As the off-season moves along, the Oakland Raiders department of Last Word on Pro Football will be doing a series on great Raiders from history. We’ll revisit Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders that are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, reminiscing on their careers and impact on the silver and black. This week, Tim Brown is the topic of discussion.
Great Raiders From History: Tim Brown
Tim Brown is arguably the greatest wide receiver in the history of the Oakland Raiders. He played 16 seasons with the team, catching 1,070 passes for 14,734 yards and 99 touchdowns as a member of the silver and black. Brown was unfortunately never able to win a Super Bowl as a member of the team, but that was hardly his fault.
In his career, Tim Brown only ever played with one really good quarterback, and that was a brief, four year stint with Rich Gannon at the end of both of their careers. Brown caught most of his passes from the likes of Jay Schroeder, Jeff Hostetler, Jeff George, Steve Beuerlein, Brian Griese, Vince Evans, Todd Marinovich, Billy Joe Hobert, David Klingler, Donald Hollas, Wade Wilson, Bobby Hoying, Marques Tuiasosopo, Rick Mirer, Tee Martin, Rob Johnson, Brad Johnson and Chris Simms.
Despite that, Tim Brown is still Oakland’s all-time leading receiver, and it’s not even close. He caught 481 more passes, for 5,760 more yards and 23 more touchdowns than fellow hall of famer, Fred Biletnikoff. Despite the fact that he wasn’t on a team coached by John Madden, and that he didn’t get to catch passes from the likes of Ken Stabler or Daryle Lamonica, Tim Brown had an outstanding career.
The Silver and Black Lining
It’s easy to fondly remember the likes of Biletnikoff or Cliff Branch, that were part of the Raiders when they were dominant, but it’s not so easy to remember the Raiders of the last 30 years. The team has only made the playoffs seven times over that span, and it’s been hard on the team. It’s not so much that the Raider Nation don’t remember these players, it’s that they don’t want to.
But Tim Brown was the silver (and black) lining through all of the stormclouds. At a time when the Raiders were just mediocre, Brown was the best player on the team. While the Raiders failed time and time again to get Brown a good quarterback, he showed up and went to work. He earned at least 1,000 yards in nine consecutive seasons, and always gave the fans of the silver and black something to look forward to on Sunday.
