Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best pass rushers of all-time

Best pash rushers in Las Vegas Raiders history: 13. Lyle Alzado

To fully grasp who Lyle Alzado was, I would suggest watching the “A Football Life” that chronicles his life and career. It is an incredible film. I will do my best to give a short snippet, but I won’t come close to doing him justice.

Ferocious. Tenacious. Unrelenting. Gentle giant. All of these words have been used to describe the late Alzado. Obviously, the first three refer to him with a helmet on (or off, as it often was) with the last referring to his temperament off the field.

His intensity on the field stemmed from childhood trauma, as he experienced an abusive relationship with his father. But he never let that rage and anger impact his actions in the locker room or off the field, evidence by nearly every interview with Alzado’s former teammates.

By the time Alzado made his way to then Los Angeles, he had spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns. After a relatively unsuccessful stint with the Browns, Alzado seemed to be on his way out. However, playing with the Raiders revived the Alzado who had previously tormented the league with the Broncos.

The powerful defensive end joined the Raiders at the age of 33 in 1982, when sacks first became recorded. In the next four seasons, Alzado would record 23 sacks and two safeties. He also helped the Raiders win the Super Bowl at the end of the 1983 season.

For his career, it is estimated that Alzado tallied 112.5 sacks. It should come as no surprise that Alzado finds his way to this list. If he had spent more time with the Silver and Black, Alzado would be much higher on this ranking.

Alzado passed from terminal brain cancer in 1992 at the age of 43, convinced that his admitted steroid use was the cause.