Before settling into their current pattern of ineptitude, the Oakland Raiders were one of the most feared franchises in the NFL, tearing through their opponents and making few friends in the process.
They were, in the mind of one columnist, the equivalent of the modern-day New England Patriots.
Jarrett Bell penned a column Tuesday for USA Today comparing “the Al Davis-inspired teams of the 1970s and 1980s, the ones that used to win Super Bowls and fuel widespread paranoia” to the current Patriots, who are coming off a summer of news-cycle dominance thanks to Deflategate.
That scandal, coupled with the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl title in 15 years, only added to the general public’s distaste for Bill Belichick’s squad.
Former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown, whose Hall of Fame career concluded during the early years of the New England dynasty, agreed with Bell’s thesis.
“No doubt, that could be the case,” Brown told USA Today. “I don’t know if they want that title, but they certainly seem to be the bad boys of the NFL right now.”
But preventing the Patriots from going full Raider, Brown says, is the fact that they — and quarterback Tom Brady, especially — still often receive favorable treatment from referees.
“When the Patriots get to the point where they are not getting the calls,” said Brown, who was on the wrong end of the famous of all those calls, the Tuck Rule, in the 2001 playoffs, “then they are truly the new Raiders of the NFL.”
If anything, though, that type of perceived preferential treatment has done more to make the Pats the most hated team in football — a mantle they might not love, but certainly recognize.
“I’m from the New Jersey/New York area, so that’s all I get,” safety Devin McCourty told USA Today. “People are always telling me, ‘Been a fan of yours since Rutgers, but hate the team you play on.’
“I get it so much, I’m used to it.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
