Raiders Countdown to Kickoff: 14: Who wore it best, who's wearing it now

Can you believe it folks? We are just two weeks away from the regular season starting and watching the Raiders play meaningful games again! That's right, we are already to number 14 on our Raiders Countdown to Kickoff, and there is absolutely no doubt about who wore this number the best.

Who wore it best: WR Fred Biletnikoff (1965-78)

That is right folks, the great Fred Biletnikoff wore the number 14 best. It would be understandable if you were sitting there thinking that this couldn't be right because he wore #25 best, which is of course the number that he made famous. However before he made himself a hall of fame player in number 25, he wore the number 14. He is the only player to be selected in this countdown two different times.

It was just 24 games of his career where he wore the number 14, and in those 24 games he caught 41 passes for 603 yards and 3 TDs. Those are not huge numbers, especially considering he ended his career with a whopping 8,974 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns. Most of that damage came after his first 2 years of wearing number 14, but when you have an all-time great who wore the number then it is a very easy decision to make that they wore it best.

Freddy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and was the franchise record holder in both yards and touchdowns until another Hall of Fame player came up and broke them. That players name is Tim Brown, so no shame in having him break your records. Biletnikoff is a class act and an all time Raider great, and he can add one more notch to his belt because he is the Raider who best wore the number 14.

Who wears it now: Matt McGloin (2013-present)

Yes, it is the mighty McGloin who wears it today. The red headed QB out of Penn St dons the number 14 in the present times, and many folks believe that he does wear it well. He started 6 games as a rookie back in 2013 when he first stole the hearts of many a Raiders fan fond of hyperbole and Chuck Norris-esq references of mythical proportions.

In that 2013 season Matt McGloin accumulated 1,547 yards on 118 completions in 211 passing attempts with 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Since that year he has only played in one other game where he went 12 of 19 of 129 yards with a TD and an interception bringing his grand total career stats to 1,676 yards with 9 TDs and 10 INTs. He is currently in a tight battle with QB Christian Ponder for the back up QB job in the upcoming season.

McGloin came to the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and has fought and scratched his way into relevancy. He has what appears to be a long NFL career ahead of him, whether that be on the Raiders we don't know but he will land on his feet if not. After all, he IS Matt McGloin.