Chris Long (American football)

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Chris Long

Chris Long during his tenure with the Virginia Cavaliers.
St. Louis Rams — No. 72
Defensive end
Date of birth: March 28, 1985 (1985-03-28) (age 23)
Place of birth: Santa Monica, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 275 lb (125 kg)
National Football League debut
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
College: Virginia
NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Teams: St. Louis Rams (2008-present)
Current status: Unsigned Draft Pick
Career highlights and awards
ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2007) First-team All-American (2007) First-team All-ACC (2007) Ted Hendricks Award (2007) Dudley Award (2007) Second-team All-ACC (2006)

Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985 in Santa Monica, California) is an American football defensive end for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.

Long is the son of former NFL defensive end and Hall of Famer Howie Long.

[edit] Early years

Chris Long attended St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a senior in 2003 he was in on 91 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, and 15 sacks helping his team to an undefeated record and the state championship. Long also had 72 pancake blocks on offense as a senior. “He was a big gangly kid who had yet to grow into his body,” said John Blake, the St. Anne’s-Belfield coach. “But he jumped in with both feet. When he played tackle, he would drive kids 10 or 15 yards down the field, like he was steering a car.”^[1] Long told St. Louis media that Coach Blake had entrusted him with his own key to the weight room so he could lift when school was closed.

In 2002, as a junior, Long had 85 tackles (20 for a loss) with 12 sacks. Long ended his high school career 43 sacks and 66 tackles for a loss. He was also a three-time First-team All-State selection on offense and defense.^[2] He was also a three-time First-team All-Central Virginia defensive lineman by the Charlottesville paper The Daily Progress, and earned First-team All-Central Virginia honors his senior season as an offensive lineman as well. Additionally, he was selected Conference Defensive Player of the Year his final two seasons and was selected Student Sports Junior All-American in 2002.

Long had the rare distinction of having his jersey retired at St. Anne's-Belfield School. He was given a 4-star ranking for college recruiting from Rivals.com, a service that rated him the sixth-best defensive end in the prep ranks.^[3] He played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Long also played basketball, lacrosse, and baseball in high school and won the 2003 YMCA Slam dunk contest for high school students.^[4]

[edit] College career

Long enrolled at the University of Virginia in 2004 and is seeking degree in sociology. He provided depth on the line, but only played in 6 games after missing five games due to mononucleosis. Long ended the season with only five tackles, two for a loss, and a sack. His first career tackle came against North Carolina, while his first tackle for a loss came against Miami. His first career sack came against Georgia Tech.

In 2005, as a sophomore, Long started every game of the season. Long practiced by being matched up against All-American offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson in training camp and practice.^[4] Long averaged 3.8 tackles per game, leading all Virginia defensive linemen. He totaled 46 tackles, with 10 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. His 26 quarterback pressures led his team. He also shared the team lead in pass break-ups with seven. In his first start, Long had seven tackles against Western Michigan. He then had six tackles, two for a loss, and a sack against North Carolina, followed by a three-tackle, 10 quarterback pressure day against Georgia Tech. In the Music City Bowl against Minnesota, Long had a career-high 9 tackles, one for a loss.^[4]

In 2006, Long's junior year, Long earned Second-team All-ACC honors and was voted team captain. While starting all games, Long recorded 57 tackles, 12 for a loss, and 4 sacks. He also had one pass break-up and 21 quarterback pressures. His 4.8 tackles per game was fourth among ACC defensive lineman. Long had a season-high three tackles for a loss against East Carolina, then 10 tackles against Western Michigan. His efforts helped the team rank 17th in the nation defensively, allowing just 289.5 yards per game in total offense. At the team's award banquet, Long earned three awards: Ned McDonald Award for the top defensive player, the Colonel F.C. McCue Award for the most outstanding interior lineman and the Joe Palumbo Award for self-sacrifice, dedication, and enthusiasm. He was also a finalist for the Dudley Award, for the most outstanding player in the state of Virginia and was an All-State selection.

