NFL Hall of Famer and Raiders legend Howie Long recently appeared on his son Chris’ podcast, “Green Light.” He had plenty to say as he spoke on the Oakland exit, Derek Carr’s future, and had interesting words regarding Al Davis.
Long and his son reminisced about Howie’s draft experience, which is interesting because of how much the process has changed. Hailing from Villanova, Long comedically admitted that at some point, some people didn’t know if he was “black or white” due to the little coverage prospects once received as media was predominantly local TV and an upstart ESPN.
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Long also spoke candidly about what he treasures the most in regards to football memorabilia besides his own NFL Hall of Fame bust. He talked about the jerseys of former Raiders such as Art Shell, Marcus Allen, and Ronnie Lott being his favorites. Not much surprise there.
Mr. Davis and Howard
One of the highlights that Raider Nation will enjoy was when the elder Long spoke about Al Davis as both a man and a football mind. While doing a great impression of the late owner, the former player said “Howard, you’ll always be the highest paid player in defensive front as long as you’re playing,” speaking of his contract negotiations while acknowledging that Davis was one of only three people to call him “Howard.”
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In the podcast, there was a story about a rumored comeback his son Chris wanted to and was able to verify. Davis called the former player to congratulate him in his enshrinement and doing a great impression of the former owner, Long said, “Howard, no Hall of Famer has ever come back, I’ll only play you third down and all you have to do is rush the quarterback.” After thinking about it for a “millisecond”, Long quickly dismissed the notion.
Hall of Fame
Another topic that’s trending is the Hall of Fame and its slight towards Raiders legends. Long shared his thoughts on this as well. He alluded to Cliff Branch being one player who belongs in Canton and went to say, “he would put the fear of God, at one point the fastest guy on the planet, should’ve been in the Hall of Fame prior to his passing.” Likewise, Long endorsed Jim Plunkett as a Hall of Famer.
Oakland/Vegas and Carr
As far as the finale in Oakland, Long said the exit was “horrible” and “the way they way lost was brutal.”
As far as Vegas, he believes the Raiders needed to make the move to remain competitive and truly believes Mark Davis did everything to keep the team in Oakland, calling the Raiders a “family,” as opposed to Stan Kroenke’s move with the Rams.
He also had high praise for his friend and Oakland’s general manager Mike Mayock in the job he’s done and he says he’s not sure how they feel about Carr. At least publicly, they strongly feel “he’s part of the future.” However, he did remind people that what’s put out publicly isn’t always a fact and different from what you’re thinking. Saying Carr is a “very talented quarterback,’ adding that coach and quarterback are the two positions people always want to quickly change.
At the end, Chris asked his father, “How would the 1981 Raiders do in Vegas?” To which Long just said “ooof” and “hide the women and children.”