Stabler was the ideal quarterback for the 70's Raiders: a swashbuckler with uncanny instincts about what to do with the ball after the play started. He could put it between fingers and hands with surgical precision. Being behind by a couple of touchdowns in the fourth never disheartened him; he just reached down and pulled out another miracle from wherever he kept his stash of nerve. An unconventional master of his craft and therefore a perfect fit for Al Davis' collection of misfits and castoffs.