Alabama football fans remember Kenny Stabler

Back in the 1970s, swashbuckling quarterback Kenny “The Snake” Stabler once said the reason he fit in so perfectly with his hell-raising Oakland Raiders teams was he liked to study his game plans by the light of a honky-tonk jukebox. Stabler died Wednesday due to complications from colon cancer.

Which is why, when Homan finally received confirmation Thursday that Stabler, the legendary ex- Crimson Tide quarterback, had passed away Wednesday evening following a quiet battle with colon cancer, the news hit home harder than any defensive back ever did. Stabler led the Raiders to the 1977 Super Bowl title and was a four-time NFL Pro Bowler. “He was a cherished member of the Raider family and personified what it means to be a Raider”.

The crew at Silver and Black Pride (SB Nation’s website covering the Oakland Raiders) polled reactions from around the league, from fan communities to NFL teams and the media. “Our honest thoughts and prayers go out to Kenny’s family”.

John Madden said in a statement, “I was head coach of the Raiders the entire time Kenny was there and he led us to a whole bunch of victories including one in Super Bowl XI”.

I’ve often said, If I had one drive to win a game to this day, and I had a quarterback to pick, I would pick Kenny. “Of all the people I coached, and I coached a lot of great ones, a lot of Hall of Famers, he’s one of the guys who’s really at the top of the class”. The Raiders offense struggled out of the gate, going scoreless in the first quarter and then settling for a field goal early in the second. He’s the kind of guy you think is bigger than life.

After his 10 seasons with the Raiders, Stabler played for the Houston Oilers for two seasons and the New Orleans Saints for his final three seasons.

Stat boys and armchair GMs argue that the Stabler-led Raiders “only” won one Super Bowl. At one point, the 2011 Raiders looked to be challenging for a playoff spot at 7-4.

But Madden said numbers don’t tell Stabler’s story. The Raiders beat the Colts that day 37-31 on Dave Casper’s 10-yard touchdown catch. It went right through his hands.

“I don’t think he ever cared about losing”. “And we did”. The Snake played crucial parts in all the great Raider games of that illustrious era.

All of those plays came in Raiders victories, but perhaps the most underrated play of his career came in an even more famous loss.

Flores worked closely with Stabler as an offensive assistant and said: “He was ideal for what we had at that time”. His ex- coach, John Madden, had the opportunity to reflect on his ex- player’s life on Friday. He was so cool that he made Paul Newman look like Woody Allen.

I’ll say this now, the Hall of Fame is dirt for the way they excluded him, and I wouldn’t go if I was in Canton and was offered free tickets. “It was a shock to all of us. And it makes everybody see that nobody is inexpendable, no mater who you or or what position you play”, Stabler said.

“I am very sad to hear of the death of Ken Stabler”.

Stabler conceded he didn’t always take the best care of himself or have at top-flight work ethic. “The Sea Of Hands”, “The Ghost To The Post”, and “The Holy Roller” are three of the great plays in National Football League history. At the time, Stabler was excited to be involved again in Tide athletics and be back in Alabama. Terry Bradshaw won more.

Quarterback Ken Stabler passed away on Thursday.

“I’m sitting here watching TV and not even comprehending what I’m watching”, Banaszak said. Stabler’s brain and spinal cord were donated to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center to support research into degenerative brain disease among athletes, according to the family.