WEBVTT - Drive Time: The David Long Episode with Rhett Bryan 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:02.840 But do they know, David Long is this is the 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:04.880 first play the game. This is how you play football, 0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:07.560 this Tennessee Titan football righter. You just come in and 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:10.400 you just blast the guard. You just come in. You 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.640 just give him right foot, right shoulder, right foot, right shoulder, 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.160 Just blast them all right, and then get out the block, 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:20.040 make the tackle. You know, Aaron Jones ends the Cowboys. 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:23.639 They couldn't get sixty yards last night against this defense. 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:26.680 You watch this, David Long Junior. He leads the team 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:30.960 in tackles like negative plays all these plays last night 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.360 behind the line of scrimmage, one after another. Because all 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:36.360 he does attack like he attacks, and he just finds 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:41.600 the opening, full speed, full speed player. Like just put 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:45.239 your put your periscope on, David Long Junior. You'll have 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:47.920 a good time. You'll get your money's worth. Drive Time 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:56.400 with Travis Winfield begins. Now let me check what is up, 0:00:56.520 --> 0:01:00.360 Dolph fans, and welcome to the Drivetime Podcast, part of 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:05.560 the Miami Dolphins podcast network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:09.000 How's it going? Everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield. 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:12.520 And on today's show, it is the David Long episode. 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:16.440 Miami makes another splash this one at linebacker, and your 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:20.200 boy is fired up. A master block deconstructor, one of 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:23.720 the smartest, most instinctive linebackers I watched on tape during 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:27.360 the free agent process, A productive blitzer with plus coverage skills. 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:30.000 The Dolphins got themselves a good one in the middle 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:32.400 of defense, and we're gonna talk about him in depth 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:35.720 on this episode of the Drivetime Podcast from the Baptist 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.840 Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:46.840 the Drivetime Podcast. Maya Gaffe fash So another big addition 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.240 to this Miami Dolphins defense. It is official. David Long 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:53.040 is a Miami Dolphin in a two year contract, and 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:56.720 I am fired up. The Dolphins had the fourth ranked 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.600 run defense in the National Football League last year, and 0:01:59.680 --> 0:02:02.160 it looks like that will get even better now with 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:05.800 the addition of this really talented linebacker. And I'm not 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:08.720 sure there was a better player I would have targeted 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.520 who could have made that part of the team even 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:15.480 better than mister David Long Junior. But it's not just that. 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:19.600 For David Long. He is a productive rusher, a tremendous 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.679 coverman to boot He's a three down player and that's 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.480 why we start with his stats right here. He played 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.200 seven hundred and forty snaps in twelve games last year 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:32.440 for the Tennessee Titans. The former six round draft choice 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.800 out of West Virginia became the traffic cop in the 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.880 middle of that defense, earning his way into that role 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:42.520 with increased workloads each year of his pro career. That 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:46.080 rookie campaign was mostly on special teams and Dan damn 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:49.360 good tape in that regard, by the way, then something 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:52.400 of a two down role in twenty twenty, but the 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.760 last two years that defense was different with David Long 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:58.440 on the field compared to not having him out there. 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.360 So he did miss five games last year, but seven 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:04.040 hundred and forty snaps in twelve games. That's sixty two 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:06.919 snaps per game, which is pro raded to about one 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.720 thousand and fifty snaps for seventeen games. So if he's 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.400 up on game day, he's on the field when the 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:16.200 Titans defense was and it's not hard to see why 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:18.560 he is a rare player in the sense that he's 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:23.280 not just capable in all three phases, he excels in 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:26.200 all three phases. Let's go ahead before you look at 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:30.720 the advanced metrics on rush defense, coverage, and pass rushing. 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:33.560 Let's look at the counting stats. Eighty six tackles last year, 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:36.040 seven of those for a lost, three QB hits. He 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:38.560 had two of his four career picks. All of those 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:41.040 four came within the last two years when he did 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:44.200 get elevated into that full time starter role. And again, 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.040 that's not a linebacker starting in your base look and 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:50.800 then coming off in sub packages. It's starting, finishing, and 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:54.320 playing everything in between. He also had five passes defense. 