Jake Long bounces back, gains confidence

[DKphin]

Last week, left tackle and 2008 No. 1 pick Jake Long faced questions and criticism about one of the worst performances of his young career.
But he bounced back Monday night against one of the league’s top pass rushers - Colts’ DE Dwight Freeney - and enters Sunday’s visit to San Diego with renewed confidence as he’ll likely face another of the game’s best rushers, LB Shawne Merriman.
Long gave ground to Freeney and lost his footing a couple of times and ended up on his rear end, but Long mostly held his own.

Freeney had a sack, but it came more than five seconds after the snap when quarterback Chad Pennington rolled out, held the ball and scrambled, eventually into Freeney’s grasp.
“He got me a few times, but I kept in there fighting,” Long said.

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thed...ckle-jake-long-bounces-back-gains-confidence/

 

[Phinatic8u]

The FANS seriously OVERREACTED when Long had a bad game

 

[JERSEYFINFAN23]

alot of TE help on both DEs , but they did what they had to.

 

[LDaniel7]

Spin it however you want to spin, but the undeniable fact is that Long as LT has the weakest part of his game precisely where you NEED a LT to be strongest: pass protection.

He's getting insane amount of dollars to be excellent where LTs are supposed to be excellent -- and nope. He's so shaky in pass protection that most of the time they had to help him, sending two men to do a job that every other elite LT can do on his own.

The only thing that makes Longs game Monday night even passable is a. the Wildcat, which covers up Long's pass protection weakness, and b. consistently sending help to Long on pass plays, again covering for his weakness.

It is so surprising that many people who are otherwise good analysts are not being honest about this. They are covering for Long for some reason. I don't get it.

There are MANY ways a defensive player affects the game off the stat sheet. In all these ways, Freeney left his stamp all over Long and the Dolphins O. To pretend that Freeney did not affect the game b/c he only got one coverage sack is simply disingenuous. He disrupted the timing of the passing game almost at will, Long had to be helped on him almost all pass plays [after the realization sunk in that he couldn't handle it one on one], because Long had to have help, it kept other pass patterns from being run, it kept less receivers in play, it caused Carey to receive less help, etc. etc.

When your highest paid player, who plays LT, can't man up and consistently beat elite RDEs, you've got problems in your O. Period.

In the preseason, CK had an excellent post talking about how pass rushers take over games, even off the stat sheet.

We need to apply a little of that honesty to Long's struggles against higher level pass rushers. He simply can't be depended on, one on one, to win those battles like other elite LTs.

Can he get better? Hmmm. This is his second year. It's supposed to be better than his first... but he's seriously regressing.

Can anyone watch his last two games, three counting Pro Bowl, and not seriously admit this guy is deeply flawed in pass protection?

Wow.

Denial just ain't a river somewhere in out there.

LD

 

[Dolfan5000]

Spin it however you want to spin, but the undeniable fact is that Long as LT has the weakest part of his game precisely where you NEED a LT to be strongest: pass protection.

He's getting insane amount of dollars to be excellent where LTs are supposed to be excellent -- and nope. He's so shaky in pass protection that most of the time they had to help him, sending two men to do a job that every other elite LT can do on his own.

The only thing that makes Longs game Monday night even passable is a. the Wildcat, which covers up Long's pass protection weakness, and b. consistently sending help to Long on pass plays, again covering for his weakness.

It is so surprising that many people who are otherwise good analysts are not being honest about this. They are covering for Long for some reason. I don't get it.

There are MANY ways a defensive player affects the game off the stat sheet. In all these ways, Freeney left his stamp all over Long and the Dolphins O. To pretend that Freeney did not affect the game b/c he only got one coverage sack is simply disingenuous. He disrupted the timing of the passing game almost at will, Long had to be helped on him almost all pass plays [after the realization sunk in that he couldn't handle it one on one], because Long had to have help, it kept other pass patterns from being run, it kept less receivers in play, it caused Carey to receive less help, etc. etc.

When your highest paid player, who plays LT, can't man up and consistently beat elite RDEs, you've got problems in your O. Period.

In the preseason, CK had an excellent post talking about how pass rushers take over games, even off the stat sheet.

We need to apply a little of that honesty to Long's struggles against higher level pass rushers. He simply can't be depended on, one on one, to win those battles like other elite LTs.

Can he get better? Hmmm. This is his second year. It's supposed to be better than his first... but he's seriously regressing.

Can anyone watch his last two games, three counting Pro Bowl, and not seriously admit this guy is deeply flawed in pass protection?

Wow.

Denial just ain't a river somewhere in out there.

LD

Abraham and Freeney are two of the top speed rushers in the league. Yes, that's his weakness but he isn't a liability like you make it seem.

 

[Strangeworld]

Long got owned... good thing we are paying him to be elite.

 

[Zounds]

Long played like crap again. The only reason Freeney was a non factor was because he was doubled on every pass play. If Long was tasked with holding him 1 on 1, Freeney would have had a multiple sack game. We shouldn't have to keep 6 or 7 blockers in on every pass play, especially with a $150 million OL.

 

[Spicy Henne]

Jake Long is a franchise tackle. Give him a pass, he had one bad game.

 

[rent this space]

Spin it however you want to spin, but the undeniable fact is that Long as LT has the weakest part of his game precisely where you NEED a LT to be strongest: pass protection.

He's getting insane amount of dollars to be excellent where LTs are supposed to be excellent -- and nope. He's so shaky in pass protection that most of the time they had to help him, sending two men to do a job that every other elite LT can do on his own.

The only thing that makes Longs game Monday night even passable is a. the Wildcat, which covers up Long's pass protection weakness, and b. consistently sending help to Long on pass plays, again covering for his weakness.

It is so surprising that many people who are otherwise good analysts are not being honest about this. They are covering for Long for some reason. I don't get it.

There are MANY ways a defensive player affects the game off the stat sheet. In all these ways, Freeney left his stamp all over Long and the Dolphins O. To pretend that Freeney did not affect the game b/c he only got one coverage sack is simply disingenuous. He disrupted the timing of the passing game almost at will, Long had to be helped on him almost all pass plays [after the realization sunk in that he couldn't handle it one on one], because Long had to have help, it kept other pass patterns from being run, it kept less receivers in play, it caused Carey to receive less help, etc. etc.

When your highest paid player, who plays LT, can't man up and consistently beat elite RDEs, you've got problems in your O. Period.

In the preseason, CK had an excellent post talking about how pass rushers take over games, even off the stat sheet.

We need to apply a little of that honesty to Long's struggles against higher level pass rushers. He simply can't be depended on, one on one, to win those battles like other elite LTs.

Can he get better? Hmmm. This is his second year. It's supposed to be better than his first... but he's seriously regressing.

Can anyone watch his last two games, three counting Pro Bowl, and not seriously admit this guy is deeply flawed in pass protection?

Wow.

Denial just ain't a river somewhere in out there.

LD

it must be some sort of conspiracy...

 

[Strangeworld]

Jake Long is a franchise tackle. Give him a pass, he had one bad game.

A franchise RIGHT tackle that is... so glad we passed on Ryan for a right tackle.

 

[LDaniel7]

it must be some sort of conspiracy...

lol, yeah. That's it!

A conspiracy. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

And here I thought it was just misguided, blind homerism! lol.

Luv is blind they say!

And we have the BEST of the BEST players at every position, especially the highest paid one: LT -- he's a real game changer in pass protection! Thankfully, he can run block...

Oops! Is that a LT we're talking about? lol.

Too funny. Conspiracy. Nice.

LD

 

[cafinfan408]

You guys act like he is letting bums run him over.