Franchise Foundations I: Oakland Raiders (1960)

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by nilodor

Super exciting, good luck in the big game!

Thanks. Took me 9 years and I'm amazed we've made the run we have with the injuries. Going to be interesting seeing how it plays out.

[Izulde]

Raiders Face Mighty Super Bowl Challenge In Bears

Raiders S Hagood Clarke (#45) had a game for the ages in the AFC Championship

This Oakland Raiders team has shocked everyone, overcoming season-ending injuries to key starters DT Danny Birdwell and G Dan Manoukian to unexpectedly win their first AFC Championship in just their ninth season of existence.

It's a scrappy outfit that wins because of a top-notch defense, even without Birdwell, a stellar WR corps of WR Boyd Dowler and WR Paul Warfield, an offensive line that's played together often, and a running back who does just enough in RB Floyd Little.

The projected Oakland starters:

Wade, Tommy             13  QB    QB    5    33                33                1 yr.
Little, Floyd           39  RB    RB    2    71                71                5 yrs
Csonka, Larry           34  FB    FB    1    42                49                4 yrs
Prebola, Gene           84  TE    TE    9    50                50                2 yrs
Dowler, Boyd            87  FL    FL    10   72                72                2 yrs
Warfield, Paul          83  SE    SE    5    68                68                3 yrs
Vogel, Bob              74  LT    LT    6    64                64                2 yrs
Hawkins, Wayne          67  LG    LG    9    63                63                1 yr.
Flanagan, Ed            57  C     C     4    63                63                5 yrs
Wegener, Bucky          69  RG    RG    7    37                37                1 yr.
Pillath, Roger          78  RT    RT    5    45                45                2 yrs
Mays, Jerry             91  LDE   LDE   8    48                48                3 yrs
Cornish, Frank          72  RDT   LDT   4    48                48                1 yr.
Barnes, Walt            71  RDT   RDT   3    33                36                1 yr.
De Long, Steve          98  RDE   RDE   4    55                55                2 yrs
Beauchamp, Al           59  SLB   SLB   1    70                70                5 yrs
Tracy, John             97  MLB   MLB   10   46                46                2 yrs
Kelley, Gorden          58  WLB   WLB   9    43                43                2 yrs
Nettles, Jim            43  LCB   LCB   4    51                51                1 yr.
McRae, Bennie           47  RCB   RCB   7    55                55                4 yrs
Clarke, Hagood          35  SS    SS    5    50                50                1 yr.
Glick, Freddy           28  FS    FS    10   58                58                2 yrs

They'll be facing the NFC Champion Chicago Bears, who won Super Bowl VI, 20-10, over the Cleveland Browns three seasons ago. The Bears are keyed by a talented secondary, a solid offensive line, and a rising young signalcaller in QB Benny Russell.

The projected starters:

Russell, Benny          14  QB    QB    3    53                58                2 yrs
Osborn, Dave            48  RB    RB    4    39                39                1 yr.
Looney, Joe Don         49  FB    FB    5    33                33                1 yr.
Dewveal, Willard        81  TE    TE    11   43                43                1 yr.
Morris, Johnny          85  FL    FL    11   50                50                2 yrs
Taylor, Charley         82  SE    SE    5    58                58                3 yrs
McMillan, Ernie         63  LT    LT    8    74                74                4 yrs
Davis, Roger            71  LG    LG    9    59                59                2 yrs
Morrow, John            55  C     C     13   53                53                2 yrs
Kruse, Bob              65  RG    RG    2    21                29                2 yrs
Wetoska, Bob            66  RT    RT    10   40                40                2 yrs
Wilcox, Rick            96  LDE   LDE   9    37                37                2 yrs
Mangum, John            76  LDT   LDT   3    25                30                1 yr.
Tatarek, Bob            99  RDT   RDT   1    29                41                3 yrs
Phillips, Loyd          72  RDE   RDE   2    39                39                3 yrs
Carr, Fred              91  SLB   SLB   1    49                63                4 yrs
Lindsey, Dale           57  MLB   MLB   4    61                61                1 yr.
Allen, Grady            50  WLB   WLB   1    16                27                1 yr.
Barnes, Erich           25  LCB   LCB   11   63                63                2 yrs
Green, Cornell          20  RCB   RCB   7    45                45                1 yr.
Atkins, Bob             31  SS    SS    1    81                81                4 yrs
Petitbon, Richard       32  FS    FS    10   56                56                2 yrs

DT Bob Tatarek has been a real find as a 4th round rookie, racking up 5.5 sacks in the regular season, although it's in part because Chicago's defensive front seven isn't really scary.

This game is going to come down to if the Bears can force turnovers and attack the occasionally fumble-prone Little. If they can't do that, it's going to be a rough game for Chicago, because Wade has shown the championship game instincts he honed as a national champion at Texas. On the other hand, this Chicago defense is tough enough that this could be the game where it falls apart for the rejuvenated former Longhorn.

In truth, the Raiders' offensive line is going to have prove its worth tonight. They don't face a particularly dangerous opponent, even with no Manoukian, so if they can give Wade time to throw the ball and not make mistakes, and give Little holes to run through, Oakland should win this.

It'll be close, but Oakland's been beating better QBs all playoffs long, so we think the Raiders will again overcome the injuries and win their first ever trophy.

Prediction: Raiders by 3

[Izulde]

Super Bowl IX

Bears win the toss and get the opening kickoff. They drive to midfield where we stop them. But then RB Floyd Little fumbles the ball on the punt return and Chicago recovers at the 23.

Very next play, reserve OLB Dave Meggyesy forces RB Dave Osborn fumble and backup DT Dave Daniels recovers. DE Claude Humphreys was in there too, and I have no idea why we had so many backups in at once, but that was the defensive coordinator's call.

We mix the run and the pass, getting down to the Chicago 39, where we're halted and the head coach decides to play it safe with a punt, rather than risking a long field goal too early. Lot of curious coaching decisions.

On the drive after, 3rd and 10 and RB Mike Campbell breaks loose for a 16 yard run. Two plays go by, and QB Benny Russell throws for 39 yards to WR Phil Odle. Great, Bears are threatening.

