Top 5: Raider Super Bowl Moments

I hear there’s this really big football game this weekend. Problem is, the Raiders aren’t playing in it. There is however a silver lining to every cloud. I’ll spin this one by pointing out that the advantage of not having your favorite team participating in the Super Bowl means that you can actually watch the game and enjoy it for all its football glory. Watching your own team in the Super Bowl can be an agonizing affair. Not knowing how things will turn out can be quite ulcer inducing.

So as we head into the big game, I’ll recap my Top 5 Raider Super Bowl Moments. Mind you, these are the events that I think had the most profound impact on me as a Raiders fan. These are the plays that I remember the most. One thing you may note, is that none of these come from Super Bowl II. Not sure I was even born when the Raiders played in SBII, so I’m just leaving that game out of the equation altogether.

Here they are. My Top 5 Raider Super Bowl Moments:

#5 – Willie Brown’s 75-yard interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl XI against the Minnesota Vikings sealed the Raiders 32-14 victory. Brown’s score put the Raiders up 32-7, but more importantly, it stopped a Vikings drive that could have cut the Raiders lead to 26-14 had the Vikings converted on the drive. Minnesota would put the ball in the end zone one more time in the game, but there’s no telling how much momentum the Vikings could have established had they scored on the drive that Brown ended with his pick.

#4 – In another defensive highlight from Super Bowl XI, Jack “The Assassin” Tatum set the tone for the game and added to his resume of big hits when he nailed Vikings receiver Sammy White with a hit that sent White’s helmet flying. White and Ahmad Rashaad were worthless the rest of the game.

#3 – Jack Squirek’s interception of a Joe Theisman pass for a touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII right before halftime put the Raiders up 21-3 and put the game out of reach for the Washington Redskins. The play was setup by a punt from Ray Guy that pinned the Redskins on their own 12 yard-line. Squirek later revealed that he was ready for the play, because the Redskins had used the same play during the regular season when the two teams squared off. The play would land the backup linebacker on the cover of Sports Illustrated and forever link him to Raider Super Bowl lore, although he would be out of football two years later.

#2 – Kenny King’s 80yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl XV was a record for the big game until Antonio Freeman surpassed King 16 yeas later (the record was then reset by Mushin Muhammad in SB XXXVIII – 85 yards). The touchdown play would put the Raiders up 14-0 over the favored Philadelphia Eagles. King was joined by Bob Chandler for his jaunt up the left sideline.

#1 – In arguably the most famous run from scrimmage in Super Bowl history, Marcus Allen’s 74-yard scramble through the Washington Redskins defense in SB XVIII goes down in Raider lore as the play of all plays in the big game. The run would break the 15 year-old record set by Tom Matte in SB III. Allen’s record stood for 22 years before Willie Parker topped it in SB XL. Allen took a handoff from QB Jim Plunkett en route to the left end. The Redskins shut off his lane, so the Raiders tailback changed directions and raced around the right corner, evading several Redskins tacklers along the way. Allen would cut diagonally back across the grain on his way to the end zone and SB MVP honors. His 191-yard rushing day also broke John Riggins SB rushing record. Timmy Smith would set a new record 4 years later.

Honorable Mention: 1) John Matuzak’s jaunt through the French Quarter well after curfew. "I'm going to see that there's no funny business," Matuszak declares. "I've had enough parties for 20 people's lifetimes. I'll keep our young fellows out of trouble." 2) Rod Martin’s three interceptions in SB XV (still a SB record) would land him on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but should have earned him MVP honors. His first would setup a Cliff Branch touchdown, the first score of the game.

Rumors: Slummin with the 9ers?

And you thought it couldn't get any worse? Rumors are swirling around a supposed conversation between 49ers owner John York and the Raiders regarding a joint tenancy deal that would have both teams playing in a new stadium in Santa Clara by 2012. After years of failure, the 49ers are looking for any answer to their stadium woes. So shacking up with Al Davis could be the only option available to them.

Seems that they can't fund a stadium on their own, nor does it appear that the 49er brain trust has the brains to figure out any other creative financing options to land a new home.

So in case it wasn’t already obvious, let me tell you why this is a bad idea for the Raiders:

1) Money. Part of the luxury of calling a stadium your home is the right to generate capital by doing things like selling advertising. Advertising within a stadium is a very lucrative business. Sharing a stadium means sharing this type of revenue (unless the two sides can figure out how swap in their own advertising for home games).

2) More Money. The naming rights to a stadium alone are worth millions of dollars. The Raiders cashed in handsomely with the Network Associates deal, because they had some leverage in the revenue share for the deal. The A’s also cashed in, but the A’s also play 81 regular season games there + playoffs.

