Former Houston Oilers quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer George Blanda has passed away at age 83.
↵Though Blanda may best be known as a placekicker for the Oakland Raiders, he made quite a name for himself as the Oilers' signal caller.
↵We'll let Pro Football Talk's Gregg Rosenthal take the reigns from here.
↵↵↵Blanda started out as just a kicker in Chicago, but he became a record setting quarterback in Houston. He's perhaps best known for being the most improbable Player of the Year award winner (then called the Bert Bell Award) in history at age 43.
↵Cut at the beginning of the 1970 season and 12 seasons after his first retirement, Blanda went on an insane five-week run where he either replaced Raiders quarterback Daryle LaMonica to lead the Raiders to a comeback victory or kicked a winning or tying field goal. Every single week.
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Absolutely incredible. I wasn't alive to witness Blanda take the field, but it's a testament to his legacy that I've heard his name countless times without ever trying to look it up. He''ll be remembered as one of the greatest. Ever.