Dr. Doom
From Jackson State, Robert Brazile was the 6th player taken in the 1975 draft. The Oilers made him their 1st round pick as head coach Bum Phillips was looking for players to man the new 3-4 defense he had just implemented at Houston. Brazile made an immediate impact starting every game while turning in 7 sacks and earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
He remained in the NFL, with the Oilers until 1984 making 1st Team Pro Bowl 7 straight seasons from 1976 to 1982. In 1978 & 1979 the Oilers went to AFC Championship both times and the Houston defense was at it’s height, it was Brazile that many considered to be the main component as he was selected All Pro both seasons. He started every game of his 10-year NFL career, a total of 147 regular season games and 7 post season contests.
Nicknamed “Dr Doom”, Robert Brazile is considered to be the prototype type of dominant pass rushing outside linebacker that would become a staple of future defenses to come. Unofficially he ended up with 48 career sacks. But his dominance wasn’t just in rushing quarterbacks. The Oilers record books have him as the franchise’s #2 All Time Leading Tackler with 1281 tackles. With 13 career interceptions he proved he was just as capable in pass coverage.Â
A member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Image Gallery of Robert Brazile, Linebacker 1975-1984
| Year | Age | Games Started | Int | Yards | TD | Long | Tackles | Fumbles Recovered | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 22 | 14 | Â 0 | Â 0 | Â 0 | Â 0 | Unavailable | 5 | 7.0 |
| 1976* | 23 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | Unavailable | 1 | 6.5 |
| 1977* | 24 | 14 | 3 | 40 | 0 | 16 | Unavailable | Â 0 | 5.0 |
| 1978*+ | 25 | 16 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 185 | Â 0 | 5.0 |
| 1979*+ | 26 | 16 | 2 | 45 | 0 | 26 | 144 | 3 | 5.0 |
| 1980* | 27 | 16 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 33 | 141 | Â 0 | 6.5 |
| 1981* | 28 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 112 | Â 0 | 2.0 |
| 1982* | 29 | 9 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 31 | 66 | 1 | 6.5 |
| 1983 | 30 | 16 | Â 0 | Â 0 | 0 | Â 0 | 90 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 1984 | 31 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 79 | 1 | 2.0 |
| 10 Years Oilers | 147 | 13 | 201 | 0 | 33 | 1,281 | 14 | 48.0 | |
- + – All-Pro Selection
- * – Pro Bowl Selection
