Long understands the ‘Patriot Way’
Eagles pass rusher knows first-hand how difficult it will be to beat Belichick, Brady & Co.
PHILADELPHIA — Chris Long knows all too well what awaits them, everything from Bill Belichick’s meticulous machinations to Tom Brady’s piercing precision in the pocket.
He had walked among them, practised beside them, watched them, studied them. Long spent the 2016 season indoctrinated in the “Patriot Way,” witnessing the transformative power of a future Hall of Fame coach and quarterback and reaping the rewards of a collective “Do Your Job” mentality.
In Foxborough, Mass., Long learned to be a Patriot in more ways than one. And because of that, he knows what awaits his Philadelphia Eagles.
Amid the post-game revelry on Sunday night — the singing, the dancing and all of the trash-talking taking place inside a boisterous locker-room at Lincoln Financial Field — Long’s past and present immediately came into focus. The Eagles’ reward for manhandling the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in Sunday’s NFC championship game is a Super Bowl LII showdown with none other than the New England Patriots, the defending champions and Long’s former team.
For Long, destiny will soon collide with the game’s greatest dynasty.
“Wake up tomorrow, and we’ve got to get to work, ’cause I know how good these guys are,” said the Charlottesville native, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 28, his 32nd birthday, just seven weeks after he and the Patriots stunned the football world with their remarkable second-half comeback against the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI 34-28.
It was Long’s pocket pressure that helped push Vikings quarterback Case Keenum out of his comfort zone on Sunday. His first-quarter hit on Keenum led to a Patrick Robinson 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, a 7-7 tie and a re-energized crowd. Later, he recovered a fumble on a strip-sack by rookie teammate Derek Barnett.
With Long’s help, the Eagles exorcised their post-season demons and embarrassed the Vikings’ No. 1 defence. And for their efforts, they’ll arrive in Minneapolis, the site of this year’s Super Bowl, as underdogs for a third straight game.
In a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX, the Patriots will make their 10th Super Bowl appearance and face a Philadelphia team anxious to hoist its first Lombardi Trophy.
Few may give Philly a chance against Brady & Co., but getting here was always the goal. This was the moment Long envisioned for himself and his new teammates when he broached the topic of playing for the Eagles with the team’s executive vice-president of football operations, Howie Roseman.
“I called them,” Long said with a chuckle. “I just saw Philly and was like, ‘Man, that D-line. I’d love to be a part of it.’ I just had a good feeling about this team.”
In the Eagles’ locker-room, he saw promise. In coach Doug Pederson, he saw a man worthy of his trust. And Long, in turn, wanted to be more than just a good “locker-room guy.”
“I just wanted to re-prove myself and prove that I can still play,” said the veteran, who spent the majority of his 10-year career with the St. Louis Rams. “A lot of people write you off when you’re older.”
Father Time has yet to catch up to Long. Now, he and teammate LeGarrette Blount, the former New England running back now in Philly, can become the first players in NFL history to win back-toback Super Bowls by beating their former team.
“I felt like we’d have an opportunity to play on a stage like this. And we’re not done,” Long said. “We have a lot of work to do.”