Posted on 08/10/2006 4:04:09 PM PDT by GOP_Raider
What a weekend. John Madden gets his long overdue induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Raiders get a win in the Sunday night Pre-season opener. But I cant for the life of me, figure out what all the crying about is from so many Raider fans. Did the team look good? Not really, but they showed flashes on defense and the defense is going to carry this team for the first eight games or so. I know the Eagles first teamers came out and moved the ball well in the opening drive, but they should have been able to do that. They are a better football team, right now. Look, this notion that the hiring of Art Shell is going to make this football team some kind of juggernaut in the NFL is stupid. This team needs to be recast out of the west coast offense which stresses finesse to the power back offense that Art and Tom Walsh want to run and this takes time. Something else it also takes is talent and the Raiders need more of that. Center Jake Grove didnt look good as the anchor of the offensive line and Robert Gallery looked slow at times also. But that was one game in a totally different scheme and with four of the five on the offensive line starters playing new positions.
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All of us think we know what the Raiders were in the 1970s and through most of the 80s but I wonder if any of us really know. We can all agree they were tough, rough and cheap shot guys at times. But they all were great football players who wanted to win more than anything and you dont grow those type of players on trees.
(Excerpt) Read more at raidernews.com ...
Who was the starting quarterback in 1969. I'm going to say Darryl Lamonica, the Mad Bomber.
Yes, it was Lamonica. John Madden was their rookie coach, and they went 12-1-1. Their single loss was in Cincinnati.
I went to the Bengal game in Oakland. Paul Brown was the Bengal's coach. I was in awe of the talent on the field that afternoon.
LOL! I knew you were going to throw that at me. There are a lot of contrite banal things I could say about getting there but I won't.
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