Ex-Patriot Long now trying for ring with Eagles
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, practiced beside them, watched them, studied them. Long spent the 2016 season being indoctrinated into the “Patriots 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, Massachusetts, Long learned to be a Patriot in more ways than one. And because of that, he knows what awaits his Philadelphia Eagles.
Amid the postgame 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 is a Super Bowl LII showdown with 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 Long, who signed a one-year free agent deal with the Eagles just seven weeks after New England’s remarkable second-half comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in last year’s Super Bowl.
With Long’s help — his hit on Vikings quarterback Case Keenum in the first quarter led to a pick-six by Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson — the Eagles exorcised some postseason demons and embarrassed the Vikings.
They will arrive in Minneapolis for the Super Bowl as underdogs for a third straight game.
“It’s a blessing, man,” Long said. “I waited a decade to play in the
playoffs. I know we’ve got a lot of guys that have never felt this feeling of playing on this stage, in this opportunity.”
Few give Philadelphia a chance against Brady and a Patriots team seeking their sixth Super Bowl title, but getting here was always Long’s goal. This was the moment he envisioned when he broached the topic of playing for the Eagles with the team’s executive vice president of football operations, Howie Roseman.
“I 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,” Long said.
In the 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 reprove 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, a former New England running back now in Philadelphia, can become the first players in NFL history to win backto-back Super Bowls by beating their former team.
“It takes a lot of luck to wind up in the right place,” Long said. “I could have easily made a different decision. All these guys could have made a different decision in free agency, but they believed in what Doug is building here and the locker room that we have here.”