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:57.040 That's eleven in the last two years. So for his 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:01.640 career fifty games, twenty six starts, four hicks, fourteen pass defense, 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:05.120 two forced fumbles, two hundred and thirty tackles, fifteen of 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.640 those for a loss, and five QB hits. So I 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.160 told you about the pass rush production, right, and I 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:12.680 just told you no sacks. But we know that pass 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:17.480 rush isn't just about what the sack production is. Eighteen 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:19.960 pressures last year with those three hits, and that was 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.560 on only forty seven pass rush attempts, So he's applying 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.239 pressure on more than one third of those wits calls 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.760 thirty eight percent to be exact. We talk about run 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.520 stops on this podcast a lot. He had forty of 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:34.920 those on just two hundred and sixteen rundown snaps last year. 0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:38.000 Think about that, on just under one fifth, it's about 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:40.839 eighteen point five percent of the place that he's on 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:44.000 the field against the run. He's not just making the tackle, 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:47.480 he's making a tackle that is considered a win on 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:50.440 that play for the defense. Run stops are a measure 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:53.359 of making a tackle within a certain percentage of the 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:55.880 yards to gain on a given play. It changes for 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:58.159 first down, second down, third down. Think of it in 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:01.760 terms of improving your win ability based on the outcome 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:04.640 of that play. David Long making all kinds of positive 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:07.760 plays for the Titans run defense the last couple of years. 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:11.120 Thirty nine of Pro football focuses off ball linebackers had 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:14.680 forty run stops. Nobody did it on fewer rundown snaps 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:17.200 than Long's two sixteen. That's actually the same number A 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:19.640 Landon Roberts had forty, but he was on the field 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:23.360 for three hundred and fifty three rundowns snaps, so nearly 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:27.120 one hundred and forty more. That eighteen point five percent 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:29.560 mark for Long was the second best run stop rate 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:32.240 among all off ball linebackers in the NFL last year 0:05:32.480 --> 0:05:36.080 minimum two hundred snaps. Fred Warner was second in total 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.279 run stops. He had seventy two. His rate was sixteen 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.839 point three percent. Just to give you a comparison of 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:45.719 how the most productive run stopping linebackers do in that category. 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:47.840 And we'll get to the tape. Oh buddy, we'll get 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:49.920 to that tape. But let's look at the coverage numbers 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.200 first before we do all that. And by the way, 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:54.839 the eight team pressures was tenth most from a volume 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:58.000 standpoint among all off ball linebackers. So if he played 0:05:58.040 --> 0:05:59.800 the whole year, probably could have been top two or 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:02.920 three among those top ten. Kara to guests who had 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.560 the best pass rush rate or pressure rate, I should say, 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:08.479 check this out. So Long had eighteen pressures on forty 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:12.400 seven snaps. Bobby Wagner nineteen on one hundred and thirteen reps. 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:15.719 Jawan Bentley had two more, twenty pressures one hundred and 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.440 seventeen reps. Caden Ellis just signed a big contract. He 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:20.640 had twenty pressures. That's two more than Long, but he 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:23.960 did it on sixty or sorry, fifty six more snaps, 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:26.440 one hundred and three of them Alex Anzeloni also just 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:29.040 got paid. He's actually the second best rate on this list. 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:32.920 Twenty one pressures ninety pass rush reps. Frankie Luvu Gokoog's 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:37.000 twenty three on one forty six. Matt Milano we all 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:39.400 know about him and the really pro bowl level player. 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:42.599 He is twenty four pressures on seventy three pass rush reps. 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:46.120 Patrick Queen twenty five on one thirteen. And Devin White 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:48.560 for the Buccaneers led the NFL of thirty three pressures, 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:50.880 but he did that on one hundred and fifty three reps. 