Raiders Put Warhorse Out to Pasture : Plunkett, 40, Winds Up His Brilliant Career on the Waiver Wire
After two decades of dodging defenses as a collegian and a professional, quarterback Jim Plunkett was sacked Monday by the one opponent he couldn’t get away from: Father Time.
The Raiders placed the 40-year-old Plunkett on waivers, apparently ending a career that included a Heisman Trophy at Stanford, 17 years in the National Football League, 11 surgeries, 3 pro clubs and 2 Super Bowl victories.
“These are moments of sadness,” said Al Davis, the Raiders’ managing general partner, “but it’s years of glory for a great player, a truly great player, and one of the greatest contributors to the success of the Raiders. I’m proud of him, proud to have been associated with him and proud he could be a part of us.”
Plunkett received the news Monday morning from Coach Mike Shanahan after getting into a game for the first time in 20 months on Saturday. Plunkett played the second half of the 27-17 exhibition loss to the Dallas Cowboys and was unable to move his club, despite completing 8 of 19 passes for 80 yards. He looked like a man who hadn’t taken a snap in a game in 20 months.
“I wanted to be a part of this ballclub this year,” Plunkett said early Monday as he packed his belongings into his car at the Raiders’ training camp, “but it was not to be.
“They are going to go with Steve (Beuerlein), and they have Vince (Evans) to back him up.”
And Plunkett’s plans?
Monday afternoon, he and his 5-year-old son, Jimmy Jr., were driving north to Plunkett’s home in Atherton, where he has a beer distributorship.
When asked if he expected to play football sometime in the future, Plunkett replied, “I don’t think there’s too much demand for a 40-year-old quarterback.”
So, for now, the Raider commitment is to youth. Beuerlein, 23, and still untested in a regular-season game, gets the starting job. Evans will be his backup with Rusty Hilger moving into the No. 3 slot. No decision has been made on whether the Raiders will carry three quarterbacks.
Expect the rumors of a quarterback trade to start anew, especially with Jay Schroeder coming into town this weekend with the Washington Redskins.
Davis said Monday all reports of a possible trade are “ill-founded.”
Plunkett, however, couldn’t be blamed for harboring a hope, no matter how faint, that someone somewhere might still give him a shot. After all, he has been hearing this washed-up stuff for more than a decade.
He came out of Stanford with not only the Heisman but also the Maxwell Award for player of the year. And he earned the Rose Bowl most valuable player award in 1971, when he led Stanford past Ohio State.
The No. 1 pick of the New England Patriots, Plunkett hardly missed a beat, or a receiver, in the transition to the pros. That first season, he threw 19 touchdown passes and was NFL rookie of the year.
But the best times seemed to be followed by the worst for Plunkett.
After five years with the Patriots, he returned to the Bay Area in 1976 to spend two dreadful seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
In 1978, he was cut by the 49ers during the exhibition season and it appeared his career might be over at 30.
When he walked into the Raiders’ offices in Oakland to meet with Davis, Plunkett didn’t seem to have a comeback in him.
“He was beat, depressed, disillusioned,” Davis said.
But the Raider boss remembered those Saturdays a decade earlier when he sat in the stands at Stanford, watching Plunkett play.
“I knew in my mind then,” Davis said, “I had to get this guy.”
Davis took advantage of his chance, and 2 1/2 years later, Plunkett repaid him with a Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. All Plunkett did in New Orleans in Super Bowl XV was pass for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a Super Bowl record 80-yard scoring pass play to Kenny King. When it was over, Plunkett had added a Super Bowl MVP award to his trophy case.
But still the roller-coaster ride continued. There were injuries and a quarterback controversy with Marc Wilson in the ensuing years.
However, when the Raiders won Super XVIII over the Washington Redskins in Tampa, Fla., there was Plunkett, completing 16 of 25 for 172 yards and a touchdown.
There was a shoulder injury in ‘85, bench time in ’86 until he replaced Wilson in midseason and, finally, shoulder surgery after the ’86 season.
Plunkett spent all of last season inactive, keeping in shape, working out after practice, holding out the hope that he could still make it back to a Raider huddle.
It fell to Shanahan, the first-year head coach who is Plunkett’s junior by five years, to tell the veteran the hope was gone.
“Jim Plunkett is one of the greatest players of all time. There are not enough adjectives to describe what he has done. He’s what I call a man’s man,” Shanahan said, adding his tribute to Davis’ with obvious emotion clouding his voice.
“He knew how to win,” Davis said, “and he knew how to win Super Bowls, which is most important. That’s the thing which seems to be how we are judged in our culture.”
Amid the emotional departure of Plunkett, few noticed that five other players were also cut Monday: punter Scott Tabor, linebacker Jim Reynosa, defensive lineman Phil Grimes, offensive lineman Dwight Wheeler and tight end Walter Odom.
JIM PLUNKETT’S CAREER STATISTICS
REGULAR SEASON
Year Team Att Com Yds TD Int 1971 Patriots 328 158 2158 19 16 1972 Patriots 355 169 2196 8 25 1973 Patriots 376 193 2550 13 17 1974 Patriots 352 173 2457 19 22 1975 Patriots 92 36 571 3 7 1976 49ers 243 126 1592 13 16 1977 49ers 248 128 1693 9 14 1978 Raiders Did Not Play 1979 Raiders 15 7 89 1 1 1980 Raiders 320 165 2299 18 16 1981 Raiders 179 94 1045 4 9 1982 Raiders 261 152 2035 14 15 1983 Raiders 379 230 2935 20 18 1984 Raiders 198 108 1473 6 10 1985 Raiders 103 71 803 3 3 1986 Raiders 252 133 1986 14 9 1987 Raiders Did Not Play Totals 3701 1943 25882 164 198
PLAYOFFS (8 GAMES)
Team Att Com Yds TD Int Totals 226 133 1860 7 12
SUPER BOWL
Year Team Att Com Yds TD Int 1981 vs. Eagles 21 13 261 3 0 1984 vs Redskins 25 16 172 1 0
PRO CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
* Shares Super Bowl records for longest pass completion--80 yards to Kenny King, Raiders vs. Philadelphia, 1981; and threw no interceptions in two Super Bowl appearances.
* Super Bowl MVP, 1981
* Shares NFL record for longest completed passing play from scrimmage--99-yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch, Raiders vs. Washington, 1983.
* Rookie of Year, 1971.