All-Time Top-Five: Inside Linebackers
1. Matt Millen, 1980-1988
Millen came to the Raiders in 1980 as an All-American defensive tackle out of Penn State, switched to linebacker as a rookie, and was a force in his nine-year career with the Silver and Black, starting 127 of the 133 games in which he played. The 6-2, 250-pound Millen was selected by the Raiders in the second round (No. 143 overall) of the 1980 National Football League Draft and is another player hurt by the fact that tackles were not an official NFL statistic at the time, but he intercepted two passes and returned them for 17 yards as a rookie after moving to his new position. Two years later he had a career-high three picks that he ran back for 77 yards, including a 60-yarder on which he was stopped short of the end zone. Millen, who was feisty on and off the field, proved he could play linebacker, even though legendary Penn State Coach Joe Paterno questioned the move. “I told him, ‘They’re going to make a linebacker out of me,’” Millen said to Paterno. “He said, ‘You can’t play linebacker,’ and I said, ‘Hey, Joe, you can’t coach, either, but that doesn’t stop you.’” Millen took that attitude onto the field, being involved in fights with tight end Kellen Winslow of the San Diego Chargers, running back Otis Wonsley of the Washington Redskins and others, and in practice with defensive end John Matuszak, his Raiders teammate. When Sam Boghosian, the Raiders offensive line coach, wanted to pick up the intensity level at practice before Super Bowl XVIII against the Washington Redskins, he thought a fight might do it. So, he chose Millen to start it.
“Matt Millen, the first day of Super Bowl week practice, got in a fight with someone,” defensive end Howie Long recalled. “You would have thought it was training camp. It was on. That was the mindset of our team. It wasn’t about the 10½ points (Washington was favored by). It was about we were going to kick their ass.” The Raiders did, routing the Redskins, 38-9, with Millen making five tackles and adding a sack of quarterback Joe Theismann. Three years earlier, Millen had four solo tackles as the Raiders beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV, the first two of four Super Bowl rings he would earn in his career. He finished his career in Silver and Black with seven interceptions that he returned for 114 yards, eight fumble recoveries, and 11 sacks, making the Pro Bowl in 1988 and being selected to the Raiders All-Time Team. The Raiders were 12-4 in the postseason games Millen played, and he contributed a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, and countless tackles. After leaving the Raiders in 1989, Millen played two years with the San Francisco 49ers and finished his career with the Washington Redskins in 1991, earning Super Bowl rings with both. After retiring, Millen has worked in television and radio as an analyst and was president and general manager of the Detroit Lions from 1991 to 1998. In 2017, Millen was diagnosed with the rare disease amyloidosis, which affected his heart. He underwent heart transplant surgery on Christmas Eve 2018 and has resumed his broadcasting career.
2. Greg Biekert, 1993-2001
The 6-2, 250-pound Biekert was drafted by the Raiders in the seventh round (No. 181 overall), out of Colorado, and turned into a tackling machine with the Silver and Black. After playing a backup role as a rookie, Biekert became a starter in his second season and made 100 total tackles, had 1½ sacks, forced two fumbles, and intercepted a pass. He led the Raiders in tackles for six seasons during his career, including four straight years from 1998–2001, had more than 100 stops in six different years, plus 99 in 1997 and 98 in 1996. Tackles for losses were not an official statistic until 1999, but Biekert had 24 of them in his last three seasons with the Raiders. His best year probably was 2000, when he made 134 tackles, including nine for losses, had two sacks, four passes defended, and two fumble recoveries. During his nine seasons with the Raiders, Biekert made 918 tackles, which rank second in franchise history, including at least 24 for losses, had 16 sacks, three interceptions that he returned for 68 yards, 14 passes defended, nine forced fumbles, and five recovered fumbles. However, Biekert incredibly was never named All-Pro or to the Pro Bowl, perhaps because the Raiders were not big winners during his career, and he is considered one of the most underrated players in franchise history. The Raiders were 3-3 in postseason games during his career, as he was credited with 28 tackles in four of those games in which that statistic was kept, but the Silver and Black never reached the AFC Championship Game during his career. “He doesn't get the recognition he should,” said cornerback Eric Allen, his Raiders teammate. “He’s a lot like Winfred Tubbs, when he had his breakout season in New Orleans in 1996 or ’97. He just had a fantastic year. Biekert has had that year the last two years, and he’s been overshadowed because we have great linebackers in this conference, Junior Seau, Ray Lewis, whatever. The fans and media might not consider him a superstar, but if you need a linebacker to make a tackle, he’ll make it.” When cornerback Charles Woodson knocked the ball out the hands of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during the infamous Tuck Rule Game in the 2001 playoffs, Biekert was there to recover the fumble in addition to making 16 total tackles in the game. However, the call was overturned due to an idiotic rule, which was since been changed, and the Raiders were denied a trip to the AFC Championship Game. Biekert left the Raiders in 2002 and played the last two seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, making 101 tackles (finishing his career with 1,096) and four interceptions in his first season with the team. After retiring as a player, Biekert was the linebackers coach for the Raiders in 2010 and 2011. If you look online, you will see several stories in which he is listed as one of the most underrated Raiders of all time.
