Daryle Lamonica, for his numbers, wasn't well-received on arrival in the Bay Area. Fans had warmed up to Tom Flores and aside from injuries, looked like the future for the team.
Al Davis, who was still working behind the scenes, wanted to "stretch the field," in more ways than one. Looking for ways to improve a team, he was wanting to find a QB that was ready to air it out, to surprise the club and provide some shock value. Granted at the time of the trade Al was a little surprised, being that the GM had pulled the trigger on the deal, Al was more upset at the cost of the trade, in general due to the looking of a two for one setup with the Bills. Daryle had been lodged behind Jack Kemp in Buffalo and when he had his chances to play, wasn't exactly eye-opening.
But, through the naysayers and booing, Daryle Lamonica set the bar high for the Raiders, losing only 4 games in three seasons.
Not bad, considering in 1967 he threw eight interceptions in two games.
Al Davis grew to enjoy these games, considering that Daryle led the Raiders into their first Super Bowl, up against the Green Bay Packers.
In those days for the Raiders, people would enjoy seeing a team with a vicious defense, speed to burn on running plays and a style of football that was unheard of in the NFL at that time.
Fast forward to 1973, when Daryle Lamonica was starting to show his age. In the few games he would start, Al Davis saw a grand divide between the Mad Bomber and The Snake. Lamonica was known for throwing it deep and Ken Stabler was able to pick his opponents apart, if not run like mad to stay alive.
Lamonica, showing his age threw two touchdowns but eight interceptions. Stabler, meanwhile tossed 14 TDs and 10 INTs. When Stabler took over, Lamonica's ti...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
