The obligatory “Raiders not in the Hall of Fame” post

The finalists for the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame were recently announced, and two Raiders are still on the list.  Tim Brown, the Raiders’ skilled receiver/kick returner made the final cut.  In addition, the Senior Committee has nominated legendary punter Ray Guy for enshrinement.  Brown has a decent chance of making it this year, and while Raiders’ fans don’t want to jinx it, Guy has a great chance as a Senior Committee nominee.

Here are five more Raiders for whom Canton cases could be made.  These guys aren’t in yet, and may never actually make it.  But when Raiders fans talk about the best players not in the Hall, surely some of these names come to mind.

1. Cliff Branch – Cliff Branch may be the best player not in the Hall of Fame.  His stats are comparable with other legendary receivers of his era, and Cliff touts three Super Bowl rings along with those stats.  Branch embodied Al Davis’ vision of the vertical passing game.  He developed solid receiver skills to match his world-class speed, which made him a premier deep threat on the field.

2. Jim Plunkett – Who is the only quarterback eligible for the Hall of Fame with two or more Super Bowl wins who isn’t in yet?  What else needs to be said there?  Plunkett, written off several times as a pro quarterback, won on football’s grandest stage twice, taking home Super Bowl MVP honors once.

3. Tom Flores – Flores and Plunkett are often paired in Hall of Fame snub discussion, for several reasons.  Flores was the head coach of both Super Bowl teams for which Plunkett was QB.  Both are also groundbreaking Hispanic athletes, being the first Hispanic quarterback and head coach, respectively, to win a Super Bowl.  Perhaps Tom Flores is overlooked because he was the successor to legendary coach John Madden.  Or, perhaps he doesn’t get enough respect because people assume that Al Davis truly pulled the strings behind the scenes.  No matter the reason, Flores continues to be snubbed.

4. Lester Hayes – Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes formed one of the greatest cornerback duos in league history.  The Judge is tied for the most interceptions in Raiders history, and excelled at the team’s preferred “bump and run” coverage.  If pressed for a reason why Lester’s not in the Hall, one would have to look to Stickum, the formerly-legal substance the Judge would generously apply before taking the field.  Still, if Stickum was the only reason for Lester’s success, why couldn’t more people replicate his results?

5. Kenny Stabler – Perhaps the most beloved quarterback in Raiders history, the Snake was a textbook Raider.  Stabler was a rebel, and became the perfect model of the Raiders’ anti-hero style.  Stabler led the 1976 Raiders, one of the greatest teams in NFL history, to victory in Super Bowl XI.  Still, despite (or perhaps due to) the Snake’s notorious behavior (he’s famously discussed reading the playbook by the light of a jukebox), he has been left out of pro football’s most honored fraternity.