Fortunately, thanks to an offensive holding penalty, we hold them to a 28 yard FG by K Jimmy Keyes.

Chicago 3 Oakland 0 - 1:59 1st Quarter

A Chicago defensive holding penalty bails us out when it looks like we won't make it past midfield, but we don't get much further and settle for a 50 yard FG by K Garo Yepremian that electrifies the crowd. Where was that attempt on our first drive?

Oakland 3 Chicago 3 - 13:20 2nd Quarter

QB Benny Russell blows up on the next drive, hitting 5/5 passes for 48 yards, including the 7 yard scoring strike to RB Dave Osborn. Our defense is looking really nervous out there in the big lights of the big game.

Chicago 10 Oakland 3- 8:12 2nd Quarter

We respond pretty quickly, RB Floyd Little atoning for his earlier mistakes with a 39 yard kickoff return, followed by 4 rushes for 25 yards. Then it's QB Tommy Wade overcoming a sack to make 4 straight passes, capping it off with a 9 yard TD pass to FB Larry Csonka, as Boyd Dowler was wrapped up in double-coverage.

Oakland 10 Chicago 10 - 3:47 2nd Quarter

Just when I think we've got a halftime tie locked up, disaster strikes when Bears DE Loyd Phillips snags a low QB Tommy Wade pass, putting Chicago on our 40 with 1:28 left in the half.

Our third down defense continues to suck, giving up a 20 yard pass from QB Benny Russell to WR Johnny Morris. Insult to injury: Morris fumbles, but the Bears recover. Now on the 20 with 56 seconds left and all timeouts in hand.

Fortunately, DE Steve De Long and OLB Al Beauchamp pick just the right time to pick up 3 straight QB hurries, and we escape with a FG allowed.

[b]Chicago 13 Oakland 10 - 0:33 2nd Quarter/b]

...And then RB Floyd Little fumbles the kickoff again. And the Bears recover. And QB Benny Russell throws a 28 yard pass to WR Charley Taylor with 12 seconds left to put Chicago in FG range yet again.

And Chicago kicks that field goal.

Chicago 16 Oakland 10 - Halftime

I'm making some discreet calls to people who might want RB Floyd Little this offseason when he fumbles for the third time this game on the next drive. WR Paul Warfield saves our ass with the recovery.

We finally get a really exciting play when QB Tommy Wade hits TE Gene Prebola for 37 yards to take us down to the Chicago 2, but we're held to a fucking 20 yard FG.

Chicago 16 Oakland 13 - 9:21 3rd Quarter

And then S Hagood Clarke shows why he'll retire a Raider. Just after that historic game, he intercepts the opening pass on the next drive and returns it 35 yards for the TD and our first lead of the game!!!!!

Oakland 20 Chicago 16 - 8:44 3rd Quarter

This fires up DE Jerry Mays to get 2 sacks on 3 downs of the next drive to hold the Bears to a 3 and out.

Five plays later, including 3 straight passes by QB Tommy Wade, the last an 11 yard throw to WR Paul Warfield, we have another touchdown and just like that, the game's gone south for the Bears.

Oakland 27 Chicago 16 - 3:47 3rd Quarter

Chicago starts driving a bit, but then CB Bennie McRae picks off QB Benny Russell just before the end of the third quarter to kill it... only for OLB Grady Allen to intercept QB Tommy Wade on the very next play.

This has been an ugly, turnover-prone Super Bowl to say the least.

Three and out and we start a slow, methodical drive to midfield, where a P Curley Johnson boot pins the Bears to their 5 yard line.

Another three out and on the next drive, K Garo Yepremian just misses a 47 yard FG attempt. No harm at this point, as it's 3:52 to go and Chicago's still two possessions behind.

The Bears turn the ball over on downs on the next drive, and a series of RB Bert Coan runs turns into a 37 yard K Garo Yepremian FG to ice it.

Oakland 30 Chicago 16 - 1:00 4th Quarter

And that's the final.

THE OAKLAND RAIDERS HAVE WON THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!

What a crazy, crazy game. An ugly win, but all that matters is the ring. I never thought this would be the team to win a Super Bowl, but it was.

Needless to say, it wasn't the offense who got the Super Bowl MVP. It was the defense, and I'm thrilled to say that it was DE Jerry Mays, my first ever draft pick, who was named Super Bowl MVP for his 3 tackle, 2 sack, block, 2 hurry, 3 knockdown performance. It could have just as easily gone to S Hagood Clarke in my opinion, although Mays's defense was key.

CB Ed Sharockman was the other lone statistical highlight with 2 pass defenses.

And now, for a listing of the starters and how acquired, as I do for all my Super Bowl champions.

QB Tommy Wade - 2nd round, 4th pick - 1964 Draft
RB Floyd Little - 1st round, 10th pick - 1967 Draft
FB Larry Csonka - 3rd round, 17th pick - 1968 Draft
TE Gene Prebola - Original Raider!!!
WR Boyd Dowler - 1965 Free Agency - Green Bay Packers
WR Paul Warfield - 1st round, 26th pick - 1964 Draft
LT Bob Vogel - 1st round, 23rd pick - 1963 Draft
LG Wayne Hawkins - Original Raider!!!
C Ed Flanagan - 3rd round, 6th pick - 1965 Draft
RG Bucky Wegener - 1968 Free Agency - New England Patriots
RT Roger Pillath - 4th round, 27th pick - 1964 Draft

DE Jerry Mays - 1st round, 15th pick - 1961 Draft
DT Frank Cornish - 2nd round, 27th pick - 1965 Draft
DT Walt Barnes - 1968 Free Agency - St. Louis Rams
DE Steve De Long - 1st round, 25th pick - 1965 Draft
SLB Al Beauchamp - 1st round, 11th pick - 1968 Draft
MLB John Tracy - Trade - 1968 - New York Jets
WLB Gorden Kelly - 1965 Free Agency - Green Bay Packers
CB Jim Nettles - Trade - 1967 - Dallas Cowboys
CB Benny McRae - 1966 Free Agency - Green Bay Packers
SS Hagood Clarke - 1967 Free Agency - Denver Broncos
FS Freddy Glick - 1963 Free Agency - Pittsburgh Steelers

K Garo Yepremian - 3rd round, 22nd pick - 1966 Draft
P Curley Johnson - 1961 Free Agency - Dallas Cowboys

[Izulde]

It's going to be tough work trying to repeat. I still feel like we rode a fluky performance to that Super Bowl win.

