Las Vegas Raiders Legend Tim Brown Speaks Out on Team
The Las Vegas Raiders' first season under new Coach Josh McDaniels would seem to be almost doomed after a disappointing 1-4 start, losing the four games by a total of 14 points.
Not necessarily so, according to Tim Brown, the Raiders' legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver.
“@ Raiders, as a fan now, I truly believe if we play at this level the next 12 games, we’ll be in the playoffs!” Brown wrote in a post on his Twitter page after Sunday night’s 29-28 loss to the Kansas City Chief. “The year we went to the Super Bowl, we started 4-0, then lost 4 straight! Guys gotta stay strong and stay together!”
Those 2002 Raiders, led by Brown and quarterback Rich Gannon, won five straight games and seven of the last eight to finish the season at 11-5, before beating the New York Jets, 30-10, in an AFC Divisional playoff game, and then defeated the Tennessee Titans, 41-24, in the AFC Championship Game, both at the Oakland Coliseum.
However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed the Raiders, 48-21, in Super Bowl XXXVII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego after Oakland’s All-Pro center, Barret Robbins, went AWOL the week of the game—but that’s a story for another day.
Last season, the Raiders were 5-2 before losing three consecutive games and five of the next six in sliding to 6-7, but quarterback Derek Carr and kicker Daniel Carlson lead them to four straight come-from-behind victories over the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers to finish at 10-7 to make the playoffs.
But the magic came to an end when the Cincinnati Bengals downed the Raiders, 26-19, in an AFC Wild Card game at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, even though Carr passed for 310 yards and a touchdown, while Carlson kicked field goals of 47, 28, 34 and 28 yards.
The best comeback season in Silver and Black history came under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Flores in 1980, when the Raiders lost three of four games to drop to 2-3, and starting quarterback Dan Pastorini was knocked out for the season in that fifth game because of a knee injury. Jim Plunkett replaced Pastorini, and with the help of Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Cliff Branch and others, the Raiders won six straight games and nine of the last 11 to reach the playoffs at 11-5.
“I had to convince myself that I was ready,” said Plunkett, who was ready enough to lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories in four years. “I sat on the bench for two years, which was very difficult. I had to try out for the Raiders—and I never had to do that for anybody, ever. Getting cut by the 49ers was the lowest point in my career, if not my life.”
Plunkett lifted up himself and the Raiders, and they went on a brilliant post-season run.
The Raiders beat the Houston Oilers, 27-7, in an AFC Wild Card game at the Oakland Coliseum, slipped past the Cleveland Browns, 14-12, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in an AFC Divisional playoff game, and upset All-Pro quarterback Dan Fouts and the San Diego Chargers, 34-27, as Plunkett passed for two touchdowns and ran for one in the AFC Championship Game at San Diego Stadium.
In Super Bowl XV at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Fla., it was no contest from the start, as the Raiders built a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter and rolled to a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Plunkett passed for touchdowns of two and 29 yards to Branch while running back Kenny King caught two passes for 93 yards, including an 80-yarder from Plunkett.
So longtime members of Raider Nation know that now is not the time to give up, but they keep the faith.
The Raiders have a bye week for Week 6 of the NFL season. They return to action in Week 7 when they host the Houston Texans. That game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. PDT and can be seen on CBS.
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