Long Yet to Impress

Filed in archive NFL on August 25, 2008

© terren in Virginia

There were many good performances when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens by the score of 24-10 on Saturday night. Marc Bulger threw the ball well, including two TD passes. Rookie WR's Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton also made good showings, combining for 8 catches, 128 yards and one touchdown. But one rookie who did not perform for the Rams was DE Chris Long, the second overall pick in the draft.

Long failed to make a tackle yet again, and in three preseason games - with significant playing time in each - he has accumulated all of six tackles. He has not put much pressure on the QB either, which is what he was brought in to do. He clearly goes all-out on each play, but winds up getting engulfed and shoved around by offensive lineman. Right now, it's clear that James Hall should be the starter at DE, but Scott Linehan won't make that move yet, as he anointed Long the starter on draft day.

Clearly it's too early to pass any type of final judgment on Long, but his play thus far in preseason games is less than encouraging. It's quite possible he'll get it turned around, but there was some criticism of the Rams for taking Long over DT Glenn Dorsey for a reason. Hustle and work ethic can only take you so far, because at times pure athleticism and brute strength need to take over. Maybe Long is a great athlete, but he has yet to prove that, either. If the Rams want to improve on their 3-13 record from a year ago, Long is going to have to be a part of that, and so far, he's just not doing much.