Dolphins' Long preparing to deal with challenges

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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/05/03/a11c_dolphins_0503.html

Dolphins' Long preparing to deal with challenges

By EDGAR THOMPSON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, May 03, 2008

DAVIE — One day into his NFL career and the No. 1 overall draft pick, Jake Long, already wants to negotiate.

Long, the Dolphins' rookie left tackle, couldn't be happier with his five-year, $57.5 million contract. It's just that with so much attention on him, the league's highest-paid offensive lineman, he wants to look his best.

And that's partly why he wants to swap his No. 79 jersey for No. 77.

"I wore it all through high school and all through college," Long said. "So we'll see what happens."

No. 77 belongs to second-year guard Drew Mormino, but Long wants to strike up talks.

"There probably will (be), but not yet," Long said. "I haven't met him."

Regardless of his number, Long, 22, looked the part of an NFL lineman Friday during his first practice as a pro.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Long looked surprisingly nimble in some drills, incredibly strong in others.

"You can see some flashes of power and some of those things," said new Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, an offensive line coach in Dallas before coming to South Florida. "But we have a long way to go here."

Everything is relative during rookie camp.

Long did, after all, spend his first day on an NFL practice field with 30 players who weren't selected last weekend.

And most of the Dolphins' draft picks lack the résumé of Long, a two-time All-America at Michigan.

Sixth-round pick Donald Thomas, a guard out of Connecticut, said "it's humbling" just to be in the same huddle with the top pick in the draft. Remarks like that only add to the expectations for Long.

"There is definitely pressure," he said. "I have that over my head every single day. That pushes me to go out and work as hard as I can, and prove to people that I earned that No. 1 spot and that I'll earn the money."

It will take time, especially because the level of play Long sees has changed quite a bit since his last collegiate game, the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1.

"It is a lot faster here, a lot more fast-paced," Long said. "It is all new coaches. I have had the same coach for five years, so having a new coach is different."

Sparano made sure to offer a few pointers to his prized pupil before his first day.

The rookie head coach didn't want to share too many secrets with the media, but said he told Long he'd need to work on his positioning to handle the elite pass rushers he'll face most fall Sundays.

"There are some things that Jake needs to understand are going to happen a little bit differently," Sparano said.

For now, though, Long is keeping things simple. Two more practices today. One Sunday. And on it goes.

He's just happy to be back on the field, especially on a warm, sunny South Florida day.

"I left yesterday and it was like 40 (degrees in Michigan)," he said. "The weather is beautiful, putting the helmet back on, strapping the cleats up.

"It feels great to get back to football."