Year                1968                                      
Record              15-4                                      
Winning Pct.        .789                                      
All-Time            83-61                                     
Winning Pct.        .576                                      
Playoffs            3-3                                       
Playoff Visits      4                                         
Bowl Wins           1                                         
Head Coach          Tom Yewcic                                
Record              41-27                                     
Winning Pct.        .602                                      
Off. Coord.         T. Park                                   
Def. Coord.         D. Roberts                                
   
Oakland Raiders         Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         28.4      11          
Rushing Yards           106.2     18          
Yards Per Carry         3.74      24          
Pass Attempts           33.6      21          
Completions             23.1      6           
Completion Pct.         68.6      1           
Passing Yards           253.9     7           
Yards Per Attempt       7.55      5           
Yards Per Catch         11.01     15          
Total Yardage Gained    351.7     6           
3rd Down Conversions    42.6      8 (T)       
Points Per Game         26.4      2           
Pass Rush Pct.          20.2      10 (T)      
Pass Defense Pct.       53.4      8           
Turnovers               21        5           
Turnover Margin         +9        2 (T)       
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         24.3      6           
Rushing Yards           100.1     10          
Yards Per Carry         4.12      23          
Pass Attempts           37.4      28          
Completions             22.9      27          
Completion Pct.         61.1      12 (T)      
Passing Yards           238.3     22          
Yards Per Attempt       6.37      10 (T)      
Yards Per Catch         10.42     6 (T)       
Total Yardage Gained    324.4     15          
3rd Down Conversions    42.9      30          
Points Per Game         17.8      5 (T)       
Pass Rush Pct.          15.8      3           
Pass Defense Pct.       28.6      1           
Turnovers               30        7 (T)       
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     32    KCY           7       
2     37    at NOS        31      
3     27    BAL           0       
4     27    at JAX        13      
5     16    HOU           28      
6     30    at SDO        14      
8     26    IND           24      
9     22    at KCY        24      
10    28    at TEN        27      
11    35    at DEN        12      
12    23    ATL           20      
13    27    at NJY        21      
14    33    CAR           6       
15    20    DEN           27      
16    12    at TBY        17      
17    28    SDO           14      
$$CS  27    JAX           17      
$$CF  27    NJY           14      
**FB  30    vs CHI        16      
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
1 S. Spurrier           QB    506   341   3826  7.56  25    11    97.2    
13 T. Wade              QB    32    28    236   7.38  2     0     118.2   
**Team                  ---   538   369   4062  7.55  27    11    98.9    
$$Opp                   ---   599   366   3813  6.37  20    20    76.7    
   
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum  
39 F. Little            RB    263   1092  4.15  6     8       
46 B. Coan              RB    156   552   3.54  8     6       
**Team                  ---   454   1699  3.74  14    19      
$$Opp                   ---   389   1601  4.12  11    21      
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
83 P. Warfield          WR    150   110   1427  12.97 9.51  1     9       
87 B. Dowler            WR    136   77    1172  15.22 8.62  10    7       
82 B. Coolbaugh         WR    69    46    502   10.91 7.28  4     4       
39 F. Little            RB    49    42    220   5.24  4.49  1     1       
84 G. Prebola           TE    32    22    271   12.32 8.47  0     1       
34 L. Csonka            FB    24    20    80    4.00  3.33  0     1       
46 B. Coan              RB    21    17    99    5.82  4.71  1     3       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
59 A. Beauchamp         OLB   79    25    2.5   0     2     4     74.3    
23 E. Sharockman        CB    72    19    0.0   0     3     5     76.5    
58 G. Kelley            OLB   68    40    1.0   1     2     1     76.3    
28 F. Glick             S     62    20    0.0   0     2     15    82.0    
35 H. Clarke            S     59    21    0.5   0     0     10    77.7    
43 J. Nettles           CB    57    12    0.0   1     3     9     77.5    
92 D. Birdwell          DT    51    16    5.5   8     0     0     80.9    
47 B. McRae             CB    48    16    0.0   0     7     9     84.2    
98 S. De Long           DE    45    19    9.0   25    0     0     81.1    
72 F. Cornish           DT    40    17    2.0   4     0     1     82.5    
20 D. Hackbart          S     31    7     0.0   0     0     5     75.5    
91 J. Mays              DE    29    16    11.5  19    0     0     82.3    
97 J. Tracy             ILB   26    9     0.0   0     0     1     75.9    
71 W. Barnes            DT    20    8     1.5   3     0     0     78.2  

As you can see, we've a major QB controversy on our hands between Spurrier and Wade, the latter of whom obviously rejuvenated his career with our playoff run. There's still the matter of Little being a fumbling prat.

Retirements
WLB Gorden Kelley
G Bob Talimini
RB Bert Coan

So two backups and a key starter retire. I'm stunned Kelley decided to hang it up, but he took his first ring and went home, as did Coan, who played just one season with us after having been a career-long Giant. Taken 18th overall in the 1962 draft, he never broke 1,000 yards in a season.

Oakland Raiders 1968 Season Awards

DE Jerry Mays - Super Bowl MVP
Already covered. Fans love him, I love him, and I'm thrilled he didn't retire.

WR Paul Warfield - All-Pro 1st Team WR
Three straight seasons of 1,000+ receiving yards and in his 6th season, he already holds a bunch of team records. I love getting this real-life Dolphin in historical dynasties.

K Garo Yepremian - All-Pro 1st Team K
7/9, 3/4 40+, 1/1 50+ in our Super Bowl run. His second straight 1st Team All-Pro award. Did I mention how much I love former Dolphins?

