12. 1975 OAKLAND RAIDERS at 5. 1963 NFL CHAMPION CHICAGO BEARS
5. 1963 NFL CHAMPION CHICAGO BEARS
Record: 11-1-2
Pythag: 12-2
Off: 10th
Def: 1st
1st NFL West
d. Giants NFL Title 14-10
HC George Halas
Jack Brickhouse/Irv Kupcinet
Wrigley Field: 40 degrees
Offense
QB Billy Wade 33 Vandy
RB Ronnie Bull 23 Baylor
FB Rick Casares 32 Florida
WR Johnny Morris 28 UCSB
WR Bo Farrington 27 Prairie View
TE Mike Ditka 24 Pitt
LT Herman Lee 32 Florida A&M
LG Ted Karras 29 Indiana
C Mike Pyle 24 Yale
RG Roger Davis 25 Syracuse
RT Steve Barnett 22-R Oregon
Defense
LDE Bob Kilcullen 27 TTech
LDT Stan Jones 32 Mary
RDT Earl Leggett 30 LSU
RDE Doug Atkins 33 All Pro Tenn
LLB Joe Fortunato 33 All Pro Miss St
MLB Bill George 34 All Pro Wake
RLB Larry Morris 30 Geo T
LCB Bennie McRae 24 Mich
RCB Dave Whitsell 27 Ind
LS Richie Petitbon 25 All Pro Tulane
RS Rosey Taylor 26 All Pro Grambling
K Roger LeClerc 27 Trinity
P Bobby Joe Green 27 Florida
KR Rosey Taylor 26 Grambling
PR Johnny Morris 28 UCSB
Just one Bears team has moved on, it's the second overall seed in the field, the '85 Bears, this '63 team is the 5th seed in Region 10 with the number one defense in the league. 5 First Team All Pros - the safeties, 25 year old Richie Petitbon and 26 year old Rosey Taylor combined for 17 picks; three veterans in the front 7, 33 year old Doug Atkins, 33 year old Joe Fortunato, 34 year old Bill George. The offense doesn't add a bunch, if Chicago's advancing it'll be because of the defense. Billy Wade is 33, 21 scores/12 picks. 24 year old Mike Ditka is an All Pro, scored 8 times.
12. 1975 OAKLAND RAIDERS
Record: 11-3
Pythag: 10-4
Off: 4th
Def: 7th
1st AFC West
d. Bengals Div Rnd 31-28
lost AFC Title Steelers 16-10
HC John Madden
Offense
QB Ken Stabler 30
RB Clarence Davis 26
FB Mark van Eeghen 23
WR Fred Biletnikoff 32
WR Cliff Branch 27 All Pro
TE Bob Moore 26
LT Art Shell 29
LG Gene Upshaw 30
C Dave Dalby 25
RG George Buehler 28
RT John Vella
Defense
LDE Tony Cline 27
LDT Otis Sistrunk 29
RDT Art Thoms 29
RDE Horace Jones 26
LLB Phil Villapiano 26
MLB Monte Johnson 24
RLB Gerald Irons 28
LCB Skip Thomas 25
RCB Willie Brown 35
SS George Atkinson 28
FS Jack Tatum 27
K George Blanda 48
P Ray Guy 26
KR Harold Hart 23
PR Neal Colzie 21
The '67 Raiders, '02 Raiders, '76 Raiders have all moved on; the 12th seeds in Region 10 is the '75 squad with the 4th best offense in the NFL. The 30 year old Snake had 16 scores and (gulp) 24 picks. 27 year old Cliff Branch is an All Pro, he had 9 scores. Oakland's gonna run the ball behind 29 year old Art Shell/30 year old Gene Upshaw. The defense is just okay - 35 year old Willie Brown leads a secondary that had 18 picks.
We get what looks like a competitive 5/12 game; let's go to a cold Wrigley Field for the kick.
1st Qtr
Raiders will start at the 29.
3 and out. Best defense from 1963 against the 4th best defense from '75 here.
Bears at the 38. 3 and out.
Raiders at the 27.
1/10 - Kenny Stabler completes the game's first pass, 7 yards to Mike Siani.
2/3 - Clarence Davis is stopped at the line.
3/3 - First first down - Stabler to Fred Biletnikoff. 10 yards. Raiders at the 44.
1/10 - Clarence Davis loses a yard.
2/11 - Mark Van Eeghen picks up 6, another 3rd down.
3/5 - The Snake convers - 13 yards to Marv Hubbard and the Raiders reach the 38.
The drive stalls - Madden calls on the old man, 48 year old George Blanda to kick a 49 yard FG.....and it's good. 3-0 Oakland.
Bears at the 16. 3 and out.
Big special teams play -- Ted Hendricks breaks through the line -- and Blocks the Punt - Oakland blocks the Bears punt - Oakland has a first and goal inside the 5 yard line!
3 and out. This is the game we're looking at today, it is cold and neither offense is great. Blanda. Chip shot. 6-0.
Bears at the 32. Two plays gain a yard, it's 3rd and 9 at the 33 as the qtr ends.
2nd Qtr: Raiders 6 Bears 0
2 Blanda FGs and a Hendricks blocked punt is the story so far. Bears have 3rd and 9 at their own 33, they have yet to complete a pass or gain a first down.
They don't pick it up. After the punt, Oakland at the 26.
Oakland gets a first down - Stabler 19 yards to Cliff Branch - but that's where the drive ends -- Ray Guy could be a difference maker today, his punt is downed at the Bear 12. 11 minutes left in the half.
1/10 - Ronnie Bull picks up Chicago's first first down - 17 yard run.
