What They are Saying About Chris Long

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Comments from Opponent Players and Coaches

“Clearly, there’s no better player in college football than Chris Long. He performs like a star but doesn’t act like a star.”
Al Groh, Virginia head coach

“You want to talk about a chip off the old block? This is a young man that plays absolutely lights-out football … Chris Long has to be one of the premier defensive linemen in the country “
Butch Davis, North Carolina head coach

“I don’t think we’ll play a better defensive player than Chris Long.”
Jim Grobe, Wake Forest head coach

“He won’t be denied. You can block him for a few seconds, the ball can go to the other side of the field and he’s running, going to the ball. I admire players like that, but at the same time, you’ve got to block them. It’s a real big challenge.”
Duane Brown, Virginia Tech offensive tackle

“It’s hard to imagine there being a better player at any position than Chris Long. A guy would have to be one of the Transformers to be better than Chris.”
Al Groh, Virginia head coach

“I really like Chris. He plays the game well, he’s fast, he plays with tenacity and he tries to make plays all the time. In pass rush situations, he gets after it.”
Randy Shannon, Miami head coach

“He’s got ability, but the other thing is he’s very relentless. He’s just playing all the time. He’s got a big motor, he’s got good technique and he’s got good strength.”
Randy Edsall, Connecticut head coch

“Chris Long is really, really good. You guys make sure you watch him play, number 91. He plays extremely hard. He’s physical. He can run. He’s exactly what you look for in a football player. He’s fun to watch.”
Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee head coach

“When you’ve got one of the best players the school’s ever had and he’s only interested in helping the team win, it puts an exclamation point on what you’re trying to do.”
Al Groh, Virginia head coach

“It normally takes more than one (blocker to stop Long). He’s a great player. I saw his daddy for a lot of years. He’s got a lot of the same traits. He has excellent technique, great strength, leverage, quickness.”
Chan Gailey, Georgia Tech head coach

“He has tremendous explosive power and plays with a great base. He’s low in coming off the ball. Obviously, you can see a lot of the techniques he has, he’s worked with his father. He looks like a miniature version of the way his dad [Howie] used to play. Basically, you know where he is on first and second down. They move him around in the third-down package and I guess we’ll figure out who our worst pass protector is because that’s where he’ll line up.”
Tom O’Brien, NC State head coach

“He has a motor like nobody I’ve seen before.”
Duane Brown, Virginia Tech offensive tackle

“That daggone Long guy, Howard’s son. I wish he had twins and sent one our way. Boy is his good. He puts on a clinic every time he plays. Every snap is a clinic. He plays the game like it’s suppose to be played.”
Chuck Amato, as head coach at NC State in 2006

“He’s the best defensive lineman that I’ve seen on tape. He’s a playmaker. He does it all. He plays the run well. He knocks balls down, and he plays all over the place. He’ll be outside as an end, and then he’ll move inside as a tackle. … He’s quick, and he’s strong. And he plays so hard. He’s got it all, and in my opinion he’ll be a first-round (NFL Draft) pick.”
Dave Wannstedt, Pittburgh head coach

“They have some really physical guys that make it difficult to run the football… Chris Long is as good a pass rusher as probably is playing in college football today.”
Butch Davis, North Carolina head coach

“You really have to do your homework to prepare for him. If you’ve got a weakest defensive lineman, you can pretty much count he’s going to be on him. In that light, I feel they’re fairly predictable, but it does make it difficult to find out where he is and where he’s going to be. They do a good job.”
Ralph Friedgen, Maryland head coach

“I just know that he’s a real good player, and he’s got an unbelievable motor.”
Franklin Dunbar, Middle Tennessee offensive tackle

“If they’re ever going to invite a defensive player to New York in December for the Heisman Trophy presentation, you’d have to think it was Chris Long.”
Al Groh, Virginia head coach

“Basically you know where he is on first and second down and they move him around on the third down package. You have to pay special attention to him, especially in a pass-rushing situation and in a long-yardage situation. I think people have tried to chip on him or double him; that’s the best thing you can do.”
Tom O’Brien, NC State head coach

“He’s just a very special player. The things he’s able to do on the field, and I think the most important thing, the way he leads this team. I think the personality of the team this year, you talk about the close wins and the guys fighting it out to the end, I think that’s very much … handed down from coach Groh, but I think it’s very much embodied in who Chris is, the way he approaches the game and the way he competes every day in practice, but especially Saturday.”
Jon Copper, Virginia linebacker

Comments from Members of the Media

“Chris Long is a bear. Period.”
Matt Winkeljohn, Atlanta Journal Constitution

“Long is college football’s premier defensive talent and everything NFL scouts look for while searching for the next perennial Pro Bowl defensive end. His combination of size, power, quickness and tenacity should land him a spot on every All-America team in existence and make him a top-five pick in the 2008 draft.”
Todd McShay, ESPN.com draft analyst

“I’m telling you, this guy is better than advertised.”
Doc Walker, Lincoln Financial Sports/Comcast Sports Net analyst

“Long had one of the best games I’ve seen a defensive player play n at least a decade or two. Whether blocked with one man or two, he was either batting down passes, collecting sacks or slamming backs to the turf for losses. On the final snap of the third quarter, he blasted into the Terrapin backfield and sacked Chris Turner in the end zone for a safety. Those are worth two points. Feel free to recheck the final score (18-17).
John Markon, Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist

“Long has impacted games this fall from his end position to a degree rarely seen from someone who doesn’t play offense or have the ball in his hands very often.”
David Glenn, WRAL.com

“I mean, is defensive end Chris Long good or what, people?”
Tom Robinson, Virginian Pilot columnist

“I’ve been raving about this young man all year, and all the attention and accolades he receives are well-deserved. Long is the heart and soul of the Cavaliers; his tenacity and desire spills over to the rest of the squad.”
Mel Kiper, ESPN analyst

“And, Chris Long? Forget about it. He can’t possibly be that good can he? Virginia coach Al Groh said the other day that if they ever invite a defensive player to New York in December, then the invitation should read: To Mr. Long. Well, Chris Long is that good. But I’m not sure he’s the real deal either. Personally, I think he’s really the Terminator wearing No. 91.”
Jerry Radcliffe, Charlottesville Daily Progress columnist

“If Heisman voters possessed any imagination, they’d include Long in their select group of candidates.
Saturday night on ESPN2, Long made some new fans. While disrupting Maryland’s attack, Howie’s boy enjoyed more face time than Anderson Cooper.”
Bob Molinaro, Virginian Pilot columist

“Virginia defensive end Chris Long is exceptional. … He can stop the run, drop in coverage, and be a sack artist for a team at the next level. The son of Hall of Fame DE Howie Long is a hard working, productive, all-around defender who is a sure top-ten selection next April.”
Chris Steuber, Scout.com NFL Draft analyst