Remember when the Oakland Raiders' mottos were "Commitment to Excellence" and "Just Win, Baby?"
There was a time when those slogans held some truth. The Raiders were the only team to play in the Super Bowl in the 1960s, 1970s an 1980s, losing to Green Bay, 33-14, in Super Bowl II, beating Minnesota 32-14 in Super Bowl XI; Philadelphia 27-10 in Super Bowl XV; and Washington 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII. They made the playoffs 10 times from 1967-1977, reaching the AFL or AFC Championship game nine times during that span.
But times have changed, the Raiders haven't been to the playoffs since losing 48-21 to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVIII following the 2002 season. They haven't had a winning season since 2010 when they went 9-7 and have gone through 7 head coaches in the past 11 seasons and with the O.co Coliseum in bad shape, questions have been raised about their future in Oakland.
Not surprisingly, according to an NFL Nation Confidential survey posed to 100-plus players, the Raiders were listed as the least desirable team by 23 percent of the 82 players who filled out the survey, when asked the question, "The only way I'd play for [team name] is if they doubled my salary."
Following the Raiders were the Buffalo Bills at 19 percent; the Cleveland Browns at 16 percent, the Jacksonville Jaguars at nine percent and the Green Bay Packers at six percent.
The survey didn't sit well with current and former Raiders.
"I've never heard anybody that said they didn't want to play for the Raiders, so that's pretty shocking," said defensive back Charles Woodson. "I think you've got to take the attitude that if you didn't want to come here, it doesn't matter anyway. Over the years, I've known and talked to countless players that said, 'Man, I would love to come play in the silver and black.' So I think that poll might be kind of skewed."
Wide receiver Jacoby Ford, who played for the Raiders from 2011 to 2013 said outsiders are buying into perception, not reality. "I think people have a certain persona of the Raiders," Ford said. "When you've actually been in that organization, you know how it is. That statement isn't true. I've been in that organization. Anyone who came to the Raiders, it was always, 'I always wanted to be a Raider'. They love the silver and black."
However, one opposing player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the survey was accurate, alluding to the Raiders' reputation for overpaying aging veterans. "It's true. They've got a bunch of players who got double their salary."
Wonder how Raiders who played in the 1970s and 1980s when the Raiders were good such as Ken Stabler, Dave Casper, Howie Long and Jack Tatum feel about the survey's results?
Time to pay up
The Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions held a guaranteed-victory night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday night. The problem was the 5-4 Lions, failed to live up to their end of the deal against the 6-2 Roughriders, losing 20-16 when Tino Sunseri threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dan Clark at the end of the third quarter for the go-ahead touchdown.
As a result, the 33,196 fans at Saturday's game will receive a free ticket to a future game courtesy of team president Dennis Skulsky, who promised a Lions victory to the biggest crowd of the season at B.C. Place.
Given that Saskatchewan is the defending Grey Cup champion, maybe British Columbia should have chosen a different opponent.
"We're still the defending Grey Cup champs until somebody beats us," said Saskatechwan defensive lineman Ricky Foley. "Don't mess with the champs."
Sports quiz
Who holds the Oakland Raiders record for the most passing yards in a season?
Answer
Rich Gannon with 4,689 yards in 2002.
Sports on 08/26/2014