This on Jake Long.....
MAN OF STEEL: Senior tackle Long could be best ever at Michigan
December 31, 2007
BY MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
ORLANDO -- A trophy sits in a prominent area of the Michigan football weight room.
Small but heavy, a steel anvil sits atop a base, ringed with the names of its conquerors. There aren't many listed, which only adds to the intrigue.
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U-M strength and conditioning coach Mike Gittleson uses the anvil as a goal for upperclassmen to achieve, a testament to their power. If you can pick up the anvil, your name goes on the base.
There was a stretch at the beginning of this decade when new names were sparse. Then one day a couple years ago, a young man with massive hands simply snagged it like a toy.
When Jake Long reached down and grabbed that anvil after more than a year of watching others try and fail, he literally lifted off the career of a Michigan legend.
"It weighs 150-some pounds," said Long, the left tackle from Lapeer who will conclude his career in Tuesday's Capital One Bowl. "You've got to grip it and pick it up."
The first time he lifted the anvil, Long was impressed with himself. But Gittleson, who has been at Michigan since 1978, was nowhere to be found. So when Long finally proved it for the record (in front of Gittleson and others) his name became a permanent fixture on the base.
Long, who made his first start as a Wolverine against San Diego State in 2004, has set a standard at Michigan rarely matched in the program's illustrious history. His achievements place him among the all-time greats.
A consensus All-America the past two years, Long became just the 11th Wolverine to be named in consecutive years, the first since safety Tripp Welbourne (1989-90). He was just the fifth two-time Big Ten offensive lineman of the year.
"I can appreciate it," said U-M fifth-year lineman Adam Kraus, who has played alongside Long every year and is one of Long's closest friends. "It's definitely a benefit to be playing with him on the line because you know he's not going to get beat very often, if at all. You definitely learn from him."
Long allowed only one sack this year, against Ohio State. He has incredible technique for a 6-foot-7, 315-pounder. And Long set an impressive standard each time Michigan ran a play, not committing a penalty all season.
That's the steadiness Long's teammates take for granted and now simply accept. But it's the physical, freakish moves that drop their jaws.
"I can remember in camp, running the Michigan mile and he's up front with the linebackers and running backs and wide receivers. He's a flat athlete," U-M defensive tackle Terrance Taylor said. "He's embarrassing (to the other linemen). On gassers, he's always the first lineman down and back. He's over 300 pounds, he weighs so much and is so big yet when we run the golf course he's in the top five finishing. He's beating Mike Hart and Mario Manningham, he beats these guys in the mile."
Most would consider Long the strong, silent type.
But teammates say he can talk it up just like fellow captain Mike Hart, although often it's just timed at a necessary moment.
It's why Long became just the 11th two-time captain in Michigan history, helping guide last year's team to an 11-0 start. And it's why his teammates swear by him, especially after watching him turn down millions as a high first-round pick in last year's NFL draft for one more shot at U-M glory.
Long's parents have spent the past few weeks sifting through pro agents and preparing for what their son will endure beginning next week. He's a likely Top-5 pick in April's draft, where he'll get one more chance to show how he's one of a kind.
Kraus has no hesitation when asked for his most impressive Long moment.
"When he did 47 reps at 225 (pounds) before the 2006 season," Kraus said, recalling the roar that leapt from the weight room that day. "Everybody got pretty pumped up. How often is that done? The record at the (NFL) combine is 45. That just shows you what he can do. I think he can if he gets his strength back up he can (break it)."
With his final game a day away and his team hampered by injuries to Mike Hart and Chad Henne, Long could be bitter at U-M's unfulfilled promise this season.
But he's staying calm until the end.
"It's still weird to think of it as my last game," he said. "After the game and once I leave and not come back to Ann Arbor, it will really set in. I've had a great career here, I love Michigan and wouldn't trade my days for anything."
Contact MARK SNYDER at 313-223-3210 or msnyder@freepress.com. Check out his Wolverines blog at www.freep.com/sports.
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MAN OF STEEL: Senior tackle Long could be best ever at Michigan
December 31, 2007
BY MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
ORLANDO -- A trophy sits in a prominent area of the Michigan football weight room.
Small but heavy, a steel anvil sits atop a base, ringed with the names of its conquerors. There aren't many listed, which only adds to the intrigue.
Advertisement
There was a stretch at the beginning of this decade when new names were sparse. Then one day a couple years ago, a young man with massive hands simply snagged it like a toy.
When Jake Long reached down and grabbed that anvil after more than a year of watching others try and fail, he literally lifted off the career of a Michigan legend.
"It weighs 150-some pounds," said Long, the left tackle from Lapeer who will conclude his career in Tuesday's Capital One Bowl. "You've got to grip it and pick it up."
The first time he lifted the anvil, Long was impressed with himself. But Gittleson, who has been at Michigan since 1978, was nowhere to be found. So when Long finally proved it for the record (in front of Gittleson and others) his name became a permanent fixture on the base.
Long, who made his first start as a Wolverine against San Diego State in 2004, has set a standard at Michigan rarely matched in the program's illustrious history. His achievements place him among the all-time greats.
A consensus All-America the past two years, Long became just the 11th Wolverine to be named in consecutive years, the first since safety Tripp Welbourne (1989-90). He was just the fifth two-time Big Ten offensive lineman of the year.
"I can appreciate it," said U-M fifth-year lineman Adam Kraus, who has played alongside Long every year and is one of Long's closest friends. "It's definitely a benefit to be playing with him on the line because you know he's not going to get beat very often, if at all. You definitely learn from him."
Long allowed only one sack this year, against Ohio State. He has incredible technique for a 6-foot-7, 315-pounder. And Long set an impressive standard each time Michigan ran a play, not committing a penalty all season.
That's the steadiness Long's teammates take for granted and now simply accept. But it's the physical, freakish moves that drop their jaws.
"I can remember in camp, running the Michigan mile and he's up front with the linebackers and running backs and wide receivers. He's a flat athlete," U-M defensive tackle Terrance Taylor said. "He's embarrassing (to the other linemen). On gassers, he's always the first lineman down and back. He's over 300 pounds, he weighs so much and is so big yet when we run the golf course he's in the top five finishing. He's beating Mike Hart and Mario Manningham, he beats these guys in the mile."
Most would consider Long the strong, silent type.
But teammates say he can talk it up just like fellow captain Mike Hart, although often it's just timed at a necessary moment.
It's why Long became just the 11th two-time captain in Michigan history, helping guide last year's team to an 11-0 start. And it's why his teammates swear by him, especially after watching him turn down millions as a high first-round pick in last year's NFL draft for one more shot at U-M glory.
Long's parents have spent the past few weeks sifting through pro agents and preparing for what their son will endure beginning next week. He's a likely Top-5 pick in April's draft, where he'll get one more chance to show how he's one of a kind.
Kraus has no hesitation when asked for his most impressive Long moment.
"When he did 47 reps at 225 (pounds) before the 2006 season," Kraus said, recalling the roar that leapt from the weight room that day. "Everybody got pretty pumped up. How often is that done? The record at the (NFL) combine is 45. That just shows you what he can do. I think he can if he gets his strength back up he can (break it)."
With his final game a day away and his team hampered by injuries to Mike Hart and Chad Henne, Long could be bitter at U-M's unfulfilled promise this season.
But he's staying calm until the end.
"It's still weird to think of it as my last game," he said. "After the game and once I leave and not come back to Ann Arbor, it will really set in. I've had a great career here, I love Michigan and wouldn't trade my days for anything."
Contact MARK SNYDER at 313-223-3210 or msnyder@freepress.com. Check out his Wolverines blog at www.freep.com/sports.
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