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:52.839 Once again, I have done the math, and the math 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.520 is good. Thirty eight point three percent for David Long 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:59.120 is absurd. Devin White the number one quarterback pressure leader 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:02.960 among all off ball linebackers in terms of volume. His 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.799 was twenty one point five percent, so a seventeen percent 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.640 departure there. The next best rate in the top ten again, 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:11.720 Alex Anzeloni twenty three point three percent. And I just 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:13.080 told you did the math. Let me go ahead and 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.200 pull us back up, because I'm looking at Bolano's number 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:17.840 and that looks pretty good. Two twenty four divided by 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.800 seventy three. He was thirty two point eight percent, So 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.920 I was wrong about Anzeloni. He's third Milano was second, 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:28.640 but he was still six percent points away from David Long. 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.520 Back to the coverage aspect of it, targeting Long last 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.040 year yielded an eighty seven point o passer writing for 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:37.080 opposing quarterbacks. He's never been flagged more than twice in 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:40.600 one season. He has six career penalties, and man, that's 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:43.920 so impressive, giving twelve hundred and thirty six career coverage 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:47.360 snaps and just six penalties. Twelve hundred and thirty without 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:51.120 six wi and a lot of times, these guys can be, 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:54.600 you know, matched up in a way that isn't always 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:57.240 a favorable matchup for them. Think about offensive coordinators who 0:07:57.240 --> 0:07:59.480 spend all week trying to figure out a way to 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.200 get a bed back against a linebacker one on one, 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:05.160 or a Travis Kelsey matched up against a linebacker one 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:08.320 on one. Pretty easy for those wins to be substantial 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:10.800 enough that the defenders only move is to grab on 0:08:10.880 --> 0:08:13.280 and get that five yard holding call. But he doesn't 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:15.760 have to do that. He hasn't done that. It speaks 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:19.400 for his change of direction skill set, his route concept recognition, 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.640 and his instincts to anticipate things. He was in coverage 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:25.200 on those four hundred and seventy seven snaps last year 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:27.920 and allowed just four hundred and sixty eight yards. That's 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:30.320 less than one yards per coverage snap. And in his 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.720 career he's just over one yard per coverage snap thirteen 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:36.440 hundred and seventeen yards. Again, twelve hundred and thirty six 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.800 career snaps. Those are really good numbers. That eighty seven 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:43.040 passer rating allowed was seventh among all off ball linebackers 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:45.959 last year, and again using Fred Warner, his was eighty 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:49.400 eight point eight, So in that same ballpark. I don't 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:51.400 think that stat is the end all be all, because 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.120 ultimately you don't want to be targeted as a linebacker. 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:56.240 But Long wasn't targeted that often because he's often in 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:59.000 great shape. But it does give you a feel for 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.240 what some of the really well known players produced in 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.240 that department. Warner was at point seven five yards per 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:07.800 coverage nap for posterity, he's an absolute freak. Another thing 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:10.160 I really like about David Long, and this stat bears out, 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:13.000 is he only or rather he allows you to not 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:16.160 get caught in a matchup issue when teams get down 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:18.360 tight in the red zone and really in general, but 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:22.000 down there specifically, you can often have heavier personnel, which 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:25.559 brings up base defenses. Right your three linebackers, four linebackers 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:28.240 on the field, and that can create matchup issues because 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:30.960 offenses love to throw to the running back who gets 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:33.719 matched up on a linebacker whose primary strength it is 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:37.000 probably run defense. But for Long, he's a force against 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.760 the run, but can also a matchup on coverage. Essentially, 0:09:39.800 --> 0:09:42.800 it limits the offenses options in a critical area. Think 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:46.040 about the Bills opening drive touchdown in that Week three 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:50.199 game last year, running back on linebacker. Was it Singletary 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:53.240 or was it moss I? Forget which running back it was, 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:55.680 but it was against Landon Roberts fourth down and it 0:09:55.800 --> 0:09:58.480 was no contest. It was wide open, easy touchdown. Now 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.280 imagine that's David Long and you can save seven points 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:04.160 they're going to take away very very important aspect of 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.200 this acquisition. Let's do some more stats and next gen 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:09.080 data before we move on to the tape and fit 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.200 portion of the podcast. ESPN has their own version of 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:15.640 tracking pass rush wins pass rush win rate, aptly named 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:18.720 right Well. He was also second in that as well 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:22.080 as their pressure rate tracking Pro Football Focus grades. I 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:24.320 don't I can take him or leave him. But he 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:26.480 was eighty nine point zero against the run, which was 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:30.280 fourth among qualifying players. So seventh best passer rating against, 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:33.920 second best pass rush ring rate, and fourth best run 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.840 defense grade. It sounds like a top five linebacker to me. 