3) Even More Money. Ancillary revenues that are derived from things like concessions are a cash cow for any professional sports team. Having two different vendors managing concessions seems like a bad way to generate top dollar for your concessions.

4) These are the 49ers we’re talking about. John York would prefer to see the Raiders based 400 miles south in order to prevent empty seats from popping up all over his stadium. Even the faithful gave up on them two season ago, which forced San Francisco to launch a ridiculous ad campaign challenging the faithfulness of their fans. So, given York’s true desire, how do you go into business with the guy?

5) Prestige. One of the things that Al Davis covets the most is prestige. Having to share a stadium with his biggest rival in the NFL (forget Denver and Kansas City) isn’t something the big guy is going to pony up to anytime soon.

Knapp Named Offensive Coordinator

As was reported as a rumor earlier this week here on The Eye Patch, Greg Knapp was finally hired as the Raiders new Offensive Coordinator. The former Falcons and 49ers OC will have his hands full, in an attempt to revive the league's most anemic offense.

"We are extremely excited to have Greg on board and be part of a new and exciting era of Raider football," said Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin. "I've been familiar with his success coaching in this league for some time now and he shares the same vision and passion for what it will take to bring an explosive offense back to the Raider Nation. His history of getting his quarterbacks to play at an elite level is second to none. He's thrilled about moving back to the Bay area and we're excited to have him."

Knapp has served as an NFL coach for 12 years. What may have lured Al Davis and Lane Kiffin to hire Knapp was the fact that he has coached three QBs that went on to play in the Pro Bowl for 9 of those 12 seasons. (Steve Young, 1997 and 1998; Jeff Garcia, 2000, 2001, 2002; Michael Vick, 2004 and 2005).

HOFMag on Big Al

Former ABC reporter Lesley Visser presents some insights into her relationship with Raider owner Al Davis at Hall of Fame Magazine

His fearlessness and maverick style were responsible for Davis taking over the team when he was only 33-years-old. The Raiders had gone 1-13 the year before; they went 10-4 when he took control. He readily employed the vertical game, the bump and run, the rebel in full voice. Three years later, he became the Commissioner of the AFL and was one of the driving forces between the historic merger of the two leagues, creating what we know today.

Though Davis is much despised among football fans around the country, the piece focuses on Davis' history as a patriarch for the league and his timely decision making.

The economics and the style of the NFL have changed in the past 10 years. The outlaw brand that Davis created is now polished and corporate, a league run by people with graduate degrees. When Davis signed on as General Manager in 1972, he received 10 percent of the team for only $18,000. The average today is near $900 million, but Forbes Magazine puts the Raiders at $736 million, 22 percent below the rest of the league.

All in all, a very good read. Check it out at HofMag.com

Raiders Super Bowl Factoid

Did you know that Fred Biletnikoff won the MVP in SB XI on a 4 catch performance in the Raiders 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings? Biletnikoff failed to reach the end zone, but still walked away with MVP honors. He racked up 48 of his 79 yards on a single catch.

Willie Brown's 75-yard 4th quarter interception for a TD iced the Vikings.

Y! Take Russ

Yahoo Sport's Charles Robinson and Chris Carter provide insight into the Raiders draft situation. Robinson implies Al Davis hired Lane Kiffin so that he could bully him and make the decisions (as if Al doesn't make any of the personnel decisions).

Both say "take Demarcus Russell." At 6'6", 260 and athletic, don't miss on a guy who has yet to "top out", and Robinson implies Brady Quinn has.

Carter suggests Russell is a Daunte Culpepper clone (except for "bigger hands"). Wonder if Randy Moss could thrive playing with a QB like Culpepper?

Checkout the video at Yahoo Sports

Rumors: Knapp to Join Kiffin's Staff?

Former Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is rumored to have interviewed with new Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin on Friday at the Senior Bowl in Mobil Alabama.

Choices, Choices

Not sure who you want to win Super Bowl XLI? The NFL has a nice little Flash site setup to take the thinking out of it. Answer simple questions and they'll tell you who you subliminally want to win. Join the bandwagon.

I took the quiz and as it turns out, the NFL site told me what I already knew. I want the Indianapolis Colts to win. Here's my rationale:

1) The Colts are old skool AFC (and they're not the Chiefs, Steelers or Broncos)

2) Payton Manning doesn't deserve all the crap he takes for not winning the big one. Imagine that guy in silver & black.

3) Tony Dungy got the shaft in Tampa, even though he was the one that built that defense. Gruden took all the credit, but it was Dungy's defense that knocked off the Raiders in SB XXXVII.

4) Rex Grossman winning a Super Bowl would be like Trent Dilfer winning a Super Bowl. He doesn't deserve to be there in the first place. His defensive counterparts carried him to the big game. In his defense, he didn;t cheat his way into the game like Tony Saraguse did with that cheap shot in 2002.

5) More power to smaller market teams. One of these days, the NFL will realize that football fans want more exposure to good teams, not teams that are based in one of the top five television markets in the country. Indianapolis is a better all around team, and they'll prove it come the Sunday after next.

Super Bucks

ABC News reports that consumers will shell out ~$8.7 Billion in conjunction with this year's Super Bowl. The report included an average dollar figure of $56 per "celebrant". Don't ask how they came to this figure, but few will argue that the earth stands still for 3 to 4 hours on Big Sunday.

Most of that money will be spent on food and drink, but big screen manufacturers rake in their fair share of the greenbacks that are being shelled out in conjunction with the big game.

Ranking the Greats

ESPN.com’s Page2 released a ranking of the 80 teams which have appeared in a Super Bowl. The Raiders ranked 18th, 27th, 40th, 55th and 57th. The 1970 Baltimore Colts were the lowestest ranking team to WIN a Super Bowl (51st). The 1978 Dallas Cowboys was the highest rank team to LOSE a Super Bowl (19th).

#57 - 2002 Oakland Raiders 11-5 (2-1), lost to Tampa Bay 48-21 in SB XXXVII

Coach: Bill Callahan

Key players: QB Rich Gannon (4,689 yards, 26 TD), RB Charlie Garner (1800 total yards), WR Jerry Rice, WR Tim Brown, OT Lincoln Kennedy, DT Rod Coleman, DT Sam Adams, S Rod Woodson

League MVP Rich Gannon played the best football of his career in leading the No. 2 offense in the league. Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Charlie Garner and Jerry Porter combined for 315 receptions and 3,770 receiving yards. The Raiders faced a difficult schedule, going 9-4 against teams .500 or better. But they lost four straight at one point, and were woefully unprepared for Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. The Raiders, 3½-point favorites in the big game, scored two offensive touchdowns – and allowed three defensive touchdowns.

#55 – 1967 Oakland Raiders 13-1 (1-1), lost to Green Bay 33-14 in SB II

Coach: John Rauch

Key players: QB Daryle Lamonica (3,228 yards, 30 TD), RB Hewritt Dixon (559 yards, 59 rec), WR Fred Biletnikoff, TE Billy Cannon, C Jim Otto, DE Ben Davidson, CB Willie Brown

Before John Madden came aboard, the Raiders were already an AFL powerhouse. This team ran (and threw) away from the rest of the AFL, finishing 3½ games better than its closest pursuer and winning the league's title game by 33 points. Daryle Lamonica reached the 3,000-yard mark in passing yards for the first of three consecutive seasons, piloting a vertical game that saw Fred Biletnikoff emerge with his first of six Pro Bowl seasons. But the Raiders did nothing for the credibility of the upstart league by losing convincingly to a Packers team that was in decline and coming off the "Ice Bowl."

#40 – 1980 Oakland Raiders 11-5 (4-0), beat Philadelphia 27-10 in SB XV

Coach: Tom Flores

Key players: QB Jim Plunkett (2,299 yards, 18 TD), RB Mark van Eeghen (838 yards), RB Kenny King, WR Cliff Branch, OT Art Shell, LB Ted Hendricks, LB Rod Martin, CB Lester Hayes

Not the greatest team of all time, but certainly the team you'd like to have a few adult beverages with. Or purchase stickum from. Infamous for tearing up New Orleans with its partying leading up to the Super Bowl, this team also provided one of the unheralded great Super Bowl moments: commissioner Pete Rozelle handing the Lombardi Trophy to Al Davis (who was involved in a lawsuit against the NFL at the time). Ordinary statistically (they relied on a league-leading 35 interceptions, including 13 by Lester Hayes), the Raiders ramped things up in the postseason. They romped against Houston's No. 2 scoring defense, won road games against the Browns and Air Coryell Chargers (both division champions) and convincingly beat a favored Eagles team in the Super Bowl.

#27 – 1983 Los Angeles Raiders 12-4 (3-0), beat Washington 38-9 in SB XVIII

Coach: Tom Flores

Key players: QB Jim Plunkett (2,935 yards, 20 TD), RB Marcus Allen (1,014 yards), TE Todd Christensen (1,247 yards, 12 TD), DE Howie Long, LB Matt Millen, CB Lester Hayes, S Vann McElroy

The Raiders brought Los Angeles its only Super Bowl title as it avenged a regular-season defeat at Washington by shutting down the high-powered Redskins. The impressive Super Bowl win helps vault this team to No. 27 despite some shaky times during the regular season (the Raiders allowed more than 30 points five times). Los Angeles won all three of its postseason games by more than two touchdowns (although the Raiders were helped when 9-7 Seattle upset 12-4 Miami in the divisional round). Second-year pro Marcus Allen had an excellent season, with 1,604 yards from scrimmage, 11 touchdowns and 68 receptions. Todd Christensen led the league with 92 receptions, an NFL record at the time for a tight end.

#18 – 1976 Oakland Raiders 13-1 (3-0), beat Minnesota 32-14 in SB XI

Coach: John Madden

Key players: QB Ken Stabler (2,737 yards, 27 TD), RB Mark van Eeghen (1,012 yards), WR Cliff Branch, WR Fred Biletnikoff, TE Dave Casper, OT Art Shell, OG Gene Upshaw, LB Phil Villapiano

Not to bash on the legend of John Madden and his only Super Bowl champ, but this team wasn't quite as good as its 13-1 record indicates. True, the offense was a devastating mix of the long ball (Cliff Branch averaged over 24 yards on 46 catches) and grind-it-out running attack, but the defense had holes (18th in the NFL in yards allowed) and just one Pro Bowler. A less-than-impressive 113-point scoring differential means the Raiders pulled out a lot of squeakers – they won five games by four points or less – and their biggest win was 49-16 over the 0-14 expansion Bucs. An impressive Super Bowl win keeps them up high, but great teams win blowouts, not close games.

New Pseudo Leader Takes the Helm

A new leader will be given the opportunity of reviving the “greatness of the Raiders”. The leader comes in the form of 31 year-old Lane Kiffin, the latest man to be don the head coaching reigns in Oakland. Kiffin, formerly the offensive coordinator at USC, becomes the 4th head coach in the last five years to lead the struggling franchise.

Oakland’s recent 2-14 season made it necessary to bring in yet another head coach to exact some control of the franchise. Same old story from Alameda, or a new beginning?

I’m all for fresh starts and heavens knows this team needs a fresh start, but what kind of control will Kiffin have over the likes of Randy Moss, Warren Sapp and Jerry Porter?

The answer may be sandwiched in the middle of those three players. Sapp played for 30-something coach back in 2003 name John Gruden. Remember him? That kid-coach took the Raiders to two AFC Championships before riling enough feathers in Oakland to get himself traded to Tampa Bay.

We all know how that story ended. Kiffin’s dad Monty had a little something to do with the story when it wrapped up in San Diego on that dreary day in Raider history. The one important thing to remember in that whole story was that Sapp played for that kid coach. Even after Malcolm Glaser ran Sapp’s good buddy Tony Dungy out of Tampa, he played his butt off for the new kid coach.

If Kiffin has any chance of being successful, it will come after forging a relationship with team leaders like Sapp. No, Randy Moss isn’t a team leader, nor is Jerry Porter. Warren Sapp is the guy Kiffin needs to win over.

Al Davis has always done things his own way, and I have to admit, I was skeptical when I had heard that the Raiders tired owner had finally landed a warm body to take the job. It was no secret that Steve Sarkesian was Davis’ first choice, but he had to settle on Kiffin.

What might be a slight glimmer of historical hope is that Gruden was not Davis’s first choice when he handed the helm over to the then 34-year old nobody. Kiffin is three years younger than Gruden was when he accepted the Raiders job, and doesn’t have the same NFL pedigree that Gruden had, but he does come from one of the most successful programs in NCAA history.

Kiffin may also have a larger role to play in the Raiders draft. Gruden had no such influence his first season in Oakland. Of course, Gruden didn’t need to fill as many gapping holes on offense. He had an MVP quarterback in Rich Gannon, and two future HOF receivers in Tim Brown and Jerry Rice.

Kiffen has Moss, Porter and a gaping hole at QB.

My money says, stay tuned to see how this one pans out. An infusion of youth may be just what the doctor ordered.

Welcome to The Eye Patch

Welcome to The Eye Patch. I've been thinking about creating a blog that covers the Raiders for quite some time, so I thought I would use today as the day to launch this sliver & black corner of the web. Lane Kiffin was hired today as the Raiders new head coach. Seemed like the perfect beginning to a new beginning for the Raiders, as well as this site.

Should you have any questions or comments, feel free to shoot me an email at raiderblog@yahoo.com

Welcome aboard!

Mike Lee
Publisher