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Part five of "40 years later...the 1976 Oakland Raiders"

The New England Patriots opened up their new stadium in 1971 and the building would remain there home for over 30 years. The arena went under three names during its 30 years as football stadium. It was first called Schaefer Stadium, then Sullivan Stadium and later it was known as Foxboro Stadium. Bob Kraft bought the Patriots in the 1990s and he later built Gillette Stadium right next door to Foxboro Stadium. Of course the old place got the wrecking ball and today it is part of "Patriot Place", part of which is devoted to the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

The Raiders were the first team to travel and play in Schaefer Stadium in 1971 and a certain Patriots rookie quarterback named Jim Plunkett completed just 6 of 15 passes against the silver and black. Plunkett's lack of completion percentage didn't matter as he completed two passes for touchdowns in a 20-16 Patriots triumph. The loss was added to the Raiders already abysmal record when they visited the state of Massachusetts. Oakland went 1-5-1 during their first seven trips to the Boston area. The Raiders only win took place in 1965 and the 20-14 win was due mostly to the efforts of Art Powell. The fleet-footed receiver caught 11 passes for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Clem Daniels added 113 yards rushing on 20 carries and the Raider defense held New England's offense to just 210 total yards. Amazingly, Art Powell finished with just four yards less than the entire Patriot offense which made him the MVP of the game on both sides!

The final game played in Schaefer Stadium, then known as Foxboro Stadium was the "Tuck Rule" game but I really don't want to talk about that again.

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The Raiders week four trip to New England was their first visit to Boston since the 1971 trip. What followed was one of the most climatic defeats in Oakland Raiders history.

The '76 Patriots set out to take their franchise to the playoffs for just the second time since 1963. The team entered the season in trouble for two reasons. First, the Patriots had posted just one winning record in the last nine seasons and the second reason came abundantly clear when the team looked at the first four games of their 1976 schedule. The Pats squared off against four NFL powerhouses to start the year, each opponent had played in 8 of the last ten Super Bowls and that made the learning curve difficult for a Pats team that went 3-13 in 1975.

First off were the Baltimore Colts, who went 10-4 the previous year. Baltimore carried the day by defeating their division rivals 27-13. Next up were the Miami Dolphins and the opportunistic Patriots took advantage of four Miami turnovers and 278 yards rushing to crush the Dolphins 30-14. One week later, the NFL world began to take New England seriously when they went into Three Rivers Stadium, fought tooth and nail with the two-time Super Bowl Champion Steelers, and emerged with a 30-27 victory. In two weeks, the Patriots had defeated the two teams that had won the last four Super Bowls. In three weeks that had defeated the three franchises that had won all five AFC Championship crowns since its 1970 inception. One last hurdle to prove that they had arrived was to defeat the Oakland Raiders, pro football's winningest team since 1967 and the team that had appeared in 8 of the last nine AFL/AFC Championship Games.

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The Patriots were a young football squad whose average age was just 25 years old. They were led by GM/HC Chuck Fairbanks and a young quarterback named Steve Grogan. Jim Plunkett was no longer with the team. Grogan was entering his second year with the Pats after management got so frustrated with Plunkett that they let him go. Gifted with an adequate but not powerful arm, Grogan could have been called a poor man's Ken Stabler because the two had similar playing styles. Both played with a cool, competitive fire that earned the respect of both teammates and opponents and both were prone to throwing as many game-changing touchdowns as they did game-changing interceptions. The differences were simple, obviously Stabler was the veteran and Grogan threw with his right hand and not his left like Stabler. Further, Grogan was fairly mobile and one wonders what Stabler's career would have been like if his knees weren't so bad. Grogan passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in the Patriots big win over Miami in Week Two. Against the Steelers, Grogan helped New England overcome a 20-9 deficit by passing for 2 more touchdowns and rushing for touchdown that would win the day for New England. Grogan highlight that day against the Steelers by adding 267 yards passing versus the famed Steel Curtain.

Chuck Fairbanks promised a turnaround for the Patriots organization and after their success versus Miami and Pittsburgh he nicknamed his football team "The Giant Killers" because of their ability to play against the NFL's best teams.

