Post by TheShadow on Dec 14, 2003 11:09:55 GMT -5
www.oaklandtribune.com
'Mad Bomber' steered offense under Al Davis
By Dave Newhouse STAFF WRITER
Rich Gannon was 2 years old when another passing-mad Oakland Raiders
quarterback was named his league's Most Valuable Player.
Only that league was the American Football League, and the quarterback was
Daryle Lamonica, the "Mad Bomber" of the Raiders' first Super Bowl team.
The year was 1967, and Lamonica was named the AFL's MVP after his first
season in Oakland following four idle years as a backup in Buffalo.
"When you win an MVP award," Lamonica said from his home in Clovis, "you
have to have an outstanding year, but you have to play with great athletes.
That happened to me, and I'm sure Rich would say the same thing."
And that's exactly what Gannon did say last Wednesday when introduced as the
NFL's Most Valuable Player -- the third Raider to be so honored following
Ken Stabler in 1974 and Marcus Allen in 1985.
But it should be noted that in the AFL's 10-year history, a Raider was named
league MVP three times. Running back Clem Daniels was honored in 1963 when
the franchise turned around in Al Davis' first year as head coach. Then
Lamonica was honored twice, in 1967 and 1969, the AFL's final season.
"We put the ball down the field," Lamonica said. "I had the ability to throw
the ball deep, and I was tough enough to take the hits. Al's philosophy was
to complete one of three passes for 15 yards instead of three 5-yard passes.
We liked the vertical game."
In'67, Lamonica completed 220 of 425 passes (51.8) for3,227 yards and 30
touchdowns, with 23 interceptions. In'69, he connected on 221 of 426 passes
for 3,302 yards, 34 touchdowns, with 25 interceptions.
If Lamonica was the Mad Bomber, then Gannon must be the "Maniacal Bomber."
He has thrown 618 passes this season, completing 418 (67.6 percent) for
4,689 yards, 26 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions.
"He has given veteran leadership to the offense," Lamonica said of Gannon.
"I had great receivers in Warren Wells, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch and
Billy Cannon at tight end. And Rich has outstanding receivers in Jerry Rice,
Tim Brown, Jerry Porter and Doug Jolley.
"Sid Gillman started it all, putting two wide receivers on one side of the
field and throwing to the tight end down the middle. The reason the Raiders
are successful, we've always had great tight ends. Jolley reminds me of a
young Mike Ditka."
Strong leadership, the kind that Gannon exudes, is one reason why Lamonica
feels these Raiders have a definite shot at winning the Super Bowl.
The Raiders during Lamonica's years with the team (1967-1974) went a long
way, but with only one Super Bowl appearance to show for it -- a 33-14
defeat to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers during that'67 season.
"Jerry Kramer told me afterwards that the old man -- that's how he referred
to Lombardi -- told the team beforehand that it was his last game," Lamonica
recalled. "Jerry said that really pumped the team up, and it would have been
hard for any team to beat them that day.
"Bart Starr shook my hand after the game and said, 'You're a young team, and
you're going to be around for a while.'"
That was so true, but it would be nine years between Super Bowls for the
Raiders, who would lose six AFC Championship Games in between.
Nevertheless, before Lamonica came to Oakland, the Raiders were an
awful-to-above-average football team. He made them special with his strong
arm and his persistence that a touchdown was merely a 50-yard strike away.
He actually hadn't far to go to get to Oakland, geographically, because he
grew up in Clovis, a farming community near Fresno. He played in the Little
League World Series in 1953, and was selected California's best prep
quarterback in 1958, earning him a scholarship to Notre Dame.
But his professional career was going nowhere in Buffalo as he languished
behind Jack Kemp, who would go on to greater fame in politics as Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development and Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996
presidential election when they were blitzed by Bill Clinton.
Davis tried for two years to acquire Lamonica before the trade was made that
sent quarterback Tom Flores -- yes, that Tom Flores -- and wide receiver Art
Powell to the Bills for Lamonica and receiver Glenn Bass.
"It was up to Daryle to get our passing game going," Davis said not long
after the trade. "He seems to be doing it sooner than we had expected."
Good enough to become MVP. Lamonica retired as the Raiders' all-time passing
leader before his successor, Stabler, broke all of his records.
"He probably could throw the short patterns better than anyone," Lamonica
said of Stabler.
