By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/03/2008
Irked that his hottest new prospect turned the wrong way during a drill at Rams Park, defensive line coach Brian Baker marched up to Chris Long and spread his arms.
"Does this look like Virginia to you?" Baker blurted. "This is the NFL."
So goes the early ripening of the No. 2 overall selection in April's draft. Long, a 6-foot-3, 279-pound defensive end out of the University of Virginia, is getting pounded left and right — more mentally than physically — as the Rams rush to bring him up to speed.
"We've thrown a lot at Chris, and that was the objective," said coach Scott Linehan, who anointed Long the starter on the right side shortly after the Rams picked him. "He's seen a lot of offense since he's been here. Once that starts to click in with him, I know he's going to really take off."
Long, 23, acknowledged that he struggled at times during his first nine pro practices: three at minicamp and six in organized team activities.
"It's humbling," he said. "A lot of it flew by quick. But you see the big picture and you realize it's a cycle and you're starting over again."
Long is adjusting to a new spot — he played mostly on the left side in college — as well as a new scheme. Virginia ran a 3-4 defense; the Rams' base is a 4-3. Not to mention a large leap in the talent pool.
As he adapts, he's fighting a natural urge to think rather than react.
"You're always thinking until you get to that point where you know (your assignments) like the back of your hand," he said. "The sooner the better. But I don't anticipate getting to the point where (veteran linemates) Leonard Little is or La'Roi Glover is or James Hall is overnight. I'm just going to have to keep working."
The Rams also opted for a defensive lineman in the first round last year, taking Nebraska's Adam Carriker in the 13th overall slot. Carriker, who started all 16 games at tackle his rookie season, has become a trusted counselor to Long.
"It's great to have somebody with that perspective right next to me working," Long said. "He told me, 'They're going to ask more out of you.' And that's understandable. As the guy who was picked first by this organization this year, you know there's a bull's-eye on your back. You just have to give it the best you can give it."
After recording 14 sacks and 23 quarterback pressures last year for the Cavaliers, Long is learning quickly that raw ability isn't enough at this level. Even the smallest detail must be mastered, he explained. Seemingly fundamental tasks now are serious challenges.
"Your technique has to be flawless," he said. "Things you did in college don't work at the pro level."
Long concedes that despite his first-round status, he's a work in progress. "As Coach told me, 'We've gotten through the A's, now we can go to the B's. It's baby steps; just take it day to day,'" he said.
Progress has been gradual but notable, Linehan said.
"He looks a lot more comfortable just in little things like his stance and getting the call and relating it to the situation," Linehan said. "The bright spot for him is how fast he's picking everything up. He has absolutely no anxiety whatsoever about being out there."
Some might wonder whether Long is anxious about his financial situation, since Miami tackle Jake Long and Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, the Nos. 1 and 3 picks respectively, have signed lucrative contracts. Not so, he insisted.
"I don't even pay attention to that," he said. "I haven't talked to my agent in a week and a half. I just go out and play ball; I'll worry about that when the time comes."
When a questioner challenged the sincerity of that response, Long laughed and shot back: "I swear to you, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than sitting in my hotel room with the phone off after practice. I don't worry about that stuff."
He offered two other assurances:
— That he'd be signed and on hand when the Rams assemble for training camp July 24 at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis. "I was never into that holdout business," Long said. "That's real important to me ... as a teammate more than anything."
— That no matter how hard and how often Baker drills him, he doesn't replay his position coach's words in his dreams. "No, I get my sleep in," he said. "Anyway, those would be nightmares, not dreams."
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/03/2008
Irked that his hottest new prospect turned the wrong way during a drill at Rams Park, defensive line coach Brian Baker marched up to Chris Long and spread his arms.
"Does this look like Virginia to you?" Baker blurted. "This is the NFL."
So goes the early ripening of the No. 2 overall selection in April's draft. Long, a 6-foot-3, 279-pound defensive end out of the University of Virginia, is getting pounded left and right — more mentally than physically — as the Rams rush to bring him up to speed.
"We've thrown a lot at Chris, and that was the objective," said coach Scott Linehan, who anointed Long the starter on the right side shortly after the Rams picked him. "He's seen a lot of offense since he's been here. Once that starts to click in with him, I know he's going to really take off."
Long, 23, acknowledged that he struggled at times during his first nine pro practices: three at minicamp and six in organized team activities.
"It's humbling," he said. "A lot of it flew by quick. But you see the big picture and you realize it's a cycle and you're starting over again."
Long is adjusting to a new spot — he played mostly on the left side in college — as well as a new scheme. Virginia ran a 3-4 defense; the Rams' base is a 4-3. Not to mention a large leap in the talent pool.
As he adapts, he's fighting a natural urge to think rather than react.
"You're always thinking until you get to that point where you know (your assignments) like the back of your hand," he said. "The sooner the better. But I don't anticipate getting to the point where (veteran linemates) Leonard Little is or La'Roi Glover is or James Hall is overnight. I'm just going to have to keep working."
The Rams also opted for a defensive lineman in the first round last year, taking Nebraska's Adam Carriker in the 13th overall slot. Carriker, who started all 16 games at tackle his rookie season, has become a trusted counselor to Long.
"It's great to have somebody with that perspective right next to me working," Long said. "He told me, 'They're going to ask more out of you.' And that's understandable. As the guy who was picked first by this organization this year, you know there's a bull's-eye on your back. You just have to give it the best you can give it."
After recording 14 sacks and 23 quarterback pressures last year for the Cavaliers, Long is learning quickly that raw ability isn't enough at this level. Even the smallest detail must be mastered, he explained. Seemingly fundamental tasks now are serious challenges.
"Your technique has to be flawless," he said. "Things you did in college don't work at the pro level."
Long concedes that despite his first-round status, he's a work in progress. "As Coach told me, 'We've gotten through the A's, now we can go to the B's. It's baby steps; just take it day to day,'" he said.
Progress has been gradual but notable, Linehan said.
"He looks a lot more comfortable just in little things like his stance and getting the call and relating it to the situation," Linehan said. "The bright spot for him is how fast he's picking everything up. He has absolutely no anxiety whatsoever about being out there."
Some might wonder whether Long is anxious about his financial situation, since Miami tackle Jake Long and Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, the Nos. 1 and 3 picks respectively, have signed lucrative contracts. Not so, he insisted.
"I don't even pay attention to that," he said. "I haven't talked to my agent in a week and a half. I just go out and play ball; I'll worry about that when the time comes."
When a questioner challenged the sincerity of that response, Long laughed and shot back: "I swear to you, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than sitting in my hotel room with the phone off after practice. I don't worry about that stuff."
He offered two other assurances:
— That he'd be signed and on hand when the Rams assemble for training camp July 24 at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis. "I was never into that holdout business," Long said. "That's real important to me ... as a teammate more than anything."
— That no matter how hard and how often Baker drills him, he doesn't replay his position coach's words in his dreams. "No, I get my sleep in," he said. "Anyway, those would be nightmares, not dreams."