Chris Long DE STL (1 Viewer)

[lord_helmet]

I know he has the tools to succeed and the Hall of Fame runs in his blood. But will he show up in the box scores as soon as this year or do we have to be patient with him ? Any input is welcome

Latest: Failed to record a tackle when the Rams got run over by the Titans in the first pre-season game.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I did not see the game, but in general, I rarely if ever count on a rookie DE for production. That is one of the toughest positions to succeed in as a rookie.

Also, I like to buy low on highly drafted rookie DEs from the middle to late part of their rookie seasons or after the season when people already are calling them busts.

 

[John Norton]

I agree with Tony on rookie defensive ends in general. Just look at Mario Williams who had 4 sacks as a rookie. That said, I have bigger expectations for Long in his first season for a couple of reasons. Supporting cast can be a huge factor and Long will have a healthy Leonard Little on the other side. Little will get a lot of attention from blocking schemes and should draw most of the double teams.

The second thing I like is that Long is not your normal rookie. He is very polished for a guy fresh out of school and was described by some scouts as "a technician". He has multiple pass rush moves which is unusual for a rook, uses excellent technique and inherrited the always running motor that made his dad one of my favirite players of all time.

You never know what you'll get from rookie ends so you don't want to pick him as a starter if you can keep from it. I grabbed him as my #3 behind Kerney and Burgess in our recently completed staff IDP league. I do however, believe he could end up being the most productive rookie end since Javon Kearse had 14.5 sacks in 1999

 

[lord_helmet]

In general I agree with Tony as well, but at the same time I have high expectations for Long for some of the reasons mentioned by Norton. And I guess just the fact that he's going to see the field alot in his first season.

Good DL3 numbers is what I'm hoping for out of him in his rookie year. On my roster he will be competing with Dumervil and Dewayne White for the last starting spot. Stashing him on my taxi squad for a year is also a possibility.

Just trying to figure out the right play here.

 

[Weiner Dog]

In general I agree with Tony as well, but at the same time I have high expectations for Long for some of the reasons mentioned by Norton. And I guess just the fact that he's going to see the field alot in his first season.Good DL3 numbers is what I'm hoping for out of him in his rookie year. On my roster he will be competing with Dumervil and Dewayne White for the last starting spot. Stashing him on my taxi squad for a year is also a possibility.Just trying to figure out the right play here.

I think 3-DL production is fair value for Long in his rookie season. Ironically, recent history shows us that it's easier for a rookie DL to hit the 10-sack barrier than a rookie WR to hit the 1,000-yard mark. Over the past few years, guys like Peppers, Freeney, Suggs, C Grant, Allen, Will Smith, Mark Anderson and Hali had very productive rookie campaigns. I also look for Gaines Adams to build on his solid 6-sack rookie campaign.

 

[trader jake]

I attended a few Rams practices earlier this week and based on two practices I watched owners expecting production from Chris Long this year are going to be disappointed.

In individual pass rushing drills Monday afternoon (between offensive tackles and defensive rushers trying to get to a stand up pad "QB" about 7 yards back) he was continuously pushed outside. Didn't see much of this "arsenal of moves" I keep reading about. He didn't seem willing to swim inside or bullrush like other rushers were. In 11 on 11 drills on Tuesday morning he was also a non-factor against the first and second team oline. I mean shut out completely in numerous one-on-one match ups that I watched.

One positive thing I will say about Chris Long is that he is a worker. On Monday when he wasn't in the drill he was working on the side with La'Roi Glover. They were working on hand placement and slapping each others hands off of each other. The next day Long kept running down the skill player with the ball no matter where he was on the field.

Overall, as a dynasty owner of Long, I was disappointed and do not view him as even a bye week fill-in this season. Hopefully we'll see some progress as the season moves forward.

 

[Chaos Commish]

I expect very little from Long, but then I thought the DEs in this class were a weak group in general.

 

[Badm]

Not sure what kind of impact this makes, but here is the info:

By Bill Coats ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 09/13/2008

Hustled into last week's game when Leonard Little was hurt on just the fourth play, Rams defensive end James Hall acknowledged feeling "out of whack."

Hall, a nine-year veteran, is a career right-sider. So, lining up on the left side in relief of Little "was a little awkward," Hall said. "Mechanically is probably the biggest challenge. It's a lot of ... adjustments you've got to make."

Although he collected a team-high 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the 38-3 loss at Philadelphia, Hall will be back where he belongs -- at right end -- Sunday when the New York Giants visit the Edward Jones Dome. MORE RAMS BUY TICKETS: All Rams games in '08 SOUND OFF: Rams Talk forum BLOG: Around The Horns CHATS: Jim Thomas Live P-D PHOTOS: Rams galleries P-D STORIES: Last 14 days of Rams coverage

Rookie Chris Long will switch sides and take over for Little, who is out with a hamstring injury. Long, who said he played on the left side "a little in college," compared the move to a righthanded hitter in baseball trying to bat lefthanded.

"It's a totally different game; there's a lot that goes into your technique and your mannerisms," he said. "But I'll just try to stick to the principles I've learned so far, and hopefully it won't be an adjustment. You just get a couple of reps in practice and you go with it."

And just because Long will start on the left side doesn't mean that he'll spend his entire afternoon there. The Rams are expected to move Hall and Long around some, and Victor Adeyanju also should figure into the mix at end.

 

[J Giles Band]

Any thoughts on how the move to LE affects Long's production?

Sunday (9/14) update: 4 tackles (3 solo) and a sack this week. So far so good...