Enlarge AP photo Former Raiders wideout Fred Biletnikoff said Daryle Lamonica enjoyed the team's wide-open offense during its time in the AFL. Attacking deep was Daryle's mind-set, " Biletnikoff said.    ABOUT THE AFL SERIES USA TODAY will celebrate the American Football League's 50th anniversary this summer with a series of retrospectives. THE AFL, 50 YEARS LATER Photos: Key moments and decision makers from the AFL's impactful tenure Upstart to the big time: How the underdog AFL changed the course of the NFL Patriots: Nomad team had humble beginning before reign as NFL champs Dolphins: After slow start in the AFL, Shula-led Dolphins flourished Bengals: AFL's Bengals became Paul Brown's entry back into NFL Broncos: Couldn't put a sock in 'second-class' days in AFL Chargers: Early days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry Chiefs: After they left Dallas, the Chiefs became the toast of the AFL Jets: Broadway Joe's win in Super Bowl III etched league's place in lore Bills: AFL glory days came too early for Bills to make a Super mark Oilers: Team owner Bud Adams' influence often overlooked

Today's Tom Brady-led New England Patriots, Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts, Kurt Warner's Arizona Cardinals and Drew Brees' New Orleans Saints all feature spread passing attacks that owe a nod to the American Football League's vertical-strike Oakland Raiders.

Daryle "The Mad Bomber" Lamonica was the trendsetting igniter for Raiders boss Al Davis' explosive passing scheme.

When Davis acquired the strong-armed quarterback in a trade with the Buffalo Bills before the 1967 season, the Raiders took flight.

Every game was a Fourth of July fireworks show, earning Lamonica his legacy.

"Howard Cosell hit me with that 'Mad Bomber' nickname … in 1967 or '68," Lamonica says of the legendary late Monday Night Football announcer. "When I first heard it, I didn't like it.

"But that very next game, I got under center and, just before I started my cadence, the cornerback made eye contact with me. And then he backed up two steps.

"From there on, I was able to utilize it to get the defense on its heels.

"Mad Bomber is now my registered trademark. That's the way I sign autographs (as) Daryle Lamonica, 'The Mad Bomber,' No. 3."

His No. 1 priority? Just wing it, baby.

"Daryle gave our team that wide-open identity," Hall of Fame wideout Fred Biletnikoff says.

"We threw it 30-40 times a game. We were night and day from the (more conservative) NFL. … Attacking deep was Daryle's mind-set."

Those attacking Raiders reflected the rise of an entertaining, rebel league. "We'd have three, four wide receivers in a formation because Al Davis' philosophy was throw the ball three times (and) get one completion of 15 yards vs. three 5-yard completions," Lamonica says.

"Al Davis was never one to worry about pass-completion percentages. He always wanted to attack. That style really fit my personality."

Hall of Fame Raiders cornerback Willie Brown says Lamonica stoked his teammates by cranking up his arm when leaving the locker room. Lamonica, the former Notre Dame standout, backed up the late Jack Kemp before Davis sent wideout Art Powell and (future Raiders coach) Tom Flores to Buffalo for Lamonica and wideout Glenn Bass.

"Daryle had a great arm," Brown says. "We used to tease him, because he'd be warming up his arm in the tunnel and we'd say that's because he was going deep right away.

"We scored 35-40 points every week. That was a brand-new, exciting type of football for the fans."

Lamonica was well protected by three Hall of Fame bodyguards in center Jim Otto, late guard Gene Upshaw and tackle Art Shell.

The quarterback's ability to disguise his intentions grew from practicing against Brown and fellow defensive backs Kent McCloughan (father of San Francisco 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan), Dave Grayson and George Atkinson.

"I faced one of the best secondaries every day in practice," Lamonica says.

It helped to have sticky-fingered receivers such as Biletnikoff and tight end Billy Cannon catching his passes.

"I really thought we were the best AFL team, a very dynamic team," Biletnikoff says. "Go up and down our roster. We were filled with great players."

Says Brown, "We felt we had a better league and better ballplayers than the NFL."

Davis was a disciple of former San Diego Chargers passing game innovator Sid Gillman, whose coaching tree includes Don Coryell, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, John Madden, Chuck Noll and Ernie Zampese.

The hiring of Davis as Raiders coach in 1963 transformed a foundering franchise (9-33 in its first three years) into a perennial power. After serving as AFL commissioner in 1966, Davis became managing general partner of the 13-1 Raiders who won the 1967 AFL championship.

Davis was known as "Mr. AFL" for helping sign away budding NFL stars such as San Francisco 49ers quarterback John Brodie, Chicago Bears tight end Mike Ditka and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel, all nullified by the merger.

"Mr. Davis, Sid Gillman and the crew out of San Diego were heavily involved in scouting the smaller black colleges because they wanted to be able to compete, and the NFL didn't have a lot of black players at that time," Brown recalls.

"When Mr. Davis became commissioner in 1966, he was getting the top players and bringing them to the AFL. … That's the reason why we finally got the merger."

Davis gave Madden his start as the Raiders linebackers coach in 1967. Two years later, when coach John Rauch resigned to take the same position with the Bills, Madden became pro football's youngest head coach at 32.

"John handled our team, our personalities," Biletnikoff says. "He always had a great sense of what his team needed, whether it was to call off a meeting, saying, 'You guys go out and have a camaraderie night.'

"He was a coach, psychologist and friend. … Everybody loved the guy and had a great deal of respect for John."

The Lamonica Raiders brought out the best in Joe Namath's New York Jets. "With Joe Namath and Daryle, it was a typical AFL game," Biletnikoff says. "When we played the Jets, it was always down to the wire."

Those Jets-Raiders shootouts included the 1968 Heidi game, blacked out in the feverish final 65 seconds when NBC cut to the previously scheduled children's movie about a Swiss mountain girl as the Raiders rallied from a 32-29 deficit to a 43-32 win that an East Coast viewing audience never witnessed. (The incident spawned arrangements guaranteeing games be aired in their entirety.)

Six weeks later, the Jets got payback, winning the 1968 AFL Championship Game 27-23. That propelled them to their legendary Super Bowl III upset of the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts.

"Joe Namath and I used to light it up," Lamonica says.

Lamonica, who went 36-4-1 in his three years as Oakland's starter in the AFL days, earned the league's MVP honors in 1967 and 1969 when he threw 30 and 34 touchdowns, respectively.

He led the Raiders to three consecutive Western Division titles and that 1967 league crown, though it's often overshadowed by the beating Oakland took in Super Bowl II, a 33-14 defeat at the hands of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers.

"I was able to win a couple of MVPs and passing titles and go to Pro Bowls," Lamonica says. "But my only regret was we didn't win a Super Bowl (in the AFL era).

"The Jets went to the Super Bowl and beat the Colts, vs. the Raiders having a chance to beat the Colts.

"I felt we had the talent to win a Super Bowl with the team we had."