BREAKING NEWS: Miami Dolphins and OT Jake Long have reached an agreement

[DolFan619]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_seasonticket/2008/04/fins-longs-expe.html

Fins: Long's expectations

Jake Long follows a long line of standout Michigan offensive linemen.

This is a partial list, and I'm sure you'll add others.

Steve Hutchinson: The Coral Springs High graduate is generally regarded as the premier guard in the NFL.

Jeff Backus: The former first-round pick is entering his eighth season as a Detroit Lions tackle. 

Reggie McKenzie: The guard played a dozen seasons, and spent many blocking for O.J. Simpson with the Bills.

Jon Jansen: The right tackle is the longest-tenured current Redskin, and a team captain.

Dan Dierdorf: The tackle made six Pro Bowls during his Hall of Fame 13-year career before turning to broadcasting.

Jumbo Elliott: A Bill Parcells favorite, the tackle anchored a Super Bowl-winning Giants line, and even caught a touchdown against the Dolphins.

Jon Giesler: The Dolphins picked him 24th overall in 1979, and he lasted 10 seasons. 

Stefan Humphries: The 1980 valedictorian at St. Thomas Aquinas High played guard for NFL season before becoming a doctor.

Greg Skrepenak: The second-round pick played six seasons for the Raiders and Panthers, then embarked on a political career.

Kurt Becker: The sixth-round choice survived nearly a decade in the NFL at the guard position.

Chuck Bernard: His distinction? Not his 10-game NFL career. He was the Michigan All-American center that future Pres. Gerald Ford played behind.

David Baas: Drafted in the second round by San Francisco in 2004, the guard's emergence allowed the 49ers to let Justin Smiley leave for the Dolphins.

Now here's the question:

Whose career must Long match for you to consider this pick a success? 

A Hall of Famer like Dierdorf?

A perennial All-Pro like Hutchinson?

A solid, steady performer like Elliott, Jansen, McKenzie, Backus and Giesler?

> Posted by Ethan J. Skolnick at 1:19:40 PM

[Guru-In-Vegas]

For what we paid he better re-invent pass protection itself!...kidding...

I'd be happy as long as he isn't a Wade Smith.

[TonyB0D]

he is now the highest paid offensive lineman in the league.  he has won major awards and had an outstanding college career.  i'd say expectations are pretty high - he better be in the pro bowl soon!

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/andycohen.asp?contentID=5748

The Homer Report - Presented by, Andy Cohen

Long’s Signing A Smart Move

April 23, 2008

This is a Long story, but it really is a very short, succinct one. The Dolphins found the player they wanted and they methodically went about signing him. Case closed.

The get-it-right era took another huge – as in 6-feet-7 – step forward on Tuesday as the Dolphins signed left tackle Jake Long to a multi-year contract. What’s not to like about this? The scenario that rapidly unfolded was as impressive as the player on center stage.

While nobody can rightfully predict what’s going to happen to Jake Long over the next decade or so, this much is clear. The Dolphins pinpointed this Michigan Man as the best player in the draft and they refused to let go, refused to get involved in a long, messy contract dispute that would linger into training camp, refused to make the same mistakes the Raiders made a year ago and so many other teams made before that.

If the Dolphins are going to turn this around in a hurry – and that is clearly the plan – their first-round pick would have to be there from Day One, and that is exactly what has now transpired. Long will not miss a day of training camp, not miss a single chance to become a legitimate force in his rookie season.

Give the new ruling body of Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano all the credit they deserve for making sure this happened. They didn’t meander around like so many before them. Once it became clear that there was no trade to make to acquire more picks, once the decision was made that a left tackle – that THIS left tackle – was the answer, no time was wasted. They can play games in September; they weren’t going to play games in April.

If this is an indication of the path the Dolphins will take under this new regime, then rest assured this franchise is finally in good hands. In one swift move, they showed the rest of the NFL the right way to do this.

