Tag: Los Angeles Raiders

Raiders Super Bowl XVIIII star Jack Squirek dies at 64

Raiders Super Bowl legend Jack Squirek has died at 64

There are many different heroes in Super Bowls. Some big names and others who etch their place in the game’s history.

Jack Squirek of the Raiders was among the latter. The linebacker whose pick-six in Super Bowl XVIII became an iconic memory, died Friday at the age of 64.

The throw by Joe Theismann was picked by Squirek, who returned it 5 yards for the touchdown that made it 21-3 after the PAT in the second quarter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NgUg5FMVps

The Raiders went on to w 38-9 win over Washington.

Per the team website:

Squirek played four years for the Raiders and was a central figure in one of pro football’s all-time great plays.

With the Raiders leading Washington near halftime of Super Bowl XVIII, Squirek intercepted a screen pass and returned it 5 yards for a touchdown to give the Silver and Black an insurmountable 21-3 lead in the eventual victory.

He originally joined the Raiders as a second-round draft pick out of Illinois in 1982 and played in 53 career games with the Raiders before finishing his pro career with Miami.

ChatGPT ranks top 10 running backs in Notre Dame history

How do you feel about this list?

We recently put AI writing tool ChatGPT to the test and had it list what it believed was Notre Dame’s top 10 quarterbacks. The list surely caused some debate for some readers, but guess what? We’re going to cause you to think again by having it generate its list of the top 10 running backs in program history.

Some of you might disagree with what ChatGPT says, and others might even say the list is too short. However, the point of this is to make you think and spark discussion. Also, even though ChatGPT has not been updated since September 2021, it’s a safe assumption that no one on the Irish since then has played well enough to have a place on this list with the possible exception of [autotag]Kyren Williams[/autotag]. Just out of curiosity though, would you include him?

Anyway, without further adieu, here’s the list with ChatGPT’s descriptions of each player. Some entries have been edited for clarity and updates:

Upcoming ‘The Perfect 10’ documentary features 3 Raiders greats to go from Heisman to Hall

Only 10 people have ever won a Heisman and gone onto the Hall of Fame. And 3 of them are Raiders greats. Set your DVRs Raider Nation.

“This is an amazing feat, man. Only ten guys have been able to accomplish this. More men have walked the moon than to have been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished,” said Tim Brown in front of six other NFL legends to open the upcoming FOX documentary ‘The Perfect 10’.

Those seven legends all have something special in common. They’re being called ‘The Perfect 10’ because they make up the ten men in the world have hoisted both the Heisman Trophy and have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

‘The Perfect 10’ will premiere on FOX this Saturday, February 11 at 5 pm Pacific (8pm ET). And if you’re a Raiders fan, you will want to set your DVR.

No team is more well represented in this exclusive club than the Raiders.

Of the seven NFL legends in that room, three are Raiders greats.

The first to join the club was Marcus Allen. Then it was Tim Brown in 2015. And Charles Woodson completed the ten in 2021.

“To have this individual type of accomplishment and to have it be so few who have done it is really mind boggling, you know,” Woodson told Raiders Wire. “I was thinking earlier about the amount of kids who played little league football, high school football, college football, the few that make it to the NFL, and then to just carve that down to just ten guys that have done something like that with the history of the game, that is really quite amazing and hard to put it into words.”

Woodson said as a kid he had imagined himself winning the Heisman Trophy and winning championships (something he also did) but the Hall of Fame was not something he grew up imagining. And even the Heisman seemed out of reach once he switched to defense at Michigan.

“When I got to college and chose to play defense, that dream was pretty much…that was a wrap. Because defensive players don’t win that award,” Woodson said of his Heisman hopes. “So, for me to get to my junior year and to have the success we had as a team, to make the plays at the right time that I made as an individual player, when those things start to happen, that’s when it’s like ‘oh man’ and that dream that was kind of a fleeting thought in my mind was back. . . Then to be invited to the ceremony and ultimately have my name called, holy cow, that was an incredible moment.”

