Hey, Nation, I’m the backup over at TST.

If you watch an entire Rams game, the one thing you come away impressed with is his work ethic. He plays every down at 100% and it really wears on some tackles. For a RDE who has to go up against opponents’ best tackles, he is often going against some of the best linemen in the game. His relentlessness often pays dividends at the ends of quarters or halves. Some tackles get a bit complacent throughout and he takes advantage.
His numbers haven’t been spectacular, but over at our site, I often use Mario Williams’ numbers as a comparison. Williams, the #1 overall pick in the ‘06 draft for those of you with short memories, logged 47 tackles, 35 of those solo, in his rookie season. From the first snap of the first game, people were calling him a bust and wondering why they didn’t trade the pick to someone to grab Reggie Bush. Of course, he has since turned into a top-tier DE with 14 sacks last year and 11 so far this year.
Long has amassed 38 tackles, 31 solo, and 4 sacks in his rookie season (Williams had 4.5 sacks in year 1). He’s definitely been a bright spot on an otherwise sub-par D-line, so we’re expecting a lot from him.
Keep an eye on him next year. If he takes over at LDE and Leonard Little moves to the right side, Long will see even more success. His progess could be even further accelerated if the Rams find a DT who is skilled enough to take away some of the O-line focus on the ends.

he’s already had a better rookie season than Grant Wistrom. little bit of a rookie wall lately, but he’s a bona fide building block player. if the Rams can add a bulky DT in the middle, he’s a sure bet for 7+ sacks a year

this is going to be a hotly debated issue. SS Corey Chavous is gone for sure. Torry Holt could well be gone too, but that could go either way. Bulger, who lots of fans would like to dump, is here to stay, at least thru 2009. His contract’s just too big to cut. He may have competition for the starting job though.

Right now, not even LT Orlando Pace is safe, though I’d be shocked if they dumped him.

is that he lacks a bulky DT on the line next to him. He’s a classic UT, but with no size on the Rams middle DL has limited what he can do.

One of the greatest examples of how horrible the Rams’ front office is is the fact that Isaac Bruce didn’t finish his career in a Rams uniform. Despicable.

i think the Rams have gotten worse since then, while the 49ers seem to have gotten better. what a difference winning games makes.

both teams have been so bad the last few seasons it’s hard to remember anything else. the two games these teams played in 06 were pretty good, splitting the series 1-1

The conventional wisdom is that he’s just beat up. playing scared, throwing off his back foot, etc. The offensive line should be a mitigating factor, as should a receiving corps in transition, and playing under three different offensive play-callers (including Linehan) in three years.

The thing is, whatever the reason, he hasn’t legitimately been a “good quarterback” since 2006. From the day he signed his monster contract extension, his play has disappointed flat out sucked. And we’re stuck with him until at least 2010.