A Long run ends: Rams DE is out at least 2 months
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_8765fad6-f14d-57bc-99c9-c6a88c467c35.html
Through thick and thin, and it’s been mainly thin lately at Rams Park, defensive end Chris Long has been a pillar.
The longest-tenured Ram hasn’t missed a game since he entered the league in 2008 as the second player drafted, out of Virginia.
“He prides himself on being available,” linebacker James Laurinaitis put it succinctly.
Long has been “available” for 97 consecutive games, the second-longest ironman streak among active NFL defensive ends — behind Chicago’s Jared Allen (111).
But Long’s streak is over. Further testing revealed that he needs ankle surgery for an injury that occurred against Minnesota and will be sidelined for at least two months.
He headed Wednesday to Charlotte, N.C., where Dr. Robert Anderson is scheduled to perform surgery Thursday.
It will the second Rams surgery this week, because coach Jeff Fisher announced Wednesday that quarterback Sam Bradford had surgery Monday.
“Sam will be back in town Friday,” Fisher said. “The doctors gave a good report. Sam decided (on the surgery date) over the weekend and we talked prior to the game that he wanted to go ahead, get it done, and get on that comeback trail again that he knows so well.”
In announcing the Long news following Wednesday’s practice, Fisher said Long will be placed on the injured reserve-designated for return list.
The IR-DR, as it’s called for short, was instituted in 2012. It’s a one-player exception to the normally season-ending injured reserve list designation.
Under IR-DR rules, Long can’t practice for at least six weeks and cannot play in a game for a minimum of eight weeks. That means the earliest he can return is Nov. 9, at Arizona.
William Hayes starts in Long’s place Sunday at Tampa Bay. Eugene Sims also could see more playing time.
And rookie Ethan Westbrooks, who was a pregame inactive against Minnesota, probably dresses this week against the Buccaneers.
“I’m disappointed for Chris,” Fisher said. “I won’t go into specifics on the surgery; it is unique, however. He will be back. When, I can’t predict at this time.”
Long was stepped on from behind five minutes into the third quarter against the Vikings, while trying to shed a blocker. Just the sight of Long on the ground was a jolt to the Rams, Fisher included.
“I’ve been here for a few years now, and it’s not good when he doesn’t get up, because he’s never on the ground,” Fisher said.
“For him to be down on the ground like that ...” Laurinaitis said. “You could kind of tell by his facial expression this wasn’t a normal little ding. ... It (stunk)to see him like that.”
Long has been such a fixture and so durable for six-plus seasons, it was odd not seeing him on the practice field Wednesday.
“I actually just texted him and said, ‘It’s different not having you out there,’ “ Laurinaitis said in the locker room after practice.
There still was a sliver of hope among some players earlier in the week because of Long’s track record of playing through injuries, of always being out there. But then came the bad news on Long, one of the Rams’ team captains and one of the league’s top 10 pass rushers in terms of sacks over the past four seasons.
“No pity show out there,” defensive end Robert Quinn said. “Of course, we want him to be with us. But it’s just not gonna happen. So we still want to go out there and try to play lights out. Try to play as hard as we can every single snap. And hopefully put a smile on his face with a win this weekend.”
It will be up to the player known as “Father Nature” by his teammates, Hayes, to pick up the slack at Long’s left end position. Hayes got that nickname because at the ripe old age of 29, he’s one of the oldest Rams on the roster.
Hayes has been a super sub for two seasons, backing up Long since signing as a free agent from Tennessee. Over that span, it has been said many times that he could start for many teams in the NFL. Now Hayes gets his chance to show that’s true, by starting for the Rams.
“That’s the upside to the whole issue,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “We’ve got a veteran guy that could start anywhere in the league. He’s here playing behind Chris, and now he’s up. There’s no (dropoff) with this guy in the game.”
“The thing I like about Will is he’s gonna give you everything he’s got, every single snap,” Laurinaitis said. “He plays with a passion and energy that sometimes you’ve gotta try to (reel) him back a little bit.”
Rams radio analyst D’Marco Farr, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle on the club’s Super Bowl championship team, said when Hayes hits the field it’s like an all-out brawl is about to take place.
“And I don’t mean fighting,” Farr said. “I mean the way he plays the game. He raises the intensity of the entire field when he steps out there.”
How intense is Hayes?
He’s the guy who was so upset after last year’s loss to his former team, Tennessee, that he smashed a mirror in the Edward Jones Dome locker room with his forearm, leading to him receiving multiple stitches.
Hayes missed all of the June practice sessions because of three offseason operations, the most serious of which was for a hip injury. And just as he was getting on the field in training camp, he suffered a chest injury that set him back a couple of weeks.
As a result, he missed all four exhibition games and barely practiced at all during camp. Suffice to say he was rusty in the opener against Minnesota.
“Yeah, I hadn’t played football since last year, so I just had to get my feet back up under me,” Hayes said. “I feel great now. The more I play, the more I practice, the better I’m gonna be feeling.”
Hayes has started only 13 games in his six-plus seasons, and only one since 2009. But because of the circumstances, Hayes isn’t excited about getting this chance.
“I would rather be Chris’ backup than him be hurt,” Hayes said. “Because at the end of the day, he’s my friend before all this football stuff.”
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