The Snake
Learning that one of the great Oakland Raider quarterbacks Kenny Stabler has passed away saddens me in not just the usual way. While pondering my thoughts on this situation, I realized there are many ideas and moments that I have shared with the one they called the "Snake." There are teams and there are symbols, and if any team had their symbol; Kenny Stabler was it for the Oakland Raiders. He was a one of a kind quarterback that drove many Raiders fans to the brink of exhaustion and the NFL to start scheming ways to stop the Oakland Raiders from being the best team in the NFL. It was not only his play that continues to inspire others as they watch what he did on youtube, but it has always sparked conversation between my father and I on how much fun the 1970's Oakland Raiders actually were.
Stabler was drafted out of Alabama, in the second round, and in 1972, he got his first chance to show why he would be considered a snake. It was late in the fourth quarter when he entered the game for Daryle Lamonica in the playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the Steelers 30-yard line, and down by six points, Stabler took off with the ball and didn't stop until he crossed the goal-line to take a 7-6 lead. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the next drive by Pittsburgh led to the Immaculate Reception.
He continued to showcase his magical touch. In 1974, the Oakland Raiders were playing the two-time Super Bowl champions Miami Dolphins. With just over two minutes left to play in regulation the Dolphins took the lead on a touchdown run by Benny Malone who swept right end, ducked under a couple of tackle attempts along the sideline, and bounced 23 yards to give Miami the lead again 26-21. The Raiders, Ron Smith, took the kickoff and was eventually tackled at the 32 yard-line. The next possession would need to take Oakland 68-yards with two minutes and all three -timeouts remaining. Kenny Stabler strapped up his helmet after conferring with John Madden and drove the Raiders down the field to the eight-yard line. Stabler took the snap then rolled left, and with defensive end Vern Den Herder clinging to Stabler and bringing him down by the legs, Stabler tossed the ball toward the end zone where running back Clarence Davis was crossing from right to left. In a "sea of hands," Davis grabbed onto the ball as several of the Miami Dolphins defense came crashing down on Davis. Clarence Davis then popped up with the ball in his hands and eventually gave the Raiders the win. Interesting enough, Davis finished the regular season with just 7 total receptions and one game-sealing playoff reception.
In 1977, the Oakland Raiders were facing the Baltimore Colts in the opening round playoff matchup in Baltimore. With about a minute left in the game and the Colts leading 31-28, Kenny Stabler, John Madden, and offensive coordinator, Tom Flores, huddled up to talk about the plan of attack. Flores called for a pass designed to go to one of the two wide receivers running "in" patterns, but told Stabler to "take a peek at the Ghost to the post", referring to a deep pattern by Casper down the field and then angling to the goal post.
When Kenny Stabler dropped back to pass he spotted Dave Casper running a deep post pattern. Stabler threw a high, arching pass that looked like a centerfielder going after a deep home run style moonshot. Somehow, Casper made a memorable change of direction, chase, and athletic over-the-head catch that became the signature moment for the game. Casper went down at the 14-yard line, setting up an Errol Mann field goal that tied the game and sent the game to overtime. It would take double-overtime to finally win the game for the Raiders on another pass from Stabler to Casper.
When the 1979 season rolled around the Oakland Raiders had lost their first game to the Kansas City Chiefs, and were behind the San Diego Chargers by six points (20-14) with 10 seconds left to go in the game. Once Stabler took the snap, he veered right, and Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe bringing him down. In a last desperate move, Stabler tossed the ball forward in a fumble like pass motion to Pete Banaszak, Banaszsak realizing he is getting tackled tossed the ball forward toward Dave Casper and the goal line. There about three yards out, Casper began kicking the football in tiny chops in the end zone and fell upon it once it reached there. Massive confusion rang out, the time expired, and the Raiders had won. As the great Bill King said on the radio.
"The ball, flipped forward, is loose! A wild scramble, two seconds on the clock, Casper grabbing the ball—it is ruled a fumble! Casper has recovered in the end zone! The Oakland Raiders have scored on the most zany, unbelievable, absolutely impossible dream of a play. ... Madden is on the field. He wants to know if it's real. They said yes, get your big butt out of here! He does! ... There's nothing real in the world anymore! The Raiders have won the football game! Fifty-two thousand people minus a few lonely Raider fans are stunned. ... This one will be relived forever!"
—Bill King, calling the play on KGO-AM
Ken Stabler learned the playbook by the light of the jukebox, and his light will forever shine as one of the greatest Raider quarterbacks of all-time.
Follow Me: @RFLRedZone
Information sourced from wikipedia
