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The Raiders belong in Oakland
IG: aj_mckenzie416
Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
IG: aj_mckenzie416
Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
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00:00We can know for their contact, but...
00:46Thank you for joining us.
01:20The supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on
01:28the earth.
01:30They are the focus of evil in the modern world.
01:35In the early 80s, that focus of evil was on the Soviet Union and its Red Army.
01:42Football's most sinister empire was the silver and black, led by Al Davis.
01:48Unfortunately, and I think quite unfairly, the public perception of Mr. Al Davis, who is the owner of the Oakland
01:53Raiders,
01:54paints the man as an avaricious creep of questionable integrity and having no ethics,
01:59and also who is a heretic who has, possibly with satanic help, publicly expressed doubt as to the divine origin
02:07of all the words uttered by Mr. Pete Rozelle.
02:10Davis was fighting a not-so-cold war with Commissioner Pete Rozelle and the National Football League.
02:17I spent a long time in Oakland. I had a commitment to excellence.
02:21Davis wanted to move his franchise from Oakland to Los Angeles.
02:25And though he spent much of his time locked in litigation, he never makes for him.
02:30People say he spent the bulk of his time in courtrooms fighting Pete Rozelle.
02:36He was always on the field.
02:39And you could smell him when he came.
02:42He had this cologne. I don't know what it is. I still don't know.
02:46But the defensive line practiced all the way down on the far field.
02:50And as soon as he walked on the field, you could smell him.
02:55His knowledge and his presence was always apparent.
03:00In 1982, Davis won the right to move.
03:04We're just happy to be here. This is just the first step.
03:07We realized there'd be tremendous problems.
03:09The harassment. We don't think the problems are an end.
03:14Yeah, that's garbage.
03:17Raiders belong in Oakland.
03:18It's garbage.
03:21But as crazy as life was for Davis, it was equally chaotic for his players.
03:27In 82, the Raiders practiced in Oakland and commuted to Los Angeles for home games.
03:34But the distractions off the field didn't seem to...
03:37It wasn't a topic of conversation with us.
03:39We just...
03:41We were a dysfunctional group and was...
03:46Somehow, it would make perfect sense.
03:48It would make sense for Al Davis and the new Los Angeles Raiders.
03:55In Los Angeles Raiders was Marcus Allen, who was the third running back selected in the 1982 draft.
04:01Oakland's first round selection, running back, Marcus Allen, USC.
04:09I thought that I would go earlier than 10, but I do remember one criticism in particular, which was sort
04:16of fighting at the time.
04:17It was Paul McGuire.
04:18The one thing about Marcus Allen, he's a 4'5", 40, man.
04:21It's not extremely fast.
04:23He does fumble like crazy, but...
04:24And I saw that during the course of last year.
04:26He fumbles the ball out.
04:27I'll tell you right now, don't be surprised to see them move this guy to the outside and play him
04:32as a wide receiver.
04:33I was like, what the hell is Paul talking about?
04:36I mean...
04:36And, you know, it's kind of ironic.
04:38We're really good friends now, but I couldn't stand him then.
04:42Despite Paul McGuire's comments, Marcus Allen had few complaints in 1982.
04:48It was fun being me.
04:50Come on, I was, what, 22 years old in Los Angeles.
04:54I just won the Heisman Trophy.
04:55I got drafted by the Raiders and was in home.
04:59Yeah, things were good.
05:01Things were fun.
05:02You know, he was one of those guys it's easy to be envious of because he had it all.
05:05And I think what gets lost in the fact that he was so good-looking and he was single and
05:11he drove the Testarossa and he had all the girls was the fact that this was a hard-working, tough
05:16SOB.
05:18And he was first and foremost a football player.
05:21I just saw so many situations where Marcus took such a beating and just gets up and just keeps coming.
05:30I'm not Jewish, but this particular word applied.
05:32He was a mensch.
05:33I mean, he was a man.
05:39This personifies a great athlete to me.
05:41You just have to say his first name.
05:43With Jordan, you say Michael.
05:44Everybody knows who you're talking about.
05:46You know, when you say Marcus, you knew you weren't talking about Dupree.
05:49You know, it was Marcus Allen.
05:51One word was all that was needed for his name.
05:54But no words could adequately describe what he did on the field.
05:58He could throw the football better than our quarterbacks.
06:01I was seeing something that I had really, quite frankly, never seen before, up close and personal.
06:08No one was more impressed with Marcus than Ted Hendricks.
06:12Things weren't going well.
06:14You know, came to the sidelines.
06:15Ted said, just give the ball to Marcus.
06:18And this was my rookie season.
06:21You know, and I've been watching Ted Hendricks since I was a kid.
06:23And for him to say that was huge.
06:25So I knew I had the confidence of my players and especially a future Hall of Famer like Ted Hendricks.
06:33Marcus was Rookie of the Year in 82.
06:35His 14 touchdowns made him the NFL's leading scorer.
06:39And he helped lost...
06:4014 touchdowns.
06:42They only played nine games.
06:44...Sangeles to an 8-1 record in the strike-shortened season.
06:48But the Raiders were upset in the playoffs.
06:52I just remember that New York Jet game at home that we blew.
06:56We had every opportunity to win that game.
06:59I think the grind of practicing in one city, playing in another city, took its toll, even though it was
07:05a strike-shortened year.
07:07And I think a lot of us felt like that was a year that we probably should have been to
07:10the Super Bowl.
07:21The Raiders are so rough.
07:23Two weeks ago, they were penalized 15 yards right off the top for unnecessary roughness.
07:28And that was during the national anthem.
07:31And trying to put a face on what that locker room was like.
07:35I remember I was watching the Bruce Willis movie Armageddon.
07:37They've got five days to save the planet.
