Post by TheShadow on Dec 9, 2007 8:23:50 GMT -5
www.packersnews.com
By Eric Goska
Oakland piled up 348 rushing yards
Up close and personal was the view Johnnie Gray had of the Oakland Raiders' run to victory on Sept. 17, 1978. The Packers free safety was credited with 12 solo tackles and one assist as John Madden's well-oiled machine rolled up 21 first downs rushing in a 28-3 blowout at Lambeau Field.
That Gray and fellow safety Steve Luke figured in more than 20 tackles provides some insight as to how well Oakland ran the ball. The Raiders rushed 58 times for 348 yards and slammed the door in the fourth quarter on two drives in which quarterback Ken Stabler didn't attempt a pass.
Green Bay started the year 2-0. But Oakland was a much stiffer test than either the Detroit Lions or New Orleans Saints, whom the Packers had beaten.
In 1977, the Raiders narrowly lost to the Broncos in the AFC championship game. A year earlier, they trounced the Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI.
One reason for their success was a powerful running game. Oakland, with a line featuring center Dave Dalby, guard Gene Upshaw and tackle Art Shell, ran more often for more first downs than any team in the NFL in 1977.
Only the Chicago Bears, with running back Walter Payton, gained more yards.
Conversely, coach Bart Starr's Packers were among the league's worst at stopping the run. They ranked 22nd, 20th and 24th in that area during Starr's first three years with the team.
Even with an imposing ground game at his disposal, Stabler threw often enough to get picked off four times against Green Bay. Linebacker John Anderson came up with two and cornerback Willie Buchanon and linebacker Mike Hunt each snagged one.
The Snake threw just six times after getting intercepted a third time. One was an 11-yard touchdown toss to tight end Dave Casper that moved Oakland in front 7-0 midway through the second quarter.
The next time out, Stabler handed off to Mark Van Eeghen, Terry Robiskie and Pete Banaszak as the Raiders drove 48 yards in six rushing plays. Robiskie's 11-yard run pushed Oakland's advantage to 14-0.
An 8-minute, 15-yard drive to open the second half ended with Errol Mann missing a 26-yard field goal. That miss and a 34-yard Chester Marcol field goal just before halftime meant Green Bay was still in the game when Anderson intercepted Stabler for a second time in the third quarter.
But after fullback Barty Smith lost a fumble early in the fourth quarter at the Oakland 15, the Raiders began pounding.
Gray figured in on eight tackles as the Raiders mounted two drives using 19 running plays that covered 146 yards to go up 28-3.
"We knew that somewhere we'd be able to run the ball against them," Madden said. "We weren't doing anything special. We were just blocking and running."