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After breakout 2011 season, Chris Long still striving to get better
By: Jerry Ratcliffe | Daily Progress
Published: May 05, 2012
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/sports/20 ... r-1893906/
Maybe it’s the relentless motor that drives Chris Long to improve year-by-year. The DNA would suggest greatness but not without an unwritten desire to take parts of his game to a higher level.
Growing up, he was known as the Hall of Famer’s kid, blessed with a Body by Canton, but the unknown of whether he could fill the cleats. However, there was always that motor, turning heads, keeping opposing offensive coordinators up at night.
Making gradual strides each year in the NFL just as he did at St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville, just as he did at the University of Virginia, the fourth year in the pros was when Long really arrived.
About this time last May, the former Cavalier All-American defensive end wasn’t sure there was going to be an NFL season because of the lockout. Still, he was clear in his mission.
“I’d like to improve so much that my film looks totally different next year,” Long proclaimed in May of 2011. “I want my production to go up and I want to help the team win.”
As the great poet Meatloaf once wrote, two out of three ain’t bad.
While the St. Louis Rams struggled to a 2-14 season and fell disappointingly short of projections of a potential division crown and the playoffs, Long had his best season in his NFL career. Among his highlights were 13 quarterback sacks, seventh-best in the league, resurrecting comparisons to famed father Howie Long, one of the most fierce pass rushers in pro history.
Chris Long’s feat did not go unnoticed. The Charlottesville native was named to the NFL’s Top 100 (active players list). He was ranked No. 84 as a matter of fact.
Considering there are 1,440 players on NFL active rosters, No. 84 isn’t too shabby.
The 13 sacks automatically kept record-keepers searching for dad, Howie’s, most sacks in a season during his storied career.
Thirteen.
Hmmm.
“Our coaches were calling [Chris] Howie Long all week,” former UVa running back Cedric Peerman told his ex-teammate before one game last season.
“That doesn’t bother me,” Chris Long said in a recent interview while he was in Charlottesville. “I’m very proud of my dad. To me, there are comparisons, but there aren’t comparisons. We kind of play two different positions. He’s a Hall of Famer, I’m not a Hall of Famer.
“For people to even talk about us together is pretty cool,” Long said. “When I succeed on the field, I know he’s proud. When I got my 13th sack, he wanted me to get more. He roots for me like any father would.”
Long’s production for the Rams has flourished the past two years since moving from the traditional right-side rush end in St. Louis’ 4-3 alignment to the left end. He had 8.5 sacks in 2010.
The first thing he thinks about in the offseason is how he can continue to improve, an annual goal that he continues to fulfill.
“You look at the tape and you can just tell if you’re a different player or not,” Long said. “When I looked at last season’s tape, I made some strides but I still have a lot to work on. I’ve been lucky enough to do that every year I’ve played since high school.”
There’s not a lot of tangible keys to the improvement other than sheer determination and hard work. Film study and self-analysis of technique is just as important as the weight room.
Whatever he is doing, it has paid off. A quick study might proclaim him the best pass rusher from the left side in the league.
“I don’t know. I haven’t even thought about that,” Long said. “They talk about the left side guys being the less-skilled pass rushers and all that stuff. We line up in front of the tight end more, so you have to be a little more physical, and I pride myself in being a physical player.
“The left side guy has to be a bit more of a complete player but those guys on the right side, well they’re better over there,” Long said. “Just to be in the conversation is really humbling.”
Still, 13 sacks is 13 sacks and opposing quarterbacks and pass protection is constantly aware of where Long is on the field. Usually he’s not hard to find because he’s right in their facemasks, having also been one of the league’s best in quarterback pressures.
“He’s a beast,” said Beanie Wells of the Arizona Cardinals, who faces Long a couple times a year. “He’s athletic. He’s a big guy who can run. One time last season I tried to cut him and it didn’t work out so well. He was back there in the backfield. I don’t know what keeps him going, Red Bull, or what. But he never stops.”
“There’s no stopping him. He’s relentless,” said Bryant McKinnie of the Baltimore Ravens. “He’s one of those guys that don’t get tired. He just keeps coming, play after play after play.”