Summer League
DE Claude Humphreys got in on a key play in the Super Bowl, so he earns the trip to France.

Free Agency
QB x 2, RB, FB, TE, WR, C, G x 3, DT x 3, MLB, OLB x 2, CB x 2

I immediately announce RB Floyd Little's availability. Half the league slams the phone lines trying to get in.

Little, 1st Round Pick To Packers for Dotson, Two Firsts

RB Floyd Little's fumble issues ended his stay in Oakland

The NFL was shaken up by the announced trade today that sends Oakland Raiders RB Floyd Little and the 32nd overall pick to the Green Bay Packers for DT Al Dotson, the 18th overall pick, and the Packers' 1971 1st round draft pick.

Little, one of the league's most electrifying returners and one of the top up and coming young backs, originally appeared to solve the Raiders' long-standing RB issues, but a history of fumbles, including three in Oakland's Super Bowl win over the Chicago Bears, led to the trade.

Despite the turnover issues, his arrival in Green Bay immediately vaults the Packers back into the title conversation and gives the Packers the top-flight back they've lacked since Paul Hornung left.

For the Raiders, they jump up from #32 to #18 in the first round and in Dotson, they get a DT who can fill in as a capable starter if DT Danny Birdwell is slow to come back from ACL surgery. They also get a first round pick that could turn out to be quite valuable.

But of course, now Oakland must again find a RB.

***End Article***

Maybe not the best deal I could have made, but I think once Starr plummets or retires, the Packers will be in bad shape.

[bWeek 1[/b]
TE Gene Prebola - 2 years, $780k
WR Boyd Dowler - 2 years, $1.75 mil.
LT Bob Vogel - 4 years, $3.91 mil.
RT Roger Pillath - 5 years, $1.95 mil.
S Freddy Glick - 2 years, $620k
DE Steve De Long - 4 years, $2.91 mil.

Nice to see us be able to lock up some key players before they hit free agency next year. Pillath absolutely loves it in Oakland (Loyalty - 100, Play for Winner - 97), so we were able to lock him up cheap.

Week 2
QB Leon Wachsmuth - minsal (M) (Houston Texans)

G Wayne Hawkins - 2 years, $950k (Re-signing)
-Showed last year that he deserves to retire a Raider.

CB Ed Sharockman - 1 year, $130k (Re-signing)
-Solid nickel corner

S Hagood Clarke - 1 year, $110k (Re-signing)
-Had a 94.5% pass defense in our Super Bowl run. Wanted to sign him to a multi-year deal, but he just prefers the one years.

Week 2 Losses
G Don Manoukian - 2 years, $620k (Chicago Bears)
-Heh. Pissed cuz he didn't get a ring, so he hops to the Bears after we opted not to re-sign him.

Week 3
WR Ray Poage - 1 year, $200k (Minnesota Vikings)
-Vikings give him a fat contract last year and cut him after a season. Welcome back, Ray. I'm sorry I let you go the first time.

Week 3 Losses
S Ernie Kellerman - 1 year, $100k (St. Louis Rams re-signing)
MLB Dale Linsey - 3 years, $1.35 mil. (Chicago Bears re-signing)
DE Verlon Biggs - 3 years, $1.38 mil. (St. Louis Rams re-signing)
C Frank Marchlewski - minsal (Houston Texans re-signing)

Linsey and Biggs left a lot of money on the table to stay with their current teams. Frustrating.

[b]Week 4[/b
WLB Mike Stratton - 3 years, $1.73 mil. (Arizona Cardinals)
-Nice rebound to replace Gorden Kelley, IMO.

CB Jim Nettles - 1 year, $110k (Re-signing)
-Had a good rebound year last season. Now let's see if he can keep it up.

Week 5
RB Bill Triplett - 1 year, $130k (Jacksonville Jaguars)
-Got into a bidding war with the Jets over him. Mentor and an adequate RB, I think.

Week 5 Losses
G Ray Schoneke - 2 years, $350k (New York Jets re-signing)
-Devastating loss, as I had him penned in as our new starting RG. These re-signings are pissing me off, especially the less money for low loyalty guys.

Week 6 Losses
TE Fred Arbanas - 1 year, $120k (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
CB Paul Krimm - minsal (Miami Dolphins)

Arbanas was a decent backup last year, but he wasn't worth more than min-sal. Krimm was a mentor, but never saw the field.

Week 7
TE Johnny Brewer - minsal (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
-We in essence trade TEs with the Bucs. Brewer isn't much a receiver, but he's a decent blocker.

WR Bob Coolbaugh - 1 year, $160k (Re-signing)
-Had teams sniffing around him so overpaid to keep one of my favorite reserve WRs in silver and black.

DT John Coutoulis - min-sal (Tennessee Titans)
-Chemistry guy to get rid of conflicts in my D-7.

DT Frank Cornish - 1 year, $110k (Re-signing)
-Solid.

Week 8
QB Joe Namath - 1 year, $120k (Cincinnati Bengals)
-What a waste. A #1 overall pick and what does he do his first five seasons? Be a kickholder for 5 games. He'll get a chance to revive his career in Oakland, I can guarantee that much.

DE Wesley Ramirez - 1 year, $200k (Re-signing)
-The Chiefs were prepared to offer him $160k so I had to overpay to bring him back. Crazy, but true.

Week 8 Losses
OLB Dave Meggyesy - min-sal (Washington Redskins)
-Was ticked about low PT, but whatever.

Week 9 Signings
QB Dexter Meyer - min-sal (M) (Atlanta Falcons)
-...Oh wait, I already signed a mentor QB. Cut.

MLB Ed Cummings - min-sal (Washington Redskins)
-He'll push John Tracy for the starting job.

Week 10 Signings
FB Ellis Wiese - min-sal (Arizona Cardinals)
C Jim Barton - 1 year, $160k (New Orleans Saints)

I sign WLB Tommy Crutcher, a special teams ace and mentor from the Miami Dolphins on the same day that stopgap starting RG Bucky Wegener cons the Jets into a one year, $170k deal.

