Jake Long News: Pro Sports Daily

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November 28

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"After taking Wednesday's practice off to rehabilitate a sprained right ankle, Dolphins rookie left tackle Jake Long was back on the field today working in team drills. Long, who sprained the ankle during the third quarter of last Sunday's loss to the Patriots, seems on track to play Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. "It says an awful lot about his toughness,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Wednesday about Long returning in the fourth quarter Sunday. "What's nice to see is things weren't going our way and you had a young player you think an awful lot about trying to find a way to get back into that game instead of trying to find ways to get out of the game.'' Curiously, backup tackle ..."

Injury could sidetrack Long-vs.-Long matchup in Dolphins' game

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November 26

Palm Beach Post

"What promises to be one of the more intriguing matchups of the Dolphins' game at St. Louis on Sunday could be shelved by injury. Miami offensive tackle Jake Long, the top pick in this year's NFL draft, and Rams defensive end Chris Long, the second overall selection, could go toe-to-toe, but only if Jake Long's ailing ankle responds to treatment in time for him to play. "He's doing a little bit better today," coach Tony Sparano said of Long, who missed Wednesday's workout. "Good day (Tuesday), good day today. There were signs that were encouraging." When asked how close the Dolphins came to choosing Chris over Jake, Sparano said that was no longer relevant. "At the end of the day Jake was ..."

Jake Long vs. Mario Williams true 1-on-1 battle

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October 12

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"The praise is glowing. Jake Long says Texans defensive end Mario Williams is strong and fast, and stops just short of admitting Williams is the best thing since sliced bread. Williams loves Long's big frame and his footwork and predicts the Dolphins' rookie left tackle will be an elite offensive lineman in the NFL. And on and on. Come 1 p.m. today, Long and Williams will put the sweet talk aside and spend four hours shoving, pushing and punching one another in a rare battle of NFL No. 1 picks going head-to-head on just about every snap. Going back three decades, this type of matchup has only occurred three times. Those games featured 1997 No. 1 pick Orlando Pace twice taking on Bruce ..."

Long day for top pick

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September 8

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

columnist Ethan J. Skolnick

"The Dolphins' prized investment shook his head in dismay. GM Jeff Ireland cupped the back of that head and offered encouraging words. Words spoken in the other locker room should encourage Dolphins fans. "Man, he's going to be a hell of a player," Jets linebacker Calvin Pace said of Jake Long. No, Long didn't excel in his debut. The No. 1 overall pick committed two penalties, one for tripping and one for holding. He was beaten a handful of times, leading to pressure on Chad Pennington. It was unclear how much responsibility he bore for Pace's sack; Pace went unblocked after Long slid inside. Long called the penalties "uncharacteristic," and felt the line picked up blitzes better as the ..."

Dolphins' rookies have an impact

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August 10

Miami Herald

"If you are looking for reasons to be optimistic about the four rookies who started along the Dolphins' interior lines Saturday night, it is not that the coaching staff felt good enough about them to start them. It is that they didn't feel out of place and didn't strike their peers as being out of place. When the Dolphins took offensive tackle Jake Long No. 1 overall in April's draft, everyone knew he would start every game at left tackle until he showed he couldn't. He played the whole first half. But, down the line at right guard, there was sixth-round pick Donald Thomas. On the defensive line, a hamstring injury to defensive end Vonnie Holliday and linebacker Joey Porter getting the ..."

Jake Long gaining fans on offensive line

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June 9

Palm Beach Post

"Dolphins guard Justin Smiley knows a dominant offensive lineman when he sees one. Smiley believes he lined up next to one this weekend - rookie left tackle Jake Long - during the team's mini-camp. Smiley, who played the past two seasons in San Francisco with future Hall of Famer Larry Allen, doesn't think it'll be long before the rest of the NFL sees what he sees in Long. "Even though we were in shorts, you can tell he's a special player," Smiley said. "He's going to be a perennial Pro Bowler.""