We didn’t see Parcells at the press conference announcing Long’s signing. But you knew his presence was there. You knew getting bigger and stronger and tougher is what he wanted for this franchise and that message was echoed by the two people he brought in, Ireland as general manager and Sparano as head coach.

The three of them are 1-0 today. And the schedule only came out a week ago.
There was no way the draft was going to arrive without Jake Long in the fold. Not with Long standing so tall at the top of the team’s draft board. Not with so many other things to accomplish in the days ahead. Not with the knowledge of the damage long holdouts have inflicted on other teams.

Folks, there is a plan at work here. Finally, a plan. And we see it unfolding right before our eyes. If you didn’t have a comfort zone before this, you should have one now. The Dolphins are no longer somebody else’s punch line.

Now, let’s turn to the player.

For years, I have been writing that what the Dolphins need on their offensive line is an anchor, one player who had the ability to make those around him better. If the press clippings on Jake Long are correct, if his college career is any indication, the Dolphins finally have that player.

Sure, it would have been nice to have taken a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady with the first overall pick. But this was not the year for that; just too many questions surrounding every quarterback to justify the No. 1 overall pick. Unfortunate, but true.

So instead the Dolphins went after their biggest need and, to their delight, that just happened to be the player they had rated the highest. This is no public relations spin. This is fact. Insiders tell me that Jake Long was probably on top of the majority of draft boards in the NFL. If the Dolphins didn’t take him No. 1, St. Louis would have taken him at No. 2.

The line clearly was the area on this team that needed the most help. Today Samson Satele is a better player because Jake Long is playing with him. So is Vernon Carey. Today the running game is better and the pass protection is more proficient. Today the Dolphins are a better football team and they haven’t even put on a single helmet yet.

You look at what Long accomplished in college and it is easy to see this success story continuing on the next level. He is big. He is smart. He is tenacious. He is as small a risk as you can take with the first overall pick.

No, he’s not a game-breaker. But it’s time the Dolphins started thinking about rebuilding instead of a taking a gamble on a quick fix. Jake Long is a huge first piece to this puzzle. Huge in so many ways.

And now the Dolphins can move on to other things without the burden of signing the No. 1 pick. I’m hoping the two second round picks, the one third round pick and the one fourth round pick produce, in no particular order, a wide receiver, a quarterback, an outside linebacker and a tight end. That’s just one man’s opinion, but it would certainly continue the rebuilding in a nice, orderly fashion.

All of that is up to Parcells, Ireland and Sparano. They will be the ones calling the shots on during this weekend’s draft. There is a quiet confidence about them as they move forward, a confidence that suggests that they know what they want and they know how to get it.

It’s early. Too early to form any concrete conclusions. But if what happened with the selection and signing of Jake Long is any indication, the right people are now making the right decisions. And that’s something this franchise desperately needed.

[DolFan619]

  Jersey enthusiasts, interested in buying this new release?

http://miamidolphinsproshop.com/main_detail.cfm?nProductID=20966&sAuxTitle=Jake%20Long%20Jersey%20%2D%20Home%20Replica

[YoFuggedaboutit]

  Jersey enthusiasts, interested in buying this new release?

http://miamidolphinsproshop.com/main_detail.cfm?nProductID=20966&sAuxTitle=Jake%20Long%20Jersey%20%2D%20Home%20Replica

I'd want it in Aqua

[DolFan619]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/04/24/jake_long_has_575_million_reas.html

Jake Long denies report he didn’t want to play for Dolphins

By Tim Graham | Thursday, April 24, 2008, 03:10 PM

If the lucrative contract Michigan tackle Jake Long signed on Tuesday wasn’t proof enough, the man himself disputed last week’s FoxSports.com report that claimed he didn’t want to play for the woeful Dolphins.

“Someone called me up and said they saw (the report),” Long told The Palm Beach Post this morning after a youth clinic in New York’s Central Park. “I don’t know how anybody got that because I never said that. I never had those feelings.

“I said from Day One that it would be an honor to play for the Dolphins and be a No. 1 pick. I don’t know who came up with that, but none of it was true.

