The Soul Patrol
There are many ways to compare the games of Old School receivers like Fred Biletnikoff, Clifford Branch, and Dave Casper with the WR of today (e.g., Tim Brown).
Brown has the most receptions of any Raider, but is he the greatest of all time?
Nope. Why? Because number of receptions ain't the Raider Way to count.
Why? 'Cause of the man - Jack Tatum - and the style of play he represents.
Lemme 'splain what it was like...
Back in the day (before Brown, anyway) there used to be these crazy b@$+@rd$ roaming the backfield like Horsemen of the Apocalypse on PCP.
These DBs didn't have pansy, candy-@$$ed names like "Showtime" and "Primetime" and "Lifetime Network" or what not. No, on the contrary, they were called "Night Train" and "Hit Man" and "The Assassin".
Why? Because Dick Lane had this clothesline...like the signature move in wrasslin', but real...and perfectly legal under the rules of the day.
Ball control run offense was all teams did at the time, 'cause if you threw to your wide receivers every play like the '9ers did in the '80s, you literally would run out of receivers by the end of the game.
There was no "pass interference" called if you got beaten down 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. There was no "unsportsmanlike conduct" if the DB drilled you so hard your hat came flying off like--better yet, watch this , and keep an eye on the forearm. Atkinson and Tatum called it "The Hook" and they really didn't care much if the ball came loose or if your head came loose like the old school Rock'em Sock'em Robots.
And if you want to see what it was like even before the '70s, watch this one and keep and eye out for the black & white footage. Watch how Lane and the headhunters completely focus on decapitation.
Timmah and Terrell Owens and none of the current receivers have to deal with that type of mayhem over the middle.
Oh, and by the way, Timmah Brown should keep his mouth shut about "John Madden should have gotten the Raiders to the Super Bowl more often".
How many times did you win it, Timmah? Then keep yer piehole shut, Timmah, unless you've proven that you can do better, Timmah.
Check your calendar under Saturday August 5, 2006, Timmah. This is the day Madden is going in the HOF. See how that works, Timmah?
That is why Freddie B and Cliff Branch and their predecessors have bronzed cojones and us old geezers laugh when someone like Brown spouts off at the mouth about being "Mr. Raider".
The pirate on the shield is missing an eye for a reason and it ain't 'cause he shot it out with his Red Rider BB gun neither
Brown has the most receptions of any Raider, but is he the greatest of all time?
Nope. Why? Because number of receptions ain't the Raider Way to count.
Why? 'Cause of the man - Jack Tatum - and the style of play he represents.
Lemme 'splain what it was like...
Back in the day (before Brown, anyway) there used to be these crazy b@$+@rd$ roaming the backfield like Horsemen of the Apocalypse on PCP.
These DBs didn't have pansy, candy-@$$ed names like "Showtime" and "Primetime" and "Lifetime Network" or what not. No, on the contrary, they were called "Night Train" and "Hit Man" and "The Assassin".
Why? Because Dick Lane had this clothesline...like the signature move in wrasslin', but real...and perfectly legal under the rules of the day.
Ball control run offense was all teams did at the time, 'cause if you threw to your wide receivers every play like the '9ers did in the '80s, you literally would run out of receivers by the end of the game.
There was no "pass interference" called if you got beaten down 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. There was no "unsportsmanlike conduct" if the DB drilled you so hard your hat came flying off like--better yet, watch this , and keep an eye on the forearm. Atkinson and Tatum called it "The Hook" and they really didn't care much if the ball came loose or if your head came loose like the old school Rock'em Sock'em Robots.
And if you want to see what it was like even before the '70s, watch this one and keep and eye out for the black & white footage. Watch how Lane and the headhunters completely focus on decapitation.
Timmah and Terrell Owens and none of the current receivers have to deal with that type of mayhem over the middle.
Oh, and by the way, Timmah Brown should keep his mouth shut about "John Madden should have gotten the Raiders to the Super Bowl more often".
How many times did you win it, Timmah? Then keep yer piehole shut, Timmah, unless you've proven that you can do better, Timmah.
Check your calendar under Saturday August 5, 2006, Timmah. This is the day Madden is going in the HOF. See how that works, Timmah?
That is why Freddie B and Cliff Branch and their predecessors have bronzed cojones and us old geezers laugh when someone like Brown spouts off at the mouth about being "Mr. Raider".
The pirate on the shield is missing an eye for a reason and it ain't 'cause he shot it out with his Red Rider BB gun neither
posted by Stick'em at 8:20 PM
13 Comments:
Lyle Alzado was a crazy stud as well. He fits the Raider Way pretty well.
Great post Stickem. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling just thinking of Dr. Death, The Asssasin, and Hitman unleashing forearm shivers upside the head an opponents WR.
Although the game and rules have changed, the most physical team (blocking and tackling) wins 9 times out of 10.
I like our young, athletic D but there really isn't anyone on the squad who is known for being a vicious, lights-out type hitter.
Rookies Huff Daddy, Bada-Bing, and T-Ho have the potential to ocassionally deliver the KO blow.
A: Alzado is definitely one of my favorites too. Lyle was playing with sick kids in the hospital one minute and 'roid raging on someone the next. Lyle was a classic Jekyll & Hyde, which I definitely relate with.
I’m the best friend you ever wanna have, love children and animals, but have thrown more than my share of furniture.
BTW, the Soul Patrol post is focused on the DBs so Alzado wasn’t mentioned in it for that reason.