We still need two guards, including a RG starter, and a backup RB, but that's what the draft is for.

[Izulde]

I probably don't have time to run the draft in one sitting, but let's see how far I get.

RB O.J. Simpson is the clear-cut #1, although there's also DT Joe Greene and DE Richard Neal.

I'm glad I grabbed Joe Namath and still have Steve Spurrier and might bring back Tommy Wade. Terrible draft for QBs.

Remember, we're #18 as a result of the Floyd Little trade.

1969 NFL Draft 1st Round
1. RB O.J. Simpson - Tennessee Titans
2. DE Richard Neal - Carolina Panthers
3. QB Alan Pastrana - New England Patriots
4. QB Greg Cook - New York Giants
5. RB John Fuqua - Cincinnati Bengals
6. QB Ed Hargett - San Diego Chargers
7. WR Gene Washington - Atlanta Falcons
8. G Mike Montler - St. Louis Rams
9. DE Bill Stanfill - Kansas City Chiefs

Great pickup by K.C. here. Was hoping he'd drop to #13 and in my trade up range.

10. ILB Bill Bergey - Miami Dolphins
11. DT Joe Greene - Baltimore Ravens

What a hell of a drop and damn, just out of my trade-up range. Oh well.

12. CB Jim Marsalis - Minnesota Vikings
13. TE Jim Mitchell - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. OLB Ted Hendricks - Buffalo Bills

There's a RB who I'd love to have and the Lions could steal him, so I call the Texans. I send them #18 and my 1971 3rd round pick to move up two spots.

15. RB Mercury Morris - Oakland Raiders
16. CB Otto Brown - Detroit Lions
17. S Bill Bradley - Pittsburgh Steelers
18. T Jim Yarbrough - Houston Texans
19. RB Paul Gipson - Indianapolis Colts

So maybe I didn't need to trade up. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry.

20. CB Roger Wehrli - Carolina Panthers (through New Orleans Saints)

Carolina's 3rd and 5th in this draft and their 1970 2nd. Could work out for the Saints.

21. T Elbert Drungo - Jacksonville Jaguars
22. WR Bubba Thornton - Dallas Cowboys
23. DT Art Thoms - Cleveland Browns
24. RB Larry Smith - Philadelphia Eagles
25. T Jon Kolb - Washington Redskins
26. RB Larry Brown - New York Jets
27. ILB Harry McClinton - Denver Broncos
28. DT Earl Edwards - San Francisco 49ers
29. RB Warren Bankston - Arizona Cardinals
30. CB Nate Wright - Carolina Panthers (through Seattle Seahawks)

Panthers give up their 2nd in this draft and their 1971 3rd and 6th rounders to trade back into the first round. Top-heavy draft for Carolina, but they really hit the CB position hard.

31. DE John Zook - Chicago Bears

If I'd stayed at 32, I would have drafted G Bob Kuechenberg.

Instead, it's

32. OLB Jesse Powell - Green Bay Packers

I try to jump in at 2.20 when Bob's still on the board, but the Jaguars hang up on me and draft him. As it is, guards are experiencing a mini-run late in the second, so I snag G Mike Schnitker with the plan of moving him to the right side.

With our first third round pick, I grab CB Al Lavan, because you can never have too many corners, and with our second third round pick, I snap up DE L.C. Greenwood, because we need some youth at DE and he actually graded as a 2nd round talent, and because we don't have a 4th round pick.

In the fifth, I take a flier on TE Jim Mertens.

RB Ross Montgomery's blitz pickup ability earns him a 6th round pick and Mr. Irrelevant is ILB Chip Healy.

Late Free Agency

I get an offer for FB Larry Csonka from the Packers, a 4th round pick. I tell them to go to hell.

DT Walt Barnes goes on a minsal to New England, QB Bryant Bernstein does the same for Arizona.

Oh and I reward QB Tommy Wade with a 3 year, $430k contract because nobody else would meet his demands and I felt it a shame to just let him be a scrub somewhere else on a min-sal after a great run last season.

RB Mercury Morris	1.15	44/52	46/55	+2/+3
RG Mike Schnitker	2.32	25/44	27/44	+2/+0
CB Al Lavan		3.24	20/35	22/35	+2/+0
DE L.C. Greenwood	3.32	14/30	17/34	+3/+4
TE Jim Mertens		5.32	17/34	19/33	+2/-1
RB Ross Montgomery	6.32	10/14	11/17	+1/+3
MLB Chip Healy		7.32	 4/15	6/15	+2/+0

Grade: A+ (#1 Draft!!!)

QB Joe Namath		FA	26/44	30/46	+4/+2

[Izulde]

Three-Way QB Duel Highlights Defending Super Bowl Champion Raiders Preseason

Can former #1 overall pick QB Joe Namath revive his career in Oakland?


Will QB Steve Spurrier overcome his turf toe injury and win back his starting spot after an excellent 1968 campaign?


Was QB Tommy Wade's strong postseason form a fluke?

It isn't often that a defending Super Bowl champion has a quarterback controversy. It's even rarer that the dispute runs three ways, but that's exactly what's happening in Oakland, where there's three signal-callers, all fighting for the starting spot.

There's QB Tommy Wade, who had an amazing final egular season game and playoff performances before throwing two interceptions in the ugly Super Bowl victory. He was rewarded with a multiyear contract in the offseason and is a proven winner, having won titles both in college and the NFL, but does he really have the talent?

QB Steve Spurrier won the Heisman at Florida and has been very good as the Raiders starting QB with a career 42 TD to 25 INT ratio over two seasons. He's the most polished of the three candidates and figures to be the #2 QB if he doesn't win the starting job.

And then there's QB Joe Namath, signed to a one year deal in the offseason. The #1 overall pick in the 1965 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, he has yet to throw a regular season pass in the NFL. The Raiders' coaching staff says he's raw, but raved about his upside in training camp, saying it was clear why Namath was a former #1 pick.

