Raiders' Haynes Had Wide Receivers Cornered
The Los Angeles Raiders knew what a great cornerback was, having had one in Hall of Famer Willie Brown. They understood that there was another one on their team when Mike Haynes signed as a free agent with the Silver and Black in 1983.
Haynes hooked up with Lester Hayes, another great one, and they are considered to be the best cornerback duo to play for the Raiders and, perhaps, the best in NFL history.
“If they’re not (the best corner tandem), I would want to know who is,” said Dennis Thurman, who was a standout cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys for eight seasons during the same era and later was a defensive coordinator for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
“When you played the Raiders during those days, it was difficult to get your wide receivers involved in the offense.”
That was most noticeable in Super Bowl XVIII, when the underdog Raiders trounced the Washington Redskins, 38-9, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Big-play wide receivers Charlie Brown and Art Monk were limited to four total catches by Haynes and Hayes, three by Brown and one by Monk.
“Hayes and Haynes were the difference in the game,” Redskins General Manager Bobby Beathard said. “They completely shut down our wide receivers passing game, and I didn’t think there was a anybody who could do that, but they certainly did.”
The 6-2, 192-pound Haynes was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round (No. 5 overall) of the 1976 NFL Draft out of Arizona State and didn’t come to the Raiders until 1983, so he played opposite Hayes for only four seasons.
Hayes and Haynes combined with safeties Mike Davis and Vann McIlroy to give the Raiders a formidable secondary, which rivaled the Silver and Black’s famed “Soul Patrol” of Brown and Skip Thomas on the corners, with Jack Tatum and George Atkinson at safety.
Haynes, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, played in nine Pro Bowls, was selected to the All-Pro team six times, was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1976, NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1984, and was voted to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, the NFL 75th Anniversary Team, and the NFL 100th Anniversary Team.
The NFL did not keep track of individual tackles and passes defensed in those days, but Haynes had 46 interceptions in his career for 688 yards and two touchdowns, including a 97-yarder for a Raiders touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in 1984. He also returned two punts for touchdowns while with the Patriots.
However, he recognizes that Hayes was just as great and has been overlooked for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Lester was one of the best cornerbacks ever at intimidation,” Haynes said. “He really did go after people. As a cover man and in tackling, he was just phenomenal. “Lester was a great cornerback and should be in the Hall of Fame.”
Haynes made eight pass interceptions as a rookie with the Patriots, but that was his career-high, as, like Brown, quarterbacks learned quickly not to throw the football in their direction because the football might soon be going back the other way.
In addition to the 46 interceptions in his career, including 18 with the Raiders, Haynes forced 11 fumbles and recovered 11 in 177 career games between 1976 and 1989, scoring five touchdowns, two on punt returns of 89 and 62 yards.
Haynes played out his option with the Patriots in 1983 and went to the Raiders in November for No. 1 and No. 2 draft choices, arriving just in time to play the last five games of the regular season.
After that, Haynes played key roles in a 24-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the 1983 playoffs, a 21-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the American Football Conference Championship Game, and the 38-9 rout of the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.
The Raiders were 8-3 when Haynes arrived, including a 37-35 loss to the Redskins early in the season, but went 7-1 with him in the lineup. In the Super Bowl, Haynes and Hayes gave quarterback Joe Theismann virtually nowhere to throw the ball.
“I could see the fear in Theismann’s face,” Raiders defensive end Howie Long said.
Haynes was an All-Pro selection for the Raiders in 1977, 1978, 1982, 1984, and 1985.
In addition, Haynes was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, was ranked No. 93 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, and is No. 49 among the NFL Network’s Top 100 Greatest Players.
Of course, he’s also on the Raiders All-Time Team.
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