One of the few bright spots for the Rams last season was the defensive line. In one of only two wins, the Rams upset the New Orleans Saints and Long was a big key with a career-high three sacks of quarterback Drew Brees.
To gain top 100 recognition in the league from a 2-14 team speaks volumes about the young end’s play.
“It’s very difficult to get to the double-digit mark [in sacks] in our league,” Long admitted. “You can’t take it for granted because it’s so tough to do. What it makes you want to do is to continue to work even harder and have that kind of production to help the team and help the defense. You also want to show everyone that you’re not just a flash in the pan, something you want to do every year.”
Fear is part of Long’s motivation as well. Always has been. Fear of failure, so he pushes himself to the limit.
To record the seventh-highest sack total in a season when there were outstanding performances was notable.
“There were some guys putting up good numbers this past season,” Long said. “You do keep in the back of your mind where you’re ranked and you want to strive to be the best at what you do. Numbers do play a role in it, so you can’t say that you don’t have your eye on it.”
With a new head coach and staff, the Rams are encouraged about the future. Veteran Jeff Fisher, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, takes over in St. Louis after 16 years in Nashville. He brings a winning attitude to the Gateway to the West.
Fisher’s 142 career wins are tied for third with the Giants’ Tom Coughlin among active coaches, trailing only New England’s Bill Belichick (175) and Washington’s Mike Shanahan (157).
Defensive line coach Mike Waufle, formerly of the Giants and Raiders, is now working with Long as is assistant line coach Clyde Simmons, a 15-year NFL veteran who retired with 121.5 sacks to his credit.
“To be working with guys like that every day is a blessing,” Long said.
The NFL allows teams bouncing back from a poor record and a new coaching staff to conduct an extra minicamp and more days to prepare and so the Rams went back to work about three weeks ago. Long believes the extra time will help in building a better 2012.
Recently engaged, Long is trying to make sure he will enter his fifth season, the final year of his contract with the Rams, in a healthy state.
“Hopefully it’s not my last year with the Rams,” Long said. “I’d love to be a part of it but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I’ll just take it day by day.”
Or year by year.
It’s always about getting better.
By: Jerry Ratcliffe | Daily Progress
Published: May 05, 2012
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/sports/20 ... r-1893906/
Maybe it’s the relentless motor that drives Chris Long to improve year-by-year. The DNA would suggest greatness but not without an unwritten desire to take parts of his game to a higher level.
Growing up, he was known as the Hall of Famer’s kid, blessed with a Body by Canton, but the unknown of whether he could fill the cleats. However, there was always that motor, turning heads, keeping opposing offensive coordinators up at night.
Making gradual strides each year in the NFL just as he did at St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville, just as he did at the University of Virginia, the fourth year in the pros was when Long really arrived.
About this time last May, the former Cavalier All-American defensive end wasn’t sure there was going to be an NFL season because of the lockout. Still, he was clear in his mission.
“I’d like to improve so much that my film looks totally different next year,” Long proclaimed in May of 2011. “I want my production to go up and I want to help the team win.”
As the great poet Meatloaf once wrote, two out of three ain’t bad.
While the St. Louis Rams struggled to a 2-14 season and fell disappointingly short of projections of a potential division crown and the playoffs, Long had his best season in his NFL career. Among his highlights were 13 quarterback sacks, seventh-best in the league, resurrecting comparisons to famed father Howie Long, one of the most fierce pass rushers in pro history.
Chris Long’s feat did not go unnoticed. The Charlottesville native was named to the NFL’s Top 100 (active players list). He was ranked No. 84 as a matter of fact.
Considering there are 1,440 players on NFL active rosters, No. 84 isn’t too shabby.
The 13 sacks automatically kept record-keepers searching for dad, Howie’s, most sacks in a season during his storied career.
Thirteen.
Hmmm.
“Our coaches were calling [Chris] Howie Long all week,” former UVa running back Cedric Peerman told his ex-teammate before one game last season.
“That doesn’t bother me,” Chris Long said in a recent interview while he was in Charlottesville. “I’m very proud of my dad. To me, there are comparisons, but there aren’t comparisons. We kind of play two different positions. He’s a Hall of Famer, I’m not a Hall of Famer.
