Oakland Raiders: Lucky Strikes in Late Rounds

The Oakland Raiders have had quite a few lucky strikes in the late rounds of the NFL draft.  I have gone through and selected a few of my favorites.  I’m sure several have been left out, but I chose my favorites.

 

Jim Otto

Otto was one of the original Raiders taken in 1960.  He was unofficially a 12-time Pro Bowler; I say unofficially because the Pro Bowl wasn’t always the Pro Bowl in his time.

He was the most dominant to play his position and set the bar high for guys like Dave Dalby, Don Mosebar, and Barrett Robbins to reach for.

He was the first Raider inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and it took place in 1980.

 

Art Shell

Shell was the first player that also served as a Head Coach.  He was drafted in round 3 of the 1968 draft. 

As a player, he was a member of the Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XV championship squads and an eight-time Pro Bowler. 

His coaching started as the offensive line coach for the Raiders in 1983, so he was a member of the Super Bowl XVIII championship team as an assistant coach, rather than as a player. 

He became the head coach in 1989, four games into the season after Mike Shanahan was fired.  He was then fired himself at the end of the 1994 season after posting a 9-7 record and failing to defeat KC to make the playoffs.

After that he became the NFL’s Vice President of football operations.  He stepped down from that and returned as head coach of the Raiders in 2006 after nobody else wanted the job, but it didn’t go too well.  He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989. 

 

Rod Martin 

My coverboy here, Rod Martin, was one of my favorites of all time.  He was drafted in the 12th round of the 1977 draft and was one of our best linebackers to play the game.

He has career totals of 14 interceptions (4 returned for touchdowns) and 33.5 official sacks. He also returned two fumbles for touchdowns and one of them is the third longest in Raider history.

He was a member of both Super Bowl XV and XVIII championship teams and was a two- time Pro Bowler. He holds the record for most interceptions in the Superbowl with three and he did that in Super Bowl XV.  He was always notorious for making big plays when we needed them most. 

 

Greg Townsend

Greg Townsend was drafted in the fourth round of the 1983 draft.  He was a rookie on the Super Bowl XVIII championship team.  He is the official all time Raider leader in career sacks with 107 and a two-time Pro Bowler. 

His 13 career forced fumbles are second on the all-time Raider leaderboard behind Charles Woodson.  He has also recovered three for touchdowns. 

 

Marv Hubbard 

Fullback Marv Hubbard was drafted in the 11th round of the 1968 draft.  He was a three-time Pro Bowler.  He is seventh on the Raiders all-time rushing leader board.

He played seven seasons with the Raiders and sat out of the 1976 season on injured reserve before going to Detroit in 1977.  He probably wishes he could’ve played for the Raiders in 1976 so he could have a Super Bowl ring to his name.

 

Cliff Branch

Branch was a fourth round pick in the 1972 draft.  He was a member of all three Super Bowl Championship teams.  In 1983, in a loss against the Washington Redskins, he caught a 99 yard touchdown pass which is the longest in Raider history.

The funny fact about that is that the Raiders would have a rematch that year in the Super Bowl against the Redskins and come out victorious. 

Branch is third on the Raiders all-time receiving leader board and I think deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  He was one amazing receiver.

 

Dave Dalby 

Center Dave Dalby was another Raider who is a three-time Super Bowl Champion as a Raider.  He was a fourth-round pick in 1972 and made the Pro Bowl in 1977. 

He was often overshadowed by the Hall of Famers to his left in Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, but was a solid man in the middle.

In 1985, he was replaced by Don Mosebar as the starter.  He died in 2002 in an automobile accident.

 

Lester Hayes 

Mr. Hayes is another one of my favorites of all time.  Not only did he play for my favorite NFL team, but my favorite college as well (Texas A & M).  He was taken in the fifth round of the 1977 draft.  He was a member of both Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII championship squads. 

In the 1980 season, he set a team record for most interceptions in a season.  He is tied with NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown for the Raider career leader in interceptions.  He is a 5 time Pro Bowler and I think he deserves the Hall of Fame.

 

Shane Lechler 

Lechler is another who played for both my favorite college and NFL team.  He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. 

He is a four-time Pro Bowler and his 46.8 career average is not only the best as a Raider, but the best career average ever in the NFL.  If Ray Guy never makes it to the Hall of Fame, Shane Lechler better make it.

 

La’Roi Glover 

La’Roi Glover is a different story from the rest of these guys.  He was a 5th round pick in 1996 by the Raiders, but was cut 2 games into the season.  He went on to become a 6 time Pro Bowler; 2 with New Orleans and 4 with Dallas. 

He has 83 career sacks. He would’ve really come in handy for us after Chester McGlockton messed up his back and we let him go via free agency and Darrell Russell got in trouble with drugs. 

Glover is a player who found success after it didn’t go well for him as a Raider. 

George Atkinson, Pete Banaszak, Clarence Davis, Skip Thomas, Mark Van Eeghen

These guys were all members of the Super Bowl XI squad.  George “The Animal” Atkinson was drafted in the 7th round of the 1968 draft.  He made the Pro Bowl his first 2 years as a returner. 

In his second season he became the starting strong safety.  He is 6th all time on the Raider career interception leaderboard and 4th all time on career punt return yardage.

“The Rooster” Pete Banaszak was drafted in the 5th round of the 1966 AFL draft.   He is second on the Raider career rushing touchdown leaderboard behind Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, but never made the Pro Bowl. 

Mark Van Eeghen was a third-round pick in the 1974 NFL draft.  He is second on the Raider career rushing yardage leader board behind Hall of Famer Marcus Allen. 

Clarence Davis was a fourth-round pick in the 1971 draft.  He was the third head in the “Three Headed Monster Rushing Attack” on this Superbowl squad (this is what Al Davis is wanting to get back to with Bush, McFadden, and Fargas).

Then theres “Dr. Death” Alonzo “Skip” Thomas, who was a seventh round pick in the 1972 NFL Draft.  He was often overshadowed by Hall of Famer Willie Brown playing opposite of him as well as the safeties George Atkinson and Jack Tatum, but he was a fierce hitter in the secondary. 

 

Mickey Marvin, Reggie Kinlaw, Vann McElroy 

These guys were members of other Super Bowl squads.  Mickey Marvin was a fourth-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft.  He started on both Super Bowl XV and XVIII squads at right guard, but never made the Pro Bowl. 

“The Killer” Reggie Kinlaw was a 12th round pick in the 1979 NFL Draft and started at NT for both Superbowl XV and XVIII squads, but never made the Pro Bowl. 

Vann McElroy was the last safety drafted by the Raiders that panned out well.  He was taken in the 3rd round of the 1982 NFL Draft.

He started as free safety on the Super Bowl XVIII squad and is fourth on the Raider career interception leader board with 31. He is a two-time Pro Bowler.

 

Bo Jackson, Mervyn Fernandez 

These guys were a couple of late round steals in 1987.  Fernandez is not on the top 10 on the Raider career receiving leader board, nor did he ever make the Pro Bowl, but he was a spectacular deep threat play maker.  If you ever saw him play, you will know why he is on this list. 

Bo Jackson is best remembered as the player that could’ve been.  The question that pops into everybody’s mind whenever his name is brought up is “What if?”

Bo Jackson was actually a No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in 1986 but never reached a deal and opted to play baseball instead. 