Namath, for his part, ripped the Bengals organization, calling them "absolutely clueless" and a terrible team to play for. There's merit in his words, as Cincinnati is 35-108-1, for a league-worst 24.6% lifetime winning rate. They're also one of three teams, along with Minnesota and Atlanta, to not yet have made the playoffs.

The Bengals have stuck with Roman Gabriel for all of Namath's career, despite Gabriel's 113/121 TD/INT ratio and 28-78-1 career record.

The Raiders made headlines when they traded RB Floyd Little in the offseason and will continue their carousel at RB by starting first round rookie RB Mercury Morris.

Here's a further look at the roster breakdown.

Wachsmuth, Leon         3   QB          10   30                30                1 yr.
Wade, Tommy             13  QB          6    34                34                3 yrs
Namath, Joe             11  QB          5    30                46                1 yr.
Spurrier, Steve         1   QB          3    36                36                2 yrs

Although the coaching staff has declared the starting job open, we're betting it comes down to either Spurrier or Namath, pending the outcome of the preseason battles.

Triplett, Bill          46  RB          8    35                35                1 yr.
Montgomery, Ross        21  RB          1    11                17                3 yrs
Morris, Mercury         25  RB          1    46                55                4 yrs
Wiese, Ellis            39  FB          10   36                36                1 yr.
Csonka, Larry           34  FB          2    47                51                3 yrs

There's a lot of buzz around the Morris/Csonka backfield. Let's hope for the Raiders it pans out. Montgomery is a virtual lock to be cut.

Brewer, Johnny          88  TE          10   30                30                1 yr.
Prebola, Gene           84  TE          10   50                50                2 yrs
Throckmorton, Deron     16  TE          10   25                25                1 yr.
Mertens, Jim            86  TE          1    19                33                3 yrs
Dowler, Boyd            87  FL          11   71                71                2 yrs
Coolbaugh, Bob          82  FL          9    36                36                1 yr.
Poage, Ray              81  FL          7    51                51                1 yr.
Love, John              89  FL          3    32                32                2 yrs
Warfield, Paul          83  SE          6    68                68                2 yrs
Briscoe, Marlin         85  SE          2    32                41                2 yrs

Prebola/Dowler/Warfield is still the best starting group of passcatchers in the league. Getting former Raiders draftee Poage back was huge, and the staff is high on emerging 2nd year Briscoe. This is a sign of how even better the Raiders' already frightening receiving corps is - Coolbaugh, the #3 WR for many years, is now the #5 WR.

Barton, Jim             53  C           10   34                34                1 yr.
Flanagan, Ed            57  C           5    64                64                4 yrs
Hawkins, Wayne          67  LG          10   55                55                2 yrs
Arpaijian, J.T.         65  RG          10   25                25                2 yrs
Schnitker, Mike         64  RG          1    27                44                3 yrs
Vogel, Bob              74  LT          7    65                65                4 yrs
Pillath, Roger          78  RT          6    47                47                5 yrs
Freitas, Rocky          70  RT          3    19                23                2 yrs

The Raiders play fire with their offensive line depth every year. It didn't cost them last season, despite losing G Dan Manoukian for the year, but the shallowness, especially at the tackle spots, is alarming. Pray for Vogel and Pillath's health, Raider fans.

Johnson, Curley         18  P           13   78                78                2 yrs
Yepremian, Garo         10  K           4    60                60                1 yr.

Eventually Johnson will retire, but not yet. Yepremian will be here forever.

Mays, Jerry             91  LDE         9    40                40                2 yrs
Ramirez, Wesley         90  RDE         10   29                29                1 yr.
De Long, Steve          98  RDE         5    55                55                4 yrs
Humphrey, Claude        75  RDE         2    21                27                2 yrs
Greenwood, L.C.         73  RDE         1    17                34                3 yrs
**Birdwell, Danny       92  LDT         8    55                55                1 yr.
Dotson, Al              79  LDT         5    44                44                4 yrs
Contoulis, John         76  RDT         8    40                40                1 yr.
Cornish, Frank          72  RDT         5    46                46                1 yr.

Birdwell is out for the season with his ACL knee injury sustained late last season and his career might be done, too. Mays-Dotson-Cornish-De Long for the year, but Super Bowl MVP Mays is almost finished as a starter. Interesting battle will be if 3rd round rookie Greenwood can break into the rotation after a head-turning camp.

Morris, Dennit          58  MLB         12   26                26                1 yr.
Tracy, John             97  MLB         11   33                33                1 yr.
Cummings, Ed            96  MLB         6    42                42                1 yr.
Healy, Chip             55  MLB         1    6                 15                3 yrs
Beauchamp, Al           59  SLB         2    70                70                4 yrs
Stratton, Mike          93  WLB         8    50                50                3 yrs
Crutcher, Tommy         51  WLB         6    38                38                1 yr.

The coaches are expecting big things out of Beauchamp in his second season. This is one of the best looking Raiders units we've seen in a long time, maybe ever in terms of starters.

Montalbo, Mel           42  LCB         8    27                27                1 yr.
Sharockman, Ed          23  LCB         8    46                46                1 yr.
Nettles, Jim            43  LCB         5    50                50                1 yr.
Lavan, Al               22  LCB         1    22                35                3 yrs
McRae, Bennie           47  RCB         8    52                52                3 yrs
Summers, Freddie        31  RCB         2    14                19                2 yrs
Clarke, Hagood          35  SS          6    50                50                1 yr.
Atkinson, George        41  SS          2    38                50                2 yrs
Glick, Freddy           28  FS          11   52                52                2 yrs
Gremminger, Hank        37  FS          14   23                23                1 yr.
Hackbart, Dale          20  FS          10   34                34                2 yrs
Latourette, Chuck       38  FS          3    25                30                2 yrs

Nettles and McRae will be the starting corners, Clarke and Glick the safeties yet again. They need legitimate young talent here, though, unless Atkinson can prove he's worthy of replacing Glick when the time comes.

The Raiders could very well repeat, but the annual powerhouse Cleveland Browns will pose a stiff test in the AFC and the rising Seahawks are an NFC power.