07:41And in walks this group of misfits.
07:44You know, they get them from strip bars and on the Harley, evading the police.
07:49And they walk into NASA and the astronauts are looking at this group that's going to save the planet and
07:53said,
07:54This group has the right stuff.
07:56That's what I think people would look at when they walked into our locker room.
08:01Al Davis was the owner who welcomed those misfits to the Raiders.
08:05And as Howie Long learned in practice one day, the Raiders' attitude emanated from their owner.
08:11I think he said something like,
08:13Yeah, 75, he's thinking pretty tough.
08:15I'd have taken your lunch money.
08:17Something like that.
08:19And I'm thinking to myself,
08:21Whose ass has he kicked?
08:23You know, but you know what?
08:25I always called him Mr. Davis and still do.
08:28Neither Mr. Davis nor his players back down from anyone.
08:32You intimidate people.
08:33That's just the way it is.
08:35Some people certainly always push the envelope,
08:37but I always thought the game should be played that way.
08:39It wasn't a game for anybody who was soft.
08:41Now the one thing they'll do,
08:42is take a swing at you.
08:44If you hit them good,
08:45they'll take a swing.
08:46There's four or five guys that are demented on that team.
08:48And you'll probably read about them.
08:50A couple of big handsome guys
08:51that have got a mind about that big.
08:53You know, who they can be.
08:54I don't want to name them,
08:55but they'll come after me like they did Bob.
09:02The most intimidating raider was Lyle Alzado.
09:08Lyle was a force and a volatile force.
09:11He was a tortured soul.
09:13We jokingly called Lyle Three Mile Lyle
09:16because he was like the Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
09:20You're just not sure when he was going to blow.
09:23He might have been the street smartest guy I've ever been around.
09:26His familiar phrase was
09:27that he was the toughest street fighter on the planet
09:30and that if he and King Kong went into an alley,
09:32only one of us was coming out
09:33and it wasn't the monkey.
09:35I don't particularly think there's a person on this earth
09:37that can kick my ass.
09:40Alzado once sparred with Muhammad Ali
09:43and wasn't knocked down.
09:47Although he didn't become a raider until age 33,
09:50he made an immediate impact,
09:53especially on a young defensive end
09:55who, like Alzado,
09:57fostered a toughness that was the product
09:58of a troubled childhood.
10:00The Raiders' basic philosophy on defense
10:02is to just out and out
10:05beat up the man in front of you.
10:07Howie was, um,
10:09I always say he's on the...
10:10I would never know Howie Long had long hair.
10:15Toughest wide guy.
10:20Howie Long oozed confidence,
10:22but in reality,
10:23he was driven by his own insecurity.
10:27You know, I'm not a shrink
10:29and I really haven't sat down
10:30and talked to anybody about this,
10:32but I would say, you know,
10:34dad leaves home, you know,
10:36raised in three different houses,
10:39dad's homeless at one point.
10:40And that kind of a background
10:42will lend to someone
10:44questioning the security of any situation.
10:47I could be a guy
10:49who would have three, four sacks in a game
10:51and I would lay in bed
10:53and think about the one play
10:55that I got hooked on,
10:56on a sweep my way.
10:58I think it wasn't until I retired
11:00that I took a second and said,
11:03you know, I was pretty good.
11:04If that's what worked for him,
11:05then God bless him.
11:06Never did understand that
11:08because here you had this guy,
11:10great looking specimen.
11:11I mean, wow,
11:12what a body this guy had.
11:15I just know that
11:16in that point in time,
11:18he was an absolute monster.
11:19Maybe the best defensive end in football.
11:22In the first game of 1983,
11:25Long set the tone
11:26for the Raiders' season.
11:31Along with number 77,
11:33Al Zato.
11:36During that year,
11:37the Raiders led the league in sacks
11:39and if I'm not mistaken,
11:40knocked out the league in sacks
11:41during the season.
11:42I'm not surprised at that.
11:44As the phrase goes,
11:45they arrived in a bad mood.
11:46And they often arrived together.
11:48We walked on the field together,
11:50we walked off the field together.
11:52If you fought one of us,
11:53you fought us all.
11:54It was kind of like your dad
11:56and I say this to my boys,
11:57if I ever hear
11:58that somebody get after your brother
12:00and you were there
12:02and you didn't jump in,
12:04I'm gonna kick your ass.
12:09In the home opener,
12:11they held Houston to six.
12:12That's why he sent his son
12:14to the NFL.
12:16Forget if it was Jake or Chris Long.
12:19It was one of them.
12:20Points.
12:21Then destroyed the Dolphins
12:23on Monday Night Football
12:24in Week 3.
12:31The next week,
12:32they welcomed rookie
12:33John Elway to the NFL,
12:35knocking him out of the game
12:37and battering his backup,
12:38Steve DeBerg.
12:43In the first month
12:44of the 83 season,
12:45the undefeated Los Angeles Raiders
12:47established themselves
12:48as a very good team
12:49with a very bad disposition.
12:55These misfits weren't being asked
12:56to save the planet,
12:58but they played
12:59like they were intent
13:00on ruling the planet.
13:05They were the defending champion
13:07Washington Redskins.
13:09In Week 5,
13:10they hosted the Raiders
13:12in one of the greatest
13:12regular season games
13:14in NFL history.
13:16Boy, way off the field.
13:17We're out, plenty of help.
13:18Back to the track,
13:19and the money.
13:19This was Al Davis football.
13:22Throw it deep
13:23and let your speedsters
13:24outrun the opposition.
13:29Cliff Branch scored
13:30on a 99-yard reception,
13:32and Greg Pruitt ran
13:33a punt back 97 yards.
13:47But in this game of big plays,
13:49the smallest player on the field,
13:51the Redskins' Joe Washington,
13:53had the biggest impact.
