Las Vegas Raiders Look For Offense Like '70s Oakland Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have some of the most dynamic offensive weaponry in the National Football League this season, even though Coach Josh McDaniels has yet to really show it off in their first four preseason games.
Quarterback Derek Carr, wide receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, tight end Darren Waller, running back Josh Jacobs, kicker Daniel Carlson, and several others give the Silver and Black a group of talented offensive players that ranks among the best in the NFL.
Raider Nation hopes this offense ranks with the Raiders of the 1970s, who recently was ranked among the best during that decade by Statmuse, thanks to quarterbacks Kenny (Snake) Stabler and Daryle Lamonica, tight ends Dave Casper and Raymond Chester, wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch, running backs Marv Hubbard, Mark van Eeghen and Clarence Davis, among many others.
It also helped that the Raiders had tackle Art Shell, center Jim Otto, guard Gene Upshaw, tackles Bob Brown, and tackle Ron Mix, all future Hall of Famers, on the offensive line during the ‘70s.
“The record might not show it, but the Raiders of the 1970s were a team that performed to the highest level every year,” David Wilson of Bleacher Report wrote.
The Dallas Cowboys had the best overall record in the 1970s at 144-39, with the Miami Dolphins second at 144-39-1, and the Raiders third at 100-38-6, with the fewest losses in the decade.
In addition, the Raiders scored the most touchdowns in the decade at 424, with Dallas next at 415, followed by Miami at 395, and the Pittsburgh Steelers at 387.
To take it a little deeper, the Raiders had the most third-down conversions, many because of the brilliant Stabler, with 2,950, followed by Dallas at 2,859, the Los Angeles Rams with 2,663, the Minnesota Vikings at 2,640, the Steelers with 2,606 and the Dolphins at 2,605.
The Raiders always felt they could get it done with Stabler, and most often they did.
“Snake would just say, ‘Keep it close, keep it close,’” Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano said. “So, we’d keep it close and, bingo, we’d win the game.”
Added Hall of Fame Coach John Madden: “I’ve often said, if I had one drive to win a game to this day, and I had a quarterback to pick, I would pick Kenny. Snake was a lot cooler than I was. In the tough games, he was tough. When things got hot, Snake was the coolest guy on the field, and the cooler he got.
“Snake was a perfect quarterback and a perfect Raider. When you think about the Raiders in the 1970s, you think about Ken Stabler. In one big game, we were talking on the sideline during a timeout, and he said: ‘You know what, John?’ And I thought he was going to come up with a big play or something, but he was looking around the stadium and he said: ‘These fans are really getting their money’s worth today.’”
And they usually did with the 1970s Raiders.
While the 1970s Raiders went to six American Football Conference Championship Games, they won only one and the high point of the decade came when they trounced the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI to cap the 1976 season.
However, longtime Raiders fans will always believe the Silver and Black were robbed on the “Immaculate Reception” by Franco Harris of the Steelers in the 1972 playoffs and the obvious fumble by Rob Lytle of the Denver Broncos in the 1977 AFC Championship Game that was ruled not to be a fumble.
Those games cost the Silver and Black two more shots at the Super Bowl but don’t diminish how good the Raiders were—especially on offense—during the 1970s.
McDaniels hopes the Raiders can approach that level this season.
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