Las Vegas Raiders: 50 greatest players in franchise history

Admittedly, it’s tough to decide who is the Raiders greatest quarterback of all-time. Jim Plunkett won two Super Bowls. Daryle Lamonica won two MVPs. Rich Gannon won an MVP. Derek Carr has already made it to three Pro Bowls in four years. However, we’re going to have to give it to the only Pro Football Hall of Famer of the bunch. That would be “The Snake” Ken Stabler.

Stabler was a brilliant southpaw quarterback, who helped bring in the modern art of the vertical pass when he was running the show in Oakland. He might have been a sensational collegiate quarterback while at Alabama with his “Run in the Mud”, but The Snake is what made the Raiders’ offense go so well in the 1970s. From the “Ghost to the Post”, to the “Holy Roller”, to the “Sea of Hands” plays, Stabler was there for all of it.

He was a four-time Pro Bowler in his 10 seasons with the Raiders. In 1974, he was not only an All-Pro but the NFL MVP. That year, he completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 2,469 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Stabler led the league in completion percentage twice and touchdowns twice. In 1976, Stabler would quarterback the Silver and Black to their first Super Bowl Championship over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI.

It took way too long, but Stabler would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. However, it was posthumous, as Stabler would pass away in 2015 at age 69. His Canton classmates include Edward DeBartolo Jr., Tony Dungy, Brett Favre, and Kevin Greene. In 10 years with the Raiders, Stabler went 69-26-1 as a starter, completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 19,078 yards, 150 touchdowns, and 143 interceptions.