In 1987, Al Davis selected him in the seventh round and made him a deal to play football as an offseason baseball activity, meaning that he would only play when baseball season was over and was still paid about average for a starting running back during that time.

He was the first professional athlete to be an All-Star in two different major league sports.  He was still able to put up spectacular numbers for a guy that was only playing part time and performed three of the Raiders longest rushing plays in team history.

On Jan. 13, 1991, his football career tragically ended with a hip injury in the divisional round of the playoffs.

 

Raghib Ismail, Greg Biekert, Grady Jackson, Jon Ritchie, Barry Sims 

Here is a bunch of players that never made the Pro Bowl, but were also fan favorites.  Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was probably one of the fastest players we ever had. 

Like Fernandez before him, he’s not a top 10 all time Raider receiver, but if you ever saw him play, you’d see why he made the list.  He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1991 draft.

He finally became active as a kick off returner in 1993, and is fourth all-time on the kick off return yardage leaderboard.  In 1995 he became a full time receiver, but was cut at the end of training camp in 1996 in favor of James Jett for not being able to read the ball well. 

Greg Biekert was the most deserving of this bunch that should’ve earned at least one Pro Bowl honor.  He was a seventh round steal in the 1993 NFL draft and is second on the “official” Raider career tackle leader board.  

Tackles were not official until 2001, but were consistantly recorded from 1994-2000; prior to 1994 they were inconsistantly recorded. He was from an era of great middle linebackers, so that was part of the reason why he was rudely overlooked so much.

However, he was a nasty son of a gun to meet at the line of scrimage on goalline plays and was notorious for destroying running offenses.  Of all respect to Kirk Morrison, Biekert’s defensive services are still missed to this day.

Grady Jackson was sixth-round selection for the Raiders in the 1997 draft.  He became a starter the next year along side fellow 1997 draftee Darrell Russell, who was a two-time Pro Bowler. 

He became the beef of the defensive line when Darrell Russell got suspended for substance abuse in 2001.  He walked via free agency after that and that was a mistake that would haunt the Raiders two years later. 

Jon Ritchie was a third round pick in the 1998 NFL draft and wasn’t a statistical leader, but was one hell of a blocker for the statistical leaders. 

He was best known for his bloody forehead on the sidelines as his Raider Image trademark.  He was a fan favorite as a bruiser on the field. 

Barry Sims was an undrafted rookie in 1999.  Through his hard work and dedication, he beat out former first round draft picks Mo Collins and Matt Stinchcomb for the starting left tackle posisiton.

He never made the Pro Bowl, but he protected Rich Gannon’s blind side very well and won the commitment to excellence award several times as a Raider.

He protrayed a dirty Raider Image on the field in his style of play as well as a good locker room leader by example.  Like all players, he eventually started losing it and was released at the end of the 2007-08 season and thanked the Raider organization and fans for all of his fond memories as a Raider. 

 

Eric Barton, Rod Coleman

These guys were the bash brothers taken in the 5th round of the 1999 NFL draft.  You heard former Pro Bowler names like Bill Romanowski, Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Eric Allen, and Trace Armstrong around them, but these guys were on top of the leader boards in respective areas. 

Coleman was consistantly a sack leader for the Raiders and Barton was consitantly the tackle leader in his years as a starter for the Raiders. 

In 2004, they were both unrestricted free agents and left.  Barton never saw the Pro Bowl, but Coleman became a two-time Pro Bowler with Atlanta.

 

Ronald Curry, Justin Fargas, Kirk Morrison, Tommy Kelly 

These guys are some post-Super Bowl XXXVII draftees that have been critical for the Raiders. 

Ronald Curry was a QB that converted to receiver and made some good catches after being selected in the seventh round of the 2002 draft; he spent that year on the practice squad before getting called up for one game.

He was our leading receiver in 2006 and 2007, but later became notorious for not catching critical passes that he once was our most reliable target for.

Justin Fargas was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2003 draft.  After fighting injuries in early seasons, he finally became the starter in 2007 and rushed for over 1,000 yards and was injured on the play where he earned his 1,000th yard and went to IR. 

He’s always been a work horse and with Michael Bush and Darren McFadden on the rise, his role may be deminishing but he is always determined to get the job done. 

Kirk Morrison was a third-round pick in the 2005 draft.  He is without question one of the leaders of the defense.  He’s led the team in tackles every year he’s played for them and is always in practice and all OTA work outs. 

He doesn’t care about making the Pro Bowl as much as he cares about becoming a winning team because he has a team-first attitude. 

Tommy Kelly burst onto the scene in 2004 as an undrafted rookie free agent and lead the team in sacks that year with four.  He’s matched that total on average every year when he plays the whole season. 

Last year, he looked like he was still slow from his 2007 injury and the team hopes he will be back at full strength for the 2009 season and earn his record-setting deal. 

 

Michael Bush, Mario Henderson, Johnnie Lee Higgins 

These guys are late picks from the 2007 draft that came on strong in 2008.  Michael Bush missed 2007 as he still rehabilitated his broken leg from his senior year of college. 

He would’ve been an early first round pick if it wasn’t for that, so he was available to the Raiders in the fourth round. 

He played his best game on my 27th birthday during the last game of the season rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns leading us to victory over Tampa Bay.  He will definitely have an increased role next season. 

Thrid rounder Mario Henderson became the starting left tackle after Kwame Harris led the NFL in sacks allowed and penalties.  Henderson started three games at left tackle and didn’t allow any sacks nor was he ever penalized. Coach Tom Cable was confident enough in him that he didn’t draft an OT this year. 

Another third rounder, Johnnie Lee Higgins, came on strong last year as a punt returner and a wide receiver.  He returned 3 punts for touchdowns last season and 2 of them were in the top 5 for longest punt returns in Raider history. 

Cable would like for him to focus on his punt return game and be available if needed as a wideout. 

 

Trevor Scott, Chaz Schilens, Tyvonn Branch 

Trevor Scott was a sixth-round selection in the 2008 draft.  He went on to tie the Raider and NFL rookie lead in sacks for the season.  Seventh-rounder Chaz Schilens never dropped a pass thrown his way. 

He was overthrown a few times, but he never dropped a pass.  He was the most polished receiver in OTAs and looks to be a starter this coming season.

I remember in the last two games of the season, Jamarcus Russell throwing to him and neither Tom Flores or Greg Papa could believe that he made the catch because they were so used to calling incomplete passes for the Raiders. 

Tyvonn Branch was taken in the fourth round of the 2008 draft.  He recorded his first career interception in a week 2 victory over Kansas City. 

He went to injured reserve about halfway through the season, but he has shown more promise in his short time than Derrick Gibson or Michael Huff ever did. 

You can build a winning team through the draft.  This is why I stand by my theory of “A Rookie is a Rookie, no matter what round he was drafted in, if he was drafted at all.”  If a player fits in with a team well, he will succeed.

Oakland Raiders: Success in the Second Round

The Oakland Raiders have had lots of success in the second round of the NFL draft. I originally wanted to make this a slideshow, but technical difficulties are not allowing that.  I have made a list of players taken by the Raiders in the second round of the draft that have been contributors.  They are in no particular order, but here they are:

Howie Long: I will start with one of my favorites of all time and that is DE Howie Long.  Long is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and was a member of the Super Bowl XVIII squad.  He was drafted in the second round of the 1981 draft.  He is second on the Raiders “official” all-time sack leaders behind long time teammate Greg Townsend (the sack wasn’t an official stat until 1982) with 84, and appeared in eight Pro Bowls. 