Following his 2007 senior season, Long was selected as a consensus First-team All-American. Long was also voted team captain for the second year in a row. His 14 sacks were third in the country with an average of 1.13/g. Long was fourth nationally in tackling by a lineman, averaging 6.3 tackles per game and tied for 10th in the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 1.58/g. Additionally, Long tied for sixth in the country among defensive linemen in pass break ups (PBU) with seven and by adding in his interception, he was tied for fifth in the country among defensive linemen in passes defended (PBU+INTs) with eight. Long had a direct impact on three road victories for Virginia this season. In week three, against North Carolina, he intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards to set up the game-winning field goal in the Cavaliers’ 22-20 win over the Tar Heels. He blocked a field goal in UVA’s 23-21 win over Middle Tennessee on October, 6, 2007. Two weeks later, on October 20, 2007, he sacked Maryland’s quarterback in the end zone for a third quarter safety in an 18-17 victory, providing the margin of victory.

Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said, "He's the best defensive lineman that I've seen on tape. He's a playmaker. He does it all. He plays the run well. He knocks balls down, and he plays all over the place. He'll be outside as an end, and then he'll move inside as a tackle. He's quick, and he's strong. And he plays so hard."^[5] Long's final college game was a 31-28 loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl, in which he was named Konica-Minolta Player of the Game for Virginia. He recorded 4 tackles and 5 hurries, and also deflected 3 passes, bring his season totals to 79 tackles and 10 passes deflected.

Long entered the 2007 season on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Trophy, Lombardi Trophy, Hendricks Award and the Lott Trophy. He finished the season as a finalist for the Lombardi, Lott, and Nagurski Trophys. On December 5, 2007, Long won the 2007 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award which goes to the top defensive end in the nation. Long garnered "more than 60 percent of the votes, the most ever for a winner in the history of the award." Ted Hendricks and Long's father played together for the Raiders.^[6] Additionally, Long received a first-place vote and finished 10th in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting.

"You want to talk about a chip off the old block?", North Carolina head coach Butch Davis said, "This is a young man that plays absolutely lights-out football". Virginia head coach Al Groh stated, "It's hard to imagine there being a better player at any position than Chris Long. A guy would have to be one of the Transformers to be better than Chris." ^[7]

On November 24, 2007, Long's #91 jersey was retired at UVA, making him the first player to have his jersey retired while he was still active.^[8]

[edit] College career statistics

Key: GP - games played; GS - games started; UA - unassisted tackles; AT - assisted tackles; TT - total tackles; T/L - tackles for a loss; PD - passes deflected; Int - interceptions

Long's 22 quarterback sacks is sixth on the school's career-record list, topped by Chris Slade (40, 1989-92), Darryl Blackstock (27, 2002-04), Mike Frederick (26, 1991-94), Patrick Kerney (24, 1995-98), Stuart Anderson (23, 1978-81) and Duane Ashman (23, 1993-96). His 14 sacks in 2007 tied Chris Slade (1991) for third on Virginia's season-record list behind Slade's 15 in 1992 and Patrick Kerney's 15 in 1998.

[edit] Pre 2008 NFL Draft

[edit] NFL Combine numbers

Height: 6'3"; Weight: 272
40-yard time: 4.75; 20-yard time: 2.71; 10-yard time: 1.53
Broad jump: 10'4"; Vertical Jump: 34"; 20-yard shuttle: 4.21; 3-cone drill: 7.02
Wonderlic score: 34.^[9][10][11]
At the NFL Combine, Long did not lift the bench-press reps of 225 pounds because of an injured thumb.

[edit] Campus pro day numbers

Height: 6'3"; Weight: 267
40-yard: 4.78; Bench press: 370 lbs; Squat: 640 lbs; Power clean: 375 lbs ^[12][13]

Said by NFL scouts to have "(L)ong reach, good timing and leaping ability to bat down a fair share of passes at the line of scrimmage. Has keen knowledge of the game and his uncanny ability to read blocks and locate the ball. Scouts maintain he is a "quick-twitch" athlete who shows good quickness, agility and flexibility, and knee-bend."^[14] "I'm not sure there's any such thing as 'can't-miss'," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock says. "But I've never enjoyed watching a kid on tape the way I have Chris Long. He plays every single play of every game like it's his last. That's rare." ^[15]

Sports Illustrated writer Peter King wrote, "Chris Long has progressed from being an intelligent college prospect when he entered Virginia to the kind of high-motor, edge-rushing force that has put him in competition for the top pick of the April draft" ^[16] According to King the NFL Combine was, "(A) chance to disprove what he thinks some scouts are saying about him. "That I don't have top-end speed, and I can't play more than one position well, and I'm a high-motor, overachieving guy, but I'm not an athlete." ^[17]

