Perception and politics work against the Raiders when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Always has. I don't see Ray Guy getting into the Hall of Fame. Frankly, I hope that I'm wrong about this, but I think Howie Long will be the last Raiders player elected to the Hall in my lifetime. (Yes, I know Rod Woodson, Marcus Allen and other Raiders-affiliated players have all entered the HOF since Howie, but they didn't go in as Raiders.)
"Why can't we tell the world that [as the Raiders' coach] you refused to play games in the segregated South, holding out to the point where they were canceled?' And he would stop me dead in my tracks and say, 'Hey, kid -- I didn't do it for publicity. I did it because it was right.' "