Dave Casper: “Ghost to the Post” was a play named after him where he ran a post route.  It became famous in a game against the Baltimore Colts in the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs.  Casper was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2002.  He was a second round pick in 1974 and played with us until 1980, then returned for a season in 1984. As a Raider, he had 255 catches for 3294 yards and 53 TDs.  Casper is a four-time Pro Bowler. 

Fred Bilitnekoff: Fred Bilitnekoff is second on the Raiders all-time receiving list, behind only Tim Brown.  He was drafted in the second round of the 1965 draft. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and had 589 catches for 8974 yards and 76 TDs.  He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988 and was Super Bowl XI MVP.

Kenny Stabler:  Now here’s the man that was throwing to the previous two Hall of Famers, Kenny Stabler.  Stabler is the Raiders all-time leading passer with 19078 yards, a 59% completion percentage, and 150 TDs.  His name often comes up as a player that deserves the Hall of Fame when two of his favorite targets are in there as well as two of his best blockers.  He is a four-time Pro Bowler and led the Raiders to a Super Bowl XI victory.  Stabler was drafted in 1968, but eventually beat out fellow rookie QB Eldrige Dickey (who was actually drafted ahead of him in round 1) for the starting job.

Matt Millen: Millen is best known for his horrible job as GM for the Detroit Lions recently, but I remember him best as a solid MLB for the Raiders.  Drafted in round 2 of the 1980 draft, he was a member of both Super Bowl XV and XVIII teams and made the Pro Bowl in 1988. He has 11 official career sacks.  

Dan Conners:  Another solid man in the middle from the old days.  Dan Conners was actually drafted an OT in round 2 of the 1964 draft, then converted into an outstanding MLB.  He had 15 career INTs with three returned for TDs.  Sacks were not official in his days.  He was a three-time Pro Bowler.   

Mike Davis: Here’s a DB we don’t talk about much, even though he was a member of both Super Bowl XV and XVIII squads.  He is SS Mike Davis.  He was the fourth man in a secondary that featured NFL Hall of Famer Mike Haynes, legendary Raider Lester Hayes, and another overlooked Raider, Van McElroy.  Drafted in round 2 of the 1978 draft, he never made the Pro Bowl, but his two Super Bowl rings along with his 11 career sacks and 11 career INTs can’t be ignored.

George Buehler, Phil Villapiano, John Vella, Monte Johnson: I decided to group the rest of the Super Bowl XI squad into one since there’s not much info on them.  George Buehler and John Vella started on the right side of the offensive line at guard and tackle, and neither would ever make the Pro Bowl.  They were often overshadowed by the future Hall of Famers on the left side of the line. 

Monte Johnson and Phil Villapiano were key members of the defense.  Johnson was a solid hitter with 10 career INTs. Villapiano was one of the originators of the “Raider Show Biz” and a four-time Pro Bowler with 11 career INTs.

Dave Browning, Willie Jones: These are the other Super Bowl XV members that didn’t get their own paragraph.  Browning was a solid starter at DE and Willie Jones would rotate in and contribute on special teams.  Browning would finish his career with one official sacks and one INT.  Jones’ highlights are mainly returning two fumbles for TDs. 

Jack Squirek, Bill Pickel: Pickel was a rookie in Super Bowl XVIII, but would go on to be fourth on the Raiders official all-time sack leaderboard with 53, but would never earn a Pro Bowl honor.  Squirek is best known for his five-yard INT return for a TD in Super Bowl XVIII.  Both were fairly low profile, but made their names known.  Pickel started out good, but declined quickly.     

Steve Wisnewski, Barrett Robbins: These two were a solid pair of offensive line anchors for most of the 90s. The Wiz was the Raiders top choice in the 1989 draft and went on to be an eight-time Pro Bowler and only missed two games in his career. 

Robbins was the second pick in the 1995 draft.  I always thought he was Pro Bowl material that was left out.  He was finally named to the Pro Bowl in 2002, but wouldn’t play because he was getting treatment for his bipolar disorder that he was diagnosed with after his disappearance the night before Super Bowl XXXVII. 

Wisnewski should be inducted into the Hall of Fame someday despite no Super Bowls, but eight Pro Bowls is hard to ignore.  Robbins, on the other hand, will always be known as a great player that let his team down the night before the Super Bowl and apparently never really cared.  I did find out recently that he is staying in a halfway house in Houston, TX and doesn’t have a dime to his name anymore.

Tony Bryant, Jerry Porter, Doug Jolley: These three were factors in the Super Bowl XXXVII squad.  Tony Bryant was a second round pick in the 1999 draft.  He looked like he’d be an outside pass rushing force for years to come, but a neck injury in the 2002-03 playoffs would slow his career.  He had 17.5 sacks as a Raider in his four seasons (I think it would’ve been higher if Rod Coleman wasn’t such a force from the inside).  He attempted an NFL comeback in 2004 with New Orleans, but it only lasted two years. 

Jerry Porter was a second round pick in the 2000 NFL draft and is sixth on the Raiders all-time receiving charts.  He had two of the the best receivers to ever play the game to learn from in Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, but once he became the No. 1 wide out, he was a major let down.  He would have the best season of his career in 2004 (the year Brown was released and Rice was traded) with 998 yards receiving yards and nine TDs (matching his career high from 2002), but would slowly decline after that. 

His career really came to a halt when he clashed with head coach Art Shell in 2006 and lost his starting job, ending up with only one catch on the season.  He would get it back in 2007 under new coach Lane Kiffin, but he wasn’t the same and left via free agency at the end of the season.  He seemed like he was going to be a good, reliable, goal-line receiver, but once the team started to fall, he did too. 

Doug Jolley was a second round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.  When we think about great Raider tight ends, we remember Dave Casper, Todd Chirstensen, Raymond Chester, Ethan Horton, and try to forget Rickey Dudley, but we tend to overlook Doug Jolley.  Though his numbers were low, he was a reliable target and a good blocker. 

He was traded away after the 2004 season at the request of Norv Turner because he wasn’t fit for the vertical offense he was trying to install.  We never had another good tight end after that until Zach Miller.  None of these guys ever saw the Pro Bowl or will see the Hall of Fame, but they were all key pieces in a team that went to the Super Bowl.

Tom Howard, Zach Miller: Current standouts that are former second round picks are LB Tom Howard and TE Zach Miller.  Both young men were penciled in as starters as soon as they were drafted and contributed immediately. 

Howard was a second round pick in the 2006 NFL draft.  In 2006 and 2007, he finished second on the team in tackles behind fellow LB Kirk Morrison, and in 2008 he finished 3rd behind SS Gibril Wilson and Morrison.  I feel that he should’ve been to the Pro Bowl in 2007 because he had a lot of tackles and led all LBs with six INTs and returned two of them for TDs.  Just like teammate CB Nnamdi Asomugha, he had his break out season and opponents would shy away from his area of coverage the next year. 

Miller was a second round pick 2007 NFL draft.  As a rookie, he posted 444 yards receiving and three TDs, the best receiving numbers by a rookie Raider since Tim Brown.  In 2008, Miller led the Raiders in receiving with 778 yards and his lone TD came off a 63 yard break away.  He was often double covered on the goal-line this year, as he was the only consistent receiving threat until Chaz Schilens had worked his way into the starting line up.  The Pro Bowl is definitely in the future for both of these players, and they are key pieces that will factor into us building a championship team.