“Chris can play low to the ground the whole game, and that’s rare for a guy his size,” said Temple Head coach Al Golden, “He just wears people out”.^[18] Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin called Long a "phenomenal effort player" who is "so strong at the point of attack, and would be a guy that would help us tremendously in the run game". ^[19]

The Sporting News War Room added, "He is the most polished college defensive end prospect we've ever evaluated; he plays smart and shows great technique". ^[20] Gil Brandt, who was the Dallas Cowboys’ vice-president for player personnel from 1960-89, and is now an analyst for NFL.com said Long's best traits are "strength and a quick first step".^[21] Brandt also told the New York Times, “Howie will be angry with me, but I think Chris is the better football player . . . He’s everything you want.” ^[22]

[edit] Pre-Draft trade rumors

Prior to the draft at least two teams were interested in securing the services of Chris Long. Before the Miami Dolphins signed University of Michigan tackle Jake Long one of Chris Long's representatives said Dolphins executive Bill Parcells called Long's agent to express interest in drafting Long as No. 1 overall. Long's agent, Marvin Demoff, was receptive, but with the caveat that Miami would negotiate exclusively with Chris Long beginning on Tuesday, April, 22, 2008. Before that deadline arrived, the Dolphins had already signed Jake Long who they had been negotiating with for several days.^[23] ESPN’s Chris Mortensen also reported the Dolphins would have targeted Chris Long if negotiations broke down with Jake Long.^[24]

Additionally, Gary Myers of the New York Post reported that the New York Jets pick Vernon Gholston was not their first choice. Myers wrote that Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and coach Eric Mangini wanted Long and prior to the drafting of Long, the Jets called St. Louis to attempt to trade up but the price the Rams were asking was so exorbitant, the Jets basically said, "(S)ee you later".^[25] The Baltimore Ravens were also interested in trading up to the Rams No. 2 spot to get quarterback Matt Ryan, but like the Jets, found the price too high. Peter King of SI reported that the Ravens offered the Rams multiple picks to move up in the draft and that the Rams were "tempted". However, King also reported that such a trade would likely cause the to "lose out on Long", something the Rams did not want to risk. "It was a really hard decision," said one of the Ram executives. "But it was more about our belief in Chris Long and the fact that we thought he was the perfect pick for us . . . Anybody else but Chris Long, and we'd probably have done it".^[26]

[edit] Professional career

[edit] St. Louis Rams

Long was drafted by the St. Louis Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.^[27] The selection made him just the second son of a Hall of Famer, after Kellen Winslow II, to be drafted in the first round, the fifth such player ever drafted, and one of two such players drafted in 2008 (the other being Matthew Slater). Long was first defensive end taken in the first round by the Rams since they selected Grant Wistrom with the sixth pick in 1998 and only the sixth defensive end taken in the first round in club history. Prior to Wistrom the Rams had drafted defensive ends Kevin Carter (1995), Bill Hawkins (1988) and Jack Youngblood (1971) in the first round. Adam Carriker, 2007's No. 1 pick, started at nose tackle last year but was listed as a defensive end when drafted.

After being selected Long told the St. Louis media that being selected by the Rams was “the most exhilarating moment of my life and I can’t wait to get out there and start working". When told Coach Scott Linehan announced that he will be a starter, Long replied, “I don’t see it that way. I will have to earn whatever I get". About Long, Linehan told the AP, "I don't want to use the over-used term, 'no-brainer', but I guess I'm going to have to. It's just going to be a great fit for us." ^[28]

Bill Devaney, the Rams' executive vice-president of player personnel said, "(T)he way we plan to utilize him, out in space more, he'll be able to show just what kind of an athlete he is coming off the ball and what a good pass rusher he is." ^[29] Long's feelings are that, "Versatility is something that I feel that I can bring to a team, (but) what I have to do is get just good enough to get on the field and do one thing well. I’m willing to do anything that coach wants me to do." Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett added, "He is more than capable of standing up in some of the Rams’ three-man front schemes and rush the passer in space". ^[30]

[edit] Personal

Chris has two younger brothers; one of them, Kyle, is a 6'7" left-handed pitcher and first baseman who has signed with Florida State University.^[31]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Virginia Cavaliers bio
• St. Louis Rams bio