1/10 - Rick Casares gets 1.
2/9 - Billy Wade completes his first pass - a dozen yards to Mike Ditka.
1/10 - Ronnie Bull picks up 34 yards -- there's a big gainer -- Bears all the way to the Oakland 24 yard line.
1/10 - Wade to Joe Marconi - 12 yards and that is another first down -- Chicago at the Oakland 12.
1/10 - Cesares gets a yard.
2/9 - Willie Galimore gets a yard - and then he's blown up by Phil Villapiano - Galimore loses the ball -- Fumble -- Fumble -- Oakland recovers and the Raiders take over with less than 7 to play at their own 8 yard line.
That's another big play - the blocked punt and now a forced fumble deep in their own end.
1/10 - Marv Hubbard gets 1.
2/9 - Stabler to Clarence Davis - 10 yards and a first down.
1/10 - Davis gets 2.
2/8 - Hubbard gets 3 and an offsides picks it up.
1/10 - Van Eeghen gets 2.
2/8 - Hubbard gets 1.
3/7 - The Snake rolling out -- Stabler to Siani, 11 yards out to the 43 yard line.
1/10 - Doug Atkins sacks the Snake -- it's the last play before the 2 minute warning - and Oakland won't be moving further, they punt at 90 seconds.
Bears at their own 34 -- they go 3 and out - Ted Hendricks with 2 sacks on the drive to add to his blocked punt -- Bears have to kick it away - its the end of the half.
Third Qtr: Raiders 6 Bears 0
Ted Hendricks has 2 sacks and a blocked punt. Oakland up 6.
Bears at the 22.
3 and out. Raiders at the 33.
3 and out. Bears at the 27.
3 and out. Raiders at the 38.
1/10 - Stabler has to run, he gets a couple.
2/8 - Stabler -- Branch - a dozen yards -- Raiders at the Bear 48.
1/10 - Clarence Davis, Shell and Upshaw pulling -- Davis has a hole -- Davis has a step -- Clarence Davis has broken it! Davis striding -- Clarence Davis is gonna go Into the End Zone -- TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS - Clarence Davis runs 48 yards to the house and the Raiders are now up 13-0.
Bears at the 28. 3 and out. Oakland's defense just come up huge today.
Raiders at the 20.
One first down - Stabler to Biletnikoff, 20 yards - the drive dies here, Guy hits another great punt - Bears open at their own 7.
2 passes from Wade to Ditka net 15 yards and the qtr ends.
4th Qtr: Raiders 13 Bears 0
We sure look like the 12/5 upset's about to happen in Region 10, Oakland's up 2 scores, Chicago deep in their own end, first down at the 22.
1/10 - Wade to Cesares for 8.
2/2 - Wade to Johnny Morris, 21 yards -- Bears at the Raider 49.
1/10 - Cesares gets nothing.
2/10 - Half dozen for Marconi.
3/4 - Incomplete
Old Man Halas has a decision to make, 12 minutes left, down 2 scores, 4th and 4.
Bears go for it.
4/4 - Wade has to run -- Wade escapes -- Wade's got the first down -- Wade all the way to the Oakland 46 yard line -- Chicago at the Raider 46.
1/10 - Casares gets 1.
2/9 - 18 yards from Wade to Morris -- Bears are at the Oakland 27 yard line.
1/10 - Wade -- Bo Farrington -- 15 yards and Chicago is now at the 12 with a little more than 9 to go.
1/10 - Wade -- Morris - 5 yards to the 7.
2/5 - Wade - sacked by George Atkinson on the safety blitz - Bears have third and a ton.
3/11 - Wade -- Monte Johnson up the middle -- Oakland's 4th sack and it is now 4th and 15 at the 17 with a little more than 7 left.
Field goal won't help. Halas is going to fire this last bullet.
4/15 - Wade -- Endzone -- Johnny Morris -- TOUCHDOWN BEARS - Bears are into the endzone -- they miss the XP - so its 13-6, 7 to go - Raiders will start at the 22.
1/10 - Marv Hubbard goes for 27 yards, big gainer - Raiders at the 49.
1/10 - Pete Banaszak for 3.
2/7 - Snake. Biletnikoff -- 11 yards to the 37.
The next 3 plays lose 9 yards on the Joe Fortunato sack - and the Bears will get another shot at this. Great Guy kick, of course -- Bears at their own 8.
So - here we go. Little more than 3 minutes left in the game. Bears down 6, they need to drive 92 yards to tie this game.
1/10 - Cesares gets 7 and goes out of bounds.
2/3 - Marconi is just short of the sticks - Bears use their first timeout.
3/1 - Wade gets dropped by Jack Tatum on the safety blitz -- Oakland's got 5 sacks on the day. And now it is another 4th down for Chicago, back at their own 12, they call their second timeout here, little more than 2 to play.
4/6 - Wade -- out to Bull - Bull is going to be Stopped Short by Villapiano - and that could be that -- yet another big play by the Raider defense.
Oakland's gonna take the rest of the game, 3 running plays burns the 2 minute warning and the Bears last time out - Blanda hits the chip shot FG, that makes it a 10 point game - handful of seconds left and this will be the final.
Final: Raiders 16 Bears 6
5 sacks, blocked kick, forced fumble -- the Oakland defense won this one.
Stabler: 14 for 21, 145 yds
Wade: 11 for 18, 120 yds 1 TD
Davis: 13 carries, 70 yds, 1 TD
Bull: 10 carries, 60 yds
Branch: 4 catches, 60 yds
Morris: 4 catches, 57 yds, 1 TD
Hendricks: 2 sacks/blocked punt
Player of the Game: Ted Hendricks
