It appeared obvious to me.
So obvious, I was of the opinion that Al Davis was taking an opposing side just to stimulate the debate. The subject was the most important position on the football field, and Oakland Raiders Head Coach John Madden argued that the offensive line was the most critical for the success of a team.
His contention was that without a solid front line a quarterback was subject to constant pressure, there were no holes for runningbacks to charge through and the lack of offensive consistency forced the defense on the field way too much.
Davis had an alternate point of view. The Raiders owner argued that the most important position on the field was cornerback. “Have them get beat, and you give up a quick six,” Davis said while egging Madden on a more concerted effort to vouch for the importance of the offensive line.
While present for these good-hearted debates between owner and coach, I was firmly in Madden’s corner. All of us at the time had the benefit of being with a team that boasted one of the best offensive lines in history. In 1974, the Raiders front five included three future Hall of Fame inductees: Jim Otto, Art Shell and Gene Upshaw.
While the Raiders were not naive to the importance of a franchise quarterback to best assure success on the field, and a supporting cast of runningbacks and receivers were vital to a championship caliber offense, the organization recognized the critical need for quality in the front five.
The rest of the league took years to catch up with that fact.
Perhaps it was the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers that drove many organizations to determine defense was the key to success. The Steelers had a stop unit so mean that one could picture their defensive players shoving security guards and ushers at the stadium to the ground on the way to the locker room. The Steelers dominated the 1970s with a defense aptly called the Steel Curtain.
The respect for great defensive players drove the salaries up on that side of the ball dramatically in the past 50 years. There was a time, long ago now, that the big money was spent on offensive stars that played quarterback or runningback. Today, it is not surprising to see a defensive stud getting a contract that even rivals that of a top quarterback.
Still, the one position that has lagged in financial benefits on a par with other positions has been the offensive line. I’m thinking that is about to change.
It is worth noting that when Davis and Madden were having their debate about the most important position on the field, the Raiders were spending their first pick in the 1974 draft on offensive lineman Henry Lawrence. That year, only two other teams picked an offensive lineman with their first-round choice.
As recently as 20 years ago, 2006, only three offensive linemen were taken in the first round of the NFL draft.
That shifted in more recent years. In 2013, a record high nine offensive linemen were taken in the first round. In the past five seasons, that number of drafted offensive linemen was matched three times, with nine offensive linemen picked in the first round of 2022, 2024 and 2026.
Yes, what Madden argued, and I suspect Davis knew 50 years ago, has now come to be common knowledge. A solid front line is paramount to having a championship caliber NFL squad.
What we can now watch happen in years to come is offensive linemen getting salaries commensurate of their contribution to team success.