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There are currently four players in the league with a dozen or more sacks and three of them -- DeMarcus Ware (Dallas), Jared Allen (Minnesota), and Jason Babin (Philadelphia) -- have all reached that level at least once previously in their NFL careers.
The new guy: St. Louis defensive end Chris Long, who has played fairly well in his three prior seasons with the Rams, but who was never the big sack threat the team envisioned him being when it chose him with the second overall selection in the 2008 draft.
The four-year veteran has sacks in nine of the dozen games the Rams have played -- a three-game stretch in October when he was shut out represent the only sack goose-eggs -- and the former Virginia standout and son of Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for a franchise that many felt was on the verge of a breakthrough in 2011.
"Experience is a great teacher," said Long, whose sack total has increased each of his seasons in the league. "You learn a little more every year, add to your (repertoire), find out a little more of what works and what doesn't."
The tackles who have faced Long agree that he is using his hands better than in the past and playing with better natural leverage.
"And he seems to have that 'feel' for the sack, that instinct, that good rush guys have now," said San Francisco right tackle Anthony Davis, whose team surrendered a pair of sacks to Long last week. "A lot of guys, it seems to be part of their nature, but he's developed it." Long, whose previous career best was 8 sacks in 2010, plays on the strong side and had been viewed as a solid defender versus the run, but only an average sack threat, until this season.
St. Louis coaches, who are under heat and might not be back next season if new owner Stan Kroenke opts to clean house, nonetheless agree that Long, still only 26, is a young player who is one of the franchise's building blocks.
There are currently four players in the league with a dozen or more sacks and three of them -- DeMarcus Ware (Dallas), Jared Allen (Minnesota), and Jason Babin (Philadelphia) -- have all reached that level at least once previously in their NFL careers.
The new guy: St. Louis defensive end Chris Long, who has played fairly well in his three prior seasons with the Rams, but who was never the big sack threat the team envisioned him being when it chose him with the second overall selection in the 2008 draft.
The four-year veteran has sacks in nine of the dozen games the Rams have played -- a three-game stretch in October when he was shut out represent the only sack goose-eggs -- and the former Virginia standout and son of Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for a franchise that many felt was on the verge of a breakthrough in 2011.
"Experience is a great teacher," said Long, whose sack total has increased each of his seasons in the league. "You learn a little more every year, add to your (repertoire), find out a little more of what works and what doesn't."
The tackles who have faced Long agree that he is using his hands better than in the past and playing with better natural leverage.
"And he seems to have that 'feel' for the sack, that instinct, that good rush guys have now," said San Francisco right tackle Anthony Davis, whose team surrendered a pair of sacks to Long last week. "A lot of guys, it seems to be part of their nature, but he's developed it." Long, whose previous career best was 8 sacks in 2010, plays on the strong side and had been viewed as a solid defender versus the run, but only an average sack threat, until this season.
St. Louis coaches, who are under heat and might not be back next season if new owner Stan Kroenke opts to clean house, nonetheless agree that Long, still only 26, is a young player who is one of the franchise's building blocks.
