My All-time Oakland Raiders Team

When my brother, George Coley, a lifelong Oakland Raiders fan, recently sent me a humorous e-mail along with some excellent photos about those, dedicated, one-of-a-kind Raiders lifers, I decided to forget the Raiders present troubles and put this column together naming my all-time Oakland Raiders team, many of whom could probably start on Oakland's current team. So, enough with the chitchat, here we go.

Quarterback: Ken "The Snake" Stabler
I remember watching my brother pretend he was Stabler as if it were yesterday (although it was actually three decades ago) and firmly believe that Stabler is the greatest quarterback in Raider history. It's a shame he's not still playing too, because the current Raiders team needs a quarterback in the worst way, and the south paw slinger was as smooth as they come.

Running Backs: Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson
Allen is undeniably the greatest Raiders rusher of all-time and one of the game's best ever as well. I thought long and hard about the other Raiders running back and I had to select Bo Jackson, although I really wanted to put Mark Van Eeghan ahead of him.

Jackson may have gone down as one of the all-time greats as well had in not been for his freak hip injury which eventually led to his retirement from professional sports altogether.

Wide Receiver: Tim Brown, Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch
I know I have three receivers here where there are only supposed to be two, but I couldn't, in good conscious, leave any of this trio off the list no matter how hard I tried. Brown and Biletnikoff are Hall of Famers, but it is Branch who is hands-down, the Raiders greatest deep threat of all-time.

Tight End: Dave Casper
No offense to Todd Christensen, who was an outstanding player in his era but there is only one "Ghost." Casper routinely made the spectacular look mundane, all during an era when teams ran the ball much more and didn't utilize the tight end nearly as much as they do in today's pass happy times.

Offensive Line:
This unit is headed by current head coach and Hall of Fame tackle, Art Shell. My other tackle is Lincoln Kennedy, a great player in his own right, but clearly not in Shell's class. My guards are led by Shell's Hall of Fame teammate, Gene Upshaw and ends with another perennial all-pro in Steve Wisniewski. Of course, my center is none other than the nearly incomparable, Jim Otto.

Defensive Line
One defensive end was a no-brainer. That would be Hall of Famer, Howie Long. The other end was a toss-up between Ben Davidson and wild man, Lyle Alzado that I gave to Davidson. My nose tackles are run stuffer supremes, Otis Sistrunk and Chester McGlockton.

Linebackers
My linebackers are led by the incomparable, Ted Hendricks along with Phil Vilapiano, Matt Millen and Rod Martin.

Cornerbacks
If the Raiders had even one of their former corners right now. They certainly wouldn't be getting thrown on the way they have this year. Hall of Famers Willie Brown and Mike Haynes are two of the game's best ever. As a matter of fact, I'd bet Haynes is probably still better than some of the players the Raiders are putting on the field these days.
Safeties

One safety position undeniably goes to one of the game's most dangerous hitters, Jack, "The Assassin" Tatum, who would be outlawed from playing in the sissy league that currently exists. At the other safety position, it's a tough call because I don't think of either, Ronnie Lott or Rod Woodson as "Raiders" if you know what I mean. Both of those guys spent the majority of their respective hall of fame careers, with other teams, coming to the Raiders towards their respective finishes. Having said that, I guess I have to go with Van McElroy, who was a fine safety for a number of years with the Raiders.

Special Teams

Kicker: George Blanda

Who else were you expecting? Blanda was and still is - the man.

Punter: Ray Guy
I am going on record to start up a campaign to get Guy into the Hall of Fame. Simply put, Guy is the greatest punter ever and deserves to be recognized as such - in Canton, Ohio.

Head Coach: John Madden
With the short-sleeved Madden roaming the sidelines again, the Raiders would instantly have their "mystique" back, although it remains to be seen whether even he could reach the knuckleheads currently populating the Raiders' roster.

I want to add, in closing, that it is very bothersome to an "old school" guy like myself to see one of the league's most prominent franchise struggling so mightily. Then again, I am a Miami Dolphins fan; and a Boston Celtics fan - so I guess I should know all about floundering franchises.