Q+A HOWIE LONG

The 42-year-old Hall of Fame defensive lineman turned studio
analyst for Fox's NFL Sunday hosts SI's Sportsman of the Year
Show 2002 on Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox.

SI: How much jack did it take to get you to do our show?

Long: To tell you the truth, it wasn't about the money. My oldest
son [Chris, age 17] reads the magazine, so it's cool for my kids.

SI: How many times did Raiders owner Al Davis personally tell you
that the quarterback must go down and he must go down hard?

Long: I don't think he ever said that to us. I don't know where
myth and reality meet on that topic.

SI: Who was the one quarterback you least wanted to see against
you in the last seconds of a game?

Long: John Elway. Why? The El Cid factor. Mount him on a horse
that's dead, and he'll still lead you into victorious battle.

SI: Why do networks want quarterbacks as analysts?

Long: Because there's a myth that quarterbacks can somehow
empower the audience with some incredible insight that others
can't.

SI: You retired in 1993 after playing 13 seasons. How much pain
are you in on a daily basis?

Long: I don't ever have a good day.

SI: Who carries the Radio Shack commercials: you or Teri Hatcher?

Long: Actually, it's the writer, Barry King. We've now done like
75 commercials. When we started out, I had no idea the thing
would take off.

SI: People magazine once described your hair as a Flash Gordon
brush cut. How would you describe it?

Long: I'd describe it as a $9 haircut I get at Staples Barber
Shop in Charlottesville, Va.

SI: Your wife, Diane, is a nonpracticing lawyer. Do you ever win
an argument against her?

Long: Are you kidding? She was on the debate team at Villanova,
went to USC Law and was a corporate litigator for seven years.
Three quarters of the way through the argument it's spun in a
totally different direction. I'm like, "How did we get to this
point?"

SI: What do you miss most from your playing days?

Long: Probably the competition. As a broadcaster, when you go to
a big game, you think, Wow, I can still [play football]. Then you
bend over to tie your shoe, and you realize you can't. --R.D.

For more from Howie Long, go to cnnsi.com/scorecard.

COLOR PHOTO: COURTESY OF FOX SPORTS I've got a $9 haircut