HENDERSON, Nev. -- Howie Long and Maxx Crosby were catching up one day, with Crosby speaking wistfully of the Raiders' dominant defensive line of yore.
There was Long, eventually bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The legendary, late Lyle Alzado, for whom the aptly-named Lyle Alzado Rule -- which made it illegal to rip an opposing player's helmet off his head -- was named. Greg Townsend, the franchise's all-time sack leader. And the underappreciated Bill Pickel, a one-time first-team All-Pro at defensive tackle who racked up 36.5 sacks over a three-year period from 1984 to 1986.