14:01Washington sparked a Redskins' comeback
14:03with a 67-yard gain
14:05on a screen pass
14:06and also scored
14:07the game-winning touchdown
14:08with seconds remaining.
14:11The Heisman free receivers
14:12to the far side.
14:13Both of them in the middle.
14:14Washington,
14:15touchdown!
14:15Joe Washington!
14:19There were no moral victories,
14:21but we also understood
14:22that we had flown cross-country
14:25and had gone toe-to-toe
14:26with the world champions
14:28in the game
14:29that we should have won.
14:30Now, we were frustrated
14:30by the fact that we didn't win,
14:32but I don't think
14:33there was disappointment.
14:34I think that was one
14:34of the advantages
14:35of having a veteran team.
14:36You had people
14:37that understood
14:38that it was a marathon,
14:39and as Ted Hendricks
14:40once said to me,
14:40it's in the can.
14:42He said that once to me
14:43after we lost
14:44an overtime game to San Diego.
14:45He said,
14:45this game's in the can,
14:46it's over.
14:47And linebacker Ted Hendricks
14:48was an expert,
14:49but it came to cans
14:51or bottles.
14:53Ted would come in
14:55on Monday morning,
14:56hungover from the night before,
14:58or maybe kind of a continuation
15:00of the night before,
15:02and we would put up film,
15:04Charlie Sumner would put up film
15:05of the next week's opponent,
15:07and Ted would sit there
15:09half awake
15:10and call out the play
15:12they were going to run
15:13before they ran it.
15:14What?
15:14And as a young player,
15:16you're sitting there
15:17and you're saying to yourself,
15:19how does he know
15:20all the answers?
15:21One time,
15:22we're playing Miami
15:23and they sent someone
15:25in to crack back on Ted,
15:27and Ted is yelling
15:30at Don Shula
15:30on the sideline.
15:31Don,
15:32that's an insult!
15:33You can't run that play!
15:35I saw that in 71!
15:38Ted Hendricks
15:39was one of the smartest guys
15:40I've...
15:42Yeah,
15:42he was on
15:44my favorite,
15:45one of my favorite teams,
15:46the Baltimore Colts,
15:49Super Bowl champions,
15:50and they played
15:51against the Dolphins
15:51twice a year.
15:54It's nothing new.
15:59ever been around
16:00in business,
16:01in television,
16:02in football.
16:03And the number of times
16:04that he blocked kicks
16:05in crucial situations
16:06who just made huge plays,
16:08he could do that
16:09over and over again.
16:11The ball snapped.
16:13Blocked!
16:14It's blocked in the middle!
16:15Raiders after the ball!
16:17And the ball game
16:17will be over!
16:19In week six,
16:20Hendricks blocked
16:21the 25th kick
16:22of his Hall of Fame career
16:23to preserve a win
16:24over the Chiefs.
16:25But despite their
16:265-1 record,
16:28the Raiders' offense
16:28was struggling.
16:29And in Seattle
16:30in week seven,
16:31they gave up eight sacks
16:33and turned the ball
16:34over eight times.
16:37Oh, my God.
16:44Two weeks later,
16:46the mistake-prone Raiders
16:47lost to Seattle again
16:48and fell to six and three.
16:53Over a five-game stretch,
16:55they had committed
16:5528 turnovers.
16:59I don't know why
17:00that we had such a rash
17:03of turnovers.
17:04I certainly don't know why.
17:05You know,
17:06I was one of the contributors
17:07to that.
17:07I don't know why
17:09I couldn't hold on
17:10to the ball by second year.
17:13It wasn't an easy year for me.
17:14It was funny because
17:15Greg Pruitt and I
17:16talked about
17:17the sophomore jinx.
17:19In 1983,
17:22Marcus Allen averaged
17:23less than four yards per carry
17:24and had just one 100-yard rushing game
17:27in the regular season.
17:29He wasn't satisfied
17:31with his play
17:32or the Raiders'
17:33offensive philosophy.
17:35The Raiders lined up
17:36in full eye and far
17:38and ran four plays.
17:41How many times
17:41did the Raiders run
17:4317 Bob Trejo?
17:46Everyone in the stadium
17:47knew it was coming.
17:48When they know
17:50what you're running,
17:50you better be real good
17:51at what you do.
17:53about the Seahawks earlier
17:56swept by the Seahawks.
17:59They won one of those games
18:01the Seahawks
18:02aren't even in the playoffs.
18:04Yet they went to the
18:05AFC Championship.
18:12The game plan was basic
18:13but the men asked
18:15to execute it
18:16were complex characters
18:17with minds of their own.
18:19I remember distinctly
18:20a game of the Coliseum
18:21against the Broncos.
18:22The coach sent a play in.
18:24I remember Henry Lawrence,
18:25the offensive tackle,
18:26says,
18:26F that.
18:27F that.
18:28We're not running that play.
18:29Let's run this.
18:30And someone else says,
18:32yeah.
18:32And the reason I say that
18:34and I know this sounds
18:35terribly adolescent
18:36to people listening
18:36but it was our field.
18:39It was our field.
18:40And so coaches
18:41could do what they want.
18:42They could create.
18:43That's fine.
18:44Give us a game plan
18:44on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
18:46Go ahead and provide
18:46all of that.
18:47But once the game started
18:48on Sunday,
18:49it was our field.
18:50And on their field,
18:52some Raiders felt
18:53Marcus Allen
18:54should see more
18:54of the football.
18:56At this point in time,
18:57we were trying to still
18:58spread the offense around
19:00which really made no sense.
19:01You know,
19:01we had this great tailback.
19:03We might as well
19:03have used him.
19:05I always wanted the ball
19:06because I always felt
19:08that I was the best player
19:09in the team.
19:10Any player that you talk to,
19:12any great player,
19:12wants the ball in their hands.
19:14And I wanted to win.
19:16When Allen told Al Davis
19:18he wanted to run more,
19:20Davis explained
19:20how he could do that.
19:23Yeah, he said something
19:24about take a few laps
19:25or something like that.
19:26Yeah.
19:27Which I really didn't,
19:29you know.
19:31I mean,
19:31I thought it was kind of funny.
19:33There was nothing humorous
19:34about the relationship
19:35between Allen and Davis.
19:37It was sort of strange
19:38because I was always
19:39referred to as the other guy.
19:43I see, you know,
19:44hear a lot of things
19:45that, you know,
19:46didn't like the fact
19:46that I was,
19:48you know,
19:49I had a name for myself already
19:51before, you know,
19:52before I even arrived
19:52with the team.
19:53It was not my fault
19:53they moved to Los Angeles
19:54and everybody knew who I was
19:56and I was a Heisman Trophy winner.
19:58We didn't have,
19:58you know,
19:59the best relationship
19:59and I was playing
20:01for me and my teammates.
20:03At the end of the season
20:04it was like,
20:04about time you did something
20:06was sort of the conversation
20:07that we,
20:09you know,
20:09would have.
20:10so it was not one
20:12that I would
20:15categorize as great
20:16or good
20:16or anything like that.
20:17It was just,
20:18you know,
20:18what it was.
20:21Which had to disappoint Al.
20:24I know that he had visions
20:26of luxury boxes
20:28and a 93,000 seat stadium filled.
20:30One of the things
20:31that he was not
20:32prescient enough to see,
20:33however,
20:33is that Los Angeles
20:34is not a great sports town.
20:36It's a great entertainment town
20:37and the teams
20:38that were successful
20:39down there,
20:39the Lakers
20:40and the Dodgers
20:41were teams
20:42that were very cognizant
20:43of public relations
20:43which had never been
20:44Al Davis' strong suit.
20:46Al Davis never sold
20:48the Raiders.
20:48He thought the Raiders
20:49sold themselves
20:50and in Los Angeles
20:51you absolutely
20:52had to do some marketing
20:53and he was unwilling
20:54to do that.
20:54Which might explain
20:55why Davis' team
20:57so often played
20:58in front of so many
20:59empty seats.
21:01The Raiders
21:02may not have appealed
21:03to the masses
21:04but they did draw
21:05their share of celebrities.
21:07James Garner
21:08was always around.
21:09someone who really
21:10really genuinely
21:11was a big fan.
21:13Nicholas Sheridan
21:13used to be here
21:14all the time.
21:18The Coliseum
21:20was a little more
21:20than half full
21:21in week 11.
21:22Tom Florey's Raiders
21:23trailed the Broncos
21:24by one point
21:25with less than
21:26a minute remaining.
21:29I run this out.
21:30Now as I cut up
21:31the field
21:31Donkey Williams
21:32is trying to make
21:33a block.
21:34The cornerback
21:34comes towards me.
21:35He hits him
21:36right in the back.
21:37And as I take up
21:39up the sidelines
21:39the official reaches
21:40for his flag.
21:42I ran straight
21:43out of bounds
21:43because I knew
21:44it was going to get
21:45called back.
21:47By stopping the clock
21:49Todd Christensen
21:50allowed the Raiders
21:50to move into position
21:51for a game-winning
21:52field goal attempt.
21:54Takes him to bounds.
21:55Snap.
21:56Spot.
21:57Kick on the way.
21:58Good.
21:59Chris Byrne from 40.
22:01And I remember
22:02the next day
22:03when we were
22:03watching the films
22:04Tom Florey
22:04sees that play
22:05when I run out of bounds
22:06and Tom says
22:07did you know
22:08that that was a penalty?
22:09And I said
22:09yes I did.
22:10And he says
22:11well that was heads up.
22:15Christensen's intelligence
22:16was evident
22:17in both his deeds
22:18and his words.
22:19Two roads diverged
22:21into a wood.
22:22And I
22:22I took the one
22:23less traveled by.
22:24That has made
22:25all the difference.
22:27But how did
22:27a Mormon from BYU
22:29who was the son
22:30of a professor
22:31of speech pathology
22:32fit in with the Raiders?
22:35Well you know
22:35Noah takes them
22:36all on the boat.
22:37You know
22:37it's
22:39we'll take two of them
22:40two of them
22:41and you know
22:42but we only got
22:43one of him.
22:45That was the thing.
22:48After being cut
22:49by the Cowboys
22:50Christensen
22:51had a tryout
22:51with the Raiders
22:52in 1979.
22:54So Al Davis
22:54says to me
22:55oh you know
22:56we've been struggling
22:56lately
22:57we haven't had
22:58the athletes
22:58we've had
22:59in the last
22:59couple years
23:00we need some
23:00young people
23:01to build
23:01and play some
23:02special teams
23:03and be aggressive.
23:04And then he
23:04made reference
23:05to the greatness
23:05of the Raiders
23:06of the Raiders
23:07of course
23:07I had to nod
23:07and say
23:08oh yes
23:08you know
23:09I've always
23:09been a Raiders
23:10fan
23:10yeah sure
23:10I was.
23:12He didn't catch
23:13a pass
23:13in his first
23:14two seasons
23:14with the Raiders
23:15but eventually
23:16the man
23:17with the gift
23:17of gab
23:18developed
23:19a gift
23:19of grab
23:20He makes a
23:21one handed
23:22touch
23:22magnificent
23:24He's legitimate
23:25he probably
23:26could be in
23:27the Hall of Fame
23:28probably
23:30On a scale
23:31of one to ten
23:32his natural
23:33physical gifts
23:34were probably
23:34a five
23:37On a scale
23:38of one to ten
23:39If he got out
23:40of his physical gifts
23:41it would have
23:41to be nine and a half
23:42Todd just
23:44willed the ball
23:45to come his way
23:48By 1983
23:50Christensen
23:51had become
23:51the favorite
23:52target of both
23:52Jim Plunkett
23:53and any reporter
23:55looking for a quote
23:57He embraced
23:58both the media
23:59and his teammates
24:00I don't think
24:01anybody had a problem
24:02with Todd
24:03Honestly
24:04you know
24:04being very well read
24:06use your big words
24:08Todd also had
24:09the ability
24:10to come down
24:11to a locker room
24:12level
24:12and occasionally
24:14use locker room
24:15vernacular
24:17But it was
24:17the other
24:18vernacular
24:19he used
24:19that he looked
24:20He had
24:2192
24:2295 receptions
24:23in 83
24:24and 86
24:25He led
24:27the lead
24:28not
24:29tight ends
24:30the lead
24:31This is the lead
24:33with Steve Largent
24:34in both of those years
24:35and Jerry Rice
24:38in
24:3886
24:41Right next door
24:43to the Raiders
24:47Back on now
24:48with some regret
24:49You see your name
24:50in the paper
24:51You see your name
24:51in an article
24:52You see your picture
24:53and all of a sudden
24:54you get full of yourself
24:55Being loquacious
24:56and being garrulous
24:57and feeling
24:58the need
24:59to get attention
25:00after four years
25:01of anonymity
25:01unfortunately
25:02forced me to say
25:03silly things like that
25:11I'm afraid that
25:12that's the hubris
25:12of youth
25:13That is not
25:14the definition
25:14of humility
25:15I heard a much
25:16better definition
25:17of humility
25:17which is
25:18doing your best
25:19and letting it
25:20largely speak
25:21for itself
25:33That's painfully
25:34self-aggrandizing
25:35Let me apologize
25:36for that
25:37some 22 years later
25:39But what I was
25:40trying to convey
25:41was the idea
25:41that I did want
25:42the pressure
25:43I did want
25:44the ball
25:51That makes a lot
25:52more sense
25:53I'll want
25:54not something
25:54to do
25:54but something
25:55to be
25:55Because that is
25:56the extension
25:56of my self-worth
25:57Like Thoreau said
25:58I'll want
25:59not something
25:59to do
26:00but something
26:00to be
26:02And I'd be
26:02a rock catcher
26:05I think I'm
26:05fitting in
26:06because I'm
26:06productive
26:07In football
26:07that's what matters
26:08I have proven
26:09myself as a player
26:12So all of the
26:13pseudo-intellectualism
26:14that everybody
26:14perceived as being
26:16pedantic
26:16or being put on
26:17which clearly
26:18it wasn't
26:18I don't think
26:19that was an issue
26:20at all
26:20I think what it was
26:21is that at the
26:22end of the day
26:22I was somebody
26:23who was competitive
26:24I'm somebody
26:24that wanted to excel
26:25and I know
26:26that I had an awful
26:27lot of friends
26:27on third down
26:29The one thing
26:30we all know
26:31about Todd
26:32is that on Sundays
26:33it was almost
26:33a guarantee
26:34that he was
26:35going to make
26:36two or three
26:36tough catches
26:37a game
26:37two or three
26:38meaningful catches
26:39a game
26:40and yes
26:41he may have
26:42been a little
26:42different
26:42but he could
26:43play
26:44because he didn't
26:46react to Ted
26:47you know
26:48Ted Hendricks
26:48is someone
26:49who rode on
26:49the practice
26:50field
26:50on a white horse
26:51and another
26:52time in camp
26:53sat one of those
26:55you know
26:55tables that you
26:56see at a Mexican
26:56restaurant
26:57with the umbrella
26:58and had a picture
26:59of margaritas
27:00people are always
27:02giving guys credit
27:03for their X's
27:04and O's
27:05but being a head
27:05coach is just
27:06much more than
27:06that
27:06it's managing
27:07people
27:08I think ultimately
27:13the thing that
27:14really created
27:15closeness
27:15was that he
27:16trusted us
27:17all right
27:18we know
27:19what has to be
27:20done
27:20and we know
27:21how to do it
27:21listen I taught
27:22you all you need
27:23you know
27:23to know
27:24now go out
27:24there and play
27:25number 46
27:25in the Super Bowl
27:27in Super Bowl 18
27:28you know
27:28we're on the
27:29biggest stage
27:30and I came over
27:31to Tom
27:31and I said
27:31Tom
27:32out and up
27:33I can beat
27:33this guy
27:33Ken Coffey
27:34can't cover me
27:35run the out
27:36and up
27:36and here's
27:37the biggest stage
27:38he's got his
27:38whole game plan
27:39down there
27:39and he trusted
27:40me
27:40he trusted
27:41me
27:42he trusted
27:43that numbskull
27:44pseudo intellectual
27:44tight end
27:45to make the call
27:46now the end
27:47of the story
27:47would be great
27:48which is that
27:48I beat him
27:49on the out
27:49I went like this
27:50he got fooled
27:51I caught a 50
27:51on touchdown pass
27:52it was incomplete
27:53it didn't work
27:58but the fact
27:59that he trusted
28:00a player
28:01enough
28:02to be willing
28:03to make the call
28:04how could that
28:04not endear you
28:05to a head coach
28:06as opposed to
28:07you know
28:07as opposed to
28:08usual
28:08get out of here
28:09I'm in charge
28:09get out of the huddle
28:10you know
28:11there was never
28:11anything like that
28:15perhaps Flores
28:16got along so well
28:17with his players
28:18because he had
28:18been one himself
28:19he was the first
28:21starting quarterback
28:22yeah the first
28:24Hispanic starting
28:24quarterback
28:25in league history
28:29played for 10 years
28:31actually was on
28:32the 69 Chiefs
28:33when they won
28:34the Super Bowl
28:36in Raiders history
28:38but playing
28:39for the Raiders
28:40was far easier
28:41than coaching
28:42the Raiders
28:43he had been
28:44with the organization
28:44for quite a long time
28:45so he understood
28:46how it operated
28:47with Al Davis
28:47at the helm
28:48Al Davis was
28:49larger than life
28:50and of course
28:50you had a lot
28:51of players
28:51with a lot
28:52of personality
28:52he knew
28:53that in a lot
28:54of cases
28:54the owner
28:54was going to
28:55take credit
28:55when things
28:56were going well
28:56he also knew
28:58that he was
28:58going to be
28:58delegated blame
28:59when things
29:00didn't go well
29:00and he was
29:01willing to accept
29:02that role
29:02the guy went
29:03to Super Bowls
29:04and yet
29:05he is
29:06he's rarely
29:07mentioned
29:07and I think
29:10it's a shame
29:10I can't emphasize
29:12this enough
29:12I think that
29:13what he contributed
29:14as a head coach
29:15is understated
29:17he didn't know
29:18the personality
29:23has anybody
29:24heard Tom Flores
29:25speak
29:29you know
29:30Mike Haynes
29:31team with
29:32Lester Hayes
29:33that was the
29:34combination
29:34that put us
29:35over the top
29:36it was like
29:37a dance
29:37with Mike
29:38Mike was
29:39so gifted
29:41athletically
29:41that it was
29:42boring
29:43with Haynes
29:44taking away
29:45receivers
29:45opposing
29:46quarterbacks
29:47were punished
29:49we could
29:50shut you down
29:50with our
29:51corners
29:51and get there
29:52with four
29:53which was
29:53really a unique
29:54concept
29:55in football
29:56Van McElroy
29:57once told me
29:58a story
29:58that they would
29:58get in the
29:59huddle
29:59and they'd
29:59call a cover
30:00two or a
30:01cover three
30:01where the
30:02free safety
30:02would help
30:03on his side
30:03of the field
30:04and they
30:05would break
30:05the huddle
30:05and Haynes
30:06would turn
30:06to him
30:06and say
30:06don't worry
30:07about it
30:07I got it
30:08do whatever
30:08you have
30:08to do
30:11along with
30:12Howie Long
30:12and Ted
30:13Hendricks
30:13Haynes
30:14became the
30:14third future
30:15Hall of Famer
30:16to join the
30:16Raiders defense
30:17defense
30:18and in December
30:19it was talk
30:20of a current
30:21Hall of Famer
30:21joining the
30:22offense
30:24of course
30:25the Raiders
30:26already had
30:26a running
30:27back
30:27who wore
30:28number 32
30:29did I think
30:30it was
30:30a pull
30:31by the Raiders
30:31yeah
30:35I always
30:36thought they
30:36had something
30:36to do
30:38with just
30:39trying to
30:44control
30:44or to
30:47put me
30:48in a certain
30:48position
30:49yeah
30:50I always
30:50felt like
30:51that's something
30:51they
30:52was a
30:53constricted
30:53effort to
30:54do
30:54but if
30:55any
30:55owner
30:56would
30:56consider
30:56signing
30:56a retired
30:57superstar
30:58it would
30:58be Al
30:59Davis
30:59he called
31:00me up
31:01after I
31:01had been
31:02selected
31:02to the
31:03Hall of Fame
31:04and he
31:05said
31:05I know
31:06you're in
31:06great shape
31:07and I'm
31:08thinking to
31:08myself
31:08has he got
31:09cameras in
31:09the gym
31:09I'm working
31:10on it
31:10does he
31:10know I'm
31:11playing
31:11hoops at
31:12the University
31:12of Virginia
31:12at this
31:13point
31:13I'm
31:14I'm
31:1540 years
31:16old
31:16and he
31:17says
31:19I want
31:19you to
31:20come back
31:20he said
31:21I just
31:21need 15
31:22snaps
31:23that's it
31:24just rushed
31:24the passer
31:25he said
31:26I'll give
31:27you a
31:27three-year
31:27contract
31:28he said
31:28no Hall
31:28of Famer
31:29has ever
31:29come back
31:30you'll
31:30shock the
31:31world
31:31and you
31:32know
31:32for
31:33honest to
31:34God
31:34for
31:34for
31:35just a
31:36what seemed
31:37like an
31:37eternity
31:37but I'm
31:38sure it was
31:38just a
31:38millisecond
31:39I thought
31:40to myself
31:40you know
31:43and I
31:43said
31:43you're
31:44crazy
31:44you're
31:45out of
31:45your
31:45mind
31:47Jim
31:48Brown
31:48never
31:49became
31:49a
31:49Raider
31:50and
31:51late
31:51in the
31:5183
31:51season
31:52Marcus
31:52Allen
31:52started
31:53playing
31:53like a
31:54Hall of Famer
31:54himself
32:07Allen and
32:09Todd
32:09Christensen
32:09who led
32:10the NFL
32:11with 92
32:11receptions
32:12helped the
32:13Raiders win
32:14six of their
32:14last seven
32:15games
32:15they finished
32:17the regular
32:17season with
32:1812-4
32:18record
32:21we were the
32:22best team
32:23in football
32:24we felt
32:24by a
32:26wide margin
32:27we just
32:27felt we
32:28were that
32:28good
32:29when we
32:30didn't
32:30play well
32:30is because
32:31we were
32:32bored
32:33Lyle
32:34Alzado
32:34was never
32:35boring
32:37prior to
32:38the playoff
32:39game against
32:39Pittsburgh
32:40Alzado
32:40had convinced
32:41himself
32:41or perhaps
32:42he'd had help
32:43from a
32:43teammate
32:44that
32:44Steelers
32:45tackled
32:45Tunch
32:45Ilken
32:46said
32:46Alzado
32:47presents
32:47no
32:48problem
32:48if you
32:49get
32:50Chad
32:50Johnson
32:50mad
32:51so
32:51what
32:52you know
32:53if you
32:53get
32:53you know
32:54you get
32:54Donovan
32:55McNabb
32:55mad
32:55okay
32:57you know
32:58if you
32:58get
32:58Lyle
32:59mad
32:59you run
33:00the risk
33:00of bodily
33:01harm
33:02because he's
33:03unafraid of
33:04hurting you
33:04in reality
33:06it occurs to
33:06me that
33:07maybe
33:07Tunch
33:07Ilken
33:07never said
33:08it at
33:08all
33:09about
33:09how
33:09he
33:09manufactured
33:10it
33:10to quote
33:11Bill
33:11Piquel
33:12I have
33:13no knowledge
33:13of the
33:14aforementioned
33:15incident
33:16did that
33:17sound like
33:17somebody
33:18from the
33:18Bowery
33:18boys
33:21he wasn't
33:22hard to
33:22rile up
33:23though
33:23he really
33:23wasn't
33:24stop
33:24looking
33:25right
33:25now
33:25he'll never
33:26look
33:26again
33:26not this
33:27time
33:27as
33:27Alvedo
33:28gets another
33:28sack
33:29after having
33:30left
33:30Tunch
33:30Ilken
33:31out
33:32Cliff
33:33Stout
33:33is who
33:34they charted
33:35out
33:35they have
33:36no chance
33:38it is
33:39dust
33:39looking
33:40dejectively
33:41hands on
33:42him
33:42as if
33:42to say
33:43what
33:43happened
33:43well he
33:44is eating
33:45Tunch
33:45Ilken's
33:46lunch
33:46today
33:47Lyle
33:47Alzado
33:48obviously
33:49ready for
33:49this
33:50matchup
33:50he's
33:51beaten
33:51Ilken
33:52to a
33:52poem
33:52Alzado
33:53led a
33:54dominant
33:54defensive
33:54performance
33:58silver lining
33:59at least
34:00he didn't
34:00get his
34:01helmet
34:01torn off
34:09offensively
34:09Marcus Allen
34:10took his
34:11play to
34:11new heights
34:18Marcus scored
34:19twice
34:20and ran
34:20for 121
34:21yards
34:22the next
34:23week
34:23in the
34:24AFC
34:24championship
34:25against
34:25the
34:25Seahawks
34:26he remained
34:27unstoppable
34:32his 216
34:34yards
34:34from scrimmage
34:35helped the
34:35Raiders get
34:36their revenge
34:36on Seattle
34:37we had
34:38lost to
34:39Seattle
34:39twice
34:39we took
34:41that
34:41as
34:42we'd
34:43gotten
34:43our
34:43ass
34:43kicked
34:44and it
34:45was time
34:46for redemption
35:09in front of an unusually large crowd of over 90,000 fans the misfits captured the AFC
35:20championship
35:21I can still remember in the locker room Tom Flory saying we're going to Tampa baby
35:25and everybody's yes yes yes
35:33the Super Bowl got stuck in traffic
35:36Otis McKinney and I uh we didn't take the uh the bus uh like most of the players do we
35:43had a rental car
35:44we're a quarter mile at least from the stadium
35:48Lyle starts yelling at the cab driver go up on the curb damn it you know blah blah blah blah
35:53blah
35:53and we pull up and we said where do the players park
35:56and the lady said what you guys I don't care if you're a player or not you guys need a
36:00parking pad
36:00and the cab driver I don't know where he was from
36:03and bless his heart he
36:04he's just frightened to death
36:06here's this guy in the front seat looks like an armadillo with veins
36:09popping out of his neck
36:10and we said excuse me lady we're playing in the game
36:13we don't need a parking pass
36:15you gotta let us in
36:16she says I'm sorry you need a parking pass to get in
36:18Lyle gets out of the cab
36:21he's walking
36:22so now we gotta get out of the cab
36:24because we go together
36:25and we just simultaneously looked at each other
36:27and I guess we had the same thought
36:29and we both grabbed our bags
36:31and we took off running towards the locker room in that car
36:35we left the car running right there
36:37and to this day we don't know what happened to her
36:39and we walked the last quarter mile to Super Bowl 18
36:44through traffic and through the crowd
36:46it was just I guess proof that nothing was going to stop us
36:49there's a snap
36:52it is done
36:53they gotta catch it
36:54going into the end zone
36:55Raiders after it
36:56three men on it
36:58touchdown Raiders
37:01holy tomato what a strike
37:03Raiders on that guy
37:05that's the end zone
37:06revenge against the defending champion Redskins
37:09three scoring in my passing touchdown rushing touchdown
37:12block kick pick six
37:19how are you scoring somebody four different ways
37:24came easily
37:29seconds before halftime
37:31coach Charlie Sumner put Jack Squire again
37:34and told him to shadow Joe Washington
37:36who had burned the Raiders in week five on a screen pass
37:40looks off to the left he fouls it off the intercepted
37:43Jack Squire up
37:44touchdown Raiders
37:45I don't believe it
37:47and they look like they do it
37:49it's coming
37:50man ran right for it
37:52I can't see they look like they do it
37:54that play was coming
37:54let's keep dominating this team
37:56let's keep dominating
37:58in 1983
37:59the Redskins set an NFL record for points in a season
38:03in the Super Bowl
38:05the Raiders shut them down and beat them up
38:08sacking Joe Theismann six times
38:10and holding the Redskins to just nine points
38:13I remember after the game
38:14Joe Theismann saying
38:15they handed us our asses on the tray
38:18and the tray was bent
38:22that was as much physical domination
38:24as I had seen defensively
38:26and I got to win
38:26I might replay it again
