, Matthews and Moss are all Hall of Famers, while Childress is one of the greatest defenders in franchise history and was a five-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro.

Moon is the franchise leader in passing yards, and Matthews is arguably one of the greatest offensive lineman in the history of the sport. And sure, Moss didn’t exactly pan out in Nashville, but there’s no taking away his overall greatness.

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4 Tennessee Titans named to The Athletic’s Nashville Sports Hall of Fame

Four former Titans made the cut for The Athletic’s Nashville Sports Hall of Fame.

The staff over at The Athletic compiled a list of 25 Nashville athletes for its Nashville Sports Hall of Fame, and four former Tennessee Titans made the list.

In descending order, here’s where the Titans who made the cut were ranked:

22. Bud Adams

Adams brought the NFL to the city, and while it took a lot of work from folks here to make this an attractive landing spot, it was Adams’ decision to move the Houston Oilers and take Nashville to a different level as a sports city. Before that, he was a football trailblazer. He started the American Football League with Lamar Hunt in 1959. Competing with the NFL seemed an unwise strategy at the time, but the leagues merged in 1966.

Titans fans love their football team in Nashville and have Adams to thank for making it happen. His daughter, Amy Adams Strunk, is the current controlling owner of the team and has done a sensational job.

13. Bruce Matthews

Matthews was an integral part of the rock-solid offensive line that characterized the Houston Oilers when they moved to Tennessee in 1997. Primarily used at guard, Matthews played 19 seasons in the NFL, starting 293 of the 296 games he played in. He made 14 straight Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro nine times. Matthews played so long in the NFL that his former college teammate at USC — Jeff Fisher — eventually became his head coach. The North Carolina native was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Matthews stands among some of the great offensive lineman to ever play the game. He spent his entire 19-year career with the organization and was a 14-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time First-Team All-Pro. Matthews was rightfully elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

5. Eddie George

George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 — his senior season at Ohio State — and became the first-round pick (No. 14 overall) of the Houston Oilers in the ensuing spring. When the Oilers moved to Tennessee a year later, George and quarterback Steve McNair emerged as the faces of the franchise. George topped 1,000 yards in seven of eight seasons with the Oilers/Titans, making four Pro Bowls and twice earning All-Pro status. George was a workhorse in the Super Bowl run of 1999, rushing 108 times for 449 yards and three touchdowns in four postseason games. He started 128 straight regular-season games with the franchise, finishing with 10,009 yards and 64 touchdowns.

To this day, George remains a leader for the Titans organization. His voice is still well-respected among the team’s current players and the mark he left on the franchise will never fade. The four-time Pro Bowler and one-time First-Team All-Pro had his number retired in 2019 and is the greatest running back of the Titans era.

1. Steve McNair

The NFL’s arrival in Nashville coincided with the ascension of McNair, who led the newly christened Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. McNair and Eddie George embodied the Titans’ hard-nosed brand of football, and McNair shared the MVP award with Peyton Manning in 2003, throwing 24 touchdowns and rushing for four. McNair, who died in 2009, had his No. 9 retired by the Titans last season.

What can you say about the greatest quarterback in Titans history?

Since his departure in 2006, Tennessee has never found another quarterback who made the kind of impact McNair did during his time with the team.

The former No. 3 overall pick of the Titans took them to their only Super Bowl appearance, and a pair of AFC Championship Games. The former co-MVP and three-time Pro Bowler had his number retired in 2019.