In the late 1970’s I was a big Raider fan, particularly of sure-handed/slow-footed wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, left-hander quarterback Ken Stabler, punter extraordinaire Ray Guy, and demonstitaive head coach John Madden. This weekend I watched the “Top Ten Oakland Raiders” on the NFL Network. As usual, I disagreed with some of their selections. So did some of the ex-Raiders who were interviewed. But in general, this time they did a decent job. I was concerned that their Hall-of Fame offensive line would be left off the list, but that turned out to not be the case. The NFL Network’s list included nine consummate Raiders, another two offensive superstars, and one inexplicable pick.
Honorable Mentions included: Lyle Alzado, George Atkinson, Todd Christiansen, Ray Guy, Lester Hayes, Bo Jackson, John Matuszak, Ted Hendricks. All were worth mentioning, but none belong in the top ten. I would add kicker Sebastian Janakowski to this honorable mention list.
10. Marcus Allen: years of excellence
9. Willie Brown: Long time face of Oakland
8. Jim Plunkett: claimed off scrap heap to win Super Bowl
7. Cliff Branch: better than Hall of Famer Lynn Swann
6. George Blanda: fearless MVP, set scoring record
5. Tim Brown: over 100 touchdowns
4. Ken Stabler: gunslinger, Super Bowl champion
3. Fred Biletnikoff: deserved rank
2. Howie Long: WHAT? Rank him 10th, at best
1. Gene Upshaw & Art Shell
00. Jim Otto: the consummate Raider
Placing the tough-as-nails center Jim Otto, old number double-zero, ahead of number one was deserved, and creative genius.
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