Oakland Raiders: Top-20 players of the 21st Century
By Brad Weiss
Shane Lechler (2000-2012)
Between the 2000 and 2012 NFL seasons, the Oakland Raiders had one of the more consistent tandem of specialists the league has ever seen. Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler both became members of the Silver and Black thanks to the 2000 NFL Draft, with Janikowski going in the first round, and Lechler in the fifth.
What ensued was more than a decade of dominance from both players, but in Lechler, the Raiders had the best punter in the game. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Lechler was six times named an All-Pro, and a member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team due to his work as the punter for the Raiders.
The only punter enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is former Raiders punter Ray Guy, but you have to make the argument that Lechler could be the next in. He holds the NFL record for punting average with a 47.6 mark, and in 2009, he posted a ridiculous 51.1 average. It is pretty clear that he is one of the best punters the game has ever seen.