- Chris Long
-
For other uses, see Chris Long (disambiguation).
Chris Long 
Long at a game in Denver in November 2010.No. 91 St. Louis Rams Defensive end Personal information Date of birth: March 28, 1985 Place of birth: Santa Monica, California Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 270 lb (122 kg) Career information College: Virginia NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 Debuted in 2008 for the St. Louis Rams Career history - St. Louis Rams (2008–present)
Roster status: Active Career highlights and awards - 2008 NFL All-Rookie Team (PFWA, SN)
- 2010 Pro Bowl alternate
- College awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010 Tackles 112 Sacks 17.5 INTs 0 Stats at NFL.com 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 a son of Hall of Fame NFL defensive end Howie Long.[1]
Contents
Early years
Chris Long attended St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia.[2] 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 private-school championship. “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 had the rare distinction of having his jersey retired at St. Anne's-Belfield School.[2] 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.[2]
Long also played basketball, lacrosse, and baseball in high school.[4] In addition to being Howie Long's son, he is also the great-nephew of deceased director Irvin Kershner.
College career
Chris Long during his tenure with the Virginia Cavaliers.
Long enrolled at the University of Virginia in 2004 and sought a degree in sociology.[2] He was a backup on the defensive line, but missed five games due to mononucleosis. Long ended the season with five tackles (two for a loss) and a sack.
As a sophomore in 2005, 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 2006, 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. His 4.8 tackles per game was fourth among ACC defensive lineman. He was also a finalist for the Dudley Award, for the most outstanding player in the Commonwealth of Virginia and was an All-State selection.
Following his 2007 senior season, Long was selected as a consensus First-team All-American.[5] His 14 sacks were third in the country with an average of 1.13 sacks per game. Long was fourth nationally in tackling by a defensive lineman, averaging 6.3 tackles per game.[2] In addition, North Carolina head coach Butch Davis, who coached against Long in North Carolina's ACC match-ups with Virginia, called Long one of the premier defensive lineman in the country.[6]
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.[2] He finished the season as a finalist for the Lombardi, Lott, and Nagurski Trophys. On December 5, 2007, Long won the 2007 Ted Hendricks Award, given 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.[7] Additionally, Long received a first-place vote and finished 10th in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting.[8]
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.[9]
Career statistics
Year Team GP GS TT Solo Ast TFL Sack PD INT FF FR Hurr TD 2004 Virginia 6 0 5 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2005 Virginia 12 12 46 19 27 10 2 7 0 0 0 26 0 2006 Virginia 12 12 57 32 25 12 5 1 0 1 0 21 0 2007 Virginia 13 13 79 36 33 19 14 9 1 2 0 23 1 Career 43 37 187 90 97 43 22 17 1 3 0 70 1 Awards and honors
- Second-team All-ACC (2006)
- First-team All-ACC (2007)
- ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2007)
- First-team All-American (2007)
- Ted Hendricks Award (2007)
- Dudley Award (2007)
Professional career
Measureables
Pre-draft measureables Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP Wonderlic 6 ft 3 in 272 lb 32½ in 10⅛ in 4.75 s 1.53 s 2.71 s 4.21 s 7.02 s 34 in 10 ft 4 in x rep 34 All values from NFL Combine[10][11] At the NFL Combine, Long did not lift the bench-press reps of 225 pounds because of an injured thumb.[12]
Virginia Pro Day
Bench press: 370 lbs; Squat: 640 lbs; Power clean: 375 lbs[13]St. Louis Rams
Long[14] was drafted by the St. Louis Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.[15] 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).[16]
Following the draft, Rams head coach Scott Linehan named Long a presumptive starter on defense, a notion that Long rejected and instead felt he needed to earn.[17] The Rams also announced their plans on using Long as both a linebacker and defensive end to showcase his athleticism;[18] Long considered such versatility one of his best assets.[19]
On July 19, 2008, Long agreed to terms on a six-year $56.5 million contract with the Rams with $29 million guaranteed. [20][21]
On September 14, 2008, Long recorded his first career sack against Eli Manning of the New York Giants. He recorded his first 2-sack games versus the New England Patriots on October 26, 2008. At the end of his 2008 rookie season he was voted All-Rookie by the Pro Football Writers Association and Sporting News.[22] Long started 16 games (14 at right DE and 2 at left DE) for the Rams in 2008, recording 4 sacks and leading the team in quarterback pressures, with a high of two sacks against the New England Patriots.
In 2009, Long again played both left and right defensive end for the Rams and ended the season with 5 sacks, which was second on the team. He also led the team's defensive linemen with 43 tackles (33 solo plus 10 assists) and for the second straight season he led the Rams in quarterback hits/hurries.
In 2010 Long moved to left defensive end, a position previously held by Leonard Little, where he is a more "natural fit" according to his coaches. In Week 6, 2010, against the San Diego Chargers, Long recorded two sacks and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week by the NFL. Long also helped keep the Chargers, who led the league in total offense, to 287 total yards. For the third consecutive season, he led team in hits/hurries.[23] In addition, he led the NFL in hurries in 2010 with 41.5 and in total quarterback disruptions with 67.5 (Quarterback disruptions are the combined total of quarterback sacks, hits, and hurries) and was voted a 4th alternate to the Pro Bowl.
