The statistics speak for themselves, as former Las Vegas Raiders receiver Cliff Branch has 510 career catches for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdown with four Pro Bowl nod and three All-Pro selections in an era that was anything but friendly to the passing game He pointed out that he caught a pass against every team that existed in the National Football League. He averaged 24.2 yards per catch in 1976. Branch won three Super Bowl rings and was the all-time leading receiver in the playoffs with 73 catches for 1,289 yards. Branch was a speedster who set an NCAA championship meet record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.0 seconds in the 1972 semifinals and also ran a personal best in the 200 meters. Branch's coach, Hall of Fame receiving cohort, quarterback and several defensive backs he played against -- both on the practice field and on Sundays -- shared withESPN what they believe made the late Hall of Famer one of the most feared and respected receiver of his era. "You're in, coach." was the last text message Branch sent to Flores, after seeing reports of a new coach category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Raiders used a fourth-round pick on Branch in 1972 in order to get Flores, who was about to start his career as the Raiders' receivers coach. After seven years as Branch's position coach, Flores became the Raiders' head coach in 1979. Branch and Flores were linked to the Silver and Black due to their time as players. He was going to try out for the Olympics when he was drafted. He wasn't able to come to the rookies camp because he hurt his leg. He was nothing more than a puppy. a happy guy The person always smiles. Feet are great. It was important to find out if he was a track man or a football player. According to Flores, opposing coaches would tell him that Branch was the most feared player on a 1970s Raiders offensive roster that included six Hall of Fame players. Flores said there was fast and fast. He caught the balls quickly. They were going to have to find a way to keep him from running by them. He was a game-changing player. He gave me a lot of knowledge. I see him now and he says, "Hey, son." I was taught to catch the ball with my hands. He told me to reach out and catch the ball. He still wants to know if I caught the ball with my hands. Branch talked about his relationship with Biletnikoff in his father's presence. Branch was drafted by the Raiders to join his receiver room, after being drafted out of Colorado by Billy Kidman. He had two inches and 20 pounds on Branch but was even larger as his mentor. He had to learn how to catch the football if he was going to be on the team. Many guys with speed on different teams didn't make it because they couldn't catch the ball. I didn't want to see that happen toCliff. You can meet the class of 2022.
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The Mentor: Fred Biletnikoff
We made a pact that we were going to catch footballs on the field after practice.
Branch, who caught 19 passes in his second season in the National Football League, began catching passes in practice that he wouldn't normally drop.
"Then, there's such a thing as, 'Sure, you're catching the ball, but now there's times where you're going to have to come up with some catches with people around you, people on you.'" He got used to having people around him, people next to him, and he learned how to catch the ball. He was always going to catch the ball even if he dropped it.
Branch earned his first of three straight All-Pro selections in 1974 after leading the league in receiving yards and touchdown catches in his third season.
"If you have that talent, you have a bonus because everybody is worried about you when you have a release on them," he said. Routes just fell in place for him because they were worried about him going deep. He became more of a threat once he knew how to get out of the line of scrimmage and how to take a hit.
Jim was our hero. He grew up poor with blind parents and had a rough time in New England and thought his career was over when he was cut by the 49ers. We probably wouldn't have accomplished winning the Super Bowl if it weren't for Jim Plunkett and his great leadership.
Branch and Plunkett are the only two players in the history of the game to win a pair of Super Bowls. The 99-yard touchdown pass play at Washington was the first since the 1970 merger of the NBA and NHL. There are 13 such plays right now.
Mr. The philosophy of Al Davis was to get the ball down the field and not dunk it. "Safeties always favor the side of the person who is in trouble."
On that day, it wasn't important. Not even with the Raiders trailing the defending champ by 10 in the second quarter at a rowdy RFK Stadium, Plunkett had thrown three picks and the Raiders were inside their own 1-yard line. He remembers that the play was a fake, though he doesn't know the exact name.
It was the first down with the Raiders lined up in 22 personnel, with both tight ends and running backs lined up next to the tackles. Washington expected a run and Vernon Dean pressed Branch on the line of scrimmage. After faking the handoff to Hawkins, who picked up middle linebacker Neal Olkewicz with the block, Plunkett dropped back 8 yards into the end zone and hit Branch in stride at the 35-yard line.
"I threw it to him because he was close to the guy and he took it the rest of the way," he said. I'm not sure if I got hit. I watched Cliff run. We threw it because the corner tried to sneak up on him.
After blowing by Dean, Branch outraced Jordan to the finish line.
"Cliff's leg caught at the Washington 30-yard line." He put itTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkia They were unable to catch him. He did a great job on his part. He dropped the easy one in the past. That's not that one.
After the Raiders lost a back-and-forth game to the Broncos, Branch injured his right leg and missed four of the next five games.
"We lost that game, but we had a second chance in the Super Bowl and we scored a touchdown."
Branch caught 11 passes for 161 yards and 3 touchdown in two Super Bowls. The Hall of Fame speedster receiver from the 1960s and 70s was referred to as "Bullet" by Plunkett. Branch was better at passing the ball.
His straight-line speed was the main factor. At first he was a track guy. He got better and better as he learned how to run routes and return. He would make a 7-yard catch into a 90 yard gain.
That was the final piece of the puzzle. I thought we could go all the way once we got Mike Haynes.
What made Branch so dangerous? He said that he practiced against Willie Brown and Haynes. Branch made a big impression on a young defensive back who later became a safety and joined Brown and Haynes in Canton.
He was the most dangerous because of his speed. It was my greatest concern if I was covering him. I knew it was going to be a hard day in practice.
He settled me the very first time he practiced. He made me feel better. He came out of the huddle and said what he would do. He said he had a problem. I wondered if he was messing with me. He ran out of time. I had a chance to work on my technique because I didn't have to worry about him running by and me looking bad. It helped my growth. It made a huge difference for me.
HOFer Branch was more than that.
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Branch had an effect on games.
It is almost impossible for a defensive back to cover him. The majority of speed guys were horizontal. He was able to run a slant, a go, an out, and a comeback. If he was in single coverage, he would cut and go deeper. There was a loud noise.
After Branch caught a pair of touchdown passes in a Super Bowl XV win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Lott met him for the first time.
Branch told me that I could not catch him. The man was correct. Lott said he told him, "I can't catch you, but I'll knock the shit out of you." He was a great weapon for the Raiders. To win games, you have to have people making big plays. Al Davis was the first to use that element. Branch made a huge change to the game. You paid for that extra step.
Jerry Rice told me that it was about getting open. Guys think it's simple to open. It's like in basketball when a player gets open to get a shot off. Cliff Branch and other Hall of Fame wide receiver had a similar separation. It is rare for a wide receiver to have that speed. Rarely do you see a football and basketball player with the same skills. That wasCliff Branch.
Haynes had an off-the-field relationship in Los Angeles with Branch, who lived down the street from Haynes in California. Three years after his death, Branch is going into the Hall of Fame.
When people ask me, "Hey, who was the toughest guy to cover?", I feel bad because I think he was one of the greatest guys in the NFL. Haynes made a statement. I didn't mention my teammates after I left the Raiders. I wondered if that hurt his candidacy because he was one of the toughest guys to cover during his time in the league.
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