Derrick Burgess is marginal for this list.
Photo by Patrick A. Patterson
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Now that the candidates for the offensive side of the ball have been looked at, its time to take a look at the defense. Today's entry, the defensive line has an illustrious history in Silver and Black. For many years, these were the guys who lived and died by the motto "the quarterback must go down, and go down hard."
Ben Davidson: The big defensive lineman with the bushy handle bar mustache was a headache for opposing quarterbacks. His most famous moment was his spearing of Chiefs' quarterback Len Dawson that spurred a brawl between the two teams, however that was indicative of his style of play.
John Matuszak: "The Tooz" was the personification of everything Oakland Raiders. He played hard and partied harder. He had bounced around the league as a talented outcast who found his home in Oakland.
Otis Sistrunk: The famed graduate of the University of Mars was a disruptor in his own right, and was a key piece of Raider dominance in the 70s.
Howie Long: Long earned his way into the Hall of Fame by destroying opposing offensive players for 13 years. He accumulated 91.5 sacks along the way.
Reggie Kinlaw: Kinlaw is not the household name like these other guys, but he was the force in the middle of the Raiders 3-4 defense as they won Super Bowls XV and XVIII. He was a big part of the Raiders defense stifiling the running of John Riggins in XVIII.
Lyle Alzado: Alzado was the successor to the Tooz in being the madman of the Raiders defensive line. He combined with Long and Townsend to form a devastating pass rushing defensive line.
Greg Townsend: Townsend is the Raiders career leader in sacks. After the retirement of Alzado, he and Long formed a fearsome pass rushing duo..
Chester McGlockton: With the negativity surrounding his departure from the Silver and Black in free agency, it is easy to forget just how good he was. In his six years as a Raider he was named All Pro 3 times and played in four Pro Bowls.
Derrick Burgess: Burgess is one of the top sack leaders in Raider history. When the Raiders brought him over from the Eagles, he flourished by having consecutive Pro Bowl seasons with double digit sacks.
You can also find Patrick Patterson on Thoughts from the Dark Side.
Comments
Another guy worth mentioning is Bill Pickel. During his eight seasons as a Raider, he compiled 454 tackles and 53 sacks ( 36.5 of those in a 3 year span, '84 - '86)
Kick McGlockton off the list. He didn't make his linemates better, even when he played well. But even if he stays, Tom Keating has got to be on the list. There is never an 11 Angry Men without Keating. He brought the mastiness to the front 4 that the team sustained through the mid-80s.
I agree with raidersrocker, its a crime that Bill Pickel is not on this list. I would take Derrick Burgess off this list as he is one dimensional and injury prone. When I think of a great linemen, he must do more than rush the passer. Burgess name mentioned with the others must be a joke.
I would add Rod Coleman; He is often overlooked because he was mainly a reserve but was a fierce pass rusher from the inside which was something opposing defenses often forgot to account for. Bill Pickel, Tom Keating, and Darrell Russell are worth mentioning as well.
Don't get me wrong they were all worthy picks, but sometimes it's hard to say who was better than who.
For the life of me I could not remember Keating's name last night.
Can make a strong case for Pickel, and that is the beauty of articles like this, they are fun to debate over.
Thanks all for your feedback.
Anthony Smith had some great games. He deserves an honorable mention. Russell Maryland also.
Why did we let La'roi Glover go? He would have been on this list.
Burgess what are you crazy two good stat years and many loosing seasons and you put him on the list come on he was no better than LAnce Johnstone, Anthony Smith, Scott Davis etc. and they do not deserve to be on the list either. You shouldhave ended the list at Townsend
Bill Pickel was the starter for the SB with Washington, wasn't he?
Tom Keating has to be on this list. Played in Super Bowl II against Green Bay with a torn Achilles tendon and had a great game.
Drop Burgess from the list. Bill Pickel and Grady Jackson deserve to be mentioned way more than Burgess.
How about Ike Lassiter and Carlton Oates? They helped win alot of games in the late sixties, early seventies.
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