38:31Washington had more turnovers than scoring drives
38:37Todd Christensen also was an eyewitness
38:39to the brilliance of Marcus Allen
38:41and late in the third quarter
38:45he saw a play that he will never forget
38:48when I'm 95 and I'm hooked up to the wires
38:51on ESPN or whatever the station will be
38:54channel 1036 will show that replay
38:58and I know that I'll be like this in my hospital bed
39:01because I never get tired of seeing that play
39:06it did not age well
39:09Christensen left us
39:11far too early at 56
39:13back in 2013
39:14some kind of
39:16cancer I believe
39:21but
39:22Howie Wong and Marcus Allen look pretty good for their age
39:26so
39:28wait until they're 95
39:29you know
39:34that play was 17
39:36Bob Trey O
39:39even now
39:40whenever I see that highlight
39:42I get tingles
39:43I remember
39:44John Facenda saying
39:45here comes Marcus Allen
39:47running with the night
39:51that's a good memory
39:53on came Marcus Allen
39:56running with the night
40:14to make a run like that
40:15in a game like that
40:17at a time like that
40:18was just
40:18it was pure magic
40:19it was beautiful
40:35it looked like a cluster you know what
40:42is what it did
40:46kind of the dysfunction function
40:48it was a symbolic play
40:51for football's dysfunctional family
40:53Marcus appeared to be going nowhere
40:55much like Al Davis
40:57when he attempted to move his franchise
40:59to Los Angeles
41:01but in the end
41:02no one could prevent football's evil empire
41:05or Marcus
41:06from reaching their desired destinations
41:15and Marcus can't run
41:16isn't that what they said
41:18when he came up
41:18for Marcus
41:20it was
41:21the confirmation
41:23of his greatness
41:24holy Toledo
41:25Marcus Allen
41:26has just claimed
41:27full title of all world
41:29for 1983
41:31coach
41:32Tom Flores
41:33yes Mr. President
41:34I have already had a call
41:35from Moscow
41:37they think that Marcus Allen
41:38is a new secret weapon
41:40and they insist that we dismantle it
41:42that was a beautiful run
41:43and it turned out to be
41:44a beautiful career
41:45and yes
41:45I did reverse field it sometimes
41:47and yet I did
41:49you know
41:49avoid some tacklers
41:50but in the end
41:51I ended up where
41:52I wanted to end up
41:53the one thing that stands out to me
41:55is that after Marcus'
41:5674 yard run
41:58when you see everybody
41:59run out and embrace him
42:01it's at that point in time
42:03when I think that the team
42:05realized that we're going
42:06to be world champions
42:08the sheer delight
42:10almost to a degree
42:12of frivolity
42:12that's a picture
42:13that I think will linger
42:14for quite a while
42:15for players
42:16the bond that's created
42:18is very hard to describe
42:19there's some of these guys
42:20that I'm sure
42:21I'll run into
42:2220 years later
42:23but we will have
42:24a common bond
42:24that most people
42:25just will not understand
42:26and it's a great sense
42:28of pride
42:28a great sense
42:29of achievement
42:30it is
42:31one of the more
42:32incredible feelings
42:36like
42:38they got
42:39they went 0-3
42:40against the Seahawks
42:42and Redskins
42:42in the regular season
42:45and then bullied them
42:47in the playoffs
42:47talk about raising your game
42:54it was a feeling
42:55Lyle Alzado
42:56finally experienced
42:57after 13 NFL seasons
42:59with three teams
43:02here I was
43:03at the beginning
43:03of my career
43:04and here was a guy
43:04at the end of his career
43:05I don't think I really
43:07fully understood
43:08at the time
43:10what he was going through
43:12and what it meant
43:13to him
43:18maybe seeing a side of Lyle
43:20that I had never seen
43:21and I had seen
43:23you know
43:24the rainbow
43:24of emotions
43:26that came from him
43:27but
43:28he was
43:31for one of the few points
43:32in his life
43:33I think he was at peace
43:38when you're 23
43:40I don't think you realize
43:42how great the moment
43:44really is
43:45and how rare it is
43:47and there's nothing
43:48I wouldn't give
43:49short of my family
43:51my children
43:51and my wife
43:52to be back there
43:54trying to do it again
43:57I realized
43:58that this is the dream
43:59of millions
44:00and yet I was living it out
44:02my father had instructed me
44:04many years ago
44:05that there was only one sin
44:07and that was the sin
44:08of ingratitude
44:09and I didn't want to be
44:10one of those people
44:11that was ungrateful
44:17I wanted to make sure
44:18that I thanked my maker
44:19for the opportunity
44:20that I had
44:21to be in this game
44:22that the son
44:23of a University of Oregon
44:24professor
44:24and a homemaker
44:26probably had no business
44:28being on the stage
44:32The celebration will begin
44:34as the Raiders
44:34sprint toward the clubhouse
44:36and the great joy
44:37of watching Pete Rozelle
44:38present the championship trophy
44:41to the Los Angeles Raiders
44:45Now let me ask you something
44:46with all the distractions
44:47that you have off the field
44:48how are you able
44:49to keep focused
44:50on winning football games
44:52as you do
44:53and do throughout the year
44:55When you have great coaches
44:58then happy
44:59you have great coaches
44:59you get great players
45:01you have a great organization
45:03and you tell them one thing
45:05Just win, David
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