Raiders All-Time Top Five: Outside Linebackers

The Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas Raiders have an outstanding legacy of great players and today we look at the all-time great outside linebackers.

1. Ted Hendricks, 1975-1983

Hendricks was a star before he came to the Raiders, being selected All-Pro in 1971 and helping the Baltimore Colts win Super Bowl V with a 16-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The Colts went 14-2-1 in that 1970 season and the Raiders certainly noticed him when Baltimore beat them, 27-17, in the AFC Championship Game, especially when he sacked quarterback Daryle Lamonica. The 6-7, 220-pound Hendricks was drafted by the Colts in the second round (No. 15 overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft out of Miami (Fla.), where he was a three-time All-American, was named 1968 Lineman of the Year by United Press International and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after recording 327 tackles in three years and being voted into the Miami Hall of Fame. Hendricks had 347 tackles and 18½ sacks in his five seasons with the Colts, plus 11 interceptions for 147 yards in returns, and added five fumble recoveries for 31 yards and a touchdown. However, he played his final season in Baltimore without a contract and signed with the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League in 1975, but the WFL went bankrupt and the Colts traded him to the Green Bay Packers. He had 75 tackles, five interceptions, seven blocked kicks, and two sacks for the Pack to make All-Pro again. Then Managing General Partner Al Davis signed him to a free-agent contract and he had nine great seasons with the Silver and Black. Although statistics are incomplete for those years, we know he had at least 363 tackles and 60½ sacks, while blocking an NFL record 27 kicks in addition to making 26 interceptions with one returned for a touchdown and recovering 16 fumbles, one for a score, and making four tackles for safeties. Hendricks, who played in 215 games and never missed one in his career, was a key member of Raiders teams that won Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII, he made the Pro Bowl eight times and was a six-time All-Pro. In addition, he was selected to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990, his second year of eligibility. In his final game, the Raiders routed the Washington Redskins, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII. “I was always big on just being ready to play on Sunday, and then play like hell,” Coach John Madden said. “(Hendricks) was the epitome of that. He may do something goofy on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. But there was no one more ready to play when the game began.” Hendricks was known to be a little goofy, nicknamed “The Mad Stock” and “Kick ’em in the Head Ted,” and once rode a horse onto the Raiders practice field while wearing an old German Army helmet at training camp at the El Rancho Hotel in Santa Rosa, Calif. He also wore a huge harlequin mask over the bottom half of his face on the bench when they showed him on TV during a Monday Night Football Game. But when it was time to play, he was ready. Ted Hendricks was one of the best linebackers in NFL history.

2. Phil Villapiano, 1971-1979

Not only was Villapiano an outstanding player in his nine seasons with the Raiders, but he was also and remains one of the most popular players in franchise history, making public appearances and always having time for members of Raider Nation. The 6-2, 225-pound Villapiano was selected by the Silver and Black in the second round (No. 45 overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft out of Bowling Green State, where he was selected Mid-American Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Other than that, he was virtually unheralded until he played in the 1971 Senior Bowl in 1971, but he performed so well that he was voted into the Senior Bowl’s Hall of Fame. “I got invited to come to Mobile, Alabama,” Villapiano recalled. “I didn’t even know where Mobile, Alabama, was. I went down there and tackled everybody. I didn’t care if you were a guy in the street, I tackled you.”

