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Myth-busting Ken Stabler’s Hall of Fame credentials

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Oilers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

By Frank Cooney

When New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady plays the Denver Broncos on Sunday, he will become the second quarterback in NFL history to play in five consecutive conference championship games.

The feat was first accomplished 38 years ago by Ken Stabler of the Oakland Raiders.

And that was from 1973 to 1977, known as the Golden Era of pro football because of the concentration of great players, teams and competition, especially in the AFC, which won eight of nine Super Bowls at one stage.

Brady’s timely testimony to Stabler’s historic greatness comes 26 years after the Raiders’ legend from Alabama could have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an honor for which he is a finalist the fourth time this year as a seniors candidate.

His fate will be decided Feb. 6, the day before Super Bowl 50.

Unfortunately, Stabler died last July from colon cancer, which is undeniably a reason, albeit a sad one from many angles, that selectors are taking a new look at his worthiness.

Based on information uncovered in recent weeks and condensed in this report, the selectors must take a refreshed look because for decades Stabler’s candidacy was shrouded by hearsay and innuendo based largely on the interpretation of a quote from Hall of Fame tight end Dave Casper, his former teammate.

We revisited issues that impacted his ability to be voted into the Hall of Fame for a quarter-century.

These factors include the genesis of that oft-referenced quote, and the innuendo-laced responses to that comment that surmised Casper believed Stabler’s off-field lifestyle led to increased interceptions, lowered production and a shortened career.

There also was the relationship with former bookie Nick Dudich that was investigated three times by the FBI.

We even took a new look at the episode in which sportswriter Bob Padecky was infamously arrested in 1979 when a container of white substance was found under the fender of his rented car while in Gulf Shores, Ala., to interview a reluctant Stabler.

These things combined to cloud Stabler’s candidacy, despite the fact that Hall of Fame rules mandate only his significant on-field performance should be considered.

We were also privy to some yet-to-be published information gathered over the last three years by veteran sportswriter Tom LaMarre. He was working with Stabler to do one final autobiography, “A Life of Third and Longs,” in which the quarterback wanted to bring his often out-of-control life into one final, clear perspective.

What we learned is astonishing.

Casper not only denies uttering the infamous quote that we will share later, but he is aggravated that Stabler was not voted into the Hall of Fame while still alive. Teammates confirm quotes from 1982 by former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, who said FBI investigations revealed Dudich was little more than a “jock sniffer,” and Stabler was one of many Raiders with whom the former bookie had beers. And some of those players already are in the Hall of Fame. A source close to Stabler and still in the Alabama legal community confirmed that the Padecky incident was perpetrated by Randall Watson without the quarterback’s knowledge. Stabler told LaMarre that although aggravated by the misdeed, he would not rat on his longtime friend, so Stabler took considerable heat himself. Watson was killed in a boating accident in 1982.

Padecky, the victim of that cruel hoax in 1979, said after Stabler’s death last year “I will miss him” and fondly recalled Snake as his favorite quarterback to watch (more than Joe Montana, Steve Young or John Elway). A long-time fence-sitter on Stabler’s HOF candidacy and not a HOF selector, Padecky is at least reconsidering his position this year and might reveal his thoughts before the selection meeting.

As for Casper, last week he said, “I categorically deny saying that he set coaching back 50 years and implying whatever deduction was made from that. The one thing I am irritated about is that they wait until he dies and then put him in. Fact is, I wish they would have put him in before he died.

“In my opinion, he didn’t pay enough attention but just seemed to know things naturally. He knew what was going on. He was a great leader on the field. He was a great leader in the huddle. You never had to worry about him that way. I like Snake. He got me in the Hall of Fame. If I had a vote in the selection process, I would vote yes without a doubt.”

As a seniors finalist, Stabler needs a yes vote from 80 percent of the 46 selectors. They will consider Stabler, fellow seniors candidate Dick Stanfel and contributors finalist Eddie DeBartolo Jr., in isolation from each other and all the modern-era candidates.

“So it seems there is no conflict, no reason that Snake should not be voted in this time,” Casper declared.

The original Casper quote, and the aspersions it casts, unfortunately surfaced again recently when the Hall of Fame innocently sent a massive book of information to the selectors to help them evaluate the 18 finalists. It included a clipping of a recycled 2012 blog by Andy Barall of the New York Times, headlined, “A Deeper Look at the Stabler Hall of Fame Debate.”

Here is the quote that Casper denies saying: “He set coaching back 50 years. He knows everything there is to know on a football field, but when they give him his game plan on Wednesday, he probably takes it and throws it in the waste basket. No one ever suspected how little he knew about the game plan on a particular week. He’s fooled ’em all his life and he continues to fool ’em. …

“I don’t think he ever cared about losing. Winning is fine. Losing? So what? He’d rather win the gamble and force a pass in there. A bluffer, a gambler … he’d rather do it the hard way.”

That is sourced to the great sportswriter Paul Zimmerman, from his book “The New Thinking Man’s Guide To Pro Football,” published in 1984. A closer look revealed that Zimmerman, now sadly sidelined by a series of strokes, is himself misrepresented. Although admittedly a Stabler antagonist, he never claimed to personally hear Casper say that and clearly introduces the quote as being from an unnamed “kid from a local newspaper” in New York.

Still, inferences drawn from those published words over the years made it sound as if Casper mistrusted Stabler because the quarterback didn’t memorize the game plan and spent his free time being very free.

