Lance Long

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
30,319
Location
Pennsylvania
Well, there's about 160 receivers in the NFL. My guess is that only a handful can currently run legit 40 times under 4.4. Jones ran a 4.37; I doubt he can do that right now. Curtis has been slowed by injuries, whichis another factor that quickly slows down NFL players from their peak speed.
 

ToughJ.Riggins

Hall of Famer
Joined
Nov 19, 2006
Messages
5,063
Location
Ontario Canada
Jeremy Bloom actually ran a 4.49, but I agree that sub 4.4 speed (even for a starting WR) is rare. Also note that 40 times at the NFL combine aren't run with pads and a helmet on. Whites are known to be the strongest people on earth (power lifting competition performances, world squat and bench records etc.) so whites certainly aren't hurt more than blacks running in pads.

Darius Hayward Bey, Johnny Knox, Deon Butler and Mike Wallace ran a sub 4.4 this year, but the great majority were above 4.45. Out of 36 WRs who ran the 40 yard dash at the NFL combine this year- 10 broke 4.45. And I heard this was "a fast year" for WRs (but a slow one for RBs).
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2008
Messages
212
Location
Outside North America
Are WR's getting faster? I thought RB's should be the fastest men in the NFL.
smiley2.gif
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
Historically, WR's and DB's have typically been the "fastest" players, with the RB's just a tick behind, but with the RB having more emphasis on size and toughness. Granted, there is a bit of overlap, and quite a few "tweeners", but typically those rules apply. .....Unless, of course, you're black, and then you can do anything
smiley2.gif
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
Speaking of Lance Long, I thought it was deplorable how he was mis-used during this (Raiders) game. But I should have known. Shortly after the interview with Matt Cassell (see earlier post) where Matt was praising Long, Coach Haley was asked a similar question and just went off on how Lance "messed up" before the half in the Jacksonville game and "cost us points, maybe the game" by not going out of bounds. Like all of the drops by Bowe and the other affletes had no effect.....
 

celticdb15

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
8,469
As long as he has Cassell on his side and vouching for him he should be safe, Lance is still a young player who can chalk up that catch and not going out of bounds as experience. Depending on if the NFL will let a young talented white player develop is another thing....
 

Alworth No.19

Newbie
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
62
FootballDad said:
Speaking of Lance Long, I thought it was deplorable how he was mis-used during this (Raiders) game. But I should have known. Shortly after the interview with Matt Cassell (see earlier post) where Matt was praising Long, Coach Haley was asked a similar question and just went off on how Lance "messed up" before the half in the Jacksonville game and "cost us points, maybe the game" by not going out of bounds. Like all of the drops by Bowe and the other affletes had no effect.....

Haley is a clown, who routinely throws his players under the bus. He's not long as an NFL coach the way he is going. He can't play the Raiders every week.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
30,319
Location
Pennsylvania
Prima donna WR Dwayne Bowe has just been suspended for 4 games for failing a drug test. Should be good news for Long as he could become an integral part of the offense given the Chiefs lack of talent on offense. If he's going to become another "Wes Welker type" now's the time totry and show it on a consistent basis.
 

whiteathlete33

Hall of Famer
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
12,669
Location
New Jersey
Long didn't have a good game last week after having a great game the week before. Does this mean Long will now be starting?
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
Long is still listed as the starting slot receiver, and I expect him to remain in that spot. They'll probably have Chambers in Bowe's spot and Bradley on the other side. The Chiefs had Lance lining up in a "tight" slot for the majority of the snaps that he was in the game, running tight-end-type up-field routes, not the typical crossing patterns like Welker runs in New England, so I found that to be disturbing, since it effectively made Lance a middle-of-the-field decoy.
 

whiteathlete33

Hall of Famer
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
12,669
Location
New Jersey
I am still shocked that Lance Long will now be starting for the Chiefs but Mike Hass is still rotting on a practice squad. Hass had a much better college career than Long. Anytime a white receiver slips through the cracks like Long it is good news.
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
What Long has going for him that Hass doesn't is "black athlete-like" (for those DWFs out there) speed. I honestly think that Mike Hass is, and would be, a better receiver, at least until Lance gets a TON more experience. That said, I think that Long should become the best Chiefs receiver, as he has much better fundamentals that everybody else on the team, he can catch. I also think that part of Hass' problems is that he is wed to the Pacific Northwest. I can almost guarantee that he would have a better chance of breaking through from another team's practice squad, but he would prefer to stay home.
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
Here's a story on the Chief's website by their site blogger, Josh Looney. Although it's a "success story", it really doesn't give you the warm-n-fuzzies about Long's long-term chances. Coach Haley still obsesses over Lance's (very few) mistakes, while a black WR would get a pass:



