Top draft picks set to square off at dome: Dolphins took Jake Long at No. 1; Rams grabbed Chris Long with No. 2

ST. LOUIS, Nov 28, 2008 (Belleville News-Democrat - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- LDG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- They're 1-2 picks in the 2008 NFL Draft and they share the same last name, so it's not surprising that people occasionally call either Miami Dolphins left tackle Jake Long or St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long by the wrong first name.

"People still call me 'Jake,'" Chris Long said. "It's funny, right? I think it is funny. Someone called me, 'Jake,' like four days ago. I think it was here (at Rams Park)."

Chris Long initially complained that people don't make the same mistake with Jake Long.

"That's the thing," Chris Long said. "They don't call him 'Chris.'"

Informed that a radio reporter made that mistake at the end of a conference call with Jake Long on Wednesday, Chris Long said, "Take that Jake."

The two Longs will be going head-to-head Sunday when the Rams (2-9) play the Dolphins (6-5) at the Edward Jones Dome.

It marks the 25th time that the top two picks in the NFL Draft have faced off in their rookie seasons.

The team with the No. 2 pick holds a 14-11 advantage in the previous 24 matchups, although the team with the No. 1 pick is 9-5 in the last 14 meetings.

"That is going to be a lot of fun because he is another great tackle, and I have been playing a lot of great tackles this year," Chris Long said. "I am sure a lot of people are going to hype it up into something that it is not, but it is another great match up for me."

Chris Long and Jake Long never went against each other in college when they were at Virginia and Michigan, respectively.

Jake Long said he was looking forward to playing against Chris Long this weekend.

"Yeah, absolutely," Jake Long said. "Chris and I are good friends, and he's having a good year and he's a great player.

"Plays tough, he's a strong guy, he's quick. I'm really excited to play against him."

Had the Dolphins not taken Jake Long with the No. 1 overall pick in April, the Rams would have snatched him with the second selection.

"He is a powerful guy and very athletic," Rams coach Jim Haslett said of Jake Long. "He does not give up a lot of sacks and knocks people off the line of scrimmage. He is a good football player."

-Jake Long, Chris Long and Vernon Gholston, a former Ohio State player who was taken with the seventh overall pick by the New York Jets, all had dinner together during their predraft visit with the Rams.

"Me and Chris knew (each other) a bunch through All-American banquets and stuff like that, so we got close through that," Jake Long said. "Me and Vernon were training together before the draft. So it was a pretty casual, fun dinner with those two."

Jake Long said he hasn't pondered the possibility that he could be playing for the Rams instead of the Dolphins.

"I signed so early, but I did know anything could happen," Jake Long said. "And I ended up here, and I'm real glad with the situation I'm in and where I ended up."

Jake Long reached a contract agreement with the Dophins five days before the 2008 NFL Draft.

"I think that how close, how not close, that's not relevant," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said of the decision to draft Jake Long over Chris Long. "At the end of this thing, Jake was our guy.

"With Chris Long, we had a good visit with Chris. We ended up going down there, working him out, getting the chance to really know him, know what makes him tick. Chris Long is one heck of a guy. He really is. He's a guy that I think is going to be a heck of a pro in this league for a heck of a long time."

-Chris Long has started all 11 games as a rookie for the Rams. He has 47 tackles, four sacks and nine quarterback pressures, but he's gone four games without a sack.

"I thought Chris was getting better and better and now he has kind of plateaued a little bit," Haslett said. "We talked to him today about picking it back up. With young guys, this is that time of year where they get tired and he has to fight through it.

"He is going to be a good football player, but there are a lot of things going on in his head. He has to fight through it until the end of the season."

-Chris Long said he was happy with how he's played this season.

"I am happy, but I have to get a lot better and I have to work on a lot of things," Chris Long said. "It is going OK. I did not expect to come in here and set the world on fire, and I don't think any rookie does because you will stress yourself out doing something like that. I am just trying to work hard and play."

Jake Long has started all 11 games at left tackle for the Dolphins. He also has helped stabilize an offense line that has allowed only 22 sacks this season after allowing 42 sacks a year ago.

"He has all of the physical attributes of a great left tackle," Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington said. "Then he has the intensity to match. His progression and what he's been able to do as a rookie has been unbelievable in my opinion. He just keeps getting better and better and he's going to be a phenomenal player."

Jake Long said he welcomed the pressure that comes with being only the third offensive linemen drafted with the No. 1 overall pick. The Rams' Orlando Pace in 1997 and Minnesota's Ron Yary in 1968 are the other two.

"I like when the eyes are on me and people expect a lot out of me because I expect a lot out of myself," Jake Long said. "I feel I do perform better when the pressure's on me, so I've always embraced that and never shied away from that."

Contact Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.

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