• tam
• was
• stl
• den
• oak
• sfo
• bal
• was
• chi
• was
• nyj
• dal
• gnb
• gnb
• nyg
• ind
• mia
• ind
• oak
• sfo
• pit
• nyg
• kan
• dal
tamwasstldenoaksfobalwaschiwasnyjdalgnbgnbnygindmiaindoaksfopitnygkandal

SUPER BOWL XI

Freddy Biletnikoff was one of those guys everybody loved to death. He played with such heart and toughness, but on the field, he never said a word. In the 10 years I played with him, I think I heard him say three words. In this game, I remember one series, we had the ball down in the red zone and Freddy sticks his head in the huddle, looks at me and says, "I can get a post." Now, Freddy hadn't said a word in the huddle all year, and if he says he can get a post, then he can get a post. We had a great belief in each other. So I picked out the formation I wanted to use -- the 99 post -- put him on the strong side, and bang. Freddy beats the cornerback, I throw the ball and he catches it down inside the 5, to the 1. On the next play, Pete Banaszak scores. Freddy never asked for anything, so when he did, I knew to give him what he wanted. After the game, in the locker room, one image that stuck with me for a long time was of Freddy. He was the MVP of that game, and when I walked in, I looked over at his locker and Freddy was sitting there with his son, Freddy Jr., sitting between his legs. To see Freddy holding his son, with big crocodile tears coming down both of their faces, I realized how much that win meant to the families and fans, the coaches and ownership. That was the first one for the Raiders and we were expected to win. The Steel Curtain had won four at our expense, so when you finally win one and see how much it means, that scene will always stick with me.
-- As told to Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN The Magazine