The main weapon in the Patriots offense was a six-foot-three inch, 236 pound fullback named Sam Cunningham, whose stature failed to compare to his brother Randall Cunningham of later years. Sam Cunningham was a bruising fullback that nobody wanted to tackle and he made defenders pay if you tried to tackle him high. Blocking for Cunningham was a good but not great offensive line. One of those lineman was a future Hall of Famer named John Hannah.

Other weapons on the Patriots offense included a consistent threat at tight end named Russ Francis and a solid possession receiver in Darryl Stingley. Francis would become one of the most hated opponents that Raider Nation has ever faced during his stint in New England and later with Joe Montana and the 49ers. Stingley is well known to both Jack Tatum and Raiders fans around the world. His injury in a 1978 preseason would change the game forever, it would end Stingley's short but talented career and it would forever tarnish the career of the great Jack Tatum.

On defense, the Patriots had nose guard Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton who was known to cause matchup problems with opposing offenses. Hamilton wasn't the great nose tackle but he always seemed to play better against bigger opponents like the Steelers or Oakland. The rest of the defense was pretty average minus a rookie cornerback from Arizona State named Mike Haynes. Michael had recorded the first interception of his career by picking off Bob Griese in Week Two and he was hungry for more. He had played excellent against veteran receivers including future Hall of Famers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. Mike was also effective returning punts and the Pats had him as their starting punt returner. The irony here is that Hamilton would later coach the Raiders defensive line in the 1990s and Mike Haynes would join the Raiders in 1983 and help them to a Super Bowl XVIII championship. Haynes ranks as one of the best cornerbacks of all-time and in 1997 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Oakland's side of the field both Clarence Davis and Ken Stabler were back in the starting lineup. This ease John Madden's uneasy stomach as the team warmed up on the artificial turf of Schaefer Stadium.

In 1976, the American Patriots, led by the colony of Massachusetts attempts to defeat the evil empire of Great Britain. Now 200 years later, the "Spirit of '76" was back again as the Patriots attempted to dethrone the most powerful football franchise in America.

Clarence Davis caught a Stabler pass on the Raiders second play from scrimmage, and after making the catch, he fumbled the ball to the opportunistic Patriots defense. "Wham Bam" Sam Cunningham ran for 24-yard on the Patriots first play from scrimmage. Then Grogan began a mixture of safe passes and he utilized several different runners to keep Oakland off balance defensively all day. Running back Andy Johnson powered over tacklers Skip Thomas and Jack Tatum to put New England up 7--0. Johnson's 2-yard run gave New England a lead that they would not relinquish all day and it was a harbinger of bad times for the Raiders.

Meanwhile, Raiders tight end Dave Casper was red hot and he would go on to catch 10 passes for 121 yards in the first half alone! On the Raiders third possession, Casper caught passes 3 and 4 and he recovered another Clarence Davis fumble at the New England 12-yard line. Two plays later, Mark van Eeghen took a handoff and seemed to be racing in for a touchdown but rookie safety Tim Fox slapped the ball out of van Eeghen's hands and the Patriots recovered. In just three possessions, the Raiders starting running backs had fumbled the ball three times.

Faced with 92 yards to cover for another touchdown meant nothing to Steve Grogan. On their first play he threw a perfectly timed screen pass to Sam Cunningham that covered 19-yards. Raider cornerback Willie Brown thankfully forced Cunningham out of bounds. Speedster Darryl Stingley added to the drive by taking a reverse and he ran for big yardage as well. One play later, Stingley beat cornerback Skip Thomas to the endzone and Grogan hit him for a 21-yard strike. The extra point was good and the underdog Patriots led 14-0.

Most teams would panic in these kinds of situations but the Raiders were used to it by now. A team has gone up by two scores and it is up to Ken Stabler to get the Raiders back in the game. Like reruns on television or an old song on the radio, the wearers of silver and black were accustomed to slow starts like this. Stabler could move a team down the field faster than any NFL quarterback and he always could do it with the coolness and precision of a heart surgeon.

Stabler completed two key passes, one to Dave Casper and then he used Casper as a decoy to execute a perfect pump fake to find Fred Biletnikoff for a 15-yard touchdown. The Raiders were back in business.