Mike Mitchell, Stanford Routt: Safety Mike Mitchell is our most recent second round pick and is thought very highly of in the Raider Nation.  His hitting ability has been compared to that of Jack Tatum.  With our history of successful second round picks, Mitchell is likely to be added to that category. 

DB Stanford Routt was a second round pick in 2005 and hasn’t seen much playing time, but has utilized what playing time he’s had pretty well, so I decided not to leave him out.  He became a starter in 2007 in place of Fabian Washington, who was getting burned all the time.  He lost that spot to Deangelo Hall in 2008, but even after Hall was released eight games into the season, he was beat out by Chris Johnson. 

Routt has seen significant time as a nickel back and started the final game of the 2008 season in place of injured Nnamdi Asomugha.  He did just as good of a job shutting down his area of coverage just like Nnamdi had done all season.  Mitchell is likely to become a starter for us and Routt will be a key factor if Asomugha or Johnson is injured.

All these players mentioned were key pieces to great teams that we’ve been in years passed, and that is the reason why I don’t like trading second round picks. 

 

Oakland Raiders: How We Got Where We Are…

I’m tired of reading all the hater articles about the Raiders not going anywhere because of what they’ve done since Superbowl 37.  Truth is none of them have the facts and they just see what they want to see, not what’s coming.  As many of us know, it started with the trading of Head Coach Jon Gruden.  Let’s take a look at each season since then.

2002-03 This was our last winning season.  Our top draft picks were CB Phillip Buchannon and LB Napolean Harris. 

Bill Callahan was named our new Head Coach.  Big aquisitions were DTs John Parrella and Sam Adams, LB Bill Romanowski, and FS Rod Woodson.  Big losses were FS Eric Turner passed away, All Pro DT Darrell Russell was suspended for a year for substance abuse (and never returned to the Raiders), All Pro LG Steve Wisnewski retired, CB Eric Allen retired, and DT Grady Jackson left in free agency. 

Newly aquired LB Romanowski was expected to be the missing piece at WLB in the LB puzzle with Greg Biekert in the middle and Eric Barton at SLB.  However, at the end of camp it was a major stunner to see that Biekert’s name was at the top of the cut list in favor of rookie Napolean Harris, who was expected to learn under Biekert for a year as Biekert was expected to walk in free agency the next year. 

When the season started, All Pro CB Charles Woodson went down and out with an injury and that allowed rookie Phillip Buchannon to show what kind of game he had.  However, 2 or 3 weeks later, Buchannon would go down and out for the season with a broken wrist.  This was a major hit because Buchannon was also the punt returner.  C Woodson would be back periodically throughout the season battling injuries and WR Tim Brown would return to punt return duties like in his early days. 

QB Rich Gannon would go on to have a record setting season and earn league MVP award and it would appear that this team didn’t miss a beat without Gruden…until they got to the Superbowl (somewhere they never got with Gruden thanks to bizzare circumstances).  Gruden would know the playbook inside and out because he wrote it and Callahan opted to keep it the same because we’d been winning with it and everybody knew it. 

Problem was Gruden knew it better than any of the players and always made the right calls on defense.  All Pro Center Barrett Robbins was the main one for reading those defenses and was sent home for disappearing the day before.

2003-04 This was the begining of the “Blackhole” era.  Top rookies were DE Tyler Brayton, DB Nnamdi Asomugha, and RB Justin Fargas.  There were no big aquisitions, but the biggest was re-signing safety Anthony Dorsett after he became a cap casualty.  The big losses included DE Tony Bryant with a neck injury, DT Sam Adams was a cap casualty, CB Tory James was a cap casualty, and OL Mo Collins retired due to injury. 

At first the season didn’t start out too bad, but Rich Gannon got injured early on and we all thougt it would be the chance for Marques Tuiososopo.  Tui looked good in that game against KC, but under threw Tim Brown at the end that could’ve been a game winning TD pass.  The next week Tui would go down and out for the season and shortly after that, Bill Callahan would turn his back on the Raidernation by calling them the dumbest team in football. 

2004-05 Now things really started to get ugly.  Norv Turner was named the new head coach and brought in Rob Ryan as his new defensive coordinator. 

Our top rookies were OL Robert Gallery, OL Jake Grove, FS Stuart Schweigert and DL Tommy Kelly.  Big aquisitions included NT Ted Washington, DT Warren Sapp, QB Kerry Collins, Amos Zereoue, DE Bobby Hamilton, and LB Danny Clark.  Big departures were DT Rod Coleman, LB Eric Barton, RB Charlie Garner, WR Tim Brown, WR Jerry Rice, and TE Doug Jolley plus C Barrett Robbins, DB Rod Woodson, LB Bill Romanowski, and DE Trace Armstrong all failed physicals and OT Lincoln Kennedy retired. 

First let’s look at our draft board.  Everybody knows that Al Davis likes a strong arm QB…I see Ben Rothlisberger, but we already signed Kerry Collins to fill that void.  Everybody knows that Al Davis is all about speed and he just lost Tim Brown (and would eventually Jerry Rice) at WR…I see an excellent playmaker in WR Larry Fitzgerald on board and he’s got excellent hands to compliment his speed. 

Of all respect to Robert Gallery, how could Al Davis possibly pass on the explosive offensive playmaker in Larry Fitzgerald when the OL wasn’t all that big of an issue and you lacked lots of explosiveness?  Now let’s look at the defense.  Rob Ryan is a 3-4 schemer, so Ted Washington and Bobby Hamilton are good pick ups, but why did you waste a ton of money on a former All Pro 4-3 DT in Warren Sapp?  Tommy Kelly, Ted Washington, and Bobby Hamilton would’ve made up a good front 3 with Tyler Brayton backing off the line to OLB, Clark joins Harris in the middle, and Sam Williams would end up taking most of the reps at the other LB position. 

These mistakes would carry over into next year.

2005-06 We pick up where we left off last year with the troubles.  Top rookies are LB Kirk Morrison, CBs Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt and QB Andrew Walter was drafted as the future of the franchise.  Big aquisitions included WR Randy Moss, DE Derrick Burgess and RB Lamont Jordan.  Big losses included LB Napolean Harris, RB Amos Zereoue and CB Philip Buchannon. 

This was pretty much a repeat of last year.  The biggest change was Rob Ryan went to a 4-3 defense to be more “Warren Sapp friendly.”  Last year’s mistake of signing Warren Sapp carried over into this year.  Now this year we will pay for leaving Larry Firzgerald on board and give up what could’ve been a great pick at #7 overall. 

The Raiders made noise early in the offseason by trading the #7 overall pick and LB Napolean Harris to Minnesota for WR Randy Moss.  As mentioned earlier, signing Warren Sapp was a big waste last year because Tommy Kelly, Ted Washington, and Bobby Hamilton could’ve easily manned up the front 3 in Rob Ryan’s initial defensive scheme.

LBs Danny Clark and Napolean Harris manned the middle pretty well and Tyler Brayton seemed to be adapting ok to the OLB but might’ve been more comfortable on the front line.  We had an OLB void to fill and we could’ve easily done it with the #7 overall pick.  Two future All Pros were on board at that point and have been very successful OLBs in 3-4 schemes with their respective ball clubs and they are Demarcus Ware and Shawn Merriman.   

