I love Jake and he is fast becoming one of my all time favorite Dolphins. To say he is the best O lineman in the NFL though is really kind of a "duh" moment. It's like saying Thomas Jefferson was the greatest president. It ain't exactly an earth shattering revelation. Happy to see him get the kudos he deserves though.
Not only Kiper. Lots of gurus and draft analysts said the same thing. many heated debates on this very forum on the topic.
I think some people lose perspective on what a great year he had last year and he played half of it with only one shoulder. I hope he's taking care of it. Last thing I want to hear is of a Tony Boselli type situation. He's absolutely the best Offensive Lineman in the game today. MrC--tons of heated debate about Jake Long LT vs. RT, worth the 1st pick, and so on. I was involved in those same debates. Knew the guy was a stud.
I'm wrong plenty of times, but wasn't on this. I said Jake was a LT all the way, or at least until his performance on the field said otherwise. Another thing I love about the guy, is he comes from a blue collar background. His father was a foundry worker. Doesn't get much harder than that. Jake grew up knowing the meaning of hard work, making a living with the sweat of your brow and the callouses on your hands. Makes a man better appreciate the value of a dollar IMO.
''The man going into next year is The Premiere Left Tackle in the game. hands down, there isnt another player that I would trade for at his position...so if you would, i'd like to know the player.'' That was from 2008..
Jakes so good and reliable that people only notice him when he slips up a little bit, which happens maybe once a game if that.
If Miami starts passing the ball a lot better he'll start getting even more acclaim. That's one reason he's so impressive.
The Long vs Long and Long vs Dorsey and Long vs the ghost debates have been over for a while only Long vs Ryan holds any water...also the RT only crew has been silenced.. though every once in a while when Jake has a bad game (maybe 3 or 4 his entire career) they still come out and chirp..My only fear is this labrum will cause him to shift over to the Right eventually but he will be a stud wherever he lines up.
I wanted Chris before free agency. Then when I saw OT ignored in free agency and the defensive front 7 addressed, then Jake seemed like a no brainer. Almost all the guys saying now we shudda took Ryan, were not saying it here before the fact. Only one I recall strongly in support of Ryan all along was AdamPrez. Considering OT was ignored in free agency, I think Parcells and Ireland were set on Jake very early in the process.
I'll never second guess the selection of Jake. Parcells made "undeniable value" the top priority in making the pick. He wasn't about to jeopardize the price we paid for that opportunity, by betting on promising talent, he instead insured it, by holding on obvious talent. Who was he, to roll the dice with the spoils of our 2007 season, the comparatively small but non-negotiable compensation that this franchise needed in return for its 1-15 debacle? Gambling and failing on such picks is inherent of perennial losing organizations, those teams who even fail to accept whats simply given to them, the teams that inexorably become accustomed to bottom feeding.
