| 1981 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Ladd Herzeg |
| Head coach | Ed Biles |
| Home stadium | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 3rdAFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | LB Robert Brazile(2nd team) |
| Pro Bowlers | TLeon Gray RBEarl Campbell LBRobert Brazile KRCarl Roaches |
The1981Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 22nd overall and the 12th in theNational Football League (NFL).Bum Phillips was fired as head coach during the offseason for failing to reach theSuper Bowl, and replaced byEd Biles. However, the Oilers defensive problems would catch up with them as they finished with a disappointing 7–9 record, asEarl Campbell fought through injuries to rush for 1,376 yards. After a fast 4–2 start, Houston would struggle in the second half, going 3–7 in their final 10 games, including a critical loss to theNew Orleans Saints, who finished 4–12 in 1981.
| 1981 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 79 | Mike Holston | Wide receiver | Morgan State | |
| 4 | 106 | Nick Eyre | Offensive tackle | BYU | |
| 5 | 133 | Delbert Fowler | Linebacker | West Virginia | |
| 6 | 159 | Bill Kay | Defensive back | Purdue | |
| 7 | 193 | Don Washington | Defensive back | Texas A&M–Kingsville | |
| 8 | 217 | Willie Tullis | Defensive back | Troy | |
| 9 | 243 | Avon Riley | Linebacker | UCLA | |
| 10 | 270 | Larry Jones | Running back | Colorado State | |
| 11 | 297 | Claude Matthews | Guard | Auburn | |
| 12 | 324 | Bill Capece | Placekicker | Florida State | |
| Made roster | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve
|
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| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cincinnati Bengals(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 10–2 | 421 | 304 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 356 | 297 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 281 | 355 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 276 | 375 | L5 |
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