LONG SHOT
November 18th â€" 5:59 AM



September 13th, 2009 was Opening Day for the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. University of Phoenix Stadium was buzzing with the excitement and anticipation of another Cardinals run at a Super Bowl. WR Lance Long was buzzing with excitement and anticipation as well; Long was on an NFL active roster for the first time in his career.


The excitement in Arizona came and went as the Cardinals were upset 20-16 by the 49ers. For Long, the excitement came and went as well. He was released the following day. Two days later, Long was signed to the Chiefs practice squad. His NFL process had taken a huge blow. It was back to square one for Long once again.


Long entered the league as a long shot â€" a rookie free agent to be more specific. Not only was he a rookie free agent, but he was an undersized receiver trying to make his way onto a roster that featured Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston (My initial thought â€" Yikes, good luck with that). Oh, he also had to impress the watchful eye of Todd Haley while going up against these NFL playmakers. Oh, and he also only started seven college games and scored one TD at Mississippi State.


"Lance was a guy in Arizona that I think we got for about $500 right after the draft,"Â Haley explained.


(Random Timeout â€" yes, there have been a lot of them this week â€" earlier in the off-season, Fitzgerald had signed a $40 million contract. Long was guaranteed exactly .0000125% of Fitzgerald's deal).


"One of our coaches on the staff had been a college coach of his and he knew him,"Â Haley continued. "Lance doesn't have a lot of college career catches but he knew him and said he would be a great guy for camp. He'll come in and give you an honest day's work and when the draft ends that's always a tough deal where you're scrambling trying to find enough guys. You have holes at certain spots. I really didn't have any expectations for Lance and really tried to run him off for the first month [in Arizona] or so. He'll probably attest to that."Â


The offensive coordinator at the time just admitted that he had zero expectations for Lance Long as a football player. He even tried to run Long off the team during those early days in Arizona. This sounds like the storyline of that show on MTV, "Made."Â


With that said, how in the world did Long overcome these type of odds?


"As time went on you could tell this guy wasn't going away,"Â Haley said. "His role early on and for most of the year was just a show-team player. But every day the guy made plays and the defense didn't like him and you take notice. That's the way guys make it and there's never going to be a day he can ever take off. But he's quick and he's tough and he goes a hundred miles an hour all the time. That's what got my attention."Â


Getting Haley's attention ultimately landed Long on Arizona's practice squad for the entirety of Arizona's Super Bowl XLIII run a year ago. Gaining Haley's attention also won him an opportunity to make the Cardinals at the beginning of this year and, eventually, placed him onto the Chiefs practice squad in September.


Six weeks later Long was back on an active roster, this time it was with the Chiefs. He was on the field against another California foe this time as well, but his status was up for grabs following the October 25th contest against the Chargers once again. This time, Long recorded statistics (two catches for 12 yards), but he also had to leave the game with a "head trauma"Â after being leveled on a crossing pattern by LB Tim Dobbins.


The trauma was nothing serious, but the fact that he had to leave the game was. There are no guarantees in the NFL, especially if you are a player like Lance Long.


Long, however, did make one play (err"¦almost made one play) that earned him yet another look in a Chiefs uniform. Surely you remember it; the deep ball in the end zone that Long went air-born, fully-extended for and came up just millimeters short of the TD. That play was enough to get fans excited about this long shot and it had to have helped him in the film room. The kid was gritty.


"We brought him here for a reason," Haley said. "Lance has some unique skill to him. I had some familiarity with him but, again, he's a young receiver in the league that doesn't have a lot of experience. He wasn't a highly productive college receiver but is a guy who's kind of come on, works hard. It's really hard to out-work him. He's out there running routes ‘on air' by himself in practice. This kid works and he has some unique skill. We're just trying to find out what we have as we go forward."Â


In his second-chance with the Chiefs Long impressed the city and his teammates in a big way. He drew the primary job at slot receiver and his arrival onto the scene ultimately drove veteran WR Bobby Engram out of that role. In his first game of extensive action, Long was targeted a team-high 11 times and finished as the Chiefs leading receiver at Jacksonville (eight catches for 74 yards). He followed up that performance last week with a two-catch, 18-yard effort in Oakland.


