Chris Long

For other uses, see Chris Long (disambiguation).
Chris Long
No. 91 Los Angeles Rams
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1985-03-28) March 28, 1985
Place of birth: Santa Monica, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 268 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school: Charlottesville (VA) St. Anne's-Belfield
College: Virginia
NFL draft: 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
NFL
College
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Tackles: 246
Sacks: 54.5
Forced Fumbles: 8
Player stats at NFL.com

Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985) is an American football defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Early years

Long was born in Santa Monica, California. He attended St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] 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.”[2]

Long had the rare distinction of having his jersey retired at St. Anne's-Belfield School.[1] 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.[1]

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 film director Irvin Kershner. His younger brother, Kyle Long, became the 20th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft for Chicago Bears as an offensive guard.

College career

Long in the Gator Bowl
in January 2008

Long played college football at the Virginia Cavaliers football under head coach Al Groh from 2004 to 2007, while pursuing a degree in sociology.[1] As a freshman in 2004, 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 senior season in 2007, Long was recognized as a unanimous First-team All-American.[5] Long was fourth nationally in tackling by a defensive lineman, averaging 8.3 tackles per game.[1] 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 linemen 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.[1] He finished the season as a finalist for the Lombardi, Lott, and Nagurski Trophies. On December 5, 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 to have his jersey retired while an active player.[9]

Career statistics

Year
Team
GP
GS
TT
Solo
Ast
TFL
Sack
PD
INT
FF
FR
Hurr
TD
2004Virginia6 0 5 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 00
2005Virginia 12 12 46 19 27 10 27 0 0 0 26 0
2006 Virginia 12 12 57 32 25 12 5 1 0 1 0 210
2007Virginia 13 1369 36 33 19 14 9 1 2 1 231
Career 43 37 177 90 87 43 22 17 1 3 0 701

Professional career

Measureables

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BPWonderlic
6 ft 3 in 272 lb32½ in10⅛ in 4.75 s 1.53 s 2.71 s 4.21 s 7.02 s 34 in 10 ft 4 in x reps34
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]

Chris Long at a game in Denver in November 2010.

St. Louis/Los Angeles 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 named fourth alternate to the pro bowl[24][25]

In 2011, Chris Long decided to change his jersey number from 72 to his former collegiate number 91, which was previously worn by Leonard Little. 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[26]

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.[27] And for the second consecutive season he led the NFL in quarterback disruptions.[28] Long also led the Rams in quarterback hurries with 15 and quarterback hits with 16.[29] For his efforts Long was voted the Defensive Lineman of the Year by the NFL Alumni for the 2011 season.[30] He was also voted as an alternate to the pro bowl for the second time.[31]

On July 29, 2012, Long and the Rams agreed to a four-year contract extension.[29] The extension adds $50 million over 4 years, with $27 million is guaranteed. Counting the existing year of contract (2012) which was reworked in 2011, Long's overall deal is now worth $60 million over 5 years, with $37 million guaranteed.[32]

In 2012 Long led the Rams in sacks with 11.5 and again led the team in quarterback hits (24) and hurries (50) [33] Additionally, according to Football Outsiders.com Long led NFL defensive ends in hurries for the third straight season.[34][35] On December 30, 2012, Long tied a career-high of 3 sacks versus the Seattle Seahawks.[36] Long's additional honors included being named to the USA Football's All-Fundamentals Team for the first time.[37] He was also voted as a pro bowl alternate for the third time.[38][39]

On October 24, 2013 Long was fined $15,750 for throwing a punch at Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Chris Scott early in the third quarter[40] Against the Colts, Long recovered an Andrew Luck fumble and ran it in for a touchdown, his first NFL score, and was named co-NFC Defensive Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated (along with Robert Quinn). Long ended the 2013 season with 8.5 sacks and took his career total to 50.5 sacks and was named to the All-Fundamentals teams for the second consecutive season.[41] Also in 2013 Long was voted first alternate defensive end to the pro bowl, the fourth consecutive season he was an alternate.[42] Once again for the sixth consecutive season he led the Rams teams in quarterback pressures with 39, but was second in quarterback hits to All-Pro Robert Quinn. On September 10, 2014, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher announced Long would spend two months recovering from ankle surgery.[43]

NFL stats

Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD
2008 STL 16 40 32 8 4.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009 STL 16 43 33 10 5.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2010 STL 16 29 26 3 8.5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2011 STL 16 37 31 6 13.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
2012 STL 16 33 25 8 11.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 STL 16 40 33 7 8.5 1 2 45 0 0 0 0 1 2
2014 STL 6 5 5 0 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 102 227 185 42 51.5 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 8

Source:[44]

Key

  • GP: games played
  • COMB: combined tackles
  • TOTAL: total tackles
  • AST: assisted tackles
  • SACK: sacks
  • FF: forced fumbles
  • FR: fumble recoveries
  • FR YDS: fumble return yards
  • INT: interceptions
  • IR YDS: interception return yards
  • AVG IR: average interception return
  • LNG: longest interception return
  • TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
  • PD: passes defensed

Personal

Long is a son of Hall of Fame NFL defensive end Howie Long.[2]

On June 22, 2013, Chris married Megan O'Malley in Charlottesville, Virginia. O'Malley is a graduate of the University of Virginia and former member of the UVa women's lacrosse team.