Afterward, Managing General Partner Al Davis of the Raiders walked past him in the locker room and said: “Nice game,” and Villapiano had to ask who Davis was. “After (the Senior Bowl), I sensed I could make it in the NFL,” Villapiano said. “All the top prospects were there and I was making more tackles than any of them. And the draft was like two weeks later. I got 13 years in the NFL, and if I don’t come to the Senior Bowl, I wouldn’t have had any of them.” Not long afterward, Villapiano was a Raider, moved into the starting lineup in his first season, and was selected 1971 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and eventually was a four-time All-Pro. He fit right in with the mavericks on the Raiders and was a vicious tackler, in addition to being one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL because of his speed, and he played from sideline-to-sideline. Statistics for individual tackles were not compiled by the NFL back then, but had they been Villapiano certainly would have been among the league leaders virtually every year, as he finished many games in double digits. Villapiano also made 11 interceptions and returned them for 160 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown in 1972, in addition to recovering 17 fumbles. In the famous “Sea of Hands” playoff game against the Miami Dolphins in 1974, after the Raiders went ahead on Kenny Stabler’s miracle touchdown pass to Clarence Davis, Villapiano clinched the victory by intercepting a pass by Bob Griese. When the Raiders upset the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-7, in the 1976 AFC Championship Game, he made several tackles and a key play by sacking quarterback Terry Bradshaw. And two weeks later, he helped shut down the Minnesota Vikings’ running game with six tackles and also had a sack of quarterback Fran Tarkenton in the Raiders’ 32-14 victory in Super Bowl XI. Early in that game, linebacker Fred McNeill of the Vikings became the first NFL player to block a punt by Raiders legend Ray Guy and Minnesota took over on the Raiders three-yard-line. Two plays later, Villapiano hit running back Brent McClanahan and forced a fumble that fellow linebacker Willie Hall recovered. The Raiders dominated from then on. “We had them right where we wanted them,” Villapiano said afterward, and nobody understood. … They got rid of their receivers and brought in four tackles. Well, we knew there were only two plays they ran out of this set. As we watched the new players come in, I was saying ‘We got ’em right where we want ’em!’ Ron Yary, who’s normally a tackle, lined up across from me as a tight end. The instant the ball was snapped I was by him and into the backfield. As they handed the ball off, I stuck my face right in there and knocked the ball out of Brent McClanahan’s arms and we recovered.” Villapiano also was involved in one of the most controversial plays in Raiders history, as he was assigned to cover Franco Harris on the play in 1972 that is known as “The Immaculate Reception.” He claims he was clipped on the play, and the film seems to bear that out. Still, he has become close friends with Harris and calls him every Dec. 23, the anniversary of the game.

3. Rod Martin, 1977-1988

When Martin first came to the Raiders in 1977, he was a 6-2, 210-pound safety and they wound up trading him to the San Francisco 49ers, who also did not realize what they had and released him. Martin had offers from other teams, but waited for another offer from the Raiders because “I look good in Silver and Black.” Fortunately, it came and Martin bulked up to 225 pounds and wound up playing outside Hall of Fame linebacker Ted Hendricks for several seasons. He was almost an afterthought when the Raiders selected him in the 12th round (No. 337 overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft out of USC, where he was an All-Pacific 10 Conference safety and played a big role when the Trojans fell behind Notre Dame, 24-0, but rallied to win, 55-24, in 1974. Martin wound up playing 12 seasons with the Raiders, and again we don’t know how many tackles he made because they were not an official NFL statistic at the time, but he had at least 33½ sacks (although they were not an official stat until his fifth season), including a career-high 11 in 1984, in addition to making 10 fumble recoveries for 22 yards and two touchdowns including a 77-yarder that he returned for a score in 1984. He also made 14 interceptions that he returned for 225 yards and four touchdowns, but that was only during the regular season. Martin is most famous for making a record three interceptions of quarterback Ron Jaworski that he returned for 44 yards as the Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV. His record still stands, but he sweats it out every year, saying: “I’m getting to the point where if they get two and the game is over, I’m happy.” Martin jokes that a pre-game moment with cornerback Lester Hayes, who was famous for coating his hands and arms with stickum, led to his record performance, which has him tied with linebacker Chuck Howley for career interceptions in Super Bowl games. “All I did was shake hands with (Hayes) before the game,” Martin said. Quarterback Jim Plunkett was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player, but it just as easily could have been Martin, but some say it happened because the vote was taken in the press box before his final interception in the final minutes. Martin also made five tackles, a sack of quarterback Joe Theismann and a fumble recovery as the Raiders trounced the Washington Redskins, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII, but of course, the MVP in that game was Marcus Allen, who rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns, including a brilliant 74-yarder. In addition to his fumble recovery and sack, Martin broke up a third-down pass on the 7-yard line in the second quarter to force a field goal and tackled John Riggins for no gain on fourth down and one deep in Raiders territory on the last play of the third quarter. Martin also made the All-Pro team four times and played in the Pro Bowl in 1983 and 1984. Not bad for a guy who got cut and almost never played for the Raiders.