That brings us to where we are today. Today, Long happens to find himself in yet another situation of opportunity. With the Chiefs primary target, WR Dwayne Bowe, suspended for the next four games, there are plenty of opportunities for others to make big plays. Another challenge has been issued and, not just Long, but each member of this entire receiving core has the chance to do themselves a lot of favors in regards to their future in Kansas City.


"I feel like it's a great opportunity,"Â Long said of joining the Chiefs. "I feel like just in the last few weeks, with me being able to play a little bit more, it's just been a blessing. I'm trying to make the best of this opportunity."Â


"I feel like I'm doing a lot,"Â Long continued. "Each day I'm trying to just take one thing that I need to work on and get better at it each day. I feel like that's all that you can do. Just treat every day like it's your last day."Â


That line of thinking has served Long well thus far in his long shot NFL career. He knows, however, that nothing is secure.


"I think he's shown enough to continue trying to work him in,"Â Haley said. "He hasn't been perfect, the out-of-bounds [play vs. Jacksonville] being a big thing and last game he missed a big block late in that game that might have given us a chance to keep the ball at the end. But again, with each guy you've got to take in account all the variables and this is a guy who does not have a lot of experience. We're trying to give him on-the-job experience; that's the best way to describe him."Â


Long's run with each shot he's been given. We'll see how he handles this one.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
30,319
Location
Pennsylvania
At least the Cardinals gave Urban a chance while Haley was there, something Mikey Holmgren was incapable of doing, along with Sean Morey, a "Steve Tasker type" who got a few catches, and Long was kept on the fringes of the team, so he has a decent chance to stick as the slot receiver.
 

whiteathlete33

Hall of Famer
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
12,669
Location
New Jersey
I checked how many white wide receivers are currently on active rosters and I came up with 19 total. This of course is including Lance Long and counting Danny Woodhead as a wr because that is what NFL.com has him listed as.
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
Here is the latest interview with QB Matt Cassell, and it's nice to see that his press conferences focus on Lance Long. Of course, the very first question asked is a typical DWF question:"Q: WR Lance Long is a guy that doesn't fit the typical WR prototype. What do you like about him?" I like that "doesn't fit the typical WR prototype". And what prototype is that?? Oh, that's right, he's not BLACK.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
30,319
Location
Pennsylvania
Long is a healthy scratch for today's game. Because everyone knows the Chiefs have so many outstanding wide receivers to choose from. . .
smiley29.gif
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
I'm not sure what Lance did to warrant being thrown into Coach Haley's doghouse, but he was inactive last week as well. I was treated to a all-afflete wide receiver corps that dropped 8 passes (white TE O'Connell was responsible for the other 2). White skill players have no margin for error, while the affletes get to screw up for 15 weeks straight before they get released (see Mark Bradley).
 

Westside

Hall of Famer
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
7,703
Location
So Cal
FootballDad it called "being a white reciever in the NFL" who has put up the numbers of Welker yet that caused Haley to put Lance in the dog house.
 

whiteathlete33

Hall of Famer
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
12,669
Location
New Jersey
Long was doing well his first few games. I wonder what happened. The Chiefs don't have any better receivers than him for sure.
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,132
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
I recall that he "dropped" a couple of really tough throws. Needless to say, none of the other "affletes" would have caught these either, but like I said, no margin for error. Also, he became a bit of a media darling, which seemed to really tick off coach Haley, who started looking for things to bag on. It's all stupid, really. He is also one of the better coverage guys on kickoffs, but since Haley "inactivated" him, they Chiefs promptly give up two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
 

Colonel_Reb

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jan 9, 2005
Messages
13,987
Location
The Deep South
FootballDad said:
He is also one of the better coverage guys on kickoffs, but since Haley "inactivated" him, they Chiefs promptly give up two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Great news! I love to see caste decisions backfire.
 

devans

Mentor
Joined
Jul 7, 2005
Messages
729
Location
Outside North America
Yes and the Chiefs loss on Sunday brings a smile to my face now there is very little to cheer for with that team.
 
Top