CJ: I can see Huff Daddy bringing the F=ma equation to bear down on 'em like Tatum did. Huff has the same acceleration and tends to tackle high like Jack. Question is whether Huff has a big hitter’s mentality…
The 4th member of the Soul Patrol was Old Man Willie, who took it very personally if someone caught a pass in HIS space. Brown was the godfather of the bump'n'run as we know it, physically manhandling WRs at and beyond the line of scrimmage.
I agree with ya that football comes down to blocking and tackling. For all the hoopla about the Squeelers' trick plays, verily it was the fundamentals of blockin' and tacklin' that got 'em the SB "W".
It certainly wasn't Big Ben's performance, no matter how much hype he gets: 9/21 completions for 123yds. with 0TDs and 2INTs is typically the losing QB’s stat line.
Loved the first link. I remember watching that Opening Day Pittsburgh game in 1976(?). George Atkinson, the Raider who said: "I treat pass receivers the way you would treat a burglar in your home."
Here is what Rod Woodson said in November, 2002: "Today if you hit the quarterback too high, it's called; too low, it's called. To me, they're trying to take the physicalness out of the NFL, and that's hard to do when guys are getting bigger and stronger and faster. If you don't want to get hit, you better go play flag football or powder-puff or something like that."
Tenacious P
My dad has been a season ticket holder of USC Football for 40+ odd years. I usually go to 2-3 games with him each year. Bada-Bing is an explosive hitter who could pay some immediate dividends on our special teams coverage teams.
As a safety I watched him blow up some TEs, WRs, and RBs on a regular basis. He is one player who seems to have that unquenchable thirst to make the big hit.
Tenacious P: Welcome aboard, my friend!
For those of you who don't know Craig, he wrote a book about it -
Football's Blackest Hole
Wanna read it? Here it is.
Atkinson's attitude is what I'm talkin' 'bout!
The knock out contests between George and Jack are legendary.
Unfortunately, the rule makers have legislated much of the ferocity out of the game and it leaves loud mouths like Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens unchecked in their @$$clown buffoonery of self promotion.
The Soul Patrol woulda nipped that in the bud, baby!
Great Read Stickem...
Mr Raider is Jim Otto, and Brown couldn't carry his Jock Strap for
toughness..
Uncle Big Mike:
Much love to ya. Ever notice the one guy sitting in front of Al Davis in the owner's box is Jim Otto? Looks a lot like a Center in front of his QB, no?
There is only one Jim Otto, the same way there is only one Al Davis.
Great job Stickem, like always...
Blackened
Great Article. Which is why I think Freddie B. is the Greatest Raider receiver.
He wasn't fast, he wasn't big, he had to use stickum to help him catch the ball, but he worked harder than anyone.
He wasn't afraid to go across the middle knowing the LB's and DB's could rip his head off. He would also get up after a catch and rub it in the defenders face.
TO and TB wouldn't have a chance in that era.
SVRNBLK
SVRNBLK:
I think Freddie B's use of stickum was more of a psychological advantage to him than something physically neccessary for him to make those catches.
Lester always said he used Stickum to help him adhere to the receiver with his bump'n'run technique more so than to help him catch an INT.
Freddie was an intense dude. Chain smoking during half time...throwing up before the game...wearing the flimsiest set of pads possible to make him faster, at least in his mind...
All those psychological advantages helped because Freddie was willing to do anything that might make give him and advantage, even if they really weren't tangibly significant.
Sad to see today the bump'n'run has been legislated out of the game and the receivers don't have the cajones the old school receivers had to have to survive in that era.
I miss the old style of the game, but whatta ya gonna do?
Speaking of Freddie B. and his countless idiosyncrasies, below is an excerpt from Pat Toomay's ESPN Page 2 series on the Raiders (http://espn.go.com/page2/s/toomay/021007.html)
"The issue was the League Uniform Code. Sometime in the mid-'70s, the league decided "to create consistency in the appearance of its product" (product being the players). The policy targeted idiosyncratic alterations players made to uniforms, such as strapping white adhesive across the tops of stockings, or allowing shirts to come untucked during games. After defining rules, the league dispatched inspectors. Infractions were noted. Fines were levied. The fines escalated with continued noncompliance.
Of course, of all the teams in the NFL, the Raiders were among the worst adulterators. Of all the Raiders, the most profligate offender was Fred Biletnikoff. How Fred felt in his uniform was of vital importance to him, so getting dressed for a game acquired the intensity and feeling of a sacred ritual. First, Fred would hold his game pants up to the light. Carefully inspecting them, he'd snip off every little extraneous hanging thread. His pants had to come to just over his knees, so he'd cut them in back for more freedom. He wore his black understockings just over his calves, so the flesh was bare to the knee.
Then he'd go through the ceremony of selecting and spatting his game shoes. Spatting was when you wrapped white tape around your shoes; the resulting look was like those 1920s dandies who wore spats. Once that was done, Freddy would tape a crucifix under his flimsy shoulder pads. Then he'd tape his wrists and spray the tape with Stickum. Finally, he'd yank on his helmet and begin the endless process of adjusting his chin strap.
During all of this, Snake and Pete "Rooster" Banaszak would harass him unmercifully. They'd hide his shoes or lace them wrong. Or after he was dressed, Pete, winking at Snake, would say, "Jeez, what happened? Your uniform looks like crap today!" At which point, Freddy would take everything off and start all over again. "Be a little more careful," Snake would tell him.
CJ: Ya know what is funny?
Jack Tatum, another one of the biggest offenders of dress codes in his day in addition to Freddie B, had a gig in the NFL Uniform Code Enforcement Team--or “fashion police”--as it is commonly known, ensuring players adhere to the dress code standard of the NFL.
http://www.raidersonline.org/jack-tatum.php
How's that for irony?
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