Raiders Hope Hoyer or O'Connell Can Be Like Plunkett

Hoyer came in for Garoppolo in the second half last Sunday against the Patriots, completed 6-of-10 passes for 102 yards without a touchdown or an interception, and helped the Raiders to a 21-17 victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

If Garoppolo’s injury problems continue, Raiders Nation hopes either Hoyer or O’Connell will accomplish what backup quarterback Jim Plunkett did for the Silver and Black in 1980 when starting quarterback Dan Pastorini, who was acquired from the Houston Oilers in a trade for Raiders longtime starter Kenny “Snake” Stabler, went down because of a broken leg in Week 5.

Plunkett captured the 1970 Heisman Trophy at Stanford and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft by the Patriots, but was beaten up badly in his first seven pro seasons with New England and the San Francisco 49ers.

When Plunkett was released by the 49ers in 1978, Raiders Managing General Partner Al Davis signed Plunkett and told him to take care of himself for a while he didn’t even have practice with the team at first because they were set at quarterback with Stabler, and David Humm.

“I owe Mr. Davis a lot,” said Plunkett, who played the last nine seasons of his career with the Raiders in Oakland and Los Angeles. “He signed me, and although I had other offers, I didn’t want to leave California again and go somewhere else. He provided me with that opportunity, and then my job was to take advantage of that opportunity, and fortunately, I did.

“Going with the Raiders, I was allowed to do what I could do best and that was throw the football. It put me in a situation where I could help them win being surrounded by the talent they had back in those days. It was a great time for me personally because I proved the critics wrong and it was a great time to be a Raider, there was no doubt about it.”

When Plunkett’s time came in 1980, he was ready.

Although the 32-year-old Plunkett threw five interceptions when he came off the bench to replace Pastorini in a 31-17 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, he then led the Silver and Black to nine victories in the next 11 games to earn a wild-card berth in the NFL playoffs with an 11-5 record.

Then the Raiders, with Plunkett at quarterback, defeated the Houston Oilers, 27-7, and the Cleveland Browns, 14-12, in the first two rounds of the playoffs before upsetting the San Diego Chargers, 34-27, in the 1980 AFC Championship Game.

In Super Bowl XV, Plunkett passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns in another upset, 27-10, over the Philadelphia Eagles at the Louisiana Super Dome in New Orleans. He was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“Going on to play Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, a team that beat us, 10-7, on a cold, windy morning in Philly earlier that year during the regular season, we got our revenge,” Plunkett said. “Defensively, we stuffed them pretty good. Offensively, we were able to come up with big plays during the course of the game to help beat the Eagles and win the Super Bowl.

“It was a tremendous thrill and satisfaction after taking over the team in ’80 and leading them to a Super Bowl victory. I was very proud of that fact.”

Three years later, Plunkett again was the backup quarterback for the Raiders, having been benched in favor of younger Marc Wilson, but he was back in the starting lineup when Wilson sustained a broken left shoulder.

Plunkett started the last 13 games of the regular season, with the Raiders winning 10 to finish with a 12-4 record to win the AFC West title.

In the playoffs, Plunkett led the Raiders to a 38-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 30-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks before they trounced the favored Washington Redskins, 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII as Plunkett completed 16-of-25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.

Somehow, Plunkett is the only quarterback in NFL history with two Super Bowl victories who have been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, despite posting a 38-19 record as a starter with the Raiders, including 8-2 in the NFL playoffs.

The Raiders hope that if they go with Hoyer or O’Connell long term, one can perform close to what Plunkett did coming off the bench.

The Silver and Black will head on the road to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1:05 p.m. EDT/10:05 a.m. PDT.