In 2011 Chris Long decided to change his jersey number from 72 to his former collegiate number 91. On September 17, 2011, the Rams and Long agreed to a restructuring of his contract to free money under the salary cap. The restructured deal includes a $12.1 million signing bonus and a base salary in excess of $10 million in 2012 and with the prorated signing bonus, Long will have an $18.3 million cap number next season [24]
On October 30, 2011, Long had a career-high 3 sacks versus the New Orleans Saints and was named Sports Illustrated's NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.[25]
Personal
Chris has two younger brothers, Kyle and Howie Jr.
Chris appeared in a 1980s anti underage drinking Public Service Announcement as an infant with his parents.[26]
References
- ^ a b Himmelsbach, Adam (2007-11-24). "Chris Long Depends on Hard Work More Than Famous Name". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/sports/ncaafootball/24virginia.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ a b c d e f "Chris Long Biography". VirginiaSports. University of Virginia. 2007-07-19. http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=88799&SPID=10606&DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=1133501&Q_SEASON=2007. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ NFL.com
- ^ Chris Long Profile on St. Louis Rams website
- ^ Lawrence, Kan (2007-12-18). "Talib Officially Named Consensus All-America By NCAA". KU Athletics (CBS College Sports Networks). http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121807aaa.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ St. Louis Rams.com
- ^ "Long Wins Hendricks Award as Nation's Top DE". VirginiaSports (University of Virginia). 2007-12-05. http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=1346367&DB_OEM_ID=17800. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ "2007 Heisman Voting". Fantasy Sports Outlook. 2007-12-08. http://fantasysportsoutlook.com/2007/12/08/2007-heisman-voting/. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ "Virginia Honors Tiki Barber and Chris Long by Retiring Jerseys". VirginiaSports (University of Virginia). 2007-11-25. http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=88791&SPID=10606&ATCLID=1326326&DB_OEM_ID=17800. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ Dagger (2008-02-29). "2008 NFL Combine Results". postgameheroes.com. http://www.postgameheroes.com/?p=2097. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ McDonald, Jerry (2008-04-21). "Chris Long Q&A". Inside the Oakland Raiders (Northern California Network). http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2008/04/21/chris-long-qa/. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ Coyle, Frank (2008-02-25). "Long lives up to hype at Combine". Rivals.com. http://nfldraft.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=778825. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ "Chris Long". NFLDraftScout.com. The Sports Xchange. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/draft/515627. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ NFL Draft Profile
- ^ "Dolphins, Rams take Jake, Chris Long; Falcons go with Ryan". Draft Central. ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/news/story?id=3368762. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
- ^ Owens, Bruce (2008-06-14). "For NFL Rookies, The Real Father’s Day Comes This September". The TMR Zoo. http://www.tmrzoo.com/?p=357. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ Associated Press.com
- ^ Sporting News.com
- ^ St. Louis Rams.com
- ^ "Rams first-round pick Long agrees to six-year deal". ESPN. 2008-07-21. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3497035. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ NFL.com
- ^ Pro Football Weekly.com
- ^ American Chronicle.com
- ^ Van Bibber, Ryan. Turf Show Times Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Long makes short work of Rams’ foes Retrieved November 5, 2011
- ^ "Howie Long For United Way | Commercial". Retrojunk.com. 2006-12-05. http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/11710/. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
External links
2007 College Football All-America Team consensus selections Offense QB Tim Tebow | RB Darren McFadden | RB Kevin Smith | WR Michael Crabtree | WR Jordy Nelson | TE Martin Rucker
OT Ryan Clady | OT Jake Long | G Steve Justice | G Duke Robinson | C Jonathan LuigsDefense DE Chris Long | DE George Selvie | DT Glenn Dorsey | DT Sedrick Ellis
LB Dan Connor | LB Jordon Dizon | LB J Leman | LB James Laurinaitis | LB Curtis Lofton
CB Antoine Cason | CB Aqib Talib | S Jamie Silva | S Craig SteltzSpecial teams Ted Hendricks Award winners 2008 NFL Draft First Round Selections Jake Long • Chris Long • Matt Ryan • Darren McFadden • Glenn Dorsey • Vernon Gholston • Sedrick Ellis • Derrick Harvey • Keith Rivers • Jerod Mayo • Leodis McKelvin • Ryan Clady • Jonathan Stewart • Chris Williams • Branden Albert • Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie • Gosder Cherilus • Joe Flacco • Jeff Otah • Aqib Talib • Sam Baker • Felix Jones • Rashard Mendenhall • Chris Johnson • Mike Jenkins • Duane Brown • Antoine Cason • Lawrence Jackson • Kentwan Balmer • Dustin Keller • Kenny PhillipsDraft years
70 · 71 · 72 · 73 · 74 · 75 · 76 · 77 · 78 · 79 · 80 · 81 · 82 · 83 · 84 · 85 · 86 · 87 · 88 · 89 · 90 · 91 · 92 · 93 · 94 · 95 · 96 · 97 · 98 · 99 · 00 · 01 · 02 · 03 · 04 · 05 · 06 · 07 · 08 · 09 · 10 · 11St. Louis Rams 2008 NFL Draft selections Categories:- 1985 births
- Living people
- People from Santa Monica, California
- People from Charlottesville, Virginia
- American football defensive ends
- U.S. Army All-American football players
- Virginia Cavaliers football players
- St. Louis Rams players
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
