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After an injury-plagued 2014, Rams' Long eager to rebound
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_20526931-2b00-5a68-a9ae-33b26a725435.html
Rams defensive end Chris Long returned from foot surgery to play the final five games of 2014, but that didn’t mean he was totally healthy. No, the injury he suffered on opening day last season didn’t go away easily.
The treatment and rehab work continued far into this past offseason.
“It’s been a grind,” Long said recently. “Mentally, really a grind because you’re just like, man, I want to be myself again.”
Over the last couple of weeks in June, as the offseason practices wound down, Long began to feel like himself.
And now, with the Rams in the midst of their second week of training camp, the foot has not been an issue.
He has been slowed, however, by some back problems. But the foot is fine. Finally.
“That feels very good,” Long said. “I don’t have any issues that I notice when I’m out there. So it’s in the rear-view mirror, and I think that the experience will have made me better — having to miss some time.”
Long was appearing in his 97th consecutive game when he went down against Minnesota last Sept. 7.
After not missing a game in his first six NFL seasons, Long was out for the next 10 contests, and it was tough to cope with the idle time.
“It was the hardest, the crappiest part of my life,” Long said. “I’m happy that it’s over. I feel as good as I’ve felt in two years. It’s been a long offseason of rehab and getting to where I want to be.”
Despite all the depth on the defensive line, the Rams missed Long perhaps more than expected. Like the team as a whole, the defense struggled out of the gate and the pass rush was almost nonexistent early on in terms of sacks.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but Chris was a large person production-wise that you missed,” Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said.
But he added: “Did everyone see how well Will Hayes played? Will Hayes was our defensive production leader on how we go about grading for the season.”
Even so, the Rams’ defensive line rotation suffered with Hayes moved up to starter’s status in place of the injured Long.
“I think there was an effect,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We lost some production. We figured there were sacks that we missed, big plays that we missed late in games. ... It’s really just good to have him back.”
Long has returned to camp a few pounds trimmer, and as motivated as ever. So far, he has been off the practice field more than on it because of the back issue, a result of conditioning work late in the summer. But with the regular season still 4½ weeks away, there’s no cause for alarm at this point.
“He’s slowly trying to get himself back together, make sure he’s completely ready,” teammate Robert Quinn said. “No need to rush back. (The) season’s a long way away.”
At 30, Long is one of only three 30-year olds on the Rams’ roster. Linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who turned 30 on March 13 — or 15 days before Long — is the oldest player on the squad. The third 30-year-old Ram, Hayes, turned 30 in May.
But Long, the second player picked in the 2008 draft, has been the most senior member of the Rams in terms of continuous service for the past couple of years. That means he gets the parking spot closest to the players’ entrance at Rams Park.
But coupled with his production — 41½ sacks from 2010-13 — that longevity means he’s one of the team leaders. He was a team captain a year ago.
“It’s not only what he does in the locker room and the training room and the weight room,” Fisher said. “But I think the guys really look up to the things that he’s done off the field. You know, the water (project) that he’s doing in Africa and then the homeless piece that they did.
“So I think that he serves as just a great example for the young guys to take advantage of your opportunity and give back.”
Long has only two years left on his current contract, and he’s due a $2 million roster bonus next March — a year in which he’s scheduled to count $14.25 million against the cap. So if ever there was a year to re-prove himself, this is it.
“I’m always trying to prove myself every day, so it’s more about these guys knowing what I’m capable of, and just kind of not having been myself physically for a year now because of the timing of the injury,” Long said.
“It’s an extra-long wait to get out there and show what you can do. My teammates have always had a lot of faith in me and been supportive of me through the injury because it was something I wasn’t used to.
“So this has been a tough process. I don’t take it for granted.”
A healthy Long, coupled with the valuable contributions of Hayes, once again would give the Rams a dynamic duo at left end. And that makes Quinn, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Eugene Sims— everyone — tougher to block.
There’s no doubt in Quinn’s mind that Long will come back strong in 2015.