4. Khalil Mack, 2014-2017

Mack would be near the top of this list had he not demanded the Raiders trade him, which they did to the Chicago Bears in 2018, following a holdout in which he was seeking a new contract with the Silver and Black. Mack was dealt to the Bears for two first-round draft picks and signed a six-year, $141-million contract extension, becoming the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time. The 6-3, 260-pound Mack, who also plays defensive end and has been selected All-Pro at both positions, was drafted by the Raiders with the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Buffalo, where he was a first-team All-American, Middle American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-MAC selection. He is the only player from Buffalo ever selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and he stepped right into the starting lineup and made 76 total tackles, including 16 for losses, four sacks, 12 quarterback hits, three passes defended, and one fumble recovery to make the NFL All-Rookie Team. Mack only got better, making 77 total tackles, including 23 for losses, a career-high 15 sacks, 24 quarterback hits, and two fumble recoveries, in addition to making All-Pro and being selected to the Pro Bowl in his second season, when he became the only player to be selected All-Pro at two positions in the same season. During his four seasons in Silver and Black, Mack never missed a start in 64 games, amassed 304 total tackles, including 68 for losses, had 40.5 sacks, 84 quarterback hits, forced nine fumbles and recovered four, and intercepted a pass that he returned six yards for a touchdown. That interception against quarterback Cam Newton helped the Raiders to a 35-32 victory over the Carolina Panthers. In a 2015 game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, he sacked quarterback Brock Osweiler five times, tying the franchise record held by Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long in 1983. Mack was named 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, won the Butkus Award in 2016 and 2018 has made the All-Pro Team four times, was selected to play in six consecutive Pro Bowls, and was voted to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. In three seasons with the Bears, he has added 144 total tackles, including 29 for losses, 30 sacks, 45 quarterback hits, 14 forced fumbles and four recovered, and two interceptions including one that he returned for a touchdown. Mack has already been chosen one of the Top 100 Bears of All-Time and his 12½ sacks in 2018 were the most by any Bear since the great Richard Dent had that many in 1993. Of course, anyone who was paying attention saw this coming, because in four seasons at Buffalo he had 327 total tackles including an NCAA record-tying 75 for losses, 28.5 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, four passes intercepted for 148 yards in returns, 16 forced fumbles and four recovered and two blocked kicks. Mack has simply kept doing the same things, and it’s just too bad he’s not doing them for the Raiders anymore.

5. Gus Otto, 1965-1972

Otto, who is not related to all-time great Raiders center Jim Otto, is another forgotten star of the old American Football League. The 6-1, 220-pound Otto was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round (No. 27) overall in the 1965 AFL Draft out of Missouri and moved into the starting lineup in his first season and was selected to the AFL All-Rookie Team. Otto was a valuable member of the Eleven Angry Men of Defense, who in 1967 allowed the fewest yards rushing and the fewest rushing yards per attempt in the AFL, as well as being third in fewest passing yards allowed and second-fewest points. Those Raiders routed the Houston Oilers, 40-7, in the AFL Championship game, one of three title games Otto played in but lost to the Green Bay Packers, 33-14, in Super Bowl II, and he never made it back to the Super Bowl. Otto made a touchdown-saving tackle on running back Donny Anderson of the Packers on the two-yard line in the third quarter of that Super Bowl and made several other plays in the game. Green Bay held only a 13-7 lead right before halftime, but scored a touchdown in the final seconds and pulled away for the victory. We don’t know how many tackles and sacks Otto had in any season he played because they were not official statistics at the time, although the Raiders took down quarterbacks 67 times in that 1967 season. However, he intercepted six passes and returned them for 131 yards and two touchdowns—both as a rookie—in addition to recovering four fumbles as he started 95 of the 102 games he played in his Raiders career. Otto was selected as an AFL All-Star in 1967 and 1969, and made the All-Pro team four times, in addition to being chosen to the Raiders All-Time Team. Otto was rated as the 42nd best Raider of all time by Bleacher Report in 2011. Before joining the Raiders, Otto was a fullback and linebacker for Missouri from 1962-64, was a team captain and a senior, when he was an All-Big Eight Conference selection and made honorable mention All-American. A native of St. Louis, Otto was selected to Missouri’s All-Century team in 1990. Otto also overcame a serious health issue, undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2006, and still lives in his old hometown at the age of 77.

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