Of the many Raiders who seem to have been excluded from the hall of fame for some reason (Ken Stabler, Ray Guy, Jack Tatum), Cliff Branch has as much reason to feel aggrieved as any of them. It ...

People started going out and looking for speed, and looking for guys like Cliff Branch," said HOF cornerback Mel Blount, who covered Branch when the Raiders and Steelers played in those epic games.

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 1: Cliff Branch #21 of the Los Angeles Raiders runs the ball against Mel Blount #47 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the AFC Divisional playoff game at the Los Angeles ...

Added Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had some classic battles with Branch: “He changed the game, in the way a game is played as a wide receiver.

Steelers Hall of Fame Mel Blount felt Easley's pain, saying, "Cliff embarrassed me in one game ... got me benched." The Raiders faced Pittsburgh in the postseason in Branch's first five pro seasons.

Two years later, she cried tears of joy as her brother, former Raiders receiver Cliff Branch, ... "I had an opportunity to talk with Mel Blount. I said, 'You know, I remember your name.

Cliff Branch of the Raiders tries to elude Steelers defensive back Mel Blount of the Steelers during the AFC divisional playoff game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Jan. 1, 1984. The Raiders ...

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 1: Cliff Branch #21 of the Los Angeles Raiders runs the ball against Mel Blount #47 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the AFC Divisional playoff game at the Los Angeles ...

The Steelers had advanced to the 1974 AFC Championship Game, which was played in Oakland against the Raiders, in Blount's fifth NFL season. As Cliff Branch was amassing 186 yards on 9 catches, ...

Cliff Branch, right, of the then-Los Angeles Raiders, runs the ball against Mel Blount of the Pittsburgh Steelers during an AFC playoff game in Los Angeles, Jan. 1, 1984.