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:40.240 More data next Gen tracks run stuff rate. He tied 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:43.520 for first with Jeremiah A. Wusu Coromoa. And I've always 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:46.440 said that stats are confirming of the tape right Well, 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:48.720 when looking at what most of these stats say, I 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:51.240 also like to look at who's on that list. Well, 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:54.640 Jeremiah Wusu Corromo is one of the premier players in 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:58.200 the NFL. Matt Malana was third both Jok and Long. 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.480 We're six point six percent five point eight percent at 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:04.320 third than you had Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu at 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:06.600 four point nine at four point eight percent good company, 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.240 and he topped all of them except for matching Jok. 0:11:09.679 --> 0:11:12.480 And this stat measures tackles for no gainer for a loss, 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:14.520 so it's different than the run stops, but you just 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:16.520 get the idea. This is one of the most consistent 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.800 playmakers from that position against the run, and as a 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:23.240 rusher and in coverage. In fact, Next Gen tagged Long 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:27.559 with minus five point one receptions over expected. That means 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:30.439 that there's a baseline for what's expected to be completed 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:34.080 based upon the play call, where people are when the 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:37.640 ball is thrown situations like that, he was minus five 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:40.400 point one receptions overexpected. That was sixth best among off 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:43.520 ball linebackers. And to our earlier point, the Dolphins allowed 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:45.800 the most touchdowns of any linebacker group in the NFL 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:49.080 eleven last year and the fourth highest completion percentage against 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:52.320 linebackers and coverage just a hair under eighty percent. So 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.520 Ramsey was literally as good as you could have asked 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:56.680 for in terms of an upgrade at corner but Long, 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.079 honestly it might be even more so of that at 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:02.080 the linebacker position. There you go, that's the numbers. Let's 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:03.920 go ahead and take our first break and come back 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.960 and do my favorite part, the film breakdown on David Long. 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:10.400 That's next Drivetime podcast, your host, Travis Wingfield, brought to 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:22.720 you by AutoNation. The film has been grinded, the notes 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:25.600 have been written. We are ready to rock and roll 0:12:25.679 --> 0:12:29.120 here talking about what has me fired up. If you 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:31.560 couldn't tell from the tone of that first segment, I 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:34.720 am just over the moon about this acquisition. There is 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.040 so much good tape that illustrates all the things that 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.280 we just mentioned. First, I want to talk about his instincts. 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.439 There's a play against the Raiders where Vegas runs duo 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:45.439 and what that means you you get two double teams 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:47.600 inside and you create a two way go for the 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:49.280 running back to choose I want this gap or do 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.600 I want that gap? Before the snap, you see along 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:55.160 realign the three technique. It comes down and says, hey, 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.360 big guy, move your butt over this way. Two gaps 0:12:57.520 --> 0:12:59.920 where he becomes now a one technique from the three tech, 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:03.040 which is the outside shoulder of the guard slide over 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:05.200 to the outside shoulder of the center. And why don't 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:06.960 you go ahead and eat up this double team for me? 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.320 And watch this, Watch this, watch I'm gonna do. It's 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:12.120 hard to come away with any conclusion other than the 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:14.280 fact that he knows exactly what the play is, because 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.320 that's what the best do, right. They prepare in a 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:18.560 way that gives them the answers to the test before 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.360 they ever take the field. And he bumps the DT 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.280 over and you get this ISO block on the end 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.640 with a left tackle, and it creates these two huge gaps, 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.520 one on the inside of that double team, one on 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:33.600 the outside, and they're both look like huge lanes. It 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.439 also gives Josh Jacobs, who by the way led the 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.440 NFL and rushing both gaps, to choose from. That's his read. 