Intimidation is baked into the DNA of the Raiders. It's why so many of us fell in love with this great team.
The legendary Al Davis liked a certain kind of player on his Silver and Black squads, and he employed coaches who knew how to get these casts of characters all rowing in the same direction. Maybe not as much lately, but the Raiders of Oakland and Los Angeles were menacing, violent and fearless.
In the franchise's illustrious history, there has been no shortage of castoffs, rejects and discarded players who have found a home and thrived with the Raiders. At the heart of all of it was a relentless commitment to letting these men be themselves. And again, these men were often quite threatening.
So, after going through the 25 best players of the Al Davis era, let's now rank the most intimidating.
The 25 most intimidating Raiders of all time, from Oakland to LA to Las Vegas
Honorable Mentions: Lincoln Kennedy, Richard Seymour, Kelechi Osemele, Chester McGlockton, Darrell Russell, Nnamdi Asomugha, Al Davis, The Black Hole
25. Tim Brown
Brown may not have been intimidating in the way that others on this list were, but you better believe that "Touchdown Timmy Brown" struck fear into those who tried to cover him. He has almost double the receptions and receiving yards as the player with the next-most in franchise history, and nearly 30 more touchdowns. He wasn't an imposing player who beat the life out of his opponents in a physical way, but Brown's long-term dominance took a toll on them and made him terrifying to guard.
24. Cliff Branch
Branch was intimidating in the same way as Brown, with his pure ability on the football field. His speed was something to behold, and he truly was the ultimate deep threat and dynamic player. Fred Biletnikoff may have gotten more attention, but nobody could quite change a game with the snap of his fingers like Branch. Just ask the old Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins if they still have Super Bowl-related nightmares about Branch. Sounds like fear to me.
23. Willie Brown
Brown, like the previous two, was intimidating to opponents because of what he could do between the lines. If you threw the ball toward his side of the field, there was a good chance that Brown was plucking it out of the air and taking it the other way. He always came through in the biggest moments and truly defined a shutdown corner that locked down an entire boundary. Brown invented the physical bump-and-run coverage that gave the league fits, so he frightened his share of foes.
22. Bo Jackson
Jackson had a reputation for being somewhat of a mean guy, and the mystique of the two-sport star was enough to intimidate everyone that he went up against. He was a legitimate folk hero who would mow defenders down and leave them flat on their backs. Jackson wasn't afraid of contact; he welcomed it. With his impeccable frame, who could blame him? And who could blame an opponent for not wanting a piece of one of the biggest beasts that the running back position has ever seen?
21. Khalil Mack
Mack was the greatest defensive player in the world for a multi-year stretch while he donned the Silver and Black, which gave rival offensive coordinators headaches. And as the game went on, Mack got better; he constantly closed out contests with a strip sack or some kind of havoc-wreaking play. He is a physical specimen with overbearing power that could throw a wrench into any situation with his immense skill set. Mack was intimidating to look at and even more intimidating to face in his prime.
20. Maxx Crosby
Crosby is a classic Raider in so many ways, and it has been hard for him to be intimidating with such a poor record. Still, Crosby is quite petrifying for opponents, as his long wingspan engulfs offensive linemen and he constantly gets his hands on the quarterback, whether it is during the play or after. His rowdy energy and relentless spirit have been a beacon of hope for the downtrodden Silver and Black, but look at any adversary's blocking scheme and game plan, and tell me Crosby isn't feared.
19. Eddie Anderson
Anderson may not be one of the more heralded players in NFL or Raiders history, but we're talking about intimidation here. He was like a one-man Soul Patrol hovering in the secondary during the late 80s and for most of the 90s, as Anderson went for the knockout punch if someone came across the middle - and I'm not talking about forcing a fumble. Anderson once knocked a receiver out cold and slapped the ground like a WWE countdown next to him. Surely, folks thought twice about trying him.