The four other NFL legends on hand for ‘The Perfect 10’ include Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders, and Roger Staubach. The three not present are OJ Simpson, and Doak Walker (deceased), and Paul Hornung (deceased).

Chandler Jones’ disrespectful stiff arm on Mac Jones during Raiders’ game winner became a new NFL meme

This was pure savagery from Chandler Jones.

Chandler Jones didn’t have to do Mac Jones like this!

On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders bested the New England Patriots 30-24 on the most bizarre sequence of events you’ll ever see. Yes, on the same evening after a bonkers World Cup Final and a wild Dak Prescott OT pick-six, the Patriots gave sports fans the most absurd moment of the day.

With the score tied 24-24 in the fourth quarter and the clock at double zero, Rhamondre Stevenson threw a lateral to Jakobi Meyers in an attempt to — maybe? — confuse the Raiders and sneak in a win at the last moment. Meyers then threw a lateral intended for quarterback Mac Jones right to Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones for the interception.

Chandler Jones then went 48 yards to the end zone for the stunning game-winning touchdown for the Raiders.

Decisions were… definitely made on that play by the Patriots. And as dumbfounded as NFL fans were about the play New England tried to pull with overtime right around the corner, one thing stood out above the rest. En route to the game-winning touchdown, Chandler Jones threw out a brutal stiff arm on Mac Jones — who was the last line of defense for the Patriots — before rumbling his way to the end zone.

NFL fans couldn’t help but meme the moment and make it one that Mac Jones will surely never forget.

Twitter explodes as Patriots and Raiders fans unite in wanting Josh McDaniels out as head coach

Patriots and Raiders fans are agreeing Josh McDaniels should be out as head coach

It’s no surprise that New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders fans are joining arm-in-arm and calling for Josh McDaniels to be shown the door as the head coach in Las Vegas.

In only half of his first season with the team, the former Patriots offensive coordinator has taken the reigns and steered them off a cliff. That playoff contending franchise that appeared to be on the up-and-up less than a year ago has been torn asunder and reduced to ashes.

The “death star” just looks like death right now, particularly when it comes to any hope they had of clinching a second consecutive postseason berth. And this is coming on the heels of them making splash signings for marquee playmakers like Davante Adams and Chandler Jones.

The fact that McDaniels dropped a loss to an Indianapolis Colts team that just hired Jeff Saturday off the ESPN set for his first NFL head coaching gig set a new low for the team.

Meanwhile, Patriots fans are on the cheery side in hopes of getting back their former offensive coordinator. Let’s be honest, the team worked much better when McDaniels was handling the play-calling duties under Belichick. It was like night and day in comparison to the Matt Patricia era.

He also had a deeper connection with Mac Jones that showed up on Sundays. So him leaving Las Vegas might prove beneficial for both sides involved.

That’s at least what fans of both teams are saying right now on Twitter.

Raiders well represented in list of NFL 51 greatest HBCU players

Five Raiders make the list of NFL 51 greatest HBCU players

This Saturday the nation’s top players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) will take the field for the HBCU Legacy Bowl.

In the spirit of Black History Month, Doug Farrar of USA Today’s Touchdown Wire put together his list of the 51 greatest HBCU players to play in the NFL. And as you might expect, there was a strong Raiders representation in there.

In particular, there were five players featured on the list who once donned Silver & Black. Two of whom were original Raiders.

The first player on the list is the GOAT himself, Jerry Rice. He came out of Mississippi Valley State in 1985 and played four seasons with the Raiders from 2001-04.

The highest-ranking original Raider is Art Shell who came out of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 1968 and spent his entire Hall of Fame career in Silver & Black. He came in at No. 3 on the list.