“I definitely see a fresh spark up under his belt,” Quinn said. “I think he not only wants to prove something to us, but to himself that he still has it. He’s slimmed down. Looks great. I’m excited to see what he has up under his sleeve.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_20526931-2b00-5a68-a9ae-33b26a725435.html
Rams defensive end Chris Long returned from foot surgery to play the final five games of 2014, but that didn’t mean he was totally healthy. No, the injury he suffered on opening day last season didn’t go away easily.
The treatment and rehab work continued far into this past offseason.
“It’s been a grind,” Long said recently. “Mentally, really a grind because you’re just like, man, I want to be myself again.”
Over the last couple of weeks in June, as the offseason practices wound down, Long began to feel like himself.
And now, with the Rams in the midst of their second week of training camp, the foot has not been an issue.
He has been slowed, however, by some back problems. But the foot is fine. Finally.
“That feels very good,” Long said. “I don’t have any issues that I notice when I’m out there. So it’s in the rear-view mirror, and I think that the experience will have made me better — having to miss some time.”
Long was appearing in his 97th consecutive game when he went down against Minnesota last Sept. 7.
After not missing a game in his first six NFL seasons, Long was out for the next 10 contests, and it was tough to cope with the idle time.
“It was the hardest, the crappiest part of my life,” Long said. “I’m happy that it’s over. I feel as good as I’ve felt in two years. It’s been a long offseason of rehab and getting to where I want to be.”
Despite all the depth on the defensive line, the Rams missed Long perhaps more than expected. Like the team as a whole, the defense struggled out of the gate and the pass rush was almost nonexistent early on in terms of sacks.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but Chris was a large person production-wise that you missed,” Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said.
But he added: “Did everyone see how well Will Hayes played? Will Hayes was our defensive production leader on how we go about grading for the season.”
Even so, the Rams’ defensive line rotation suffered with Hayes moved up to starter’s status in place of the injured Long.
“I think there was an effect,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We lost some production. We figured there were sacks that we missed, big plays that we missed late in games. ... It’s really just good to have him back.”
Long has returned to camp a few pounds trimmer, and as motivated as ever. So far, he has been off the practice field more than on it because of the back issue, a result of conditioning work late in the summer. But with the regular season still 4½ weeks away, there’s no cause for alarm at this point.
“He’s slowly trying to get himself back together, make sure he’s completely ready,” teammate Robert Quinn said. “No need to rush back. (The) season’s a long way away.”
At 30, Long is one of only three 30-year olds on the Rams’ roster. Linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who turned 30 on March 13 — or 15 days before Long — is the oldest player on the squad. The third 30-year-old Ram, Hayes, turned 30 in May.
But Long, the second player picked in the 2008 draft, has been the most senior member of the Rams in terms of continuous service for the past couple of years. That means he gets the parking spot closest to the players’ entrance at Rams Park.
But coupled with his production — 41½ sacks from 2010-13 — that longevity means he’s one of the team leaders. He was a team captain a year ago.
“It’s not only what he does in the locker room and the training room and the weight room,” Fisher said. “But I think the guys really look up to the things that he’s done off the field. You know, the water (project) that he’s doing in Africa and then the homeless piece that they did.
“So I think that he serves as just a great example for the young guys to take advantage of your opportunity and give back.”
Long has only two years left on his current contract, and he’s due a $2 million roster bonus next March — a year in which he’s scheduled to count $14.25 million against the cap. So if ever there was a year to re-prove himself, this is it.
“I’m always trying to prove myself every day, so it’s more about these guys knowing what I’m capable of, and just kind of not having been myself physically for a year now because of the timing of the injury,” Long said.
“It’s an extra-long wait to get out there and show what you can do. My teammates have always had a lot of faith in me and been supportive of me through the injury because it was something I wasn’t used to.
“So this has been a tough process. I don’t take it for granted.”
A healthy Long, coupled with the valuable contributions of Hayes, once again would give the Rams a dynamic duo at left end. And that makes Quinn, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Eugene Sims— everyone — tougher to block.
There’s no doubt in Quinn’s mind that Long will come back strong in 2015.
“I definitely see a fresh spark up under his belt,” Quinn said. “I think he not only wants to prove something to us, but to himself that he still has it. He’s slimmed down. Looks great. I’m excited to see what he has up under his sleeve.”