18. Charles Woodson
Woodson was the best of both worlds for the Raiders, as he could lay the boom on a route-runner or ball carrier but also made quarterbacks hesitate when targeting him. He was a walking takeaway for the Oakland defense, both in his first and second stint with the team. Receivers knew who they were facing when he was a corner, and knew who was over the top when he was a safety. Woodson was both imposing in a physical sense, and his play took a mental toll on his opponents. Certified legend.
17. Otis Sistrunk
Sistrunk didn't go to college (Well, he did at the "University of Mars"), but what he lacked in football acumen, he made up for with unbelievable physical ability. He was literally an alien at the time with his unheard-of combination of size, speed and agility. The former marine was arguably the hardest hitter on the Raiders' defensive front at the time, which is saying something, as Sistrunk put people into and through the turf more times than fans could count. A hit from him would be felt for days.
16. Matt Millen
Millen was a rule-bender who kept the days of the Badass Raiders alive in some form during the 1980s. If he could get away with anything after the whistle or that the referees did not see, Millen was going to do it. And one time after a heated game against the New England Patriots, their GM got into a verbal altercation with Howie Long. Millen promptly punched the GM, Patrick Sullivan, in the face and gave him stitches, which "made him see stars." Millen was not somebody to be messed with.
15. Howie Long
You may not know it now by listening to him in the broadcast booth, but Long was a savage during his playing days as a Los Angeles Raider. Long, as we mentioned, was getting into altercations with other GMs after games and had a reputation for mixing it up, causing countless little scuffles and fights alongside his teammates. He was a bruising player who also intimidated opponents with his ability, as he's a Hall of Famer and second all-time in sacks for the Silver and Black.
14. Ted Hendricks
Hendricks wasn't a career member of the Silver and Black, but he had the ultimate Raider attitude. At 6-foot-7, Hendricks was intimidating from the standpoint of his physical stature, but he also slammed defenders into the ground with a ferocity that was unrivaled. Hendricks was known for tossing the occasional (or maybe frequent) elbow to the throat of someone blocking him. Kickers also knew that he was bound to block their kicks. It got the point that teams didn't run plays at "Kick 'em."
13. Art Shell
Shell wasn't intimidating in the way that a lot of others on this list were. He wouldn't cheap-shot anyone or start unnecessary altercations; he wasn't looking for brawls. Shell was just a big and imposing presence on the field, and he made a habit of bulldozing defenders. He was a fierce competitor and a dominant player, and that's why he was feared. Shell was also a good head coach for a number of years, and frightened opponents in that realm as well.
12. Ronnie Lott
Lott would be a good bit higher on this list if he had played with the Raiders longer, but his reputation as an intimidator in the secondary precedes him anyway. The worst part about catching a ball in Lott's area wasn't that he was going to lay you out, but that he wasn't going to get flagged for it either. He was a textbook clean but hard hitter who would whoop you in a legal way that was entirely within the rules. He'd take away the ball as well. Everyone had to know where he was, for ball security and safety.
11. John Matuszak
Matuszak, or "Tooz," was as fierce as they come. In a more tragic sense, he scared a lot of people with his reckless behavior and lifestyle off the field, but when it came to ball, he was hell-bent on mixing it up with his opponents, too. He was an enforcer who would frequently bend the rules to get his licks in, and at a whopping 6-foot-8, Tooz was bound to make people pay. He once picked up an opposing player and literally threw him aside. Matuszak was a monstrous player who didn't care for being clean.
10. Lester Hayes
Hayes was truly one of a kind. Not only did teams hate throwing his way because he was such an incredible cornerback and they feared his ridiculous ball skills, but nobody wanted to be covered in stickum after getting into it with him. He covered his body in the stuff before the league changed its rules. And Hayes would also headbutt receivers at the line of scrimmage to knock the wind out of them, and if that didn't work, he'd target their neck and head until they relented.
He was called dirty and a cheater more times than anyone could count, but Hayes was a true outlaw who struck immense fear into opponents.
9. Gene Upshaw
Upshaw is another classic Raider who was just tough and nasty. He exploited the notoriously lax rules of the time and threw defenders around to help the offense gain yards, and nobody wanted to take on the legendary guard. He, too, used the clubs on his hands to hurt his foes, as he essentially had two rocks on his hands that, when paired with his immense strength, could do some serious damage. He was a stalwart trash talker who laid out defenders on pulling plays, and his body was ahead of its time.