But no Raider ever threw the deep ball better than Lamonica.
'Mad Bomber' steered offense under Al Davis
By Dave Newhouse STAFF WRITER
Rich Gannon was 2 years old when another passing-mad Oakland Raiders
quarterback was named his league's Most Valuable Player.
Only that league was the American Football League, and the quarterback was
Daryle Lamonica, the "Mad Bomber" of the Raiders' first Super Bowl team.
The year was 1967, and Lamonica was named the AFL's MVP after his first
season in Oakland following four idle years as a backup in Buffalo.
"When you win an MVP award," Lamonica said from his home in Clovis, "you
have to have an outstanding year, but you have to play with great athletes.
That happened to me, and I'm sure Rich would say the same thing."
And that's exactly what Gannon did say last Wednesday when introduced as the
NFL's Most Valuable Player -- the third Raider to be so honored following
Ken Stabler in 1974 and Marcus Allen in 1985.
But it should be noted that in the AFL's 10-year history, a Raider was named
league MVP three times. Running back Clem Daniels was honored in 1963 when
the franchise turned around in Al Davis' first year as head coach. Then
Lamonica was honored twice, in 1967 and 1969, the AFL's final season.
"We put the ball down the field," Lamonica said. "I had the ability to throw
the ball deep, and I was tough enough to take the hits. Al's philosophy was
to complete one of three passes for 15 yards instead of three 5-yard passes.
We liked the vertical game."
In'67, Lamonica completed 220 of 425 passes (51.8) for3,227 yards and 30
touchdowns, with 23 interceptions. In'69, he connected on 221 of 426 passes
for 3,302 yards, 34 touchdowns, with 25 interceptions.
If Lamonica was the Mad Bomber, then Gannon must be the "Maniacal Bomber."
He has thrown 618 passes this season, completing 418 (67.6 percent) for
4,689 yards, 26 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions.
"He has given veteran leadership to the offense," Lamonica said of Gannon.
"I had great receivers in Warren Wells, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch and
Billy Cannon at tight end. And Rich has outstanding receivers in Jerry Rice,
Tim Brown, Jerry Porter and Doug Jolley.
"Sid Gillman started it all, putting two wide receivers on one side of the
field and throwing to the tight end down the middle. The reason the Raiders
are successful, we've always had great tight ends. Jolley reminds me of a
young Mike Ditka."
Strong leadership, the kind that Gannon exudes, is one reason why Lamonica
feels these Raiders have a definite shot at winning the Super Bowl.
The Raiders during Lamonica's years with the team (1967-1974) went a long
way, but with only one Super Bowl appearance to show for it -- a 33-14
defeat to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers during that'67 season.
"Jerry Kramer told me afterwards that the old man -- that's how he referred
to Lombardi -- told the team beforehand that it was his last game," Lamonica
recalled. "Jerry said that really pumped the team up, and it would have been
hard for any team to beat them that day.
"Bart Starr shook my hand after the game and said, 'You're a young team, and
you're going to be around for a while.'"
That was so true, but it would be nine years between Super Bowls for the
Raiders, who would lose six AFC Championship Games in between.
Nevertheless, before Lamonica came to Oakland, the Raiders were an
awful-to-above-average football team. He made them special with his strong
arm and his persistence that a touchdown was merely a 50-yard strike away.
He actually hadn't far to go to get to Oakland, geographically, because he
grew up in Clovis, a farming community near Fresno. He played in the Little
League World Series in 1953, and was selected California's best prep
quarterback in 1958, earning him a scholarship to Notre Dame.
But his professional career was going nowhere in Buffalo as he languished
behind Jack Kemp, who would go on to greater fame in politics as Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development and Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996
presidential election when they were blitzed by Bill Clinton.
Davis tried for two years to acquire Lamonica before the trade was made that
sent quarterback Tom Flores -- yes, that Tom Flores -- and wide receiver Art
Powell to the Bills for Lamonica and receiver Glenn Bass.
"It was up to Daryle to get our passing game going," Davis said not long
after the trade. "He seems to be doing it sooner than we had expected."
Good enough to become MVP. Lamonica retired as the Raiders' all-time passing
leader before his successor, Stabler, broke all of his records.
"He probably could throw the short patterns better than anyone," Lamonica
said of Stabler.
But no Raider ever threw the deep ball better than Lamonica.