Preseason

Seattle 7 Oakland 26
Um, yeah. So much for the Seahawks huh? DE Jerry Mays with 9 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. CB Bennie McRae with 2 pass defenses and 2 INTs. CB Jim Nettles with 3 pass defenses. Our D still rocks.

QB Battle
Steve Spurrier - 6/11 - 60 yards
Joe Namath - 16/21 - 120 yards - 3 TDs, 2 INTs

Hmm.

Oakland 16 Chicago 20
Super Bowl rematch goes to the Bears. No statistical standouts.

QB Battle
Steve Spurrier - 4/6 - 37 yards
Joe Namath - 23/37 - 203 yards - 1 TD, 2 INT

Okay, let's see what Tommy Wade can do as the #2 QB.

Oakland 24 San Francisco 10
Always nice to stomp our Bay Area rivals, even in preseason. S Hagood Clarke with 3 pass defenses, CB Jim Nettles with 2.

QB Battle
Steve Spurrier - 5/9 - 50 yards, 1 INT, 2 fumbles
Tommy Wade - 18/27 - 171 yards - 2 TD

Can it be? Wade wins?

Starting LG Wayne Hawkins sprains his wrist and is Out 5 weeks. Starting MLB Ed Cummings strains his toe ligament and is Out roughly 3 weeks. MLB John Tracy takes over for Cummings, MLB Chip Healy is cut, and third year G Tom Regner is signed to take Hawkins' spot in the lineup.

Green Bay 17 Oakland 27
RB Mercury Morris rushes 18 times for 120 yards, outdueling RB Floyd Little's 10 rushes for 43 yards. S Hagood Clarke defends two passes.

QB Battle
Tommy Wade - 12/15 - 100 yards - 1 TD
Steve Spurrier - 13/19 - 164 yards - 2 TDs

Tough call, but Wade was the more consistent one and the guy who led us to the Super Bowl last year, so he miraculously becomes the starter, albeit with a short leash.

Final Cuts
RB Ross Montgomery
TE Jim Mertens
CB Freddie Summers

Regular Season

Oakland 10 Denver 9
Ugly win, but QB Tommy Wade does just enough in going 25/32 for 196 yards and a TD in winning PotG to get us the victory.

MLB Ed Cummings is back to Probable.

Washington 21 Oakland 20
Outscored 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Fucking embarassing. WR Paul Warfield's 11 catches for 154 yards and a TD is great. QB Tommy Wade's two second-half picks to lose us the game = him yanked down to #3. We're not doing that shit again.

LG Wayne Hawkins back to Probable. QB Steve Spurrier the starter.

Cleveland 24 Oakland 10
WR Paul Warfield 8 catches for 169 yards and WR Boyd Dowler 7 catches for 108 yards and we're beat by 2 TDs. Go figure. QB Steve Spurrier and QB Joe Namath both got in on this one, although neither one impressed and S Hagood Clarke's 11 tackles and 3 assists felt real damn hollow.

WR Marlin Briscoe goes down a week with a minor injury.

Oakland 3 New England 6
Can you say Super Bowl hangover? 2 pass defenses by CB Ed Sharockman, but our offense is sputtering under QB Steve Spurrier. 6 points in two games won't cut it. I'm turning to QB Joe Namath, picks be damned.

Kansas City 24 Oakland 19
Outscored 14-0 in the third quarter. Don't blame QB Joe Namath; he was 30/40 for 226 yards and 2 TDs in his NFL starting debut. DE Steve De Long 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries and 3 knockdowns. I'm just disgusted with the team right now. No way we should only have one win.

WR Marlin Briscoe back.

Buffalo 13 Oakland 20
Beautiful 88 yard punt return TD by S Hagood Clarke. 10 tackles, an assist, a sack by [b]SLB Al Beauchamp/b] as we win despite 3 picks by QB Steve Spurrier, who wasn't supposed to be starting. Still, a win's a win.

Oakland 27 New York Jets 17
First game all season where things clicked. RB Mercury Morris with 15 carries for 112 yards. QB Joe Namath flaring out 27/38 passes for 303 yards and 2 TDs. WR Paul Warfield with 12 catches for 118 yards and a TD, WR Boyd Dowler catching 7 for 129 and a TD.

Miami 10 Oakland 26
CB Ed Sharockman and WLB Mike Stratton each had 2 interceptions and we had 5 total against the Dolphins. K Garo Yepremian was 4/4, all from 40+ range. Defense and special teams propels us back to .500.

The Chiefs are 7-1 at the midpoint and I don't think we'll catch them, but at 4-4, we're just a half-game behind 5-4 somebody for the last wildcard spot, so our season is still salvageable, now that we've decided to stick with Namath for the long haul.

[Izulde]

Year                1969                                      
Record              4-4                                       
Winning Pct.        .500                                      
All-Time            87-65                                     
Winning Pct.        .572                                      
Playoffs            3-3                                       
Playoff Visits      4                                         
Bowl Wins           1                                         
Head Coach          Tom Yewcic                                
Record              45-31                                     
Winning Pct.        .592                                      
Off. Coord.         T. Park                                   
Def. Coord.         D. Roberts                                
   
Oakland Raiders         Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         23.5      27          
Rushing Yards           88.9      30          
Yards Per Carry         3.78      26          
Pass Attempts           37.4      10          
Completions             25.3      3           
Completion Pct.         67.6      4           
Passing Yards           256.1     9           
Yards Per Attempt       6.85      12          
Yards Per Catch         10.14     24          
Total Yardage Gained    335.1     15          
3rd Down Conversions    37.5      23          
Points Per Game         16.9      26          
Pass Rush Pct.          19.5      14 (T)      
Pass Defense Pct.       54.4      14          
Turnovers               17        22 (T)      
Turnover Margin         +1        10 (T)      
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         27.9      22          
Rushing Yards           107.6     15          
Yards Per Carry         3.86      12          
Pass Attempts           35.6      18          
Completions             21.1      12          
Completion Pct.         59.3      12          
Passing Yards           236.1     19          
Yards Per Attempt       6.63      18          
Yards Per Catch         11.18     23          
Total Yardage Gained    334.6     16          
3rd Down Conversions    39.6      16          
Points Per Game         15.5      3           
Pass Rush Pct.          18.1      11 (T)      
Pass Defense Pct.       37.3      5           
Turnovers               18        7 (T)                    
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
1 S. Spurrier           QB    117   71    712   6.09  1     4     66.6    
11 J. Namath            QB    115   84    880   7.65  6     3     101.4   
13 T. Wade              QB    67    47    457   6.82  3     2     91.4    
**Team                  ---   299   202   2049  6.85  10    9     85.5    
$$Opp                   ---   285   169   1889  6.63  9     11    73.5    
   