8. Jim Otto
Otto may just be the toughest player in NFL history, and for that reason, he was equal parts revered and intimidating. The Original Raider played with an intensity that was second to none, as the undersized and once unwanted center carved out a heck of a career and became arguably the greatest player in franchise history. He countered his small size with the "six-inch punch," which may not be dirty but certainly kept defenders at bay. Nobody wanted to mess with or line up against Otto.
7. Phil Villapiano
Foo embodied what it meant to be a Raider. And what I mean by that is that he took every opportunity that was technically within the rules to beat the hell out of his opponents and gain an edge, in that order. Whether it was the corkscrew tackles where he twisted opponents' helmets off or him using a plaster cast to put a weapon on his hand to inflict pain on offensive players, Villapiano was a feared man on the football field. He was a hard-hitter who threw his body at foes in a clean and legal way.
6. Steve Wisniewski
Wisniewski was a prototypical interior offensive lineman with a mean streak in him. Not only was he a tremendous talent, but he played with a nastiness that was reminiscent of the old-school Raiders. Fines were a regular occurrence for Wisniewski, as in the more modern era of the NFL, his physical play style did not mesh with the evolving league rules. But he was going to bust a defender up one way or another to protect his quarterback and pave lanes for his running back, even if it meant taking out the knees or doing something that most people would classify as "dirty."
Side note: It is a travesty that Wiz is not wearing a gold jacket. Shame on the Hall of Fame voting committee.
5. Ben Davidson
Davidson was a massive defensive player and quite the character off the field, but on the gridiron, he was a certified psycho. He made a habit of taking people's heads off, and he laid one of the dirtiest hits ever on Len Dawson, which led to a monumental Raiders-Chiefs brawl. He was the king of the late hit and targeting people after the play, so much so that the "Ben Davidson rule" came into effect, which barred players from making contact with opponents who were out of bounds or out of the play.
4. George Atkinson
Atkinson was one of the hearts of Soul Patrol, as he was a strict enforcer on the back end of the defense. One thing was clear when Atkinson was hovering over the top: You were going to get cracked if you were in the same zip code as him. Chuck Noll once said that Atkinson brought a "criminal element" to the game after a ferocious hit on Lynn Swan that might get him kicked out of the league today. "The Hitman" was a bad, bad dude and it is horrifying to watch the hits he laid down.
3. Bill Romanowski
Romanowski was truly unhinged and was once heralded as one of the dirtiest players in all of pro sports. He was constantly embroiled in controversy and couldn't make it through a game without an altercation. Romanowski kicked people in the head. He broke their jaw on helmet-to-helmet hits. He spit in people's faces. He threw punches. He ripped helmets off. He threw balls at people's groin area. He ended a teammates's career during a scrimmage by crushing his eye socket with a punch.
Nobody would say that Romanowski was a good guy. But he as was intimidating as they come.
2. Lyle Alzado
Alzado was a true mad man who channeled the emotions of a tough childhood into every hit he made at the NFL level. Offensive linemen admitted that they were afraid to play against him, simply for health reasons. Alzado clearly had a temper on the football field, as he was always getting into fights after the play and ripping off players' helmets (or his own) and throwing them. He was apparently a gentle guy off the field, but his admitted steroid usage turned him into a brute ogre on the field who relished in hurting his opponents.
1. Jack Tatum
Tatum was nicknamed "The Assassin" and literally paralyzed Darryl Stingley. He never apologized for it, either. And while that is nothing to glorify, it says everything about the kind of player that he was for the Raiders. Tatum levied bone-crushing hits on his opponents and simply didn't care if he or anyone else got hurt. He was on the football field to inflict as much pain as he possibly could on his foes.
"The harder I hit them, the better I can do the job," Tatum once said.
He did his job better than anybody in Raiders history, which makes him the most intimidating.
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