The defense would help Warren Sapp produce more prior to his season ending injury but the rest would struggle.  LB would be a big weakness.  Danny Clark would man the middle and Kirk Morrison would start on the strong side.  Tyler Brayton would be listed as the starter on the weak side but would actually take more reps at defensive end and earn his starting DE spot back over Bobby Hamilton.  Tommy Kelly would move inside to defensive tackle in place of Sapp after his injury and make a big mark there. 

First year Raider Derrick Burgess would become the first Raider to lead the NFL in sacks.  We would actually end up playing primarily a nickel defense and it was given that we needed a linebacker because we didn’t have enough at all.  The secondary was a joke yielding only 4 INTs (the fifth in the stats was a tip ball caught by Sapp) lead by second year safety Stuart Schweigert’s two. 

On offense, the passing game would be forced way too much.  Lamont Jordan kept saying “I can’t run the ball if they don’t give it to me; they always want to pass.”  In games that Jordan would get a decent amount of carries, we would play well and in some cases win.  I don’t think Norv Turner ever talked to Al Davis, just listened until he was dismissed at the end of the season.

2006-07  Al Davis was desperate for a coach to bring the nasty Raider attitude back so after nobody else wanted the job, he brought back Art Shell as head coach. 

Top rookies were LB Tom Howard, DB Michael Huff, OL Paul McQuistain, and OL Kevin Boothe.  Big departures included CB Charles Woodson, DE Bobby Hamilton, LB Danny Clark, QB Kerry Collins, and DT Ted Washington.  QB Aaron Brooks was the only big aquisition.  Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, they did (or at least on the offensive side of the ball).  Defense was pretty solid all season with Burgess earning his second straight Pro Bowl appearance.  Nnamdi Asomugha would have such a break out season that opponents would shy away from him for years to come. 

Rookie LB Tom Howard would finish second on the team in tackles behind second year LB Kirk Morrison.  Defense would be ranked #3 overall and #1 against the pass thanks to solid efforts from CBs Asomugha and Fabian Washington. 

Offense was a joke. 

Offensive Coordinator Tom Walsh was previously running a bed and breakfast and was clueless to the game today.  His scheme was so out dated that the players had never heard of it and was so bad that he was demoted during the season in favor of TE coach John Shoop, but there was no difference. 

WR Jerry Porter got off on a bad note with new coach Art Shell and would pretty much be invisible all season.  WR Randy Moss would betray the RaiderNation by running plays wrong and dropping passes.  RB Lamont Jordan would fight injuries all year to keep his starting job. 

Robert Gallery would move from right tackle to left moving long time LT Barry Sims to guard.  Barry Sims would eventually get benched in favor of rookie Paul McQuistain.  McQuistain actually started the season as the starting right guard but was benched in favor of fellow rookie Kevin Boothe.  Gallery’s name kept coming up more than all of them as the reason why they were so bad since the left tackle position was where a good bulk of the sacks were coming from despite the fact that he missed half the season with injury and more were allowed by back up Chad Slaughter. 

Truth is they all played poorly as a unit and there was no reason to single any certain player out. Change was desperatly needed on offense.

2007-08  Lane Kiffin was brought in as the new head coach.  Big departures included WR Randy Moss, OT Langston Walker and OL Kevin Boothe, and Top rookies were QB Jamarcus Russell, TE Zach Miller, OL Mario Henderson, WR/PR Johnnie Lee Higgins, DE Jay Richardson and RB Michael Bush despite missing his rookie year would be a major assett later on. 

Nothing really changed on defense but the offense got a little better.  The best aquisition was OL coach Tom Cable who implemented a zone blocking scheme.  Barry Sims would regain his starting LT spot and Robert Gallery would slide over to LG.  New aquisitions Cooper Carlisle and Cornell Green would start at RG and RT.  Green would get hurt and replaced by Paul McQuistain. 

We would play alot of close games this year.  RB Justin Fargas would have a breakout season and rush for over 1000 yards before going to IR.  Lamont Jordan would lose interest in the team and get demoted to the #3 running back and eventually get released at the end of the season. 

On defense LBs Tom Howard and Kirk Morrison would break out with lots of INTs; Howard would lead all LBs in the NFL and be left out of the Pro Bowl.  CB Nnamdi Asomugha would only be passed against once a game.  Kiffin started the big “I’m in” phrase stating that you are in it for the team not yourself.  The problem was that Kiffin wasn’t in and we would find out in an offseason drama course with Al Davis and he would be rumored to be on his way out. 

Kiffin was just trying to make a name for himself as a head coach and didn’t really want to be a Raider.  Fans would be disappointed because they didn’t want him gone because they were seeing signs of life in him despite another double digit loss season but there were more close games than in the previous 3 seasons. 

2008-09  The Kiffin-Davis Saga would continue into the season and Kiffin would be fired after a 1-3 start to the season. 

Top Rookies were RB Darren McFadden, WR Chaz Schilens, DB Tyvon Branch, and DE Trevor Scott.  New aquisitions included OT Kwame Harris, SS Gibril Wilson, DE Kalimba Edwards, WR Javon Walker and DB Deangelo Hall. Big departures included OL Barry Sims, QBs Dante Culpepper & Josh McCown, CB Fabian Washington, and DE Tyler Brayton.  OL Coach Tom Cable would be named interim head coach. 

Things would get real shakey in the RaiderNation.  Cable pulled off amazing wins against the NY Jets and Denver, but fans started losing hope in him when he blew a game against KC, but he didn’t quit.  He eventually lost several players to injury and was left with mostly youngsters.  He studied film on them and made a game plan heading into the last 2 weeks of the season challenging them to show up and win for pride and they did.  After a big loss to New England it looked like we were on our way to a 3-13 season and might be in for another coaching change. 

The RaiderNation was down and fans were wondering what was gonna happen next, but then something unexpected happened when we took the field against Houston; we scored on our opening drive for the first time all season.  During that game we looked like a whole new football team; I thought we looked like we were heading to the playoffs, but I knew we weren’t.  

The team looked completely turned around and everything was just amazing.  That win over Houston was our biggest of the season if you ask me because it sparked the begining of what appears to be a new era for this football team.  The proof would appear next week as Tampa Bay was fighting to make the playoffs and the Raiders were looking to match their highest win total since their last playoff appearance. 

Forgotten RB Micheal Bush would carry the Raiders with 177 yards on the ground and 2 TDs in their second straight victory to end the season.  This convinced the fans that we would be back to winning next year as long as they kept the key players that contributed the most in the last 2 weeks. 

The RaiderNation was on fire but unfortunatly, the season was over for us.  Cable would become the full time head coach and would bring in his own staff for the 2009-10 season.  The Raider team and the RaiderNation is more excited about this season that ever before.   Granted we had 3 other wins this season, but the last two at the end of the season were something special because we actually looked like a winning football team, not a losing team struggling to just get a few wins.  The mentality of the game was different and execution of plays was highly improved. 

Now we anxiouly await to see if we are the real deal for 2009.

Oakland Raiders: How We Got Where We Are…

I’m tired of reading all the hater articles about the Raiders not going anywhere because of what they’ve done since Superbowl 37.  Truth is none of them have the facts and they just see what they want to see, not what’s coming.  As many of us know, it started with the trading of Head Coach Jon Gruden.  Let’s take a look at each season since then.

2002-03 This was our last winning season.  Our top draft picks were CB Phillip Buchannon and LB Napolean Harris. 

