Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long struggling to get into form this season – NFL News
Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long has not played like a four-time Pro Bowler in the first four games of the 2012 season. Yet he believes that fitness is not the reason behind his poor show.
Talking to the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday, October 03, 2012, Long explained that he has fully recovered from injury on his knee and is hoping to return to form. Long said:
"This is the healthiest I've felt in a while. I feel like I'm moving well and getting better every single game. I can see the progress I've made from the first game. I've just got to keep working and improving every single week."
Long has been very consistent in his four seasons with Dolphins, but this season has not gone the way he had hoped.
The offensive tackle is currently ranked no. 43 in the league by ProFootballFocus.com, as compared to no.21 ranking he got for the 2011 season.
This is a steep decline in performance in the last two years as he was listed as the second-best tackle in both 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Dolphins’ offensive line has been very thin in four games, failing to protect rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Long has allowed three sacks this season.
This shows a stark increase from his previous four seasons in the league in which he has allowed only 16 sacks. Talking about this problem, Long said:
"I hate it. Sacks are my biggest pet peeve. I'm working every single day to correct the problems, watching the film and seeing what I did wrong. I got to make sure it doesn't happen because that's something I hate.”
Dolphins have not been very pleased with the performance their highest-paid player. Head coach Joe Philbin has been appreciative of Long’s improvement, but has criticised the overall team. Philbin said:
“There’s not a player on the team that I’m satisfied with, but I think overall, he’s contributing nicely.”
Long was drafted by Dolphins as the first overall pick in the 2008 draft. The two-time All Pro has played 66 games in his career.
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