On Biletnikoff and other Raider receiver greats

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, April 09, 2008  |  Comments( 29 )

Oakland Raiders
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‘Tis the (off)season for list-making! With the free agency period all but over and little more for NFL junkies to do but twiddle thumbs for the next few weeks, it’s time for some more historical reminiscence, eh?

Two weeks ago, ESPN.com ran its designed-to-be-incendiary top 10 wide receivers of all-time list, a group hemmed, hawed and debated over by former/current coaches and players. The Oakland Raiders’ top potential entry, Fred Biletnikoff, did not warrant much mention, though panelist Raymond Berry had Biletnikoff at no. 5 on his list and “Other panelists showed great respect for Biletnikoff as a sure-handed receiver and overall craftsman.”

The piece got me to thinking about Oakland’s all-time receiving corps. Biletnikoff is the no. 1 option on the Dream Raiders to be sure, but who else makes the team? Let’s see, also starting would be...

• Tim Brown. For any fan born after, say, 1988, Brown is the Raider passing game. Brown somehow played mostly under the radar for 16 full seasons in a 17-year career, all but one with Oakland/Los Angeles. While most of The Worldwide Leader in [American] Sports’ top receivers had the benefit of a Hall of Fame QB (or QBs) pitching passes at them throughout their career. Brown’s favorite thrower in terms of receptions was Jeff Hostetler; he also managed to run up nearly 15,000 yards with the likes of Jay Schroeder, Steve Beuerlein, Jeff George, Donald Hollas (remember him?), and good ol’ Todd Marinovich. For this résumé alone, Brown may deserve Hall consideration. Or at least a mention in the “all-time great WRs”-type conversation; imagine if a peak Rich Gannon had been connection with Brown for, say, the second half of the 1990s...

• Cliff Branch. Was Branch the baddest bad boy ever to play receiver? (On the field, we’re talking.) In 12-1/2 full seasons over a 14-year career – all with the Raiders – Branch totaled 8,685 yards. Those of us old enough to remember Branch in the 1970s will swear that every single one of those yards was after the catch. Four All-Pro selections from 1974-1977 indicate beyond personal stats (and even the team’s 53-12 win-loss record) how utterly dominant Branch was in all aspects of his position. Heck, I’ll run with 1976 Cliff Branch (1111 yards with a ridiculous 24.2 yards-per-catch average and 12 TDs in 14 games) as my WR in any all-time sim league and throw all day...

• Warren Wells. Does Wells really make the all-time Raiders squad? To fill out the roster, we’ll take the split end who was Biletnikoff’s partner in the old AFL days. In his last three seasons with the Raiders (the great majority of a five-year career, truth be told), Wells totaled 3,332 yards on just 143 receptions – imagine how many catches per year he’d be getting in today’s offenses. Wells plus Biletnikoff combined with Daryle Lamonica made for the Junior League’s top offense from 1967 to the merger. He also played special teams and occasional defense, plus you gotta love the mystery of his ultra-short career and descriptions like “a troubled but unbelievably talented burner.”

And then ... something interesting happens when looking through Raider history. The list of truly great Oakland WRs pretty much ends there. While all-timers like Jerry Rice, Willie Gault, and Randy Moss have suited up in the silver and black, these were not peak years for these performers. Among the great receivers in Raider history are a pair of guys who weren’t receivers: the immortal Dave Casper and Todd Christensen, brilliant catching TEs both.

We’ve got enough here to comprise a receiving corps to pay in the all-time league, anyway. Truth is the Snake won’t have to go bombs away too often with a two-headed monster of Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson running the ball anyway...
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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