“Just because I wished he would have studied more and played less off the field doesn’t mean I distrusted him,” Casper asserted. “As I said, he knew what he was doing, sometimes in spite of the game plan. The (Houston) Oilers had a horrible offensive system. Stabler made things work probably better than any other quarterback could have. He had to use that same bad system in New Orleans with Bum Phillips as the coach again.”

But in his 2012 blog, Barall cited the repudiated quote and drew all the wrong conclusions.

First, he incorrectly stated that Stabler “finished his career with two undistinguishing seasons in Houston and three mostly forgettable years in New Orleans.”

That blindly dismisses the fact that Stabler led the Oilers to the playoffs in 1980 with an 11-5 record, tied for the best mark in franchise history, and in 1983 he led the woe-begotten Saints to an 8-8 season, again the best franchise history at the time. Stabler pushed the Saints to within one game-deciding field goal by the Los Angeles Rams of making the playoffs for the first time. However, Barall’s focus, and that of others, was on Stabler’s increased interceptions in 1978 with the Raiders. Stabler was picked off 30 times that year after only 16 in 1976 and 20 in 1977.

Just before introducing quotes by former Stabler teammates Pat Toomay and Casper, Barall sets up the subliminal connection to the quarterback’s lifestyle, conditioning and perhaps gambling, asking: “How could Stabler’s skills have eroded so quickly? Injuries, yes. But it was more than that.”

Maybe so, but dismissing Stabler’s significant injuries is unfair. Stabler not only had recurring elbow and wrist problems, but he also underwent four knee surgeries long before the medical miracles performed in recent decades by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews.

Stabler retired after three games in 1984 when he needed a fifth surgery.

Ironically, Stabler was scheduled to have a knee replacement last year under the supervision of Dr. Andrews. During one final examination before surgery, and following Stabler’s recovery from testicular cancer, doctors discovered the Stage 4 colon cancer that eventually ended his life on July 8.

Injuries aside, there were even more impactful reasons for Stabler’s dramatic increase in interceptions beginning in 1978. That year team owner Al Davis began overhauling the Oakland lineup, and Stabler was left with only four of the same starters on offense from 1977 and the 1976 Super Bowl season.

Right tackle Henry “Killer” Lawrence replaced John Vella. Stabler later referred to Lawrence as a “swinging gate” in the only negative remark about a teammate in his career. Right guard George Buehler, a star in Super Bowl XI, was replaced by Mickey Marvin, who took a while to catch on. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, the Super Bowl XI MVP, future Hall of Famer and Stabler’s favorite target, was benched in favor of Morris Bradshaw, who never got on the same page with Stabler. Biletnikoff started only the final two games, grabbing six of his 20 receptions on the season and scoring two of his six touchdowns. He was cut before the next season. Running back Clarence Davis, a standout in the Super Bowl and rated as “one of the NFL’s great blockers at that position” by coach John Madden, was replaced by Arthur Whittington, who never saw a blocking opportunity he couldn’t avoid. Wide receiver Cliff Branch, one of the great deep threats in NFL history, was going through personal issues, played poorly and caught only one touchdown pass all season. Stabler took the blame himself in the hopes of encouraging Branch to re-dedicated himself.

Al Davis responded to media criticism in 1978 by saying “blame the lefty … he makes all the money.” Davis also signed quarterback Jim Plunkett, who did not play that season but whose presence and strong arm Davis mentioned aloud, often within earshot of Stabler.

Under siege by the media and even the owner, Stabler said he met with Madden during a road trip and the coach said, “All we have is each other.” Madden retired after the season.

Still, Stabler was asked to carry the offense more than ever. After throwing only 294 passes with 20 interceptions and 16 sacks in 1977, Stabler threw 406 passes with 30 interceptions and 37 sacks in 1978, then 498 passes with 22 interceptions and 34 sacks in 1979.

For those seeking real answers to why Stabler threw more interceptions, there they are.

Stabler’s ample credentials include reaching 100 wins faster than any quarterback at the time, in only 150 games (beating Johnny Unitas’ 153); posting a career winning percentage of .661, behind only two quarterbacks when he retired – Roger Staubach (.746) and Terry Bradshaw (.667). His winning percentage now is eighth, behind only three Hall of Famers (Staubach, Bradshaw and Montana) and four quarterbacks still finishing their likely HOF careers (Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger).

Stabler’s winning percentage is better than that of 15 modern-era quarterbacks enshrined in the Hall of Fame – in order of descending success, Steve Young (.657), Unitas (.645), John Elway (.643), Jim Kelly (.631), Bob Griese (.619), Bart Starr (.618), Len Dawson (.616), Dan Marino (.613), Y.A. Tittle (.596), Troy Aikman (.570), Bobby Layne (.568), Fran Tarkenton (.531), Dan Fouts (.506), Warren Moon (.502) and Joe Namath (.496).

If selectors sought the truth – or writers wanted a truly “Deeper Look” – the facts were there all the time, right on the field. As the Hall of Fame presenter for the Raiders and Stabler, I made the mistake of believing people knew and understood the realities.

Now, for current consideration, they are summed up right here.

Frank Cooney, founder and publisher of The Sports Xchange and NFLDraftScout.com, is in his sixth decade covering football, including the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s and ’80s. He is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the senior selection committee that nominated Stabler as a finalist for 2016


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