“Shell is on a very short list of the best offensive tackles in pro football history, and he also holds the distinction of being the second Black head coach in NFL annals — and the first in the modern era. (Fritz Pollard coached the Akron Pros in 1921 and 1925).

From 1971 through 1973, Shell was part of a Raiders offensive line that included four future Hall of Famers — Shell at left tackle, Gene Upshaw at left guard, Jim Otto at center and Bob Brown at right tackle. But it was Shell, among the ultimate combinations of technician and mauler, who set the tone.”

Coming in just outside the top ten at No. 11 is Grambling State’s own Willie Brown. Though Brown’s NFL career began with the Broncos, his Hall of Fame legacy came with the Raiders and after his career was over became a fixture in Silver & Black for the rest of his life.

“But it was the trade to the Oakland Raiders before the 1967 season that formed a perfect marriage between player and scheme. Brown was one of the best bump-and-run cornerbacks in AFL or NFL history, and the Raiders of the time were as aggressive with that particular technique as any team you’ll see in any era of pro football.

Over 12 years with the Raiders, he grabbed 39 regular-season interceptions for 277 return yards and two touchdowns, adding seven more interceptions for 96 return yards and three more touchdowns in 17 postseason games. Brown’s best-known play came in the Raiders’ win in Super Bowl XI — a 75-yard pick-six of Fran Tarkenton that iced Oakland’s 32-14 win.”

Flip that and you have Rich ‘Tombstone” Jackson, who began his career with the Raiders but played the best years of his career with the Broncos. The Southern University alum came in at No. 39 on the list.

Just making the list at No. 50 was Albert Lewis out of Willie Brown’s alma mater, Grambling State. Lewis played most of his career in Kansas City, signing with the Raiders in 1994 and spending the final five seasons of his career in Silver & Black.

The whole list is worth a look. If for no other reason than to serve as a reminder of just how much greatness has come from HBCU’s over the years.

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[lawrence-newsletter]

Raiders legendary WR Cliff Branch to finally be enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame

Breaking: Cliff Branch finally headed to the Hall of Fame

It’s been 32 years since Cliff Branch’s first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame. And it’s been 2.5 years since his unexpected passing at the age of 71. So, needless to say it’s been far too long of a wait for Branch to take his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But tonight he’s officially been named part of the Hall of Fame class of 2022.

Branch gets in via the Senior Committee. Just like Tom Flores, Ken Stabler, and Ray Guy before him. Also just like Stabler, his induction happens after his death.

There is never been a legitimate reason for Branch to not be in the Hall of Fame.

When Branch retired, he had three Super Bowl rings and was the all-time leader in postseason receiving yards. It wasn’t until some guy named Jerry Rice won a few Super Bowls to unseat Branch. He’s still fourth on the all-time list with all eligible receivers ahead of him already enshrined.

The speedy deep threat redefined the wide receiver position and his presence in the Raiders offense was vital to their high flying air attack. His former teammates know this. As Marcus Allen noted when I spoke with him last August.

“I think it’s almost criminal when you look at Cliff’s numbers,” said Allen of his Super Bowl XVIII teammate.

“Clearly a guy who changed the game. Changed coverages. Changed the way defense is played. Certainly opened up things for everybody else. . . There’s some people that just change the game. Like Bob Hayes changed the game. Cliff was one of those guys. And without Cliff Branch there’s no Freddy [Biletnikoff], there’s no Marcus, there’s no Todd Christensen, you know what I mean? Without Cliff.”

Now we can finally say the Hall of Fame won’t be without him either. As it should have always been.

Recent former Notre Dame quarterbacks in their first NFL starts

Ian Book will be measuring up to these guys when he makes his first start.

With Ian Book getting the start for the New Orleans Saints this coming week, it brings many other former Notre Dame quarterbacks to mind. Specifically, we like to think of those in recent years who have been made starters for NFL teams and how they did in their debuts. Here are how these quarterbacks who once donned the gold and blue did in when they were first charged with NFL offenses in games: