After 6 games I want to know what everyone here thinks of Jake Long. I have been impressed with him so far. ***I just typed out a long post and I somehow wasn't logined in so everything i typed was lost. I will expand tomorrow, but im too tired and upset (that i wasted my time typing all that for nothing) to re-type my thoughts on Jake now.***
I thought the 1st two weeks he played like anyone we could of picked up in the 3rd round of the draft. Now he's playing like the 1 overall pick and i wouldn't be shocked to see him go to the pro bowl.
My expectations of him has been met and surpassed. I think (pray) that he will anchor our line for many years.
He may end up as a top 5 but if we don't win any games there is no way Jake goes to the Pro Bowl this year.
sorry for your loss of post bro, look forward to reading it tomorrow so far i have been impressed with him, from what i can tell he has been pretty efficient. hopefully someone can do an analysis of him this game, because obviously our oline struggled a smidge today
Thanks for that link. If Suggs says he struggles against Jake Long and says he's one of the best tackles in the league he's either A) seriously trying to boost jake long's ego or the media about him being the #1 pick (doubt it) or B) long is legit. The praise coming from the players themselves is much bigger than praise coming from any of us. If he's being said he's one of the best LTs in the league right now only after us having played 6 games we've got ourselves a winner. Many other players have said so as well.
The Suggs compliment was HUGE. I think he's got a shot at the Pro Bowl. The only AFC LT who is certainly above him is Joe Thomas. Look at the other AFC LTs. Most of the "big-name" LTs are in the NFC this year.
He had a ringing endorsement from Richmond Webb, one of the best LTs the Dolphins have ever had. I think he has done great considering how bad and for how long we have had troubles at LT, a lot of failed experiments there. Veron Carey was the best of the rest but it wasn't his best positionMaybe now we can start seeing it as a strength rather than a weakness.
Dude, you ever here of the "save" button? Lol, don't feel bad, it's happened to the best of us. Here's what stands out, to me, about Jake Long: 1) He's handling the pass rush. Coming into the season, this was the area that I was the most concerned with. Jake is a prototypical "mauler" style tackle, so I was concerned that he would struggle against ends that use speed and finesse. Thus far, he's been more than adequate here. 2) Next to Matt Ryan, there really isn't another rookie making an impact in the NFL. Chris Long has been quiet, McFadden has been injured, and Gholston has been a disappointment. While Long may not be the next Orlando Pace, he's shown enough promise thus far to justify his status as a #1 draft pick. 3) He's one of the better LTs in the AFC, and the NFL. Long reminds me of Joe Thomas, and his play has been steady and improved. He's had a few too many penalties for my taste, but he's a rookie and the mental aspect of his game will improve with time. I do think he's played very well (Particularly against San Diego and New England), and may reach a Pro Bowl level, but I don't think he's quite there yet. Still, he's been more than decent, and an upgrade over Carey.
If you get a chance tonight to watch monday night football check out Ryan Clady on the Broncs. I havenet seen him play the last two weeks but he was phenomenal the first 4 weeks of the season. I would say the three best 1st round rookies Ive seen so far are Ryan, Jake and Clady
Ok here is my opinion of Jake Long so far: I have been impressed. There is a saying out there that "the less times you hear a lineman's naming (or number), being called the better he is." I believe that qoute was in reference to penalties, but either way I have not heard his name called too often. If I recall correctly through 6 games he has had only 4 penalties, which is exspected from a rookie. I think he has had 1 false-start, 2 holding calls, and 1 tripping call. Most of those calls came earlier on in the season and he has improved vastly since then. WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW: His run blocking is incredible. On run plays Jake consistantly pushes his man back about 5 yards even if the run is supposed to go the opposite way. That is good because is provides a running back with a cutback lane if they need it and it also shows he is not a typical "lazy" LT in terms of blocking. On runs he is also good at getting his body between his man and the ball-carrier which makes it hard for the DE or OLB to get around him to make the tackle. SURPRISE: I have been pleasently surprised with Jake Pass-pro. Coming into the NFL this was his big question. During preseason and the first few games I was really concerned because he missed quite a lot of assignments and/or miss-read who he was supposed to block. I still remember that Jacksonville DE that just ran untouched past him in preseason. All that being said, Jake has significantly improved in this part of his game in the last couple of weeks. He has been great at understanding who to block and has done a good job of keeping that player off the QB. Like his running game he uses his big body to his advantage. DE's know they can't bullrush him (well except for Mario Williams) so they normally elect to go around the outside, where he won't have help from the guard. Jake has been effective at sliding his body with the DE and punching the DE away/or around the QB. If i recall correctly he has only given up 3 or 4 sacks in 6 games, which is not bad for going up against the caliber of DE's he has been up against. He gave up 2 sacks to Mario Williams who has been playing amazing lately; and i would even consider 1 of those sacks a coverage sack (that wasn't his fault). Overall, like i said before I have been very impressed with him. I hope you all agree with me
He's doing quite fine for a rookie LT. Not Joe Thomas level yet but still solid. Beats our last rookie LT by a mile (then again, so does a piece of paper).
