Raiders Defensive End Mt. Rushmore

By John Turney 

When Hall-of-Fame defensive end Howie Long appeared recently on "The Rush With Maxx Crosby" podcast, he spent over an hour talking with Crosby and his co-hosts. But before he left, he was asked to name his Mt. Rushmore of Raiders' defensive linemen ... and he struggled to come up with an answer.

Instead, he rambled through all sorts of Raiders greats, few of whom were defensive linemen.

He rattled off Cliff Branch ... and Ted Hendricks ... and Jim Otto, Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, before eventually getting around to Greg Townsend, Reggie Kinlaw, Lyle Alzado and Chester McGlockton. After that, Crosby let him off the hook, and the segment closed. 

Or, so it seemed.

I'm here to finish the job by naming the Raiders' Mt. Rushmore of defensive ends, albeit with one important ground rule: The player must have spent a minimum of five years with the franchise. So that eliminates Alzado, Khalil Mack, Sean Jones and plenty of others, which reduces the field. 

But that doesn't make the job easier. I empathize with Howie. Limiting the answer to just four was a tough task. 

But here goes.

4. Greg Townsend—At first, Townsend played on passing downs. He would come into the game at left defensive end and immediately have an impact -- mostly because he was so smooth. At 240 pounds and with great speed, he could get upfield and befuddle NFL right tackles.

In that role, he averaged ten sacks a year but only 22 tackles.

Eventually, he became a starter and upped his game as he gained 30 or more pounds, added strength and acquired experience. In that role, he again averaged ten sacks a year -- or as many as when he was a designated pass rusher. However, his tackles per season average jumped to 50.

He'd become a complete player, taking down running backs as easily as he did quarterbacks.

In his Raiders' career, he was credited with a franchise-record 107-1/2 sacks, 25 forced fumbles and 46 passes defensed. Without question, he was one of the elite pure pass rushers of the 1980s and early 1990s. 

The TCU product was a four-time first-or-second-team All-AFC pick and went to two Pro Bowls. He was second-team AP All-Pro twice (1990-91) and in 1990 named first-team All-NFL by the NEA and Sporting News.

3. Ike Lassiter—You may not know this name, but you should. Lassiter was acquired from the Denver Broncos in 1965, stayed five years with the Raiders, then was off to the Patriots in 1970. But those five years are what matters because Oakland is where he played his best football.

As a Raider, he was a beast -- probably as accomplished a defensive end as there was in the AFL, and that includes teammate Ben Davidson, as well as Denver's Rich Jackson, the Jets' Gerry Philbin and Kansas City's Jerry Mays. They have gained more acclaim than Ike but not the production.

Lassiter was the Raiders' left end from 1965-69, and in 1967 -- when the Raiders set the then single-season record with 67 sacks -- he led the team with 17 (unofficially) and in his five years with the club averaged just over 12 sacks per season. According to Raiders' gamebooks, he also averaged 72 tackles a year in that span on a very good Raiders' run defense.

In my opinion, Lassiter was better than everyone in team history except the next two names you're about to read. Pretty good for a ninth-round pick (by the Rams) out of Saint Augustine’s University - an HBCU located in Raleigh, N.C.

2. Maxx Crosby—Yes, Crosby is already near the top of this list. Entering his sixth year, he's one of the NFL's top four edge rushers the last few years. But because he competes with others like Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt, he hasn't gained as many All-Pro notices.

He should.

He's playing in an era not unlike the mid-1970s when Carl Eller, Jack Youngblood, Claude Humphrey, L.C. Greenwood and Harvey Martin battled for a couple of All-Pro spots. That's one reason why Crosby's highest honor is second-team All-Pro, though he's been All-AFC the last three years, as well as a Pro Bowl invitee.

Plus, he has more time. He's only 26. So those numbers will increase.

His array of pass-rush moves is as complete as anyone in the NFL, with Crosby perfecting a highly effective inside swim move that has him get close to quarterbacks more often than most. According to the analytics company, Sports Radar, Crosby has been in the top two in QB pressures the past two seasons and was in the top 10 three years ago. 

According to Pro Football Focus, another analytics group, he was fourth in 2023, third in 2023 and first in 2023. Yet a third source, Sports Information Solutions, had Crosby first the past two years.

Bottom line: No matter the source, Crosby is at or near the top in pressures metrics. But even without the numbers, he passes the eye test. Just watch a game, and you can't help but notice his elite skills as he beats opposing tackles and zeroes in on quarterbacks.

"I don't know that there's anybody that puts it together quite the way you do," Long told Crosby on his podcast. "I really, really mean that." 

Crosby's also someone who plays all the time The last two years he's been on their field just over 95 percent of snaps. For this era, that is an astonishing number for a defensive lineman. Most teams rotate defensive fronts to keep them fresh.

Crosby is also solid vs. the run, with 89 tackles two years ago and 90 this past season. Like his snap percentage, his tackle totals are unusually high for a defensive end.  In his five-year career, he averages 74 total tackles a year and just under 10-1/2 sacks.

1. Howie Long—The man Crosby questioned on his podcast is someone he didn't name -- himself. But he was the best defensive end in Silver-and-Black land.

Young fans of today's game look at Long's career sack total, and think it pales in comparison to other Hall-of-Fame defensive ends like Reggie White and Bruce Smith, each of whom had more than double his total.

And they're right.

But then some go a step farther, suggesting he's not worthy of the Hall of Fame, and that's absurd. What they don't realize is that Long was a two-gap 3-4 defensive end, playing nose up on an offensive tackle much of his career. He didn't get to line up on the outside of a tackle and beat him off the edge. Instead, he had to push his opposing lineman into the backfield and read the flow of the play.

If it went to his right, he'd take the gap to his right. If the flow was to his left, he had the gap on his left. Ask anyone who had to play it: It was HARD.

His best chance to rush the passer was when the Raiders went to their Bandit, Pirate and Desperado packages, which were composed of four defensive linemen and five, six or seven defensive backs. In those sets, Long was a three-technique, usually to the right side where he gave guards ...  or a center and a guard ... fits.

Sometimes, however, he'd even play the nose position. That's when the Raiders used a Bear front, mimicking Buddy Ryan's "46" defense, so that he couldn't be double-teamed. In that front, the center had to take him one-on-one, and it often was a mismatch.

Long was an eight-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He was also the 1985 NFLPA AFC Defensive Lineman in the Year -- an honor based on a poll of his peers. AFC offensive and defensive linemen knew who was the best, and they put Long's name on the ballot most often.

These days, he'd be called a "DI" (defensive interior), but it doesn't matter what he's called. He was a load for opposing linemen, ending his career with 91-1/2 sacks, including a career-high 13 in 1983. No, it's not an overly high number, but had pressures been kept then, Long would have totals similar to other elite defensive interior players in today's league.