Raiders' linebacker Willie Hall then forced a Patriots fumble but Russ Francis saved New England by diving on the football. It wouldn't help because three plays later Grogan was intercepted by Monte Johnson and the burly Raider linebacker returned the gift 22-yards. Two key plays by the Patriots defense, a forced pass to Cliff Branch that missed and a Sugar Ray Hamilton sack put Oakland out of field goal range. Sadly, Dave Casper was wide open but Hamilton moved in quickly and his sack saved the Patriots from giving up crucial points.

The Patriots took advantage after regaining possession of the ball. Sam Cunningham took advantage of a overpursining Raider defense and he ran virtually untouched for 18-yards. A few plays later, New England found themselves on the Raider 16 with less than one minute remaining in the first half. Then Marlin Brisco juked Willie Brown and Grogan connected with him for the score. The Patriot lead was back to 14 points.

With just 40 seconds remaining, Ken Stabler was not to be outdone by Steve Grogan. Snake completed three passes, two to Dave Casper, to set up a 44-yard field goal by opening day hero Fred Steinfort. The halftime score in this contest was Patriots 21 and Raiders 10.

The Patriots started the second half with another drive for a score. Grogan dropped back and faced no pressure as he hit Sam Cunningham for a 41-yard gain. Then Willie Brown gave up his second touchdown of the game to Darryl Stingley, who snagged a low thrown Grogan pass to complete a 15-yard touchdown strike. Oakland now trailed 28-10.

One their next possession, the Raiders had a chance to get back in the game again when a Patriots pass interference penalty spotted the ball on the Patriot 6. Then the Raiders imploded.

Dave Casper got open again and hauled in a Stabler pass for the score but Fred Biletnikoff was called for offensive pass interference. Then from the Patriot 16, Stabler dropped back again and both he and Casper connected again for an apparent score. Unfortunately, the touchdown didn't count because a holding penalty pushed the back to the Patriot 26. Snake lost his cool for once and he let center Dave Dalby hear hear frustration. Dalby was usually a reliable center but he was one of several Raiders who was having a bad day. Sugar Ray Hamilton was eating him up in the trenches and he didn't want Stabler to get sacked again. Sadly, it was a heat of the moment decision for David to hold and it negated another touchdown. Oakland now faced a third and goal from the 26.

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Tony McGee then worked his way around right tackle John Vella to apparently sack Stabler for another 10-yard loss. Snake fumbled instead and Sugar Ray Hamilton recovered. New England than pounded Oakland on the ground with a 22-yard run and Darryl Stingley ran another reversed for 27-yards. Grogan then executed the option-play to perfection as he ran it in for a 2-yard touchdown. The drive went 64 yards in 8 plays and now the Patriots lead was now a whopping 35-10.

A pass to Casper and a roughing penalty accumulated 22-yards for Oakland as they attempted to come back from what seemed to be an impossible deficit to overcome. The throw would be Stabler's last completion of the game as the Patriots played pass defense only and clamped down hard on the Raiders offense.

A Stabler toss was too high for Mike Siani and the ball bounced off his hands to a Patriot defender named Prentice McCray who returned the gift 88-yards! A Patriot clipping penalty meant that the interception netted only 53 yards but it pretty much sealed the deal for New England. Now all that stood between them and victory was the clock.

Grogan drove the Patriots again to the Oakland 10 and he easily fooled the men in black by executing a perfect quarterback draw. He didn't stop running until he gained 30-yards. Jack Tatum made the tackle and he added to the Patriots offensive total by being penalized for a late hit. Both Tatum and fellow safety George Atkinson argued the call and their arguments were promptly booed by the fans in Foxboro.

Two plays into the fourth period, Grogan ran another option play and he decided to call his own number again. He didn't stop running until he crossed the goal line to complete a 10-yard scoring scamper. The sports world was in absolute shock. The Spirit of '76, the Giant Killers had beaten Pittsburgh, Miami in successive weeks and now they were destroying the team that had played in the last three AFC Championship Games. Raider Nation was in tears.