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.200 Find out where you see color flash and take the opposite, 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:45.560 opposite gap. So Jacobs takes the handoff, and you see 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.360 Long squeeze in tight, get in tight to that block 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:50.840 and make yourself tough to see. But also the closer 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:53.720 you can scrape, the more chance you have of playing 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:56.120 in that gap at the right time. So he's right 0:13:56.120 --> 0:14:00.120 behind that double team on the defensive tackle. Then he 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.040 kind of shifts inside, takes one step towards the inside gap, 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:06.240 and flashes that blue jersey, which gives Jacobs his read, 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:08.680 Hey blue inside, I'm gonna go outside. If the blue 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:10.680 went outside, I was going to bang it up inside. 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:13.680 So you see Long take that step inside, and Jacobs 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:16.760 immediately bounces, which is the right read. Right looks like 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:19.120 a wide open b gap for potential long gain and 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:22.120 a safety coming down from depth is my only potential 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:26.400 obstacle for a long run, so he takes that B gap, 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:28.920 but that's what Long wanted. He baited him into that move. 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:31.400 He darts right back out there and beat Jacobs to 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.760 the spot and wrestles him to the ground for no gain. 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.040 I guarantee you Jacobs is thinking in that moment, this 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:37.920 is a twenty yard run for me and then potentially 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.120 running over a safety for a touchdown. It's a no 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:43.120 yard gain. That's how impressive it was. So you see 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:45.360 the preparation and instincts on his tape all the time. 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:47.680 There's a lot of that in his coverage game as well. 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:50.480 He anticipates where the brakes come off the stem and 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:52.960 he puts him in position to drive on the football. 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:55.600 You know, two picks five passes defense last year prove 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:57.480 that he has a nose for the football and coverage, 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.200 but it also puts him in position where per Fick 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:02.760 passes tend to be completed. But he gets himself in 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.080 a spot where he can make any immediate tackle and 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:07.680 limit any yard after catch. The number one thing that 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:10.200 jumps off the tape to me is a product of 0:15:10.240 --> 0:15:13.480 that preparation and those instincts. He just goes like he 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:15.880 sees it and he goes, did you guys watch hard 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:19.680 Knocks last summer with that rookie linebacker Rodrigo, Malcolm Rodriguez 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.720 with the Lions linebacker coach Kelvin Shepard just kept saying 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:24.880 in the meeting rooms to the veterans, y'all better be 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.680 careful because Rodrigo is doing things the right way. He's 0:15:27.720 --> 0:15:29.480 doing it how I coach him, and if he stays 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:31.560 that way, we're going to play him on Sundays. And he, 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:33.320 of course is alluding to the fact that a sixth 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.640 round rookie shouldn't be the one who's consistently correctly reading 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.040 his keys and playing faster than the rest of the room, 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.880 because that typically comes with time and experience. Right, That's 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:44.760 what Long does all the time. He plays off of 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:47.320 his keys, and he plays that fast. By the way, Rodrigo, 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.520 it's just good football's. You can tell it's a good 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:51.960 football player when they play that way. He played all 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.000 year and was great for the Lions. Same story with 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:55.880 David Long, and it speaks to the point I've been 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:58.160 trying to make about the quarterback position for I don't 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:02.080 know ever, that there is not just one way to 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:03.960 put the ball where it needs to be when it 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:08.080 needs to be there. There are multiple contributing factors like velocity, 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:12.120 like footwork, like timing, but nothing above anticipation. Right, that's 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:14.840 number one. I look at David Long that way because 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:17.640 he's just frequently seeing it before everybody else. He did 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:20.880 test in the ninety third percentile on the three cone 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.560 back in his combined workout, which tracks, and the way 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.840 he breaks off the stem and coverage and the way 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:29.360 he deconstructs blocks without engaging them. He's just a super 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.280 anticipatory player who makes a lot of plays with the 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.280 work that he puts in on Wednesday through Friday, not 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:39.520 just on Sundays. Now, He's not just an anticipatory block beater. 