“For people to even talk about us together is pretty cool,” Long said. “When I succeed on the field, I know he’s proud. When I got my 13th sack, he wanted me to get more. He roots for me like any father would.”
Long’s production for the Rams has flourished the past two years since moving from the traditional right-side rush end in St. Louis’ 4-3 alignment to the left end. He had 8.5 sacks in 2010.
The first thing he thinks about in the offseason is how he can continue to improve, an annual goal that he continues to fulfill.
“You look at the tape and you can just tell if you’re a different player or not,” Long said. “When I looked at last season’s tape, I made some strides but I still have a lot to work on. I’ve been lucky enough to do that every year I’ve played since high school.”
There’s not a lot of tangible keys to the improvement other than sheer determination and hard work. Film study and self-analysis of technique is just as important as the weight room.
Whatever he is doing, it has paid off. A quick study might proclaim him the best pass rusher from the left side in the league.
“I don’t know. I haven’t even thought about that,” Long said. “They talk about the left side guys being the less-skilled pass rushers and all that stuff. We line up in front of the tight end more, so you have to be a little more physical, and I pride myself in being a physical player.
“The left side guy has to be a bit more of a complete player but those guys on the right side, well they’re better over there,” Long said. “Just to be in the conversation is really humbling.”
Still, 13 sacks is 13 sacks and opposing quarterbacks and pass protection is constantly aware of where Long is on the field. Usually he’s not hard to find because he’s right in their facemasks, having also been one of the league’s best in quarterback pressures.
“He’s a beast,” said Beanie Wells of the Arizona Cardinals, who faces Long a couple times a year. “He’s athletic. He’s a big guy who can run. One time last season I tried to cut him and it didn’t work out so well. He was back there in the backfield. I don’t know what keeps him going, Red Bull, or what. But he never stops.”
“There’s no stopping him. He’s relentless,” said Bryant McKinnie of the Baltimore Ravens. “He’s one of those guys that don’t get tired. He just keeps coming, play after play after play.”
One of the few bright spots for the Rams last season was the defensive line. In one of only two wins, the Rams upset the New Orleans Saints and Long was a big key with a career-high three sacks of quarterback Drew Brees.
To gain top 100 recognition in the league from a 2-14 team speaks volumes about the young end’s play.
“It’s very difficult to get to the double-digit mark [in sacks] in our league,” Long admitted. “You can’t take it for granted because it’s so tough to do. What it makes you want to do is to continue to work even harder and have that kind of production to help the team and help the defense. You also want to show everyone that you’re not just a flash in the pan, something you want to do every year.”
Fear is part of Long’s motivation as well. Always has been. Fear of failure, so he pushes himself to the limit.
To record the seventh-highest sack total in a season when there were outstanding performances was notable.
“There were some guys putting up good numbers this past season,” Long said. “You do keep in the back of your mind where you’re ranked and you want to strive to be the best at what you do. Numbers do play a role in it, so you can’t say that you don’t have your eye on it.”
With a new head coach and staff, the Rams are encouraged about the future. Veteran Jeff Fisher, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, takes over in St. Louis after 16 years in Nashville. He brings a winning attitude to the Gateway to the West.
Fisher’s 142 career wins are tied for third with the Giants’ Tom Coughlin among active coaches, trailing only New England’s Bill Belichick (175) and Washington’s Mike Shanahan (157).
Defensive line coach Mike Waufle, formerly of the Giants and Raiders, is now working with Long as is assistant line coach Clyde Simmons, a 15-year NFL veteran who retired with 121.5 sacks to his credit.
“To be working with guys like that every day is a blessing,” Long said.
The NFL allows teams bouncing back from a poor record and a new coaching staff to conduct an extra minicamp and more days to prepare and so the Rams went back to work about three weeks ago. Long believes the extra time will help in building a better 2012.
Recently engaged, Long is trying to make sure he will enter his fifth season, the final year of his contract with the Rams, in a healthy state.
“Hopefully it’s not my last year with the Rams,” Long said. “I’d love to be a part of it but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I’ll just take it day by day.”
Or year by year.
It’s always about getting better.
