Al Davis and John Madden used to have spirited conversations about what was the most important unit on the field. Both agreed that to win a championship a franchise quarterback was a necessity, but for the position that played the most important role in determining a winner was a debate that I think Davis took a side to spark the conversation.
Davis contended that the most important position on the field was cornerback. “Make a mistake back there and your opponent has a quick touchdown,” he would contend while Madden countered with what he thought was the most important unit on the field, "Offensive line.”
The coach was lured into defending his position and he did with arguments that included an offensive line both protected the quarterback while giving him time to throw and opened holes for the running game to succeed. “Without a dominating offensive line, you are going to get your quarterback injured and force your defense on the field too much,” Madden would say while I nodded my head in agreement.
It was easy for the two leaders of the Oakland Raiders to have this debate in the 1970’s. After all, the Oakland Raiders had perhaps the best offensive line in all of football anchored by three future Hall of Fame members; Gene Upshaw, Jim Otto and Art Shell. Their defensive backfield was also well represented with the likes of Willie Brown, Jack Tatum and George Atkinson.
I have always thought the key to a winning franchise is a solid offensive line. That position is like a ballet, no position on the field requires each participant to be in harmony with the player on each side of them more than the offensive line. They need to move as a unit, complimenting each other at every twist and turn.
This takes more than practice, it requires both hours of working together during the week and game days spent battling opponents.