Talk about no respect.

CLICK HERE FOR CAM INMAN’S STORY ON THE 1983 LOS ANGELES RAIDERS

Cam, I agree with Tom Flores, that the 1983 Raiders are one of the most dominant and under appreciated teams ever. I am convinced one of the best ways to determine the mettle of a great team is to examine how they did not only in the season under discussion, but the preceding and following seasons. In 1982, the Raiders went 8-1 in a strike shortened season, tied with the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Washington Redskins. They also defeated the defending AFC West champion San Diego Chargers twice, and went 1-1 in the playoffs, losing 17-14 at home to the New York Jets due primarily to Plunkett’s 3 interceptions. In 1983, the Raiders lost to only three teams, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks (twice in the regular season), and blew a 35-20 lead in Washington to lose to the defending Super Bowl champions 37-35. They avenged losing to two of those teams in the playoffs and the Super Bowl with convincing wins. In 1984, the Raiders returned to the playoffs, but finished third (!) in the AFC West with an 11-5 record to the Denver Broncos (13-3) and Seattle (12-4). They lost in the first round to Seattle. (The Raiders also returned to the playoffs as AFC West champions in 1985 with a 12-4 record). That was the first season I got to see the Raiders play in person. My mom bought tickets to the game in Kansas City (we lived in Missouri), and they defeated the Chiefs 28-20. What a memory to get to see an eventual Super Bowl champion in my first pro football game!!! I rank this team above the 1980 team, as the Raiders seemed to catch lightning in a bottle that year. In 1981, they went 7-9 and had a stretch of three straight losses by shutout that year. I also would say this team was at least the equal of the 1976 Raiders who went 13-1 and who avenged their only loss in the playoffs (against the New England Patriots). It’s past time for an accurate assessment of the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders, the champions without a home.