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.320 He's a violent player. He plays with tenacity and he 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:45.200 hits people in the mouth. First play in the Green 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:48.000 Bay game last year TNF Amazon Prime, you probably watched it. 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.800 They pull a guard and it's Long versus Elton Jenkins 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:52.560 in the a gap. That's one of the best offensive 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.800 lineman regardless of position in the National Football League. And 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:57.800 this is where the film nerd in me gets pumped 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:01.120 because it's basic football techniques. They're not always as common 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:05.200 and fundamental as you might think. Power generates in the bass, right, 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.760 it's all in the hips. All hitters have that power 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.040 come through their lower half and it funnels through the 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.280 shoulder for most football hits. Right on this clip, you 0:17:14.320 --> 0:17:17.560 see Long come to balance to get his knees over 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:19.880 his feet, hips over his knees, shoulders over his hips, 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:22.119 and that allows him to generate all the force playing 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:25.879 through that lower half body explosion into the force of 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.480 the hit, and it gets the knock back. It lays 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:30.680 the boom. It's aligned in a way that allows him 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.720 to make the initial contact to create that knockback. Because 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:36.919 he's playing through the player, that player's momentum is stonewalled. 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.200 He no longer becomes a part of a factor in 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:41.840 the play. It allows Long to shed and make the tackle. 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:45.520 His tape is littered with plays like this quickness speed 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:48.280 beaten with with you know, undergoing underneath blocks but also 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:52.160 playing through blockers. This guy's a great football player. Guards centers, 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.240 tight ends, fullbacks. It doesn't matter he beats those blocks. 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.440 He also wins in coverage. I loved watching him spot 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:01.480 drop to a relative landmark, but then immediately search for 0:18:01.520 --> 0:18:03.760 a body for a number to cover for an eligible 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:06.159 because sometimes you see guys get to their spot and 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.000 they just cover grass. That's where I'm supposed to be. 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:10.760 I'll stand here, not no skin off my back. Long 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:14.000 don't do that. He finds eligible players to track. There's 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:16.480 a clip against the Bengals where he sees motion a 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:19.560 justice pre snap alignment, gets depth of the curl flat 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:21.159 which is, you know, the five yards and into the 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:23.440 side of the field, and as Burrow comes off his 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:26.480 initial read, Long knows, okay, the pass rush is gonna 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:28.560 get home because it's married up with our coverage you're 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:30.640 playing right now. So now that he's held the ball, 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:32.720 I can drive before the ball comes out, and it 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:34.760 puts him in a position to make a big play 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.560 on the football, just giving him a headstart because he 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:41.040 understands the concepts of what's going on around him. There's 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:42.840 a play against the Colts this year in the game 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.520 in Indianapolis where you see him call out something before 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.600 the snap. The defensive tackle he's working off shoots inside 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.159 and that creates a lane for Long to scrape right 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:54.000 off his back and then beat mo Alei Cox, who's 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:55.720 one of the best blocking tight ends in the game, 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:58.399 to the spot and get Jonathan Taylor down for a loss. 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.880 I just consistently see him beat blocks in whichever way 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:04.640 they call plays for. He's tough to climb and attached 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:08.000 to For offensive lineman on the second level, Gosh, he's good. 0:19:08.640 --> 0:19:11.000 The smooth transitions and quickness help him win as a 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.760 rusher and especially in coverage. And I think when you 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:15.840 look at some of the principles of the coach Fangio 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:18.200 defense and what he's called upon in the past, it 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:20.840 has been that linebacker that allows you to play with 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:24.440 those lighter boxes because of his ability to both come 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:26.879 up and play downhill, but also a matchup in the 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.159 passing game. It's a defense that has a lot of 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:31.879 variety and disguise, and you can only get to that 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:35.280 stuff if you have super smart, instinctive players in those 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.960 signal caller roles, linebacker in safety, and with David Long 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:41.920 and Javon Holland, gosh, I think we stand a great 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:44.400 chance to get that communication ruling quickly in this new 0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:47.400