Chris has two younger brothers, Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long and Howie Francesco Long, a student at the University of Virginia.

Chris appeared in a 1980s anti-underage drinking public service announcement as an infant with his parents.[45]

In May 2015, Long launched The Chris Long Foundation which helps raise money for the Waterboys Initiative dedicated to building wells for communities in East Africa.[46][47]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Chris Long Biography". VirginiaSports. University of Virginia. 2007-07-19. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  2. 1 2 Himmelsbach, Adam (2007-11-24). "Chris Long Depends on Hard Work More Than Famous Name". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  3. ↑ NFL.com
  4. ↑ Chris Long Profile on St. Louis Rams website
  5. ↑ Lawrence, Kan (2007-12-18). "Talib Officially Named Consensus All-America By NCAA". KU Athletics (CBS College Sports Networks). Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  6. ↑ St. Louis Rams.com
  7. ↑ "Long Wins Hendricks Award as Nation's Top DE". VirginiaSports (University of Virginia). 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  8. ↑ "2007 Heisman Voting". Fantasy Sports Outlook. 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  9. ↑ "Virginia Honors Tiki Barber and Chris Long by Retiring Jerseys". VirginiaSports (University of Virginia). 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  10. ↑ Dagger (2008-02-29). "2008 NFL Combine Results". postgameheroes.com. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  11. ↑ McDonald, Jerry (2008-04-21). "Chris Long Q&A". Inside the Oakland Raiders (Northern California Network). Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  12. ↑ Coyle, Frank (2008-02-25). "Long lives up to hype at Combine". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  13. ↑ "Chris Long". NFLDraftScout.com. The Sports Xchange. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  14. ↑ NFL Draft Profile
  15. ↑ "Dolphins, Rams take Jake, Chris Long; Falcons go with Ryan". Draft Central. ESPN. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  16. ↑ Owens, Bruce (2008-06-14). "For NFL Rookies, The Real Father’s Day Comes This September". The TMR Zoo. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  17. ↑ Associated Press.com Archived April 30, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Sporting News.com
  19. ↑ St. Louis Rams.com
  20. ↑ "Rams first-round pick Long agrees to six-year deal". ESPN. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  21. ↑ NFL.com
  22. ↑ Pro Football Weekly.com
  23. ↑ American Chronicle.com
  24. ↑ http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/fisher-minimizes-lack-of-pro-bowl-love-for-rams/article_6a731ef1-71ea-5e1f-952f-52cbcd39dd95.html
  25. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/07/31/entering-6th-season-de-chris-long-ready-to-lead-st-louis-rams/ Entering 6th season, DE Chris Long ready to lead St. Louis Rams
  26. ↑ Van Bibber, Ryan. Turf Show Times Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  27. ↑ Long makes short work of Rams’ foes Retrieved November 5, 2011
  28. ↑ CBS Sports Rapid Reports Retrieved December 29, 2011
  29. 1 2 http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82ae7086/article/chris-long-st-louis-rams-reach-fouryear-contract-extension?module=HP11_headline_stack
  30. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2012/02/detroit_lions_matthew_stafford_23.html Detroit Lions' Matthew Stafford named Quarterback of the Year by the NFL Alumni MLive.com. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  31. ↑ Three Rams named Pro Bowl alternates Dec 29, 2011.
  32. ↑ Jim Thomas, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, via Twitter, Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  33. ↑ Fisher minimizes lack of Pro Bowl love for Rams Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  34. ↑ Looking at the Rams’ Fearsome Front Four Retrieved August 3, 2013
  35. ↑ Entering 6th year, DE Chris Long ready to lead Rams Retrieved August 3, 2013
  36. ↑ Rapid Reaction: Seahawks 20, Rams 13 Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  37. ↑ http://usafootball.com/all-fundamentals-team/2013 USA Football All-Fundamentals Team. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  38. ↑ Fisher down plays Pro Bowl
  39. ↑ Entering 6th season, DE Chris Long ready to lead St. Louis Rams
  40. ↑ "Chippy Game Between Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams Draws $47,250 in Fines".
  41. ↑ USA Football All-Fundamentals Team. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  42. ↑ [St. Louis Rams Media Release " Quinn-Hekker named to Pro Bowl"] Jan. 3, 2014
  43. ↑ Sessler, Marc (September 10, 2014). "Chris Long expected to miss two months after surgery". NFL.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  44. ↑ "Chris Long Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  45. ↑ "Howie Long For United Way | Commercial". Retrojunk.com. 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  46. ↑ "The Chris Long Foundation".
  47. ↑ "Waterboys Initiative".

External links

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