“That 1-15 is in the past. I think everybody’s moving on from that. I’m just excited to come in and show my leadership and do everything I can to improve myself and my team.”

Never mind that Long willingly signed a five-year contract for $57.5 million and $30 million in guarantees. He wasn’t forced to join the Dolphins because he hadn’t yet been drafted by them.

“My agent (Tom Condon) knew I wanted to be in Miami and knew I wanted to be No. 1,” Long said.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on Wednesday the Dolphins would have targeted Virginia defensive end Chris Long as their Plan B if negotiations broke down with Jake Long.

Chris Long said he had no clue he was second on the Dolphins’ wish list and shook his head when asked if they had spoken to agent Marvin Demoff about early negotiations.

“If they did, then me and Marvin gotta have a talk,” Chris Long said. “We hadn’t talked about (the Dolphins). It’s just a big waiting game anyway.”

[DolFan619]

  Do you believe in Jake Long?

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d807f3c34

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I believe in his "You aint sackin shit today!!!!" mentality

[DolFan619]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/04/24/jake_long_already_driven_to_pr.html

Jake Long already driven to prove he’s worth the cash and hype

By Tim Graham | Thursday, April 24, 2008, 08:17 PM

Many athletes are prone to dismissing talk that centers on pressure and expectations. They sometimes like to pretend they’re above it all, that they’re too psychologically superior to let anxieties overcome.

We can say Jake Long grasps reality.

As the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman before he plays one pro snap, Long will face incredible scrutiny. He knows that. He also sounds willing to embrace it.

“It drives me and pushes me because I’ve got to go out there and prove to people that it was a good choice, that will do well on the next level,” Long said today in New York.

“I know there’s a lot of pressure. I know there’s a lot of eyes that’ll be on me. I feel like I play at my best when the pressure’s on me. I’ve dealt with pressure before. I know I can go out there, work hard and prove to everybody that it was the right choice.”

Asked about his five-year contract worth $57.5 million and $30 million in guarantees, Long didn’t duck and answered with humility.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Long said. “I’ve always played football for the fun of it and the love of it. I’m still playing for that. The money’s just a great bonus. Being able to do this as my job is amazing. Those numbers are crazy, but it’s not going to change how I go out and work.”

 

[DolFan619]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/04/25/a1c_long_0425.html

Living large: Dolphins' Long becomes toast of NYC

By TIM GRAHAM
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, April 25, 2008

NEW YORK — Jake Long and his family never had visited Manhattan before. From the moment they arrived two days ago, they've marveled at the enormity, bustle and buzz.

"The buildings are humongous, and there's so many of them," the Dolphins' new left tackle said Thursday afternoon at a restaurant overlooking the Hudson River. "Drivers in this city are just insane. People come inches away from hitting each other, all the horns honking.

If the Dolphins trade Jason Taylor, is one first-round draft choice enough to receive in return? 

"It's a different place."

Stunned by New York's incomprehensible scale, Long may not be able to comprehend that he's the biggest thing in the city this weekend.

Long, who is 6-foot-7 and 313 pounds, should have scooped up diminutive girlfriend Jackie Laurian in his King Kong palm and climbed the Empire State Building.

Instead, he and the five other elite prospects posed for photos atop the marquee at Radio City Music Hall, site of the NFL Draft Saturday and Sunday.

The Dolphins on Tuesday finalized a deal to make Long not only the No. 1 selection, but also the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman after a phenomenal college career at Michigan. His five-year contract is worth $57.5 million, with $30 million guaranteed.

"I feel like I'm living in a dream right now," Denise Long said of her son's whirlwind week. "It's amazing he's finally here but he deserves it. It's almost like it's not real."

Denise Long works in a deli. Jake's father, John Long, will retire in June after 30 years at the General Motors foundry in Saginaw, Mich.

"It's just mind-boggling to see the contract numbers," John Long said. "My wife and I worked our whole lives just to get by. I couldn't be happier."