The Patriots stopped Oakland on offense again and Ray Guy was called in to punt. Then former Raider backup Jess Phillips caught a Grogan screen pass for 18 big yards. George Atkinson was called for unnecessary roughness on Phillips and he was penalized again when he argued with the official.

The reception and the Atkinson penalties spotted the ball on the Raider 10.

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Phillips than took an off-tackle play into the right side of the Raider defense and he easily bounced off Jack Tatum for New England's seventh touchdown of the day. The Raiders' special teams blocked New England's point after touchdown which was really the Raiders only good defensive play of the second half. The Patriots now led 48-10.

John Madden then pulled Ken Stabler and most of his starters out of the game. Backup quarterback Mike Rae led a decent drive against the Patriots reserve defense and he capped off he drive with the first rushing touchdown of his NFL career. The Patriots turned to the run for the remainder of the fourth and when the final gun sounded, the Oakland Raiders suffered their worst defeat since 1963.

As of this writing, the Raiders have faced the Patriots 31 times but no margin of defeat to New England has ever eclipsed this one. It was a complete domination of a team that appeared unready for the cross-country trip. "We sure as hell have no excuses," head coach John Madden. "Give them all the credit. They played well, very well. They were able to move the ball on the ground and in the air." Stabler summed it up perfectly for the silver and black when he added "It was just a bad day all around."

New England had dominated virtually every aspect of this game and by controlling the clock they were able to limit the chances that Snake had to strike. New England rushed 52 times for a dominating 296 yards. Cunningham led the way with 101 with Grogan tallying 56 more. Stingley ran for 48 yards on 2 reverses and most of these plays went to the left side of the Raider defense. Defensive end Charles Philyaw had an excellent day against the Oilers but on this day he was dominated so much by right tackle Bob Mckay that Oakland was playing with 10 men on several downs. Both of Grogan's touchdown runs and both reverses by Stingley went right past Charles Philyaw and after this game he would be forever replaced by John Matuszak. Philyaw must have left his jockstrap back in Houston because he was virtually useless against New England.

The Patriots 296 yards on the ground ranked second on the Raiders all-time list at that time and the total has only been surpassed three times since. As of this writing it ranks as the 5th worst day by the Raiders rush defense.

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Sam Cunningham toasted the Raider defense. His 101 yard rushing was nearly supplanted by his 94 yards receiving (off 5 catches). Grogan was an efficient 10 of 14 passing but his three touchdowns and two rushing scores. He avoided mistakes, save for his lone interception, and people around the league began to think that the next great quarterback had arrived. It was hard to argue at the time because he had just beaten three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in three consecutive weeks (Grisie, Bradshaw and Stabler), not to mention beating three future Hall of Fame head coaches during that same span (Shula, Noll, Madden).

The loss spoiled a great day by tight end Dave Casper, who set a Raider record by catching 12 passes in a single game. Too bad his thirteenth was called back twice by Raider penalties. The record of 12 receptions in a game would stand for nearly 20 years until Tim Brown tied Casper by hauling in 12 passes versus the Dallas Cowboys on November 19, 1995. Brown would later surpass Casper in 1997 by catching a Raider record 14 passes against Jacksonville. No Raider tight end would catch more passes in a single game until Brandon Myers snatched 14 against Cleveland on December 2, 2012. Interestingly enough, Caspers 12 receptions have only been tied or surpassed five times since and it still ranks as the third best receiving day in Oakland history (as of this writing).

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The game did mark Casper's arrival as the games best tight end, a mantle that he would maintain for several years, and it would eventually land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This contest also served as a modification of the Raiders mindset in 1976. Going into Foxboro, the team was 3-0 and they still might have had some hangover left over from an emotional opener against Pittsburgh. The defeat made the Raiders realize that they had better wakeup or another disappointing season was on its way. In 2006 Stabler told NFL Films "We got the hell kicked out of us. Looking back on it maybe it's a bit of a wakeup call, maybe it's a bit of a blessing in disguise, maybe you are not quite as good as you think you are."

The truth was simple. The Raiders were that good but they had to calm down and play out the rest of the season.

Over one year would pass before the Oakland Raiders tasted defeat again.