Mr. Davis has always loved the vertical game. Mr. Davis practically invented the "Bomb" and he definitely took advantage of its potential.
In the early days of football, the teams were geared to a more rushing attack than anything else. Al Davis gets to coach the Oakland Raiders and with his speedy receivers, dominates the AFL.
In 1967, when Al Davis was given the reins of the Oakland Raiders, he managed to win the AFL Championship game with Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff, who was named MVP of Super Bowl XI.
"Freddie" Biletnikoff had the ability to get wide open for huge yardage down the field and Fred also had great hands. Yeah, he may have used the now-extinct "Stickum," but it was early football.
Davis soon signed John Madden in 1969. Madden knew Davis loved the bomb, so what better way to please the boss than by getting a California favorite, "The Mad Bomber" Daryl La Monica.
If you want to get the ball downfield, you better have some fast wide receivers. So here we go again with receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Warren Wells. Wells had 14 TDs that year to complement Biletnikoffs 12 TDs. Not bad numbers at all.
1974 was a great year for Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders when they signed a speedster by the name of Cliff Branch!
At 5'11" and weighing a mere 170 pounds, Branch was an amazingly fast and talented wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders.
In 1974, Branch led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,092. He also led that year in receiving touchdowns with 13.
Cliff Branch will one day be in the NFL Hall of Fame. A two page article could be written on Cliff Branch. His speed and ability is simply unsurpassed. ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