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum  
25 M. Morris            RB    113   531   4.70  0     4       
46 B. Triplett          RB    64    162   2.53  2     1       
**Team                  ---   188   711   3.78  2     11      
$$Opp                   ---   223   861   3.86  4     18      
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
83 P. Warfield          WR    94    61    756   12.39 8.04  3     4       
87 B. Dowler            WR    64    37    554   14.97 8.66  3     2       
81 R. Poage             WR    50    36    301   8.36  6.02  1     4       
34 L. Csonka            FB    19    18    93    5.17  4.89  0     0       
84 G. Prebola           TE    15    12    99    8.25  6.60  0     0       
25 M. Morris            RB    11    10    47    4.70  4.27  0     0       
88 J. Brewer            TE    9     8     74    9.25  8.22  0     0       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
93 M. Stratton          OLB   52    13    1.5   1     2     2     75.7    
59 A. Beauchamp         OLB   43    11    1.0   1     0     1     73.9    
35 H. Clarke            S     41    22    2.0   0     2     5     80.5    
79 A. Dotson            DT    35    10    0.5   2     0     0     82.1    
43 J. Nettles           CB    28    7     1.0   0     0     4     74.7    
23 E. Sharockman        CB    27    7     0.0   0     4     3     87.1    
28 F. Glick             S     26    13    1.0   0     1     2     79.8    
47 B. McRae             CB    25    10    0.0   0     1     4     78.3    
98 S. De Long           DE    23    7     2.5   13    0     0     81.1    
72 F. Cornish           DT    20    9     0.5   7     0     1     82.9    
91 J. Mays              DE    18    13    2.0   9     0     1     82.5    
96 E. Cummings          ILB   17    7     0.0   0     0     1     63.2    
76 J. Contoulis         DT    9     2     0.0   0     0     0     68.3    

Ye gods, this is the most anemic our pass rush has ever looked. Fortunately, our pass defense has been bailing us out. Ed Sharockman is proving a great starting CB after beating out Jim Nettle in preseason.

Unfortunately, he's also Out 3 weeks with a hyperextended knee.

This is QB Joe Namath's big chance to show he's not a bust. He's gone 2-1 as a starter and will be given the green light for the rest of the season to prove himself. Tommy Wade is the new #2, as I pulled him too quickly and Steve Spurrier has been dreadful this year.

San Diego 13 Oakland 29
RB Mercury Morris rushes 22 times for 122 yards and finally gets his first career NFL TD. K Garo Yepremian hits 5/6 FGs, including a 56 yarder, and our pass rush finally wakes up. DE Jerry Mays is PotG with 2.5 sacks, a hurry and 4 knockdowns, and DE Steve De Long records 1.5 sacks, a hurry and 3 knockdowns.

Denver 7 Oakland 20
RB Mercury Morris runs 26 times for 101 yards, the first Raider RB ever to have two straight 100+ rushing games, but it's WR Boyd Dowler as Player of the Game with 11 catches for 164 yards and a TD.

CB Ed Sharockman is back to Probable, but backup T Rocky Freitas strains his elbow tendon and is Out 6 weeks. S Chuck Latourette is cut and mentor T Charlie Bradshaw, a final cutdown by the Giants, is signed.

Oakland 31 Dallas 16
A huge win over a fellow playoff hunting team. RB Mercury Morris -just- misses the century mark, running 23 times for 99 yards, and although 150 passing yards is all QB Joe Namath gets, he throws for 3 TDs and 0 picks. 4 interceptions on the day gave us beautiful field position and the win.

Oakland 34 Jacksonville 30
This one was a wild, crazy, close game the whole way through, including a pick-6 from each side. MLB Ed Cummings's 92 yard INT return for a TD was by far the more dramatic and the momentum changer for this contest. 9 catches, 115 yards, and 2 TDs for WR Paul Warfield, 1.5 sacks and 2 hurries for DE Jerry Mays, and 2 pass defenses for S Hagood Clarke.

Backup TE Johnny Brewer gets heat exhaustion, so TE Deron Throckmorton gets a week.

Philadelphia 14 Oakland 24
We clinch a winning record on RB Mercury Morris's 29 carries for 121 yards and a TD and CB Bennie McRae's 3 pass defenses and INT, one of 3 total for the team. I love a takeover-generating secondary.

Oakland 21 San Diego 35
Hard to feel bad about this loss. We've won 8 straight games prior to this and even in defeat, WR Paul Warfield catches 8 for 104 and a TD. Although it does clinch the Chiefs' winning the AFC West for the very first time in this universe.

CB Bennie McRae strains his Achilles and is Out at least 1 week, but we've also all but clinched a playoff spot, so I'm not fussed.

Oakland 15 New York Giants 20
Ouch. 15 carries for 134 yards and a TD by RB Mercury Morris turn to naught as our red-zone offense settled for FG after FG today rather than TDs. Oh well.

LG Wayne Hawkins gets hurt and is Out for at least the final game of the regular season. Not cool. He better be healthy for the wildcard round.

Oakland 17 Kansas City 10
We snap the two game losing streak and wrap up the #1 wildcard spot behind WR Boyd Dowler's 8 catches for 105 yards and a TD and WR Paul Warfield's 6 catches for 104 yards and a TD. I'm really going to miss the Wonder Twins, as I've taken to calling them, once Dowler retires. 1.5 sacks,a block, a hurry and a knockdown by DE Steve De Long.

Tough draw for the playoffs, but at least we can defend our title.