Jake Long, while seemingly calm Thursday, admitted his good fortune won't seem real until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirms the Dolphins' No. 1 pick shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday.

"It's going to be electric," Long said. "I've watched the draft my entire life. To be able to walk out on that stage and hold that jersey is going to be a dream come true. I don't think it will fully sink in until then."

In the meantime, Long is trying to soak up the experience. The NFL is keeping the prospects busy. On Thursday morning, they participated in a youth clinic in Central Park. Long, his left hand engulfing the ball, lobbed passes to a frenetic crew of middle-schoolers, thrusting his arms skyward and shouting "Woo hoo!" with every touchdown strike.

The kids sat down for an interview session with the players. The second question was directed at Long and illustrated the footprint his new boss left in New York: Are you scared of playing for Bill Parcells?

"I'm real excited," Long replied after a hearty laugh. "I got to meet him a couple days ago and got to talk with him. I was a little intimidated, but I'm real excited to play for him."

A couple of hours later, wearing a pinstriped suit at Chelsea Piers, Long provided insight into Tuesday's meeting with Parcells in Davie. "Meeting him was insane," Long said, using one of his favorite adjectives of the week. "He's such an icon. He's a legend, a (future) Hall of Famer. I'm just glad I get to learn under him and play for him and be part of his organization."

Long went from slightly terrified to motivated in a hurry as he listened to the Dolphins' football operations boss.

"He wants to win," Long said. "The type of people he wants in this organization, he said I'm going to be a big part of that. It was an honor to hear him say that, and I'm excited to go out and work hard and prove to him that I was the right choice to pick."

Parcells mentioned the name Jumbo Elliott, a tackle from Michigan he coached with the New York Giants. Elliott, who played at 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, won Super Bowl XXV with the Giants.

"He told me I remind him a little of Jumbo, and Jumbo was a great player for him," Long said. "I've got to live up to that now. That's a big comparison."

Through so many thrills, Long insisted he will keep his head. He can't afford otherwise, not even with $30 million already to his name.

"There's a lot of pressure, expectation and a lot of people that will be watching me," Long said. "I'm excited for the challenge. I'm just going to be the same person I am, go in there, work hard, be a leader and do everything I can to help the team win. I've done that throughout my entire life and I'm going to keep doing it."

[DolFan619]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/04/25/long_wants_to_be_foundation_pl.html

Long wants to be foundation player off the field, too

By Tim Graham | Friday, April 25, 2008, 07:17 PM

So what’s Jake Long going to do with all that money?

The first thing, the Michigan tackle has confessed, is buy a Ford truck. And that’s not going over well in the Long household back in Lapeer, Mich. His father is about to retire after putting in 30 years at the General Motors foundry in Saginaw.

But that’s a frivolity compared to Long’s greater plans.

After visiting sick kids this afternoon at the Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York, the Dolphins No. 1 draft pick acknowledged he would like to start a foundation with the super-sized contract he signed Tuesday.

“I definitely want to do something,” Long said after getting thumped in a Wii video boxing game by 8-year-old Robert Morales, who suffers from asthma. “I don’t know what I want to do yet. I’m trying to get settled right now, but down the road I want to do something.”

Jim Brandstatter, the Wolverines broadcast analyst for the past 28 years, called Long one of the most charitable collegiate players he’s seen.

“He’s as good and solid as you can get as a human being,” Brandstatter said. “In the old days, you remember those United Way commercials? That’s Jake.”

While some college programs send their players to hospitals and charity events, Long started visiting Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor every other Thursday since he was a freshman simply because he wanted to.

“I just get so much out of it, coming here and being able to brighten up some little kids’ days,” Long said. “It’s just for a couple minutes, but you see that smile on their faces.

“We’re all privileged to be able to play football and be able to walk and leave the hospital and be with your families. These kids here can’t.”

 

[Guru-In-Vegas]

This guys already a superstar in my book.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

This guys already a superstar in my book.

Stuff like that would get him consideration for NFL Man of the Year.   I can't help but like this guy's attitude.