DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -Jake Long began practice Thursday by drilling against a squatty 47-year-old who played his most recent game in the early 1980s.
Coach Tony Sparano gave his best effort in the matchup.
“I didn’t win many, but I got some bruises,” Sparano said.
The Miami Dolphins are doing everything they can to get Long back on his feet after he was steamrolled for a sack in their opener – a stunning sight that served as a symbol of the 19-7 drubbing they endured Sunday at Atlanta.
“I didn’t play good enough,” Long said. “I know what I did wrong, and I’m working on correcting it and making sure it doesn’t happen again.”
He’s preparing to face Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney on Monday night, and some tutoring from the head coach may help. Sparano, a longtime offensive line coach, tried to make his matchup against Long more fair by starting from the offensive side of the line of scrimmage.
a step,” Sparano said, “to simulate the speed that he needs to get out of his stance with.”
Long rose late from his stance when he took a helmet to the chest from the Falcons’ John Abraham, who continued his charge and sacked quarterback Chad Pennington as Long fell on his backside – all 6-foot-7 and 317 pounds of him.
It was a humbling moment for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft. But it turns out there were extenuating circumstances.
“The ball was snapped probably two seconds earlier than it should have been snapped on that play,” guard Justin Smiley said. “Jake wasn’t even prepared. He wasn’t even ready to get out of his stance.”
Playing on the road, the Dolphins used a silent count on the play from a shotgun formation. That meant Long was waiting for a bob of center Jake Grove’s head as his cue.
“Grove snapped the ball early,” Smiley said. “It was a miscommunication. Against Abraham you can’t do that.”
Long was later beaten for a second sack after allowing only 2 1/2 in his entire rookie year. The Dolphins allowed four after giving up 13 last year to tie an NFL record for the fewest in a season. And Miami failed to score until 3:22 remained.
Standing at his locker after practice Thursday, Long faced 20 reporters and cameras. That’s the sort of attention an offensive lineman receives only when things go wrong.
a shrug. “You don’t want to get Chad hit, and I did that. That’s what people are going to focus on.”
Said Sparano: “Those kind of days happen to a lot of tackles in this league. You learn a lesson, and you go on.”
The former Michigan star made the Pro Bowl as a rookie but benefited from the Dolphins’ soft schedule, facing only one player who reached a double-digit sack total. This year he’ll face a parade of talented pass rushers, including James Harrison, Shawne Merriman, Julius Peppers and Mario Williams, along with Freeney and Abraham.
Freeney might be the best of the bunch. The Colts’ career sack leader made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time last year.
“There are a lot of great pass rushers in this league,” Sparano said. “This guy, if he’s not the best, he’s in the top two. He plays with power and a tremendous, tremendous burst. And he doesn’t give you a whole lot to hit. You can’t miss him. If you do, then he’s going to get around you.”
Long said the key will be his footwork and keeping his balance. That might prevent him from landing on his backside again.
“Last week was a big test,” he said. “I don’t think I passed the test. This week is another test.”
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