11/4/02 - Shifting Seasons

Virginia tapped into the bloodline of NFL royalty this week when the Cavaliers gained an early commitment from St. Anne's-Belfield blue-chipper Chris Long, the son of former Oakland Raiders legend Howie Long.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Chris Long is a 17-year-old, two-way standout at St. Anne's, where he becomes the private school's first-ever Division I-A football commitment. Only a junior, Long also becomes the earliest commitment in UVa football history.

"The decision was simple for me," said Long on Saturday. "It doesn't get much better when it comes to a balance between academics and athletics than what you have with UVa. The coaching staff definitely played into my decision.

"I don't think there's a better situation around right now," said Long. "You have a tremendous coaching staff that is bringing in some great recruits and they want to be in the national championship. They have set their sights high and that determination is very attractive."

While several other schools began recruiting Long last spring, Virginia was by far his favorite from the start.

St. Anne's coach John Blake estimated that 20 schools had contacted him about Long, including Washington, Boston College and others.

"Going into the recruiting process, my sights were on Virginia, but you've got to make an educated decision," said Long. "I've made some unofficial visits to other schools. After I weighed all the factors, UVa was still in front."

He currently plays offensive tackle and defensive end for the Saints, who have qualified for the Virginia Independent Schools Football Association Division II playoffs with a 7-3 record. Because of his large frame and the growth potential (Blake believes Long could eventually weigh 280 pounds or more), size may impact the position he will play in college.

"In talking with the [Virginia] coaches, I will have a couple of options," said Long. "Anywhere from defensive end to a blocking tight end to an inside linebacker. It seems however I develop physically, there will be a direction I can go in as far as position."

Wherever he plays, the Cavaliers will be getting a solid football player, one who is expected to ranked as one of the top defensive linemen on the East Coast next season when Long plays his final year of high school ball.

"If you look at him in his stance and then look at film of Howie with Oakland, it's scary at the similarity," said Blake. "He has one thing that coaches can't teach: explosion. Some kids have it, some don't. He has it. He has a great drive and his work ethic is super. He's the kid that coaches dream of having."

College coaches who have reviewed film of the St. Anne's prospect have commented to Blake about several aspects of Long's game.

"As an offensive lineman he rolls his hips well and gets to people so quickly," said Blake. "When he gets his hands on you, he's got you. Sometimes he looks like he's driving a car, moving kids around."

In fact, a few weeks ago against Nansmond-Suffolk, Long was lined up against a 260-pound defensive tackle, who was beaten soundly by the St. Anne's star throughout the game.

"We ran one option play away from Chris and Chris locks on the [defensive tackle]," said Blake. "Chris literally drove the guy from one hash to the other hash and them planted him into the ground. I've never seen that in high school football. You see pancakes but that was 25 yards and he buried the guy. That was incredible."

Defensively, Long has been such a terror that opposing coaches scheme against his dominance. So far this season, Long is the Saints' second-leading tackler, quite an accomplishment for a defensive linemen whom the offense often runs away from. He has 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

"I know of a few coaches that tell their quarterback to find out where [Long] is and go the other way," said Blake. "Some try to go at him, most of the time unsuccessfully. The one thing that people are starting to figure out is that even though they roll away from him, Chris is so quick that he's making plays on the other side of the field."

Listed with a 4.85 in the 40-yard dash, Long said one of his goals is to reduce that speed to 4.7 or less by the time he can contribute to UVa's program.

Take the explosion, the drive, the size, speed, determination and technique and it's no surprise that Virginia's coaching staff was excited to land this talented junior.

While Long wants to build his own reputation on the football field, there is no getting around that he is the son of one of the game's greatest players. Howie Long, now a studio analyst for Fox's NFL game day coverage, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Naturally, the comparisons were a given, the pressure tremendous.

"Yes, there's always a little pressure," said Chris Long. "It just adds to the work ethic and makes you want to work harder to prove yourself and make a name for yourself. It's tough but I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Being the son of a football legend, Long might as well wear a bullseye on his chest because to opponents, he's a marked man.

"People are definitely gunning for you and looking for you, but I take that as a compliment," said Long. "It means you're a good player and demands that you bring it every game, every play or people are going to get you."

While he wants to carve out his own football career, Chris Long cherishes his fabled father and their relationship both.

"My dad has been terrific in this whole process and the whole process of playing high school football," said the St. Anne's standout. "He has respected what I want to do and respected my decision-making. He has definitely helped me a lot. He's the greatest coach in the world when it comes to technique for a defensive lineman. I have used that to my advantage. But he stays out of it when he has to and helps out when he needs to."

Blake said that Long's techniques and ability to use his hands are remarkable.

"He has technique beyond his age right now," said the St. Anne's coach.

Some of that is from coaching, some from early exposure to the sport. You see, Chris Long was playing on the St. Anne's junior varsity when he was a seventh grader and was a member of the varsity as a freshman, starting by the end of his first varsity season.

"I was bad, probably the worst football player in the country back then," said Long. "I was getting manhandled. Looking back on it, I think it toughened me up a lot. You've got to get knocked on your butt a lot to become a good football player."

Blake said that he spotted Long in a P.E. class in the seventh grade and asked him to come out for football.

"You could see it even then," said Blake of Long's potential. "He was a big kid who hadn't grown into his body. He was a big puppy. He's about a year-old dog right now. He's got a little ways to go."

Naturally, Virginia became interested early and so when Long lined up a one-on-one chat with Virginia coach Al Groh earlier this week, he was ready to make a commitment.

A couple of glimpses around Groh's office certainly didn't hurt the Cavaliers' chances of getting him to do the deed.

"Me and Coach Blake were sitting around Coach Groh's office and Coach Groh is talking about the national championship, talking about perfection and what he's looking for in a UVa player," said Long. "You can't help but aspire to be like that and fill that criteria, which I believe I can do.

"While Coach Groh is talking, I glanced over and I saw the Super Bowl trophy sitting on his desk," Long said with a big smile. "You see the Lombardi Trophy sitting right in front of you and you kind of stop for a second."

Blake sat silently during that phase of the conversation in Groh's office and wondered if Long had even noticed the trophy.

"Honestly, because of his reaction, I didn't think he saw it," said Blake. "He hid it very well. I'm sitting there thinking, 'Whoa,' checking it out and Chris was just kind of talking to Al."

Virginia's staff may have been caught a little off guard that Long committed after the conversation.

"I knew I was going to meet with Coach Groh and I didn't really expect anything to happen, but it was in the back of my mind," said Long. "I wanted to be prepared, so I did talk to my parents. I knew I couldn't get a better opportunity than from UVa and I said 'If the situation does come up, Mom, Dad, I'm probably going to commit to Virginia.' They were totally supportive."