Bill Callahan was named our new Head Coach.  Big aquisitions were DTs John Parrella and Sam Adams, LB Bill Romanowski, and FS Rod Woodson.  Big losses were FS Eric Turner passed away, All Pro DT Darrell Russell was suspended for a year for substance abuse (and never returned to the Raiders), All Pro LG Steve Wisnewski retired, CB Eric Allen retired, and DT Grady Jackson left in free agency. 

Newly aquired LB Romanowski was expected to be the missing piece at WLB in the LB puzzle with Greg Biekert in the middle and Eric Barton at SLB.  However, at the end of camp it was a major stunner to see that Biekert’s name was at the top of the cut list in favor of rookie Napolean Harris, who was expected to learn under Biekert for a year as Biekert was expected to walk in free agency the next year. 

When the season started, All Pro CB Charles Woodson went down and out with an injury and that allowed rookie Phillip Buchannon to show what kind of game he had.  However, 2 or 3 weeks later, Buchannon would go down and out for the season with a broken wrist.  This was a major hit because Buchannon was also the punt returner.  C Woodson would be back periodically throughout the season battling injuries and WR Tim Brown would return to punt return duties like in his early days. 

QB Rich Gannon would go on to have a record setting season and earn league MVP award and it would appear that this team didn’t miss a beat without Gruden…until they got to the Superbowl (somewhere they never got with Gruden thanks to bizzare circumstances).  Gruden would know the playbook inside and out because he wrote it and Callahan opted to keep it the same because we’d been winning with it and everybody knew it. 

Problem was Gruden knew it better than any of the players and always made the right calls on defense.  All Pro Center Barrett Robbins was the main one for reading those defenses and was sent home for disappearing the day before.

2003-04 This was the begining of the “Blackhole” era.  Top rookies were DE Tyler Brayton, DB Nnamdi Asomugha, and RB Justin Fargas.  There were no big aquisitions, but the biggest was re-signing safety Anthony Dorsett after he became a cap casualty.  The big losses included DE Tony Bryant with a neck injury, DT Sam Adams was a cap casualty, CB Tory James was a cap casualty, and OL Mo Collins retired due to injury. 

At first the season didn’t start out too bad, but Rich Gannon got injured early on and we all thougt it would be the chance for Marques Tuiososopo.  Tui looked good in that game against KC, but under threw Tim Brown at the end that could’ve been a game winning TD pass.  The next week Tui would go down and out for the season and shortly after that, Bill Callahan would turn his back on the Raidernation by calling them the dumbest team in football. 

2004-05 Now things really started to get ugly.  Norv Turner was named the new head coach and brought in Rob Ryan as his new defensive coordinator. 

Our top rookies were OL Robert Gallery, OL Jake Grove, FS Stuart Schweigert and DL Tommy Kelly.  Big aquisitions included NT Ted Washington, DT Warren Sapp, QB Kerry Collins, Amos Zereoue, DE Bobby Hamilton, and LB Danny Clark.  Big departures were DT Rod Coleman, LB Eric Barton, RB Charlie Garner, WR Tim Brown, WR Jerry Rice, and TE Doug Jolley plus C Barrett Robbins, DB Rod Woodson, LB Bill Romanowski, and DE Trace Armstrong all failed physicals and OT Lincoln Kennedy retired. 

First let’s look at our draft board.  Everybody knows that Al Davis likes a strong arm QB…I see Ben Rothlisberger, but we already signed Kerry Collins to fill that void.  Everybody knows that Al Davis is all about speed and he just lost Tim Brown (and would eventually Jerry Rice) at WR…I see an excellent playmaker in WR Larry Fitzgerald on board and he’s got excellent hands to compliment his speed. 

Of all respect to Robert Gallery, how could Al Davis possibly pass on the explosive offensive playmaker in Larry Fitzgerald when the OL wasn’t all that big of an issue and you lacked lots of explosiveness?  Now let’s look at the defense.  Rob Ryan is a 3-4 schemer, so Ted Washington and Bobby Hamilton are good pick ups, but why did you waste a ton of money on a former All Pro 4-3 DT in Warren Sapp?  Tommy Kelly, Ted Washington, and Bobby Hamilton would’ve made up a good front 3 with Tyler Brayton backing off the line to OLB, Clark joins Harris in the middle, and Sam Williams would end up taking most of the reps at the other LB position. 

These mistakes would carry over into next year.

2005-06 We pick up where we left off last year with the troubles.  Top rookies are LB Kirk Morrison, CBs Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt and QB Andrew Walter was drafted as the future of the franchise.  Big aquisitions included WR Randy Moss, DE Derrick Burgess and RB Lamont Jordan.  Big losses included LB Napolean Harris, RB Amos Zereoue and CB Philip Buchannon. 

This was pretty much a repeat of last year.  The biggest change was Rob Ryan went to a 4-3 defense to be more “Warren Sapp friendly.”  Last year’s mistake of signing Warren Sapp carried over into this year.  Now this year we will pay for leaving Larry Firzgerald on board and give up what could’ve been a great pick at #7 overall. 

The Raiders made noise early in the offseason by trading the #7 overall pick and LB Napolean Harris to Minnesota for WR Randy Moss.  As mentioned earlier, signing Warren Sapp was a big waste last year because Tommy Kelly, Ted Washington, and Bobby Hamilton could’ve easily manned up the front 3 in Rob Ryan’s initial defensive scheme.

LBs Danny Clark and Napolean Harris manned the middle pretty well and Tyler Brayton seemed to be adapting ok to the OLB but might’ve been more comfortable on the front line.  We had an OLB void to fill and we could’ve easily done it with the #7 overall pick.  Two future All Pros were on board at that point and have been very successful OLBs in 3-4 schemes with their respective ball clubs and they are Demarcus Ware and Shawn Merriman.   

The defense would help Warren Sapp produce more prior to his season ending injury but the rest would struggle.  LB would be a big weakness.  Danny Clark would man the middle and Kirk Morrison would start on the strong side.  Tyler Brayton would be listed as the starter on the weak side but would actually take more reps at defensive end and earn his starting DE spot back over Bobby Hamilton.  Tommy Kelly would move inside to defensive tackle in place of Sapp after his injury and make a big mark there. 

First year Raider Derrick Burgess would become the first Raider to lead the NFL in sacks.  We would actually end up playing primarily a nickel defense and it was given that we needed a linebacker because we didn’t have enough at all.  The secondary was a joke yielding only 4 INTs (the fifth in the stats was a tip ball caught by Sapp) lead by second year safety Stuart Schweigert’s two. 

On offense, the passing game would be forced way too much.  Lamont Jordan kept saying “I can’t run the ball if they don’t give it to me; they always want to pass.”  In games that Jordan would get a decent amount of carries, we would play well and in some cases win.  I don’t think Norv Turner ever talked to Al Davis, just listened until he was dismissed at the end of the season.

2006-07  Al Davis was desperate for a coach to bring the nasty Raider attitude back so after nobody else wanted the job, he brought back Art Shell as head coach. 

Top rookies were LB Tom Howard, DB Michael Huff, OL Paul McQuistain, and OL Kevin Boothe.  Big departures included CB Charles Woodson, DE Bobby Hamilton, LB Danny Clark, QB Kerry Collins, and DT Ted Washington.  QB Aaron Brooks was the only big aquisition.  Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, they did (or at least on the offensive side of the ball).  Defense was pretty solid all season with Burgess earning his second straight Pro Bowl appearance.  Nnamdi Asomugha would have such a break out season that opponents would shy away from him for years to come. 

Rookie LB Tom Howard would finish second on the team in tackles behind second year LB Kirk Morrison.  Defense would be ranked #3 overall and #1 against the pass thanks to solid efforts from CBs Asomugha and Fabian Washington. 

Offense was a joke. 

Offensive Coordinator Tom Walsh was previously running a bed and breakfast and was clueless to the game today.  His scheme was so out dated that the players had never heard of it and was so bad that he was demoted during the season in favor of TE coach John Shoop, but there was no difference. 

WR Jerry Porter got off on a bad note with new coach Art Shell and would pretty much be invisible all season.  WR Randy Moss would betray the RaiderNation by running plays wrong and dropping passes.  RB Lamont Jordan would fight injuries all year to keep his starting job. 

Robert Gallery would move from right tackle to left moving long time LT Barry Sims to guard.  Barry Sims would eventually get benched in favor of rookie Paul McQuistain.  McQuistain actually started the season as the starting right guard but was benched in favor of fellow rookie Kevin Boothe.  Gallery’s name kept coming up more than all of them as the reason why they were so bad since the left tackle position was where a good bulk of the sacks were coming from despite the fact that he missed half the season with injury and more were allowed by back up Chad Slaughter. 

Truth is they all played poorly as a unit and there was no reason to single any certain player out. Change was desperatly needed on offense.

2007-08  Lane Kiffin was brought in as the new head coach.  Big departures included WR Randy Moss, OT Langston Walker and OL Kevin Boothe, and Top rookies were QB Jamarcus Russell, TE Zach Miller, OL Mario Henderson, WR/PR Johnnie Lee Higgins, DE Jay Richardson and RB Michael Bush despite missing his rookie year would be a major assett later on. 

Nothing really changed on defense but the offense got a little better.  The best aquisition was OL coach Tom Cable who implemented a zone blocking scheme.  Barry Sims would regain his starting LT spot and Robert Gallery would slide over to LG.  New aquisitions Cooper Carlisle and Cornell Green would start at RG and RT.  Green would get hurt and replaced by Paul McQuistain. 

We would play alot of close games this year.  RB Justin Fargas would have a breakout season and rush for over 1000 yards before going to IR.  Lamont Jordan would lose interest in the team and get demoted to the #3 running back and eventually get released at the end of the season. 

On defense LBs Tom Howard and Kirk Morrison would break out with lots of INTs; Howard would lead all LBs in the NFL and be left out of the Pro Bowl.  CB Nnamdi Asomugha would only be passed against once a game.  Kiffin started the big “I’m in” phrase stating that you are in it for the team not yourself.  The problem was that Kiffin wasn’t in and we would find out in an offseason drama course with Al Davis and he would be rumored to be on his way out. 

Kiffin was just trying to make a name for himself as a head coach and didn’t really want to be a Raider.  Fans would be disappointed because they didn’t want him gone because they were seeing signs of life in him despite another double digit loss season but there were more close games than in the previous 3 seasons. 

2008-09  The Kiffin-Davis Saga would continue into the season and Kiffin would be fired after a 1-3 start to the season. 

Top Rookies were RB Darren McFadden, WR Chaz Schilens, DB Tyvon Branch, and DE Trevor Scott.  New aquisitions included OT Kwame Harris, SS Gibril Wilson, DE Kalimba Edwards, WR Javon Walker and DB Deangelo Hall. Big departures included OL Barry Sims, QBs Dante Culpepper & Josh McCown, CB Fabian Washington, and DE Tyler Brayton.  OL Coach Tom Cable would be named interim head coach. 

Things would get real shakey in the RaiderNation.  Cable pulled off amazing wins against the NY Jets and Denver, but fans started losing hope in him when he blew a game against KC, but he didn’t quit.  He eventually lost several players to injury and was left with mostly youngsters.  He studied film on them and made a game plan heading into the last 2 weeks of the season challenging them to show up and win for pride and they did.  After a big loss to New England it looked like we were on our way to a 3-13 season and might be in for another coaching change. 

The RaiderNation was down and fans were wondering what was gonna happen next, but then something unexpected happened when we took the field against Houston; we scored on our opening drive for the first time all season.  During that game we looked like a whole new football team; I thought we looked like we were heading to the playoffs, but I knew we weren’t.  

The team looked completely turned around and everything was just amazing.  That win over Houston was our biggest of the season if you ask me because it sparked the begining of what appears to be a new era for this football team.  The proof would appear next week as Tampa Bay was fighting to make the playoffs and the Raiders were looking to match their highest win total since their last playoff appearance. 

Forgotten RB Micheal Bush would carry the Raiders with 177 yards on the ground and 2 TDs in their second straight victory to end the season.  This convinced the fans that we would be back to winning next year as long as they kept the key players that contributed the most in the last 2 weeks. 

The RaiderNation was on fire but unfortunatly, the season was over for us.  Cable would become the full time head coach and would bring in his own staff for the 2009-10 season.  The Raider team and the RaiderNation is more excited about this season that ever before.   Granted we had 3 other wins this season, but the last two at the end of the season were something special because we actually looked like a winning football team, not a losing team struggling to just get a few wins.  The mentality of the game was different and execution of plays was highly improved. 

Now we anxiouly await to see if we are the real deal for 2009.

All Raider Squad: Non-Hall of Fame

 

I decided to do an All Raider squad of non-hall of famers. No active players will be used either even if they are active with other teams, and the players must have blossomed their careers with the Raiders. I will start with the offense.

 

QB

Kenny Stabler: Stabler is the Raiders’ all time passing leader and led the Raiders to their win in Superbowl XI. The Raiders do not have any QBs in the Hall of fame except George Blanda, who was better known as a place kicker.

Every year I find articles protesting that Stabler should be in the HOF, but this past year a DUI charge may have slimmed his chances. Other considerations were Jim Plunkett, Daryl Lamonica, and Rich Gannon

 

HB

Bo Jackson: Jackson is probably the greatest question mark in sports history.  He never had a 1000-yard rushing season, but only played football part time as he was playing Major League Baseball full time. He is the only player to be named an all star in two different professional sports.

He really looked like he was gonna carry the Raiders in the ’90s, but on Jan. 13, 1991, in a divisional playoff game, he was trying to escape a tackle and separated his hip. It popped back into place, but the injury was too serious to play football again. 

He attempted to play baseball that year, but later decided that he’d better have surgery on it. All I can ever say when I hear Bo Jackson’s name is “What if?” Other considerations were Mark Van Eeghen, Clarence Davis, Kenny King, and Napolean Kaufman.

 

FB

Pete Banaszak: The Rooster, as they called Banaszak, was a short yardage specialist. He often played behind Marv Hubbard, Clarence Davis, Clem Daniels, and Mark Van Eeghen, but Banaszak got the job done as a blocker and a runner at both FB and HB. Only Marcus Allen has more rushing touchdowns than The Rooster. Other considerations were Marv Hubbard and Zack Crockett

 

FL  

Tim Brown: Brown was known as Mr. Raider. Tim Brown holds all the Raiders’ major receiving records. If he would’ve had an all star quarterback throwing to him for more of his career, I think he might hold all the NFL’s major receiving records. He has represented the Raiders in more Pro-bowls than any other Raider. He is not quite Hall of Fame eligible yet, but I’m sure he will be inducted in his first year of nomination. 

 

SE 

Cliff Branch: Branch started in all three Raider superbowl victories. He holds the Raider record for longest reception in a game. He appeared in four Pro-bowls and is without question one of our greatest receiving threats ever.

 

TE 

Todd Christensen: Christensen started his career as a fullback, but moved to tight end when he joined the Raiders. He represented the Raiders in five Pro-bowls. Another consideration was Ethan Horton.

 

LT  

Henry Lawrence: Lawrence played in all three Raider superbowl victories having started in two of them, one at RT and the other at LT. He is a two-time pro-bowler and is often forgotten about among great Raider tackles.

 

LG 

Steve Wisnewski: The Wiz, as they called Wisnewski, is one of several eight-time Pro-bowlers for the Raiders. He is often referred to as one of the dirtiest players in the game and fits a perfect Raider image. He has been nominated for the Hall of Fame, but nobody knows if he will get in as many offensive guards get overlooked.

 

C 

Dave Dalby: Dalby started in all three Superbowl victories for the Raiders.  He is often a forgotten man when it comes to the greatest offensive linemen of his time, as he often had Gene Upshaw and Art Shell to his left. He made the Pro-bowl in 1977. Other considerations were Don Mosebar, and Barrett Robbins.

 

RG 

Micky Marvin: Marvin started at right guard for the Raiders in Superbowls XV and XVIII. He never made the Pro-bowl, but was always a monster on the line that had to be accounted for.

 

RT

Lincoln Kennedy: At first Kennedy was a reject guard from Atlanta, but he joined the Raiders in 1996 and became a Pro Bowl right tackle four years later.  Kennedy was a big leader on the Raiders offensive line during the late ’90s and early 2000s with Steve Wisnewski and Barrett Robbins.  He was always professional and gave his all on every play

 

All right, now it’s time for the defense. I decided to use a 4-3 base since that is what most of us are familiar with. 

 

DE

Greg Townsend: Townsend is the Raiders’ all time sack leader according to the trackable stats because the sack didn’t become an official stat until 1983.  Townsend also played OLB and DT.  He wasn’t a full time starter until 1988.  Prior to that he was a pass rush specialist behind Lyle Alzado and Howie Long and he did that job well. He made the Pro-bowl in 1990 and 1991.

 

DT

Chester McGlockton: McGlockton was one of my favorite players of all time.  He is fifth on the Raiders all time sack list and a four-time Pro-bowler. He was always a monster in the middle and many opposing offenses feared his presence breaking through the line. 

Tackles didn’t become an official stat until towards the end of his career, but I always remember seeing him in on lots of them.

 

DT

Otis Sistrunk: I chose Sistrunk because he was able to play the nose well in a 3-4 as well as play as a solid DT in a 4-3. Defensive stats were not kept accuratly during his time, but he was a monster killer on the DL. He made the Pro Bowl in 1974. Other DT considerations were Reggie Kinlaw, Darrell Russell, and Bill Pickel.

 

DE

John Matuszak: Matuszak was better known as Tooz. This was a hard choice, but Tooz was a monster on the line before sacks and tackles were official stats. He never made the Pro-bowl, but he was on two championship squads with us. Other DE considerations were Lyle Alzado, Anthony Smith, and Big Ben Davidson.

 

MLB  

Matt Millen: Millen was part of a 3-4 defense most of his career, but I always thought he was solid. He’s been getting trashed lately for his lousy job as a GM in Detriot, but let’s not forget the bad @$$ MLB he was for the Raiders.

He made the Pro-bowl in 1988 and was a member of two Raider championship squads. He was always a solid tackler and had 11 career sacks. Other considerations were Dan Connors and Greg Biekert.

 

OLB 

Rod Martin: Like Millen before him, was part of two championship squads with the Raiders. Martin set the interception record for the superbowl with three INTs in Superbowl XV and is a two-time Pro-bowler. He has 33.5 career sacks officially, 14 INTs (four returned for TDs), and has returned two fumbles for touchdowns. 

 

OLB 

Phil Villapiano: Villapiano was the original showbizzer.  If you ask me that is where the primadonna thing all started, but he backed it up on the field.  He was a 4 time Pro Bowler and had 11 career INTs; again sacks and tackles were not official stats during his time.  Other OLB considerations were Rob Fredrickson, Aaron Wallace, and  Jerry Robinson.

 

FS 

Jack Tatum: “The Assassin” Jack Tatum gets this one hands down. He was one hitting monster and made everyone who entered his zone pay. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and has 30 INTs and eight fumble recoveries (one returned for a TD) as a Raider. He lived up to his name. Other considerations were Vann McElroy, Eddie Anderson, Rod Woodson, and Tom Morrow.

 

SS 

George Atkinson: George “The Animal” Atkinson is my choice here. He was a ferocious hitter and manhandled his opposition like nobody’s business. He is a two-time Pro Bowler with 30 INTs (two returned for TDs), 13 fumble recoveries (two returned for TDs), and was also a kick returner with three punt returns for TDs. Other considerations were Warren Powers, Mike Davis, and Lorenzo Lynch. 

 

CB 

Lester Hayes: Hayes’ record for most INTs in a season by a Raider cannot be ignored. Hayes is a five-time Pro-bowler and was a member of two Raider championship teams. He is tied with Willie Brown for the Raider career INT lead. He has been nominated to the Hall of Fame several times but never enshrined.

 

CB

Terry McDaniel: McDaniel is third on the Raiders all time INT list. He was always a spectacular defender. He represented the Raiders in the Pro-bowl five times and is often overlooked when we think about some of the greatest Raider defenders of all time. Other considerations were Fred Williamson, Skip Thomas, and Eric Allen. 

 

Punter

I decided to chose a special teamer for this and it is punter Ray Guy because he was always the best at his position.

Ray Guy has made it to the final round in Hall of Fame selections but is overlooked every year because apparently whoever makes the final decisions doesn’t think punters deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. If you ask me, if a player was the best at his position, then he deserves the HOF no matter what position he plays. 

If punters don’t deserve the Hall of Fame, then they don’t need to be in the NFL; we should just go for it on fourth down unless in field goal range. It would make the game a lot more interesting if you ask me.

 

Oakland Raiders’ Open Competition: Defensive End

Defensive end is a very often talked about position in the NFL. These guys are thought of as the primary pass rushers and make names for themselves by racking up sacks. This year it seems to be open competition. We have two former Pro Bowlers in Derrick Burgess, who was the first Raider to ever lead the NFL in sacks and Greg Ellis who joined us recently after being released from Dallas. Then we have Trevor Scott who was a late round pick last year who tied the team lead and the NFL rookie lead in sacks. Also joining the competition is Jay Richardson, who has started opposite of Burgess the last 2 seasons and Greyson Gunheim who was the first called up from the practice squad last year. Then we also drafted 3 rookies that are capable of playing defensive end.

Raiders Open Competition: Wide Receiver

I decided to do some slide shows on the open competition positions for the Oakland Raiders and today I am doing one on the Wide Receivers. They are in no particular order but I have my opinion about each canidate competing. This will include last year’s standouts, rookies from the draft as well as undrafted rookies plus any returning players or new aquisitions that were brought in to compete. Head Coach Tom Cable is all about competition and when he says open competition, he means open competition, nobody is locked in as a starter.

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