Well, this guy was pushed pretty hard to come to Miami and in another thread his name was mentioned (a thread about Ghoulston...). Looking over the preseason stats he has one tackle. Anyone in the St. Louis area know if Long is injured or how he is adapting to NFL play?
From what I hear, he and Carriker have been getting manhandled and look lost out on the field. He and the rest of the defensive line have been struggling with stopping the run. He hasn't provided any pressure on the QB. Carriker is coming off of shoulder surgery and is just trying to tie up blockers so I don't know how much is expected of him. Aside from those two, they have provided some pass rush with Leonard Little and James Hall. The defense hasn't forced any turnovers. Chris Long is basically still adapting to the NFL and the 43 defense.
It will be interesting to watch his development vs. Gholstons. The motor vs. raw talent. Two very talented college kids having some early struggles. Im just glad Big Jake has looked pretty sturdy overall.
In the end I think Gholston wins out. I was dead against drafting Chris Long with the #1 overall, I think it would have been a huge mistake. In college average talent and a great motor will get you a lot of plays against weak opponents, but in the NFL it will get you nothing. I think he has above average athletic talent, but not enough to make him a top defensive player in the league.
They could, you are right. I'm not a huge fan of Gholston either. I just believe that if one of them does make it, most likely it will be Gholston.
I hope Ol Vern doesn't make a tick on the stat sheet this week. zeros across the board would be nice.
I think Gholston has the greater potential to be a bust. He lacks technique and may not have the personality to develop it. He's not going to get by on athleticism like he did in college (even there he disappeared a lot). Long will eventually be at least good. He may or may not be great especially in a 4-3 but with his motor, athleticism and demeanor he'll never be a bust.
i don't know who is bragging, ghoulston having 12 tackles (using your number times 4 games) or long having one tackle in 4 games. they are rookies and i'm sure that if they were traded to another team they would get a fresh start and reach their potential... isn't that the argument we use for Beck or anyone else that doesn't quite work out at first....
While it is always great to see your rookies play well, certain positions demand more experience before you can justify a player's status as a good pick or not. Chris Long was like my fourth choice and Jake was my first so works out for me but I still think positions like WR,QB,OL,DL and LB you need atleast 2-3 years before the court is adjourned. Now you usally can see flashes of talent in those time frames but not always. Jake IMO will be the best pick but really this is a 2011 discussion.
Both Long & Vernon Gholston have been unimpressive. Jets should've taken Leodis McKelvin especially with the question mark at the #2 Corner position here. Justin Miller? David Barrett? Dwight Lowery? Ugh.
Gholston would be better off playing as defensive end in a 4-3. He is basically a whole new player, has to learn a new position.
Every rookies a bust out of the gate until proven otherwise didn't you know that? I didn't realize the immense numbers of fans that use this irrational thought process about rookies until I started frequenting fan message boards.
Besides its the end of preseason. If I recall correctly Mario Williams was labeled a bust after his rookie year we all know how that turned out right?
Way too early to start calling anyone a bust, especially Long and Gholston; they're transitioning to opposite systems. St. Louis probably should have taken Gholston, but oh well.
I'm one of the guys who was rooting heavily for our Phins to draft Chris, not that I think he'll be a bad player now just because of his slow preseason development, but I'm very happy we ended up with Jake, Merling, and Langford.
