Fansided

Remembering Raiders QB great Ken Stabler, why he should be a HOF’er

By Jeff Weisinger

Dec 27, 2013; Alameda, CA, USA; General view of an Oakland Raiders helmet at press conference at Oakland Raiders Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2013; Alameda, CA, USA; General view of an Oakland Raiders helmet at press conference at Oakland Raiders Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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He didn’t go down as a Hall of Fame quarterback, however Ken Stabler will always be a legend to the Silver and Black.

If there was a textbook definition of what the quarterback of the Oakland Raiders should be like, look like and even (to a point) act like, look no further than Kenny “The Snake” Stabler.

The former poster boy and signal caller for the Oakland Raiders of the 1970’s passed away on Thursday night at the age of 69 after complications from his battle against colon cancer.

“The Raiders are deeply saddened by the passing of the great Ken Stabler,” owner Mark Davis said in his statement Thursday night.  “He was a cherished member of the Raider family and personified what it means to be a Raider.  He wore the Silver and Black with Pride and Poise and will continue to live in the hearts of Raider fans everywhere.  Our sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to Kenny’s family.”

Whether it was over-throwing deep to tight end Dave Casper against the Colts in “The Ghost to the Post,” or making something happen while fumbling the ball forward on the run against the Chargers in “The Holy Roller” or even doing what every coach tells a quarterback not to do in “The Sea of Hands,” throw into triple coverage against the Dolphins, Stabler won games, plain and simple. He was also involved in scoring the go-ahead touchdown in Pittsburgh in the 1975 AFC Championship game, until Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception” changed the course of history.

Only a quarterback like Stabler could have signature games that sound like cheesy 70’s movie titles.

Stabler was many things, most of which helped define the “bad boy quarterback” image, let alone that of a Raiders quarterback – neck-long hair with the scruffy beard and the rock-star, carefree-like attitude to go along with it. However there’s one thing that Stabler didn’t go down as: a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

"“I was head coach of the Raiders the entire time Kenny was there and he led us to a whole bunch of victories including one in Super Bowl XI,” former head coach John Madden said in a statement. “I’ve often said, if I had one drive to win a game to this day, and I had a quarterback to pick, I would pick Kenny.  Snake was a lot cooler than I was. He was a perfect quarterback and a perfect Raider. When you think about the Raiders you think about Ken Stabler. Kenny loved life. It is a sad day for all Raiders.” (h/t CBS News)"

Despite being a three-time Hall of Fame finalist in 1990, 1991 and 2003, Stabler never made the final cut.  In his 15 years in the NFL, playing mostly for the Oakland Raiders before finishing his career with the New Orleans Saints and Houston Oilers, Stabler threw for 27,938 yards with 194 touchdowns to 222 interceptions with a 59.8 completion percentage.  As a Raider, he tossed for 19,078 yards with 150 touchdowns and 143 picks. Those 150 touchdowns from 1970-79 were third most for the decade.

He has been eligible for Seniors Committee consideration since 2009 and Stabler remains the only quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl in the 70’s to not be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The best argument to make about Stabler is to compare him to a similar, Alabama grown quarterback who’s inducted into Canton, Joe Namath.

Namath, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, threw for 27,663 yards in a 13-year career with 173 touchdowns and 220 interceptions with a 50.1 completion percentage.

Not only has Stabler thrown for more touchdowns than Namath, he’s also thrown for more yards and has a higher completion percentage.

Even though they’ve both won just one Super Bowl in their career, Stabler is 7-5 in 12 career playoff starts (played in 13 playoff games total) while Namath is just 2-1 in three career playoff games – and if it counts for anything, Stabler’s numbers in his individual playoff appearances were better than Namath’s.  Stabler never completed less than 50 percent of his passes in the five years he led Oakland to the playoffs, recording a 72.5 completion percentage between both playoff games in the 1973 postseason (29-for-40, 271 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT).  Namath never completed above 50 percent of his passes in the two years he went to the playoffs, recording a career-low 35 percent of his passes (14-for-40 for 169 yards and 3 INT’s) in the Jets loss to Kansas City in the 1969 postseason.

Stabler trails Hall-of-Famer Terry Bradshaw’s career passing yardage by just 61 yards (27,989) and has also thrown for more yards than Bob Griese (25,092).

While Namath’s bravado and personality got him his induction in Canton, Stabler proved on the field that he is just as worthy, if not more, of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than Namath was.

If you need more proof, a recent story in ‘BamaMag quoted several Steelers players who would agree that Stabler belongs in Canton.

"“The Snake, let me tell you about Kenny,” Hall of Fame Steelers safety Mel Blount began to explain. “We had a lot of battles out there on the field and he probably was the most competitive, the most accurate quarterback I ever played against and I think his record justifies him being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”“The story of the NFL during Kenny Stabler’s professional career could not be told without mentioning his name,” Hall of Fame wide receiver John Stallworth said."

One of the most bittersweet things about a possible, late-induction into the Hall of Fame for Ken Stabler is that he won’t be here with everyone to celebrate a long overdue moment– his family, friends, former living teammates and, of course, almost all of Raider Nation. We can only wonder what he would’ve said to everyone then and now. But the worst part of it is that we’ve had to wait until now to make the push to get him in.

The poster boy for the Golden Age of the NFL deserves to forever live in football history. For now, he’ll forever live within Raider Nation.

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