Raiders countdown to kickoff: 3 is EJ Manuel, who wore it best?

We are inside three days until the Raiders kickoff the 2017 season. At the time of this posting, that’s less than 70 hours away. With three days until kickoff, we look at number three for the Raiders.

QB EJ Manuel

This former first round pick joined the Raiders this offseason without much fanfare. He had been run out of Buffalo for not living up to his top pick status, despite being given just his rookie season and a total of 14 games to show his worth before they gave up on him.

He wasn’t setting the world on fire as a rookie, and, yeah, he had some pretty terrible moments. But his numbers don’t justify the amount of disdain I’ve seen from Bills fans since he arrived in Oakland and on my beat.

What I’ve seen is a gifted passer and model teammate. He earned the Raiders’ primary backup job in minicamp and hasn’t let go of it. Even with the team hoping second year 4th round pick Connor Cook could win the job. Manuel looked in the preseason like he will either earn a long term deal in Oakland or elsewhere. He gives the staff a bit more confidence the Raiders wouldn’t fall off a cliff as they did late last season when Carr was lost to a broken fibula.

Who wore it best: QB Daryle Lamonica (1967-74)

Nicknamed "The Mad Bomber", Lamonica came to the Raiders in a trade that sent Tom Flores and Art Powell to Buffalo. In his first season in Oakland, Lamonica took the Raiders to the Super Bowl and was named All AFL. He played eight seasons for the Raiders, and was named All Pro twice and to the Pro Bowl five times. He is the franchise third all-time leading passer with 16,655 passing yards along with 148 touchdowns to 115 interceptions.