3. Dan Conners, 1964-1974
Dan Conners was the spiritual leader of the famed Eleven Angry Men of Defense in 1967, when the Raiders went 13-1 and routed the Houston Oilers, 40-7, in the American Football League Championship game before losing to the Green Bay Packers, 33-14, in Super Bowl II at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The 6-2, 230-pound Conners was selected by the Raiders in the second round (No. 15 overall) of the 1964 AFL Draft out of Miami (Fla.), and also was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round (No. 70 overall) of NFL Draft, but signed with Coach and General Manager Al Davis of the Raiders. “Chicago was not really interested in signing me and the Raiders were,” Conners told ESPN in 2013. “It wasn’t about the money.” Conners, who was a defensive tackle at Miami, set the Hurricanes’ record at the time with 95 total tackles as a senior and was named All-American. He also played center and offensive tackle at Miami, but Davis moved him to middle linebacker when he came to Oakland and he became a starter in his second season. Again, tackles were not an official statistic in those days, but Conners made more than his share, in addition to being something of a ballhawk. He intercepted 15 passes (a franchise record for linebackers) during his career and returned them for 232 yards and three touchdowns, with a long of 75 in 1969, in addition to recovering 16 fumbles that he returned for 112 yards and four more scores, including a 73-yarder in 1967. “Dan Conners was on of the smartest linebackers in the history of the Raiders franchise,” former teammate Tom Flores said. “Dan wasn’t fast or strong, but he was quick. His biggest strength was his ability to be in the right place at the right time. …To opponents, he was a pain in the ass.” Conners was named to the All-AFL Team three straight years, from 1967 to 1969, by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, United Press International and Pro Football Weekly, and played in five AFL All-Star Games. In addition, he was one of the six linebackers named to the AFL Hall of Fame All-1960s Team, along with Bobby Bell of the Kansas City Chiefs, Nick Buoniconti of the Miami Dolphins, George Webster of the Houston Oilers, Larry Grantham of the New York Jets and Mike Stratton of the Buffalo Bills. “Dan Conners helped me on the field (as a rookie),” said linebacker Phil Villapiano, whose first season was 1971. “He was in his eighth season. He would make a defensive call and then signal me where to go because there were times I had no clue.” During Conners’ 11 seasons, the Raiders won seven division titles and compiled a 105-38-11 regular-season record (a .718 winning percentage), but he never made it back to the Super Bowl. Two years after he retired, the Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI. After retiring, Conners remained in football as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers for several years and then as a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before returning to the Raiders as a scout. In his last act for the Raiders, Conners lit the Al Davis Memorial Torch at the Oakland Coliseum before a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 28, 2018. He worked for more than 25 years with the Raiders organization and lived in the Oakland area during that time. Conners died on April 28, 2019, at the age of 77.
4. Monte Johnson, 1973-1980
Johnson never started in his four years at Nebraska, which captured two National Championships while he was with the Huskers, but the Raiders selected him in the second round (No. 49) overall, and he became a starter on the first Silver and Black team to win the Super Bowl. “Although I never started at Nebraska, during my senior year, I shared playing time with Bill Jansen, one of the team co-captains that year,” Johnson said. “After the season, I asked (Nebraska Coach) Bob Devaney to try to get me into a post-season game to try and get some additional exposure. He was successful and I received an invitation to play in the All-American Bowl in Tampa, Fla. I got in because Bob was then named head coach for the game. At a practice before the game, Al Davis and Ron Wolf (who was head of player personnel for the Raiders) were watching a drill, where I was filling in at linebacker. After the drill, Mr. Davis said he was going to draft me and believed I could play any one of seven positions for the Raiders. The day of the draft, when the Raiders draft selection came up for the second round, Mr. Davis wanted to select me. He was the only favorable vote. Since he was the owner and general manager, it was the only vote that counted.” Johnson played the defensive line at Nebraska and was a backup linebacker for the Raiders in his first two seasons, in which he played at all three linebacker positions. However, he became a full-time starter at middle linebacker in 1975 and was a key contributor when the Raiders were forced to go to a 3-4 defensive alignment in 1976 because of several injuries along the offensive line. The 6-5, 240-pound Johnson showed his versatility by not only playing well against the run (although again we don’t know how many tackles he had), in addition to being a strong pass rusher and playing well in pass coverage. In 1976, he had seven sacks, four interceptions that he returned for 40 yards, including a long of 22, and three fumble recoveries. Johnson made another interception as the Raiders beat the New England Patriots, 24-21, in the first round of the playoffs, helped shut down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running game in a 24-7 victory in the AFC Championship Game, and made five total tackles in a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. However, the best game Johnson’s career came the following season in the famed “Ghost to the Post Game” against the Baltimore Colts in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Raiders stayed alive on a miracle pass from Kenny Stabler to Dave Casper to set up a game-tying field goal that forced overtime, before Stabler hit Casper with a game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime. Johnson was the unsung hero, making a total of 22 tackles and two sacks of quarterback Bert Jones before he learned afterward that he sustained a broken vertebra in his neck during regulation play, but he didn’t think of coming out of the game. Johnson also was a starter in 1980, when the Raiders won Super Bowl XV, 27-10, over the Philadelphia Eagles, but he sustained a knee injury during the season and missed the playoffs. During Johnson’s eight-year career, the Raiders played in 11 playoff games, with a record of 7-4, including six AFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls. Johnson retired from professional football in 1981 as a result of a knee injury. After retirement, Johnson moved to Atlanta, where has his own business, Family Capital Management. Johnson lit the Al Davis Memorial Torch before a game against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 28, 2016, at the Oakland Coliseum.
5. Bob Nelson, 1980-1984
Nelson is yet another Raiders linebacker who was both unheralded and underrated, perhaps because of All-Pros such as defensive Howie Long. linebackers Ted Hendricks and Matt Millen, and cornerback Mike Haynes, among others, who played around him, but he was good enough to start for four consecutive seasons and earn two Super Bowl rings. The 6-4, 232-pound Nelson was selected by the Buffalo Bills 49ers in the second round (No. 42 overall) of the 1975 National Football League Draft out of Nebraska, where he made the All-Big Eight Conference team and played in the Senior Bowl and College All-Star Game in Chicago after being an All-State linebacker at Stillwater Area High School in Stillwater, Minn. He started his last three seasons at Nebraska and made 189 total tackles, six for losses of 17 yards, two fumble recoveries, and one interception. Nelson saved what Nebraska fans say was his best game for last, as he made nine tackles as the Cornhuskers dominated Texas, 19-3, in the 1971 Cotton Bowl. Nelson started for two seasons with the Bills before going to the San Francisco 49ers for one year until he joined the Raiders and became a starter in their 3-4 defensive scheme. Once again, it’s frustrating that we don’t know how many tackles he made with any of his three teams, including the Silver and Black because that was not yet an official NFL statistic. However, we do know that Nelson made 4½ sacks, one pass interception, and one fumble recovery with the Raiders, and those who watched him play remember him making plenty of tackles. He played in nine playoff games with the Raiders, who were 8-1 in those contests. When the Raiders became the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl, beating the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV, Nelson made six total tackles as the Silver and Black shut down All-Pro running back Wilbert Montgomery and the Eagles’ running game. That led to outside linebacker Rod Martin, who played next to Nelson on the right side, intercepting a Super Bowl record three passes by quarterback Ron Jaworski. Three years later, Nelson again made six tackles as the Raiders shut down All-Pro running back John Riggins and routed the Washington Redskins, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII. “(The top) was probably two Super Bowl rings that say ‘World Champions’ on them,” Nelson said. “You can’t have much more of a highlight than those. I never considered myself a famous guy. I was a kid who was obviously born with some size and speed … and was in the right place at the right time. Back then it was just a matter of playing, going home, and working in the off-season.” Nelson retired after the 1984 season and went home to Minnesota. In 2000, Nelson was one of six inaugural inductees to the St. Croix Valley Athletic Hall of Fame in Minnesota, where his excellence on the football field in high school, college, and the pros was cited.
Please make